Chapter 2

Exposition Time!

xXx

oOoOoOoOo Eric oOoOoOoOo

One must always expect the unexpected in regards to Zelretch. That was a simple truth known to any fan of the Nasuverse who was even vaguely aware of the single greatest troll of the whole series. A man who delighted is breaking the norm and reducing all order before him to chaos and sitting back to watch it unfold.

That said, being told to expect the unexpected and being able to expect the unexpected are two very different things. Often the only difference at all was the hindsight of realizing you should've expected whatever happened, considering the question of just how someone could expect something that was…well, unexpected.

Thus was Eric's conundrum when he woke up that morning for his first day as the apprentice of the Big Z himself. He could honestly say he expected something to happen, it was practically a requirement.

But he sure didn't expect Zelretch to wake him up at the crack of dawn with a megaphone.

WAKE UP, SLEEPYHEAD! THE EARLY MAGUS GET'S THE GRIMOIRE! RISE AND SHINE!"

So you could imagine that it was perfectly feasible for Eric to roll and scramble out of bed in a panic, screaming in shock and doing his best to avoid dying from a sudden heart attack. Pushing and escaping from the confines of his bed, he tumbled out in a panic as he was in the middle of a particularly panicked shout. He was damn lucky he didn't land head first and get a concussion.

Panting rapidly, fearing that the noise was a prelude to some kind of attack in the old and instinctive part of his mind, he slowly regained his composure as he realized that, no, there wasn't going to be some kind of attack.

Instead he got up and shouted "What the Hell!" at the grinning, red eyed Magus that was perched on his bed like a vulture.

He did his best to ignore the somewhat predatory connotations. He also did his best to ignore that Zelretch of all people had managed to sneak into his room and perch on his bed without even waking him up. Going down that train of thought would bring only madness and paranoia.

Instead, he tried to occupy all available brainpower on keeping himself from trying to cock back a fist and send it out as an oh-so-innocent smile formed on the old bloodsucker's face. "My dear boy, I have no idea why you're so angry. I was just trying to wake you up. Really."

"You practically gave me a heart attack!" he shouted, shaking in fury at the man's utter refusal to even budge from his spot in the face of his anger. "I hope I get some really good and comprehensive lessons for this, otherwise it might not even be worth it at all!"

He realized those were the exact words he shouldn't have said right as they left his mouth. Then he realized he was in serious trouble as Zelretch's smile started getting wider.

There was a quote he remembered from a friend, a fellow fan of the Nasuverse. "When Zelretch smiles wide, pray to God he's not smiling at you."

Granted, it was practically common sense in regards to the series, though he never thought it would be so fucking literal. He especially never thought he'd be living it.

Eric shivered slightly as Zelretch spoke. "Really, you want comprehensive lessons? Well, it'll mean quite a bit of work, but I'm so pleased you're taking your education so seriously. I shall endeavor to do my very best not to disappoint."

Quick summary? He was now officially up shit creek without a damned paddle.

…'It's only my first fucking day!'

oOoOoOoOo

Eric knew going in that learning the intricacies of Magecraft, also known as Mysteries, Thaumaturgy, or The Craft, wasn't something that would happen overnight. The system for Magic in the Nasuverse was, in comparison to many others he'd seen in various other media, was extremely complex. Most systems just slap some basic terminology and say "Magical Energy" with only a basic explanation for it all.

But the Thaumaturgy of the Nasuverse was very different. It wasn't usually treated as magic so much as it was treated like an outright scientific field in its own right. Hell, he knew that some Magi even made money in it through what were essentially patents for magical discoveries. The systems of Magecraft were so comprehensive and expansive that they each counted as a complete field of study, like physics or biology.

That meant studying. Lots of studying. And it all got started today.

'So why am I surprised he's set things up like this?'

When he'd walked with Zelretch back into the room they'd talked in, more or less the old DAA's office and living room wrapped up in one, he'd gone out of the way to prepare a student desk in front of what looked like a cardboard cutout of a schoolroom. There was even a big desk with a chalk board behind it.

He was also a little annoyed to see a dunce cap on the desk. If Zelretch was going out of his way to get in his nerves, he was doing a good job of it.

