Thursday. The day Izuku had come to dread. He woke up cautiously optimistic, hoping today would finally offer some real insight into magic.

"Maybe I'll actually learn something this time," he muttered to himself as he got ready. "All Eindridi taught me was not to turn my back on anyone who isn't a Companion." He sighed, thinking about Sarah. "I still kinda feel bad about what happened to her, even if she tried to blackmail me. Hopefully, she's getting the help she needs at Montrose."

He made his way to the school building for his Evoker lessons. Upon entering the classroom, he found Booker already there, lounging with his feet on the teacher's desk, fiddling with his phone. Without looking up, Booker greeted him. "Welcome, kid."

Booker set his phone down and studied Izuku intently. When the silence stretched, Izuku broke it. "Hello, Booker. I take it my story checked out?"

"Mostly. Except for the missing classmate."

"Ah."

"By the time I got to the Farm, someone had already broken her out. Ye wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would ye?"

"Me?" Izuku feigned innocence.

"Something very sharp cut through three inches of enchanted steel plating and a steel lock, conveniently missing the wards designed to detect just that. Almost as if it was sliced by a magical sword."

"What a coincidence, huh?"

Booker raised an eyebrow. "I thought we were supposed to be on the same side here."

"You'll have to forgive my trust issues with magical teachers. Besides, rescuing Nana was a priority. And while I barely know you, you clearly know the Shimura Clan well."

"Perhaps. Anyway, you can tell your raven-haired friend to come out of hiding. I had a chat with Andrew and Gran—they're more amused than upset."

"That's good to hear."

"Gran did want to know how you snuck past the wards. She designed them to catch a Squad Battlemage...how did a couple of students slip through?"

"Tell her we were singing from a star. So no manhunt for Nana?"

"Nah. If she hasn't gone nuclear yet, she's probably safe. Safe-ish. She nearly went after Andrew himself when he refused to let her take on Thor."

"Betrayal cuts deep."

"Pissing off Andrew would cut deeper, trust me. He's got all of James' power with none of his easy-going nature. Teaching the two of them was a headache."

"So you knew Nana's father?"

"James? Aye. Good lad. Bright, friendly, with a smile that could light up a room. But like all the Shimuras, there was a darkness in him. He hid it well, unlike Andrew, but it was there."

"You didn't teach Nana, but you did teach Keith, didn't you?"

"I'm still going to teach Nana, thank you very much. Gotta teach them all. But yes, I taught Keith. Why?"

"I just saw him. Wondering if I should trust him."

"He's a Shimura."

"Very helpful," Izuku said dryly.

"That bloodline runs close to the Tree. If they're on your side, you can trust a Shimura to hold the line, guard your back, take a blow meant for you. But if they're your enemy...well, they'll nurse a grudge until their grandkids die of old age, then have it stuffed and mounted over the fireplace."

"I see."

"You can also trust them to have the sense of a three-legged sheep. Especially the Evokers."

"Did I just make an enemy of the Clan? Of this Andrew fellow?"

"Andrew ain't subtle. If he was pissed at ye, he'd have broken through UA's walls by now. But you're in the clear. Wouldn't be surprised if you get some free pints out of the story next time you go drinking with the Clan."

"Excellent. I'll tell Nana." Izuku was already eager to share the news, but before he could leave, Booker interrupted.

"No, we're not done. I haven't taught you anything yet," Booker said, pulling out a metallic device shaped like a top, with digits displayed on a protruding section. "We've got a lot of missed lectures to catch up on. But first, this."

Izuku eyed the device curiously. "What the hell is that?"

"A thaumometer. Measures magical output," Booker explained, holding it out. "Just put yer hand on it and push magic."

"How much do you want?" Izuku asked, placing his hand on the device.

"As much as you can muster. We're testing your capacity," Booker said.

Izuku began by channeling a moderate amount of magic, causing the device to hum quietly. "Stop messing with me, son. I can tell ye're holding back. I want full power. Don't worry, it can handle most of a Power's output."

Izuku sighed, then pushed more magic into the thaumometer, a STRAIGHT FLUSH this time finding a stronger reservoir. The device glowed, almost like Midnight's Managem, and Izuku felt the heat radiating from it. 'Wait, I can actually feel it?'

Then the device burst into flames, though it's being controlled by Booker, still holding onto the device

Suddenly, the device erupted in flames, but Booker held it steady, his grip firm. "Aye. Just like that." His eyes flared with an intense glow, casting an eerie light as he calmly studied the blazing thaumometer.

"You do realize your hand is on fire, right?" Izuku asked, concerned.

"Aye."

"Okay, just checking. Shouldn't you put it out, or drop it, or something? Even I felt the heat from it."

"Ye know what really bothers me about this?" Booker asked, ignoring the flames licking his hand.

"Apart from your hand being on fire? Maybe that you'll need to replace the thaumometer?"

Booker finally looked up from the device, his gaze locking onto Izuku. "Your eyes never changed. That was a lot of power. More than I expected. But yer eyes didn't flicker once."

