by Paul Sobol
With the ritual words spoken, Xander silently entered the Tower and began climbing the stairs. Windowless, every turn looked exactly like the last, and Xander couldn’t help but wonder how far he had yet to go. It was an unwritten rule that students shouldn’t count the number of steps because the Tower would make sure it took a lot longer to reach the top.
Remembering what Simon had said the other day about meditating and finding inner peace, Xander decided it couldn’t hurt to try. Clearing his mind of thought was a lot harder than it seemed, but taking deep even breaths he slowly began to let go of his fears and worries. Feeling a wave of calm came over him, Xander tried not to search for inner peace, but instead let it come to him.
Employing a few mental exercises taught by Simon, Xander was eventually able to clear his mind of interfering thoughts. In the right frame of mind he felt more confident in facing the upcoming challenge. While no longer aware of his surroundings, Xander mechanically climbed the stairs, continuing to meditate. Soon enough some inner warning told him to open his eyes. He stood facing an ancient-looking ladder, leading up to a wooden hatch providing access to the Tower’s platform above.
“I owe you one Simon,” said Xander under his breath.
Confident and resolved, he gripped the ladders rungs and was about to begin his ascent to the final Test. Beginning to trust his inner feelings, something felt wrong. What am I doing? If I want to become a Master magician I should start acting like a real magician, he thought to himself. Stepping away from the ladder, Xander motioned with his hand and the wooden hatch opened to reveal the night sky above. An ill-timed flash of lightning turned everything black and white, followed very closely by a thunderous peal.
Ok, now you’re just messing with me.
Once his vision returned, Xander levitated the short distance up and out onto the stone ledge that was to be his final battleground. He couldn’t believe how small the platform really was. From below it didn’t look very high either, but now standing on top it was very terrifyingly deceptive.
Looking down at the Academy grounds, Xander felt a moment’s dizziness as a wave of vertigo threatened to send him over the edge. Closing his eyes, he focused on standing as still as possible and fought the urge to hug tightly to the platform. However tempting the foetal position might be at this moment he had to dig deep and concentrate single-mindedly on passing this Test.
Inner calmness took a lot longer to find this time around, and despite the occasional flashes of lightning and peals of thunder he managed to still his thoughts and slow his racing heart.
Standing rock-steady in the middle of the platform Xander focused inwards and was able to ignore everything external. There was no lightning, no thunder or storm. Even the cold stone beneath his shoes shouldn’t exist, and as though it were now a part of him, Xander unconsciously shifted his weight to compensate for the slight swaying of the Tower.
In his mind’s eye, Xander found himself walking behind someone. Down a long non-descript corridor they walked, passing closed doors on either side. The figure in front kept up a steady pace, seemingly unable to decide whether to rush forward to some unknown destination or a leisurely walk with all the time in the world before him.
Trying to overtake the figure in front, Xander felt a moment’s annoyance at always remaining a step behind. As far as he could tell, the figure was male, youthful and tall, with short dark brown hair and wearing the clothes of a final year Meridian student. This piqued Xander’s interest because he thought he knew all the students of the Academy. Reaching out, Xander was shocked to find he had no arm. Glancing down there was nothing.
The young man in front suddenly stopped and turned around. Suffering his second biggest shock in as many seconds, body-less Xander came face to face with himself. Looking at his double, like standing in front of a giant mirror, Xander didn’t know what to make of this unusual encounter. Why was he following himself as though he were an invisible ghost? But the other Xander, with a body, looked right at where invisible Xander was, and even acknowledged his presence with a slight smile. With a motion of his hand the Other Xander beckoned to be followed.
With more questions than answers, invisible Xander continued silently behind his doppelganger. For what seemed a long time they walked down the corridor, although now it felt more like floating along on a breeze rather than physically moving. The other Xander stopped and turned to a closed door. Like the rest of the corridor it appeared nondescript, except this particular door had no handle. Not letting something as trivial as a missing doorhandle stop him, invisible Xander concentrated for a moment. Unsure if mana even existed in this place, he tried drawing on his power. Energy flooded his non-being, bringing with it a euphoric sense of joy bordering on ecstasy.
The other Xander looked shocked at this turn of events, and noiselessly began speaking. From the rapid movements of his lips it looked as though what invisible Xander was doing was inappropriate. “You don’t want me using magic?” Invisible Xander questioned his double, who stopped trying to speak and nodded vigorously. “Something bad will happen?” Another nod. Unconvinced, invisible Xander looked back at the handle-less door, and with a flexing of his Will sent forth his power. The door silently shattered into a million splinters, but rather than obey the law of gravity the pieces of wood remained suspended in the air, slowly radiating outward like a slow-motion explosion.