…Then again, he was talking about Zelretch. If anything, that would be kind of expected.

"Class is in session," called the old Dead Apostle, currently standing behind his desk and in front of the board, a piece of chalk in hand. "Today, class, we will be discussing," he brought the chalk up, writing out the final word as he spoke it. "Magecraft."

Setting the chalk down, he walked around the desk and leaned slightly against it from the front, looking all around like the stereotypical relaxed teacher. "So, would anyone like to ask something before we all get started? There are no dumb questions."

Waiting in silence for a moment, Eric wondered if Zelretch would just move on. But, as the silence stretched out for around thirty seconds, he realized the old man wouldn't keep going until he played along. And thus, with a sigh he raised up a hand.

"Yes, Eric?"

"Are all the lessons gonna be like this?"

Quicker than he could blink, he felt something fall on his head. Somehow he just knew it was the dunce cap.

"I was wrong. That was a dumb question."

"And I still want an answer for it."

Zelretch smiled at him. "Ooh, not even fazed. Let's see how long it lasts. But, to answer your question, no. Only this class will be structured in such a way."

He barely suppressed sigh of relief at that. He knew coming into this that Zelretch would probably troll him all to Hell, but there was just something particularly uncomfortable about feeling like he was back in Middle School or Junior High.

He knew damn well that the Big Z would probably think up stuff that would make him beg to come back to this, but that was later and right now he wanted to get out of this fake classroom.

'Either way," the teacher continued, "Now that that's out of the way, let's get on with the lesson. I'm sure you can already tell what we'll be studying from what's written on the board, and you could even think it might be simple because of that. Unfortunately, the art of Magecraft is more than a single term, so let's see what we can do for your first step."

Rising up from his leaning position against the desk, Zelretch motioned him forward with his hand. "Come on up, it's time for you to take that first step."

Leaving his own seat and desk, Eric removed moved ahead to Zelretch's position and stood before him. Trying to look him in the eye, it was only now that Eric was really starting to see the sheer difference in height. Zelretch towered over him.

The again, that was probably because of Eric's new childlike body. Still, he was pretty sure this guy outdid him in height even when he was in his adult body from before.

He somehow got the impression that Zelretch actually knew what he was thinking, considering the smug grin on his face as they held eye contact for a moment. Or was it his imagination? It was kinda hard to tell.

Then the old man reached out and removed the dunce cap from Eric's head, placing it in the desk. Bringing the hand back to rest gently on Eric's head, he spoke out "Alright, let's get started. You might feel an odd sensation, but just try to relax. I suggest closing your eyes to help."

After taking a second to glare upwards in suspicion, Eric relented and did as instructed. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he did his best to relax his body in preparation for whatever Zelretch had in mind. He dearly hoped it wasn't anything too weird.

It took the better part of half a minute, but eventually he started feeling something. An odd sensation, like his whole body was reduced to water and there was a particular current flowing through him. Flowing and probing the depths of his soul, checking every nook and cranny.

….Wow, that actually sounded really creepy when you thought about it, right?

Then, suddenly-

"Earth," Zelretch spoke out, his voice calm. "And Ether. Two Elements, but not closely connected. Interesting combination, but nothing particularly-"

A pause occurred in his speech, his hand seeming to still on his head as he became strangely quiet for a little while. Eric was curious about what could've caused that, but managed to keep his eyes closed.

But there was a noticeable difference in his tone as Zelretch spoke next, some kind of undercurrent. He could almost tell the old man was smiling.

"Well, this is interesting," he said slowly, slightly drawing the words out as he spoke. "I must admit, I haven't seen a Dual Origin very often, even at my age. But the structure of it…what's the connection, the source? Something to think about."

'Dual Origin? ME?'

Dual Origins were a definite rarity in Nasuverse Magecraft, the only one he ever knew about was Kiritsugu Emiya.

…Wait, how could he have an Origin at all? He was surprised he even had Magic Circuits in his body, but an Origin is something that slips from Akasha into a newborn Soul as it comes into the world. How could he have one when he wasn't even born in the Nasuverse to begin with?

