Raze wandered until they entered the library. Though it was called a library, it wasn’t like the ones found in public cities. Here, the space was designed not just for silence and study, but for discussion. Students clustered at tables, speaking freely without being shushed by staff.
Of course, most mages didn’t need total silence. If someone wanted peace and quiet, they could cast a simple Silence spell, either to block outside noise or to keep their own voice contained within a magical bubble.
Raze, Chiba, and Yolden found a table and took their seats while Raze moved off, scanning the rows of shelves for useful books. His sharp eyes darted between titles as he formed a plan.
They wanted to understand Panla’s lesson better, he thought, fingers brushing over spines. They might find this weird, but I can already guess most of the curriculum for the term. I’ll give them a foundation that will help with everything that’s coming.
By the time Raze returned, his arms were stacked high with books, far more than either girl had expected. He dumped them on the table with a heavy thud.
Chiba and Yolden blinked at the pile, trading uneasy glances.
“Is all this really necessary?” Yolden asked, a nervous smile twitching at her lips.
“Believe me,” Raze replied, pulling out a chair and sitting down, “it’s easier than it looks. These are all basic concepts. But if you truly master the basics, especially the ones that seem difficult at first, you’ll be ahead of the curve.”
He looked between them, serious now.
“Panla’s class is only going to get tougher. She wants to push you, creatively. That’s a good thing. Creativity is one of the most important traits a mage can have.”
“Creativity?” Chiba raised an eyebrow. “Not… knowing the most spells? Or memorizing the biggest tomes of magic?”
“Correct,” Raze said. “The powerful spells you learn now exist because someone else was creative enough to invent them. Remember, at one point, mana was just an idea. An unexplained energy people sensed but didn’t understand. Then someone figured out how to shape it. Use it. Turn it into spells.
“All of that came from creative thinking.”
He tapped a finger on one of the books.
“You don’t need to know how the foundations were originally discovered, but if you don’t understand those foundations now, you’ll never be able to build off them. Let me give you an example…”
Raze leaned in a little, his voice calm but pointed.
“Some of the magic formations Panla used in class today, if she showed them again, could you answer those questions correctly?”
The girls looked at each other, confused, like Raze had just asked if water was wet.
“Of course we could!” Chiba said, slightly offended. “We’re in that class for a reason. We’re both smart, you know. You shouldn’t underestimate us just because you’re some kind of genius.”
Raze sighed deeply.
“You’re missing my point. About fifty percent of the formations Panla showed today, I didn’t know them. Not until I actually saw them.”
Both girls blinked in surprise.
“That’s the difference,” Raze continued. “Memorization versus understanding. You can memorize a thousand formations and ace every test. But that’s not learning. That won’t help you carve your own path. Not in the long run.”
They didn’t know why, but coming from him, the words didn’t feel patronizing. Maybe it was the softness in his tone, or the calmness behind his silver-white hair and sharp eyes. He looked young, but something about him felt older. Like he’d seen more than he was letting on.
Raze kept teaching. He answered every question they threw at him, no matter how small. Time slipped away unnoticed. Hours passed, but it felt like one long conversation, focused, intense, but weirdly energizing. Each answer built on the last. Every explanation clicked. One lesson with Raze felt like ten with any other teacher.
Eventually, they reached the bottom of the book stack. Chiba slumped in her seat.
“Phew! My head’s totally fried. I don’t think I can even move tomorrow.”
“Seriously though,” Yolden said, turning to Raze with a warm smile. “Thank you. You barely know us, and yet… you did all this. You helped us. For no reason.”
Chiba nodded in agreement. “Is there anything we can do for you? Our families have good connections in the guilds. We can help you, if you want.”
Maybe that was true. But if their connections were good enough, they wouldn’t be here instead of at the Central Academy. Raze considered that, and decided to ask for something else.
“Just remember this day,” he said.
The girls tilted their heads.
“Remember me. Remember what I taught you. What I said. If you do that, then we’re even.”
They stared at him. That was it?
“Raze…” Yolden frowned. “I don’t think you understand how much time you gave us. We weren’t just asking for notes. We took up your whole afternoon. You have to let us repay you somehow.”
Raze chuckled.
“You’re right. It was annoying. But I still did it. That should tell you something.”
He leaned back in his seat, voice calm and cryptic.
“Just remember everything, me, this moment, all of it. Someday, it’ll make sense. Maybe not now. But it will.”
They looked at him, still puzzled, still clearly unsatisfied with his answer.
So he decided to push things one step further. In his mind, Raze was still thinking about Alen. He needed allies. He needed to know who he could trust. And this… this felt like the right test.
“Alright then,” Raze said. “One question, answer honestly.”
The girls perked up.
“If I asked you to write down what you truly think about the Grand Magus… and then write down what you honestly think about the Dark Guild… what would you say on each side of the paper?”
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