Secret of Mana
Chapter Two: Look what the Thopter dragged in
A/N: Sorry this took so long. I hate exams.
***
It had been about two weeks by now, and slowly the school was getting used to the influx of mana-related magic. For one thing, Jace noted as he walked to the greenhouse, was that me might need to contact Nissa. For all his potential, Neville needed to know how to make things stop growing.
Professor Sprout was not amused by the five-hundred-foot-tall Mimbulus Mimbletomia. Jace sighed and started conjuring the required runes to perform a basic counterspell. The giant cactus slowly shrunk back to its original size, bringing the greenhouse back down with it. The shaken and slime-covered fifth years walked out of the shed, trembling. Neville uttered a brief 'Thanks, Professor Belaren' before running off.
Jace groaned in disbelief. When were the rest going to get here?
**Two weeks ago, on the third day of classes**
The class shut up immediately as Jace walked into the room, dropping his books on the table.
"Right. As was previously promised…you shall now learn what kind of mana you can utilize. In order to do that…" He opened up his bag, pulling out a strange set of rotating hoops. "I have here an armillary sphere. Place your hands on it, concentrate, and see what color the two orbs inside become."
He threw it over to Harry for a start. "Well, Potter? Try."
Harry concentrated, but pulled his hands back when the rings started spinning. Jace shook his head in disbelief.
"If you think that could hurt you, I dread to think what your reaction to the Eye of Ugin would be…try again."
Despite the snickering from the Slytherins, Harry went again and focused completely. Jace's eyebrow arched upwards when he saw the result.
"Well, well, well…White and Black…interesting…" He mused. "Yes…looks like you'll need to spend some time with Liliana and Elspeth…maybe I should call in Venser too…carry on."
Neville, to no-one's surprise, got mono-green...of extraordinary strength. Jace was the only one who was reading the power level, and even he was shocked by the boy's potential.
Note to self – do not let Garruk keep him to himself. He thought grimly. We'll end up with two uber-powerful nature freaks.
Crabbe and Goyle both ended up with black and green – of minimalist power. Jace spent a few moments trying to figure out the green, until he remembered Garruk's brute strength.
Draco, to the shock of quite a few people, ended up with mono-blue mana – at least until the point Jace realized the second orb was black.
Much, much later, and they'd finally reached Hermione and Ron. Jace, tired and annoyed – and also wondering where Chandra had gone – handed the orb out to them.
Just in time for the shock of his life. Ron got mono-blue, while Hermione got mono-red.
There was a brief, awkward silence.
"…what." Jace said flatly.
**Back to the present…**
Jace tapped his foot on the ground, letting Chandra 'teach' about red mana for a while, staring at the wall and just waiting for the portal to open.
Finally, it did, and a rather disheveled looking Elspeth stepped through.
"Sorry I'm late. Venser needed me for something." She muttered, shifting her hair back into place. Jace raised an eyebrow.
"…not going to ask…anyway, you beat Garruk."
That was when the door was smashed down.
"JACE!"
Jace cursed, just as Garruk grabbed him into a huge bear hug.
"IT'S BEEN TOO LONG! TELL ME, DID YOU FIND WHAT YOU NEEDED AT ZENDIKAR? HOW'S YOUR GUILD ON RAVNICA DOING? Why aren't you answering me?"
Chandra was curled up on the floor, howling in laughter. Elspeth stood awkwardly to the side.
Jace groaned.
"…spleen…destroyed…spine…dislocated in five places…pancreas…unaccounted for…"
Elspeth sighed and ripped Garruk off of him, before kneeling down and starting some basic healing magic. Jace nodded his thanks.
"Well…there's only one more left…"
"I had noticed." Elspeth nodded. "Tell me…who's going to instruct for Black?"
Jace shifted uncomfortably. Garruk narrowed his eyes at him.
"…you better not have…"
Jace glanced away from him, just as the portal opened.
Liliana stepped out, and the majority of the male students began to drool. Jace pointedly looked away, while Elspeth flinched.
Chandra's laughter increased in volume.
Garruk drew his axe and slammed her through the wall of the tower, where the two started to fall. Jace ran out after them, summoning a pair of wings to his back. The students crowded around the hole, desperate to see a bit of the action.
Liliana's pale skin was suddenly alight with her lines of power, and she hurtled an orb of pure mana in Garruk's face, forcing him to break away. They landed perfectly, Jace between them.
"Now, you two, don't do anything-"
Garruk slammed his axe into the ground, sending a massive spear of earth flying towards Jace and Liliana. Liliana countered with another wave of death energy.
Jace feigned interest while performing a counterspell, and the two dissipated instantly. He assumed his full Mind Sculptor powers, and winds started gathering around his feet.
"Right." Jace hissed dangerously. "You two will NOT fight each other, just teach, nicely. Got it?"
Garruk opened his mouth to object, and got thrown into the lake by a flare of Aether. When he broke the surface again, he nodded weakly.
"Understood, Jace."
"Right. Liliana?"
"…I'm only doing this because I owe you." Liliana said grudgingly. The three floated back up through the holes, just as the bell rang to inform the students the lesson was over. Jace waved his hands.
"Go on, leave."
Just before they left, Harry managed to hear Liliana purr something in Jace's ear.
"By the way, Jace…how come you never call?"