Could it be because of how he came here? When he was slingshotted across time and space after seeing Akasha with his own eyes? Yes, that had to be it, there was no other feasible explanation. Hell, it was honestly a believable one, considering Akasha was essentially a suped-up and somewhat multiversal version of Truth from Fullmetal Alchemist.

But in that case, just what else could it have done to him?

Still feeling the odd sensation of the old man essentially giving him a magical scanning, he held still as the process continued. It was around half a minute later when Zelretch seemed to have finished up, pulling his hand back. "You can open your eyes now."

He did so, slowly letting the world fill his vision again. He blinked a few times, his eyes taking a moment to adjust again. "Anything I should know?"

Zelretch smiled again. "What do you know about an Origin?"

Eric almost answered before his mouth froze. Would it really be a god idea to answer? Zelretch already knew he wasn't from this world, so wouldn't it naturally seem strange if he knew something about Magecraft at all? Wouldn't it be odd?

He looked at the old man warily, but Zelretch just waited patiently for an answer. Maybe he really was just asking a serious question.

Well, he was already in too deep to back out, so he may as well have given him an answer.

"It's a fragment of Akasha or a concept it encompasses that flows out with a soul as it's born into the world."

He nodded, apparently pleased with the answer. "Now, do you know what a Dual-Origin is?"

"It's when a person is born with two origins-"

He was interrupted by Zelretch lightly bopping him on the head with his cane. "Nope! You fail!" Followed by the dunce cap being put on his head again. "Seems I'll need to give you a bit more thorough of an explanation on Magecraft. Take your seat."

Silently walking back to the desk and taking his seat, Eric put the teasing out of his mind and focused. Zelretch might be a troll, but he wanted to believe the old man would at least take teaching him seriously enough to give him accurate information.

"Now, you answered that a Dual-Origin is actually having two Origins, right?" Eric nodded. "That's incorrect. You see, there's technically no such thing as a Dual Origin. It's just a misconception people come to as a result of lacking understanding on the matter."

Eric perked up slightly, listening intently. That was honestly something he didn't know about Thaumaturgy in the Nasuverse. Wasn't that how it was written on the wiki? Then again, the info on that thing always seemed to be changing. And the many fanfiction ideas didn't really help matters.

"You see, a Dual-Origin isn't really getting two different Origins, simply a single Origin expressing itself by splitting into two parts of the same concept. They are often apparently opposed to one another, with the two concepts being as different as the two sides of a coin, though this isn't always the case. Sometimes they might not seem to have a connection at all, but there is always a connection to them if you just look closely enough."

Taking out a notebook and jotting down whatever he could, Eric was now a little pleased that Zelretch had provided him with school supplies. This was some important information that needed to be filed away for future use.

"There is also often a connection between someone's Origin and there Element, though this isn't a hard rule by any means. Even an Element completely unconnected to someone's Origin can mesh with it in unexpected ways, though it often takes a bit more creativity to do so. You getting all this?"

"Writing it down," he answered, pencil writing furiously as he heard more.

The lecture on Origins and Elements went a little further, with Zelretch continuing his teaching and explanations as Eric continued taking notes, occasionally broken as he asked a question. It honestly wasn't very different from those days he spent in regular school, though the subject matter was entirely different from anything he'd ever dealt with.

Eventually it came to an end, with a collection of 10 pages of notes written down for him to do his best to memorize and fully integrate into future lessons. Pretty productive so far.

"So," Zelretch said calmly, "now that we've covered that, any questions before we move onto the meat of the lecture?"

'Questions?'

Well…what could he ask? Considering what little he knew of Zelretch in canon there was a good chance he wouldn't give many opportunities for a straight answer. And he'd said himself that he'd take teaching him seriously during their lessons. So, what could he ask?

A number of options went through his mind, each more tempting than the last, but he held back on picking the first thing to come to his mind. He'd need to consider this carefully.

Then, after going over a number of potential questions, one in particular popped into his mind. "What's my Origin?"

"Ah, good one. A bit predictable, but good."

Picking up the chalk again, he turned to the blackboard and scraped it on. "Here it is."

