Luke was determined to be Thomas 'friend for reasons that escape him, he kept inserting himself during his meals like nothing happened.Thankfully, it was just him and not the rest of the 'cast'. Thomas hoped it stayed that way.This was his only downside of the last two days.
On the upside, he had managed to get the position at the library.The pay was correct for 15 hours of work during the week end.There wasn't many applicants but they were also determined to get it but unlike the others student, Thomas already had experience has a job seeker so the interview was a breeze for him. His first shift at the library was in 5 days and Thomas must admit, Mrs Breave, the old librarian, seemed like a good boss.
Today was also special. It was the first day of the school year. Thankfully, there were no classes for the general course. They just did some basic activities such as introducing themselves, sharing a bit of their life and dreams. Thomas had to be careful of what he shared about his life, he talked more about his 'dreams' than his past, an action that raised some eyebrows. They also talk about what to expect from their school year, the curriculum, the clubs, outdoor activities and 'night life'. It was a very peaceful atmosphere. It helped the student to quickly form ties and groups but somehow, Thomas ended up with a stigmata. His ranks and secrecy of his past didn't help him at all. Most of his 'peers' were from distinguished backgrounds, the few who were closer to his own tried to limit their interaction with him.
It stung a bit, he wouldn't lie about that. He never was a social person but he also was not a loner. He wondered if Luke Evans' actions had an impact on his social life but quickly dismissed the idea. He couldn't blame his creation for that even if he disliked him. People lived in different environments and he was the foreign element here. In all meanings of the word.
Currently, Thomas was sitting in one of the many amphitheaters of the school. He was listening alongside his classmates to a teacher explaining what they will see in his magic lessons.
The teacher was wearing a monocle on his right eye. His face had a trimmed van dyke beard. Short grey hair combed back. He was also wearing a blue three piece suit with a gold chain hanging out of his breast pocket.
"Magic, as wonderful as it is. In the end, it's just a tool in the hand of man. Like a knife," exclaimed the professor," it can be used to prepare a meal like it can be used to murder a person."
The professor walked around, took a deep breath then continued.
"The Adventurer of this school will mostly focus themself on the usage of magic in combat, whereas. We !" He shouted. "We shall be the great minds of the future ! We will see magic from its base, how it works, how we cast a spell and its interaction with the world ! We will create and innovate tools and spells for those who come after us !"
He spread his arm wide and pushed his chest forward.
"We will be creators and they will be the destroyer ! Let them be flashy ! Live in the instant ! Because we will last for eternity !"
The professor bowed toward the students. One student started to clap then one by one all joined him. Thomas joined by politeness. His claps were drowned by the others.
The professor made a motion to calm down. "Thank you. Thank you."
He cleared his throat. "Remember students. My name is Jean-Stephan Delacroix. I will be your teacher for the following years. I value curious minds and believe that there is no bad student. With this, I bid you Adieu."
He bowed one last time and as if it was the queue, the bell rang.
This impressed Thomas the most. He wrote Jean-Stephan Delacroix has this joke character who had an impeccable timing .Everything he did always ended or began at the right second. May it be simply walking in a room proclaiming "Somebody said my name ?" or calling someone only for them to walk in. In a part of his mind he really wanted to test how far it can be stretched.
One by one the students were leaving the amphitheater. Thomas was walking in line behind a mass of students but Jean-Stephan's voice stopped him as he was about to cross the door.
"Mister Poirro, please stay back for a few minutes."
Thomas stepped aside to let the rest of the students pass. He felt a strange satisfaction at the professor's impeccable timing. Thomas was sure that he had his back turned to the rest of the student.
"Yes Mr Delacroix. What can I do for you ?" asked Thomas.
Jean-Stephan chuckled, "Don't worry my boy. It's nothing."
He then showed him a form. "I was made aware by the school that you were part of the reintegration program."
The professor scratched his noise as if he was pleased by something.
"It truly warms my heart that someone in your situation succeeded in joining our prestigious academy."
Thomas nodded along but it explained nothing on why he called him. Suddenly, the professor cleared his throat.
"You may be wondering why I called you, right ?" asked the professor.
"It's quite simple," he reached over his desk and extended a small orb toward Thomas. It was the size of a big marble. "This. It is a marble !"
Thomas couldn't stop himself from muttering, "Dear god."
"There is more," chuckled the professor,"this marble will help us determine the purity of your mana ! Don't worry, it will only sting slightly ! After all, the marble must drain a bit of your mana to process it correctly. Now put your fingers on the marble."
Thomas looked at the marble and frowned. In his story, he never mentioned a marble being able to do that. The only time something of the sort was mentioned was when Luke Evans got a power up the the purity of his mana changed so they had to check it but the process was never explained.
"Don't worry about the sting. It's like pricking your finger with a needle. Well, all five fingers."
Thomas exhaled and put his fingers on the marble. Like the professor said he felt a slight sting on all his five fingers.
"Hugh !" groaned Thomas.
It surprised him and also made him curious why the professor can hold it without getting stinged.
"You may be wondering, why can I hold it normally ?" interrupted the professor.
Thomas nodded at his words.
"Well, you see. The first version stinged everyone with discrimination. So the creator of this thing made it so that it needed to be held by five fingers first before stinging the five other fingers. A simple solution right ?" explained the professor, "It reminds me of Argh !"
Jean-Stephan yelped from pain. During his explanation, he passed the marble on his other end, triggering the stinging mechanism.
"Well. That teached me a lesson," he chuckled,"let's check your result and you can go about your day."
The professor walked behind his desk and put the marble on a receptacle. It lit up and two numbers appeared over the marble: a 78 and a 99. The professor leaned forward.
"Oh my…, this is fascinating !" he marvelled.
"You got the purest mana I ever saw in this school ! Even the niece of the Elven Queen has a lower purity than you !"
"You see this number," he pointed to the 78,"this is my mana purity and this one,"he pointed to the 99,"it's yours."
Jean-Stephan walked around his desk and grabbed Thomas by the shoulders.
"Do you know what that means my boy !" He shouted excitedly while grabbing Thomas cheeks.
"You need to study the path of a mage ! You have the potential to become a legend !"
Jean-Stephan was still pulling on his cheeks. Thomas had to physically grab him to make him notice what he was doing. He quickly pulled away and cleared his throat. His cheeks were covered by a slight blush.
"Of course. If you want to. I can't force you to do such a thing."
His back was facing Thomas. His face slightly turned to watch him in the corner of his eyes. They had a slight gleam in them. He was expecting a positive answer from Thomas.
"Professor.."Started Thomas."I don't thing having a high mana purity means I have talent in the field"
The professor opened his mouth to reply but Thomas raised his hands interrupting him.
"What I meant to say is," he took a deep breath,"I don't intend to become a magic engineer. I don't know if I have talent in magic but I know I have less talent in other fields that are related. Also, my only dream with magic is to, at least, know how to cast a fireball."
The professor stood silent. Only the ticking of the clock could be heard. Thomas swallows nervously.
"My boy…"Started the professor.
His eyes had an even stranger gleam. A gleam Thomas couldn't describe.
"It's a man dream to cast a fireball"