"Yeah, yours is glowing right now."

"When you pull more power than the body can hold, it leaks—usually from the eyes. It's what separates a Power from a regular mage."

Izuku had suspected this about Midnight when he first met her, though he wasn't sure what kind of magic she's casting. "So you could have set the device on fire too?"

"Aye. But I didn't think ye would, or I wouldn't have let ye try. This thing's expensive. If I had, my eyes would be glowing like yours should've."

"I guess it runs in the family."

"Yer not the only offspring of a god running around. Andrew and James were sons of Thor. But if they pulled that much power, they'd glow for sure."

Turning inward, Izuku asked his mythical blade companion, "X? Any ideas?"

The sword responded with a chuckle. "You're an odd duck, I'll give you that. Blind as a bat, with more power than I've seen outside of a god. Actually, more than most gods I've encountered. But without a Mantle, you're limited in how much you can use before running out of juice."

"So that's the main difference between a Power and a God? They've got more power from the Mantle?"

"Not just that, but it's the most obvious difference. Each Mantle comes with unique abilities, like artifacts do."

"I see."

"Ye're talking with the sword, are ye? Ye're aware you don't have to actually speak and just do it in yer head? Also, there's a sudden jump of your lips' position. You should at least sync that up if you're trying to hide it, at least."

"Yeah, I should work on that," Izuku admitted. "Anyway, X says I'm kinda unbalanced—all power, no vision."

"Fascinating. So ye're the opposite of a Healer. They have all vision and control, but little power."

"Yeah. I should really get better at that."

"Well, we're done with the thaumometer, so let's try opening yer third eye," Booker said, determined to push Izuku further.

"Sounds good."

After an hour of failed attempts, Booker could only facepalm. "Fucking hell, son. I've never seen anyone this incompetent. Look, it's simple. Stop relying on your normal eyes, let go, and you'll see with your third eye. It's so easy a toddler could do it!"

"Hey, it's not like I'm completely blind. I can see a Spark. If I really concentrate."

"Ye can dimly sense me drawing Power. If ye were this blind with yer regular eyes, ye'd need a guide dog. Who did ye say yer father was?"

"I didn't," Izuku replied, not falling for the bait.

"Look, son. I can't help ye if ye refuse to work with me."

"My last Evoker lecturer ambushed me and left me to die. I'm not about to trust the new one," Izuku admitted with a sigh. "At least, not yet." He could see that Booker genuinely wanted to help, but trust was a different matter.

"Ye said Thor knew who ye were, right?"

"Yeah, which is probably why he tried to kill me. And why he might try again. So you'll forgive me if I'm a bit wary."

"Perhaps," Booker muttered, sighing deeply. He couldn't blame the kid after that. "Well, ye tell me when ye're ready, lad."

"Thanks. So, do we continue with the exercise?"

"No, we're done for today. Try to meditate in your free time. Even someone like ye should be able to master this. Keep at it. It should also improve yer control."

"Okay, I will. Thanks again for the lecture."

Booker shrugged. "It's what I'm here for, son. At least, one of the things. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some research to do on a certain god of thunder."

"Bye."

As Booker left the classroom, Izuku found himself alone. With some time before the next class, he decided to follow Booker's advice and meditated as best he could, with little success. Afterwards, he called Nana to update her.

"You have reached the answering machine of Shimura Nana. Leave a message after the beep. Beep."

"Very funny, Nana. That beep was clearly you making a sound."

Laughter echoed on the other end. "Hey, Izuku! Sorry, no caller ID—I didn't want to risk talking to Mum or Uncle right now."

"Yeah, that's actually what I wanted to talk about. I spoke with Booker in class today."

"Aye? The old goat pulled through? He taught my brother. Aniki says he's solid."

"Taught your dad and your uncle, I think. Andrew?"

"Aye. But no one calls him Andrew. It's Andy. Or just Uncle, even if he's not your uncle."

"A hard man, I hear. Anyway, Booker had a chat with them. The hounds are off, though 'Gran''s a bit pissed her trap didn't work."

"Sorcery's tricky, even for centuries-old Enchanters. So I'm off the hook?"

"Yeah. I think they figure that if you haven't gone after Eindridi yet, you never will."

"Little do they know," she said, her voice dropping into a menacing tone.

"Indeed. But fire can burn cold as well as hot. And when we finally go after Eindridi, we'll give the bastard what he deserves."

"Indeed. Anyway, if there's no manhunt, I'm free to hit the gym. You have no idea how much I've missed the bags. See you there, or the next time you head to Elsewhere?"

"Of course, I'll see you later, Nana. Take care."

A bit:

Eri, at a family gathering, searches the room with a wide smile, before turning back to Andy with confused look. "Where's Woody and Buzz?"

A rather short chapter but introduced a few concepts and reiterated some brought up dozens of chapters before. Specifically the glowing eyes bit. So far, we've only seen 7 people whose eyes glowed/flickered throughout the story.

As always, if you have feedback or questions, don't hesitate to let me know.

Next up: Final Exams