Absorb/Surge

"Absorb and Surge," Eric muttered, forehead knotting in contemplation. "That's my Origin? I'm not really seeing how they actually connect in some way, so what am I missing?"

His teacher shrugged. "You'll have to figure that out yourself. If it makes you feel any better you're not the only one, lots of Magi have needed to spend plenty of time experimenting with their abilities before they really found out what their Origin allowed them to do or what its deeper meanings were."

He groaned. "So that means even more work."

"Did you think it would be easy?"

He shook his head. "No, I already figured this was gonna be complicated, but I'm pretty sure anyone would hope for things to go by a bit quicker."

"True," the DAA conceded. "Unfortunately, those quicker ways tend to end badly. Fortunately for you the fact that your sole teaching will be specifically from me means it may be sped up somewhat. Now, let's get to it."

oOoOoOoOo

Several hours later and Eric was practically buried in books, each one being a beginner source of information into a different form of Magecraft. Alchemy, Necromancy, Spiritual Evocation, Mineralogy, Familiars, literally a book for every topic and then some.

And Zelretch told him he needed to read all of them.

("Oooh boy," Eric muttered, staring in almost physical pain at the many books Zelretch had picked out for him. Easily more than a dozen in number, nearing two. He could already feel the headache forming.

And he could EASILY sense the grin Zelretch was sending from behind him. "Oh, don't complain. Just pace yourself to take it one step at a time and you'll be fine. You'll have all the material covered in a span of probably….two months. A little less if you're diligent."

"And I'll need to write an essay for each book once I finish it to show what I've learned from them all, right?"

"That's right," Zelretch responded, nodding in affirmation. "It's actually the same thing my own teacher did with me a long time ago, believe it or not."

Now THAT was a little surprising. "You had a teacher?"

The old man looked at him like he'd asked a stupid question –which in all honesty he DID- "Of course I had a teacher, did you think I got all these skills from nothing? Everyone needs someone to give them their foundation at the start. But enough talk, get reading!")

All in all, it was another one of those things that you would logically expect but still get surprised from due to just not placing much mental emphasis on it. He already knew from the series that becoming a Mage in the Nasuverse was a very academic pursuit that demanded intense study, but he still thought there would be some measure emphasis place on more physical lessons.

…Then again, considering how Magic/Magecraft in the Nasuverse worked, there was every possibility that going straight into lessons without a strong foundation on theory could end up blowing him to pieces. At BEST.

He had always been an avid reader, at least when a particular book had grabbed his interest. Fantasy was the most common genre he'd found himself reading, whether the low variant or higher, and he was essentially living in a fantasy genre here and now while learning it from the ground up.

Granted, it was a particularly dangerous and dark version of a fantasy world, but it still counted. It gave him extra motivation at the very least.

And somehow, by a fortunate stroke of luck, the subjects in some of these books really were perking his interest. He never really considered himself much of a nerd, but academic books never really got his mind going like this. Maybe it was because of the subject matter, maybe the necessity of learning it to survive, but he was breezing through the pages.

[The Science of the Material World – A Beginners Guide to Alchemy]

From what he remembered of the classes he took at High School, Alchemy actually seemed to have a lot in common with Chemistry. If Physics was the study of the invisible laws of the world and its esoteric workings, Chemistry was studying the processed and laws of the physical world. Alchemy was much the same, but with a decidedly mystical twist that was just strong enough to perk the fantasy nut in him while not thick enough to be hard to grasp. Maybe it's just because he was just starting or maybe it was because he hadn't been around this stuff long enough for it to become routine, but it looked like he'd be making good progress with at least one subject.

oOoOoOoOo Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg oOoOoOoOo

Smirking at the sight before him, Zelretch nodded ever so slightly in approval at his apprentice as he studied the current book in his hands. Seemed the first one he picked up was something he actually found some interest in.

'I don't think he even realizes the progress he's already made on that thing.'

From the looks of it he'd already gone through roughly a quarter of it. Granted, it was essentially a beginner's manual of only a little over a hundred and fifty pages, but it was nonetheless surprising. And it looked like the material was actually sticking to him.