It felt unexplainably strange using magic, almost as if he weren’t meant to be able to use it here, but dismissing the weird experience he moved past his other self and entered the room beyond. At first all was darkness, but soon small points of light could be seen; at first randomly, but then slowly formed a recognisable pattern. In the dark spaceless area he was looking at the most amazing display of light and colour as an entire galaxy spread out before him.
Having no reference of up or down Xander could only assume he was either looking at the galaxy on its side or, more realistically, he was ‘above’ looking down. While he was a passable student of astronomy the slowly swirling galaxy before him didn’t seem recognisable. He knew there were hundreds of thousands of galaxies in the universe if not more, but what made this particular one special?
With a dizzying shift of light Xander found himself ‘falling’ towards the galaxy, and very quickly he was amongst the stars and nebula and moving with great speed towards a small lonely section of space.
A single bright star appeared before him, glowing yellow and orange, surrounded by half a dozen orbiting satellites. Those closest to the star were barren and desolate rocks, devoid of life. Those furthest away were much larger gas giants in constant roiling chaotic motion, swept by savage storms of unimaginable proportion. A few on the edge were frozen wastelands too far to catch even a glimpse of the inner star. However, there was one, just at the right distance to benefit from enough heat and light but not too much to be destructive.
The little blue planet lazily circling the star every three hundred and sixty five days was Earth, but from this vantage point it looked so insignificant when compared the enormity of the galaxy.
Reaching out with mental hands he tried touching the little blue sphere, but rather than passing through without interaction a small golden field appeared around the planet. A tiny thread of golden energy connected the planet with the Sun, and from there several thicker strands of energy reached out to other nearby stars.
Soon Xander found himself lost amid a vast web of energy spanning the entire galaxy, and from his point of view he could see larger strands disappearing into the darkness, most likely connecting to other galaxies. And then he realised he was looking at the fundamental basic network of energy that connected everything together.
Marvelling at the complexity of each energy strand Xander noticed something peculiar around the Earth system. Alongside the golden lines of energy a smaller thread could be seen making its way back to Earth, and upon closer inspection he could see it was white rather than gold, and the flow of energy was very slow but alwa
ys in one direction: towards the planet.
Mentally caressing the white strand of energy he got the impression that it was magically created. Whoever had fashioned such a network must be exceptionally powerful, however, at present it didn’t look as if the constructed network was being used or had been used for quite some time. The energy, if it could be described as having a used-by date, felt ancient, as if it had been sitting there for a long time untouched.
Stepping back, although no physical movement was involved, Xander could see the bigger picture. The secondary network spanned a great length of the galaxy, slowly siphoning off a little mana from every system, potentially giving access to a tremendous amount of power to the controller.
Wondering if there may be some clue as to who the magician might be, Xander followed the constructed network back to Earth, but somewhere in the upper atmosphere the line ended. He searched around for the termination point for a while but eventually gave up. Knowing the end had to be somewhere he decided to tap into the network of power to see where it would lead.
It was a risky manoeuvre, because the owner would know someone was accessing the magically constructed network. But if Xander guessed correctly, then what he was about to attempt would go unnoticed.
With a surge of Will power Xander mentally grasped the strand of power. White light surrounded him as he was suddenly drawn into the magically created network. The raw energy of the universe filled his being and for a brief moment he felt connected to everything.
Time became meaningless, physicality became a prison, and with so much mana overwhelming his being, Xander felt he could do anything. His awareness stretched across the vastness of the cosmos and everything that he was, had been, or was about to be, seemed irrelevant. He now had ultimate power at his command, and with a single Thought he could destroy entire galaxies or create entirely new ones.
However he was not alone. Xander suddenly became aware of other beings in the cosmos; their power equalling his own or even surpassing it. They regarded him with disinterest, as if he were beneath notice, and continued their unfathomable existence without bothering to recognise his newly arisen status of omnipotence.
Anger welled up inside Xander. He wanted to be acknowledged by these beings because he now considered himself an equal, but they barely stirred at his growing animosity, and at that moment realisation set in: he was insignificant. Compared to these eternal beings he was nothing, even with all this new-found power at his command.
It was a humbling realisation that there were things much greater in the universe, but Xander could not quite shake off the exhilaration of co-existing alongside them. Reluctantly