Seems the boy could be a better student than he'd expected. At the rate he was going and assuming he'd take to at least half of the books as well as this first one then he could probably get the reading and work material done within half the timeframe he'd assigned him.

Zelretch was distantly aware that there seemed to be something akin to excitement building up at the opportunity to see what would happen with all this. Apprentices in general could be rather hit or miss when it came to entertainment value, and it wasn't just because they didn't tend to share his sense of humor. Seriously, when did all Magi turn into such boorish and bookish types?

…..Then again, maybe they had always been like that and he'd never bothered to notice. He rarely bothered to take note of anything that didn't set itself apart or somehow perk his interest.

Either way, he'd found something to occupy his interest now, and that's what mattered most. If the boy ended up becoming everything he could hope and hold his interest as a long term investment, well that was just a great big cherry on top of the sundae.

But that was for later. For now, he'd just need to leave the boy be for his studying.

Turning his back on the young apprentice, he exited the room and headed off to find something to amuse himself. He'd heard about some of the upper crust of the Mineralogy Department getting together for some kind of great celebration, so maybe he could attend. It wasn't like anyone would turn him away.

Plus, he found it so very amusing to enter a celebration where the subject of cheers was his seeming to leave them be after not inflicting some sort of prank on them. Irony had such a sweet taste to it when done right.

oOoOoOoOo

'Ah, there's nothing funnier than sharing a toast with a man over your own departure. The poor man was too drunk to even know who he was actually toasting with.'

The party had gone on for a few hours, Zelretch using his abilities to appear as a different person every once in a while to mingle anonymously amongst the different groups and circles present within the celebration. Party or not, no place in the Clock Tower was truly free from the politics present, making it necessary to change appearances to mingle amongst them all.

While it put up an appearance of unity to other groups outside itself, the Clock Tower was a hotbed of different factions fighting for influence and supremacy, practically a small scale Cold War between the groups involved.

On the very top were the three major factions; the Barthomeloi, the Trambelio, and the Meluastea.

The Barthomeloi faction, as one would expect from the name, largely represented the upper political groups of the Mages Association, the Lords and other prominent political figures that dictated policies and interactions with the larger world outside the Clock Tower itself. While there wasn't technically a leader of it, the Barthomeloi family was universally considered the 'Primus Inter Pares', the First Among Equals. Unsurprising, considering they were probably the most influential of Magi families since the Association was even founded.

The second group, the Trambelio faction, was something of a more recent addition. A largely 'Democratic' centered group, it consisted of the many smaller and less influential families of the Clock Tower, many of whom had joined rather recently. The Clock Tower was a very traditional and elitist organization, meaning the newest people to join often started with next to nothing and had to work twice as hard to advance as some Noble who got by on blood. It was only a matter of time until they started grouping together for the sake of changing those traditions and butting heads with the Barthomeloi faction, though it hadn't gotten to the point of anything too open.

Lastly, there was the Meluastea faction, largely called the neutral group in the Clock Tower. Unlike the other two, the latter was largely unconcerned with the politics of Magic and more interested in the academics behind it. Focusing solely on intellectual pursuits through Magecraft and the refinement of the known and discoveries unknown, they were almost entirely focused on the curriculum and academia of the students themselves. That wasn't to say they completely stayed out of the politics, however. While they rarely intervened in the politics of the Clock Tower personally, they were often approached due to their status as a neutral party to settle disputes, and there were of course occasional overtures from the other groups to gain some ground and influence over the students and potential future prospects of the Association. Though the Meluastea weren't exactly innocent, considering how often they fanned the flames between the Barthomeloi and Trambelio to keep them focused on each other.

And of course, that was without even beginning to delve into the many smaller groups within those factions that were pursuing their own interests. The Lords trying to shuffle around for more influence with the Barthomeloi, the struggles within the Trambelio to decide which courses of action to take and who would hold power when everything came to fruition, and the internal disputes between the Academia branches of the Meluastea and how to distribute funding. It was all quite the chaotic mess of bickering, ambition, and undiluted self-interest.

It honestly wasn't very surprising to him, however depressing that may seem. Zelretch was, first and foremost, an exceptionally old man. Old enough that people were still debating if he was actually the man who founded the Department of Mineralogy. Not too surprising, considering its traditional title, Kishur, was one letter away from actually being his own name. And it was a little secret he had no intention of clearing up.

Either way, he'd been around in the world more than long enough to know how this worked. Whenever people gathered together for whatever reason, there would always be schisms that formed as a result of clashing ideologies or interests. Unity gave way to the basic greed and desires of the Human race. That was how it always went.

'Seems there are just some things that never change.'

Checking his pocket watch for the time, he was mildly surprised to note that a few hours had passed by while he was attending the party. He hadn't meant to be gone that long, just for long enough to get a brief feel for the current political climate of the Clock Tower.

And also to see the look on little Lorelei's face when she saw him wandering around. It was one of the few occasions where she deigned to show herself, so he couldn't possibly miss it. She seemed to be the only one capable of telling whenever he showed up and see through his disguises somehow. Which made it even more entertaining when he kept on switching appearances to try and keep her guessing. She had the funniest expression whenever he did that, a tension on her face that implied she desperately wanted to rush up and punch him in the throat but wouldn't dare tarnish her image in front of so many witnesses.

'Ah well, fun's over for today. Time to go check up on my new investment.'

Heading back to his rooms in the most luxurious penthouse area of the Clock Tower (Being the Wizard Marshall definitely had its advantages), he headed to the room he'd set aside for teaching his newest apprentice to check his progress.

Opening the door with a quick shout of "Honey, I'm home!" his eyes settled on the young boy and glittered slightly as it looked like he was about to collapse from a heart attack from the sudden intrusion and noise.

Still trying to get his heart rate under control after the sudden shock, Eric glared back at him for the intrusion. Book clenched in his hand, he honestly looked like he was about to throw it at him. Wouldn't be the first time someone did something like that in response to one of his intrusions.

"Jeez, what the hell!? You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Training!" he said forcefully in response. "This is a dangerous world you're entering into, and you can't trust those dangers to politely knock on the door and ask to come in. You need to keep your guard up, need to be ready for anything that could come your way. And if the only way to do that is by surprising you every day to the point that you are numb to shock, then it's a responsibility I must fulfill as your teacher!"

"Bullshit," Eric cussed, finally throwing the book at him which Zelretch deftly caught. "You're just trying to come up with an excuse to see me jump out of my skin!"

He smiled. "Also that, yes. On another note, please don't throw your books at people like that; it's not only rude, but also quite wasteful to the reading material." He turned the book, seeing the title. "I mean, this Alchemy guide might be basic, but…..huh?"

[A Magi's Best Friend – A Beginners Guide to Familiars]

Taking a moment to make sure he got the title right, he couldn't deny that this was really a different book from before. The Familiars guide from the same basic series, written by a Magi as a series of simple and effective instruction manuals. "Got tired of reading the last one, eh?"

Eric looked a little confused at the question. "Tired? No, I just finished it and moved onto the next book."

'….Wha?'

"Hold on, you're saying you finished it? It was a little over 150 pages, how could you finish it in a little over three hours?"

Eric shrugged, his expression not even slightly concerned. "A combination of having some work experience with speed-reading and not taking any breaks. I was always a bit of an…..avid reader. You won't believe how many books I took out of the library for one semester at school."

So he really finished it? If so…

"What's the material most conductive for channeling Prana as a conduit?"

"Gold."

"What metal is most effective for Prana storage in a vacuum?"

"Trick question; that would be a copper core for containing the Prana surrounded by a silver shell to keep the Prana from leaking."

"Why is bronze such an effective material for crafting mineral based Mystic Codes?"

"Because it's an alloy metal that's capable of effectively integrating itself into any part of a circuit to create a seamless conduit with minimal loss of energy in transit."

Zelretch continued the question like that for another five minutes or so, some of them basic and others a bit more complex, but each one was responded to by an effective answer. He didn't take them from only a single aspect of the book material either, picking questions that could be related to parts from the beginning, middle, and end of the reading material to make sure Eric hadn't skipped anything and only pretended to finish it.

The boy got every question right. He really did read the whole damn thing in roughly three hours. Hot damn.

"You were a total nerd before I ever picked you up, weren't you?"

Eric just picked another book to throw at him which he deftly caught, prompting an exaggerated sigh from the old man. "What did I literally just tell you about throwing these books?"

"Maybe you should explain it in written form, it's apparently so much easier for me to remember."

The Wizard Marshall couldn't help but chuckle a little at that one.

oOoOoOoOo

Seated in his chair, Zelretch observed the outside world through a small collection of special distortions around him. Going out meant he could only look into one thing at a time, so this little trick he devised was quite useful for keeping tabs on people.

Little Lorelei was in her office, checking up on reports for recent activity among the Dead Apostle Ancestors and their potential replacements. Seems one in particular had been active recently, one uninvolved in the Aylesbury Valesti Ritual. Interesting.

Meanwhile, that little survivor of the most recent Grail War seemed to have gotten a bit of a spine. He might not be of note now, but he was starting to show some real ambition. Looking for potential allies amongst his peers, seeking possible patrons. Appears he's learned something from Iskandar.

Unfortunately, not too much beyond that seemed to be of much interest. The rest was just the regular comings and goings of day to day business of the Clock Tower. Research, secret alliances, teaching students, horny students trying to insist on tantric rituals for research purposes, all that typical stuff that he'd long since lost significant interest in.

Which left his own student as the one thing left to pay much attention to.

The past week since he'd finished that book went by surprisingly quietly. Granted, Zelretch wasn't exactly expecting things to be exciting, but watching a boy studying Magecraft from a book with little input as a teacher tended to get old pretty quickly. And Eric's actual willingness to trade snark with him only went so far to lessen that.

But, if nothing else, the boy managed to get through the studies very well. He was effectively reading the material and retaining it, and was currently in the middle of writing the essay for Mineralogy. He seemed to be halfway done so far, though he occasionally consulted the book for details he may have forgotten. He had off-handedly admitted that he was going to do an essay on Familiars next, before he started on the other books afterwards.

He was already getting a bit of an idea for what kind of skills Eric was taking to best. He breezed through Mineralogy the quickest, with the books on Familiars and Spiritual Evocation finishing not long after on the next day. He wasn't sure how he'd take the rest of the material, but he had to admit that the bar was being set pretty high after the performance so far.

Then again, his life would likely depend on how well he was able to integrate all this, so perhaps it wasn't too surprising. Nothing like long-term endangerment of one's own life to encourage growth. One of the facts of life, right?

"Teacher?"

Zelretch quirked an eyebrow. "Yes, my impudent apprentice?"

"What am I gonna do when I'm actually done with all the reading and essays? I know this is all part of getting started, but I'm still kinda curious."

"Thinking ahead already, eh?"

Zelretch clicked his tongue, thinking over his answer. "After reading the manuals, I plan on having you read up some basic rituals for the subjects you showed the best ability to take in and remember. Probably Mineralogy, considering you finished that first."

After that, Eric actually seemed to show a little genuine excitement. The thought of actually being able to practice some real Magecraft seemed to bring out some enthusiasm. Not that he could really blame him, he'd been much the same in the early days of his own apprenticeship.

'That said….'

oOoOoOoOo One Week Ago oOoOoOoOo

("Alright, let's get started. You might feel an odd sensation, but just try to relax. I suggest closing your eyes to help."

Ignoring the boy's glare, Zelretch prepared himself for the scanning of Eric's Magic Circuits. This wasn't exactly the most delicate procedure he'd ever enacted, but it still required some degree of focus and finesse.

With a hand on the boy's head, Zelretch began the process to scan his Magic Circuits. Feeling his own Circuits warm up slightly in response to his basic use of The Craft, he felt the still odd sensation of most of his consciousness seem to shut down as something extended from his mind to touch Eric's Magic Circuits.

Now the interesting part began. Finding someone's Element(s) wasn't just a process of searching for something like a sign deep within, it was a subtle influence it had on the Circuits themselves. The Magic Circuits of someone with Water as their Element seemed to possess an almost fluid quality to them, Earth gave an impression of solidity and hardness, etc.

He'd gone through this process a few times by now, so he knew the telltale signs of someone's Elemental Alignment and Eric was no different in that regard.

'Physically hard,' he thought, feeling (for lack of a better term) the strength that accompanied Earth. But there was another sensation in it alongside, somehow giving the impression of something formless and ever-shifting. It didn't have a viscous enough quality to resemble Water, so…..

'Ether. A Dual Element with Earth and Ether.'

"Earth," Zelretch spoke out, keeping his voice even. "And Ether. Two Elements, but not closely connected. Interesting combination, but nothing particularly-"

He stopped, words stuck in his throat as he sensed something else. 'What in the world?'

He gave the Magic Circuits a closer look, waiting to see if the same thing would happen, to see if he'd feel that same sensation.

It happened again, a light pulsing coming from deeper in. 'Well, well, what do we have here?'

His sense of curiosity kicking in, he couldn't keep himself from looking deeper to find the source of this strange phenomenon, Eric's Origin (Dual Origin to be precise) quickly became clear as his consciousness drifted closer to the root of the boy's very soul.

And that was when he saw it. Something he could honestly and truthfully say he hadn't ever seen before.

Something. He. Hadn't. Seen. BEFORE.

'I do so LOVE moments in life like this.'

oOoOoOoOo Present Day oOoOoOoOo

He still hadn't told him about what he'd found, instead just telling him about his Elements and Origin and hoping it would be enough to hold his curiosity. There was no telling how he could react to finding out he held something even his own teacher couldn't fully identify, but the two most likely possibilities were either panic or trying to analyze it himself. Neither of which were likely to end well.

He obviously had no intention of keeping it secret forever, that would straight up be a very bad move. But if nothing else he'd like to have some time to observe and work up a hypothesis first, be able to actually explain what he'd discovered. Magecraft was dangerous at the best of times, and something unknown was especially dangerous if tampered with.

At least he could say it wasn't harmful, he was able to tell at least that much from observing how it was connecting to the rest of Eric's Magic Circuits. It wasn't parasitic or detrimental, and seemed connected in only the barest sense, but it wasn't hurting him. That at least gave him some time to observe.

While he couldn't really be sure of anything, he believed the strange phenomenon may have some connection to his traveling through dimensional boundaries. The only feasible manners through which it could happen were either through the Second Magic or Akasha itself, and he was damned sure that the second could have any number of effects on people.

Regardless, it seemed his only course of action at the time would be to observe and document. Once he'd found out exactly what he was dealing with, he'd tell Eric and they'd work together on finding out what it could do. Then, perhaps more importantly, how it could be used.

He absently noted that his hand was shaking slightly from the excitement. He just knew this apprentice was going to be fun.

xXx

Hey folks, did ya miss me?

Anyways, I'd really like to apologize for the long wait here. Not just for this fic, but for the longer gap than usual for my updates schedule. A lot has happened recently, and while I'm happy to say most of the happenings have actually been positive, I'm afraid they've still taken time out that I could've used to write more quickly.

It also doesn't help that I got Persona 5 and I CAN'T STOP PLAYING IT! Best in the series so far, bar none.

In other news, it's getting increasingly hard to hold back the imagination bug that buzzing and clicking in my head to give me more ideas, so I might let some new fics out soon. I'm gonna try and come up with a workable writing schedule to speed up the updates, so at least there's that. But I'm gonna put out the next chapter for "The Will To Power" first.

If anyone is a little surprised at the length of this chapter not matching up with the last, it's because of two things. 1, I'm pretty sure you've all suffered enough of a wait already. 2, there honestly wasn't THAT much to cover here beyond the starting of his Academia under Zelretch, and drawing it out would've been a pointless slog. Length is a good thing for a chapter in some ways, but if the content isn't varied than it just starts getting harder to read and care about.

As for his abilities in the future, I've already got them figured out. Not giving things away, but I'm pretty sure you'll all be pleased. And as for what Zelretch discovered, it WILL be important later, but right now it's kinda gonna be in the background.

Once again, please point out any typos or errors you see so I can correct them. Grammar and spelling is important to making a good flow, and such errors can easily take away from it.

Please review and have a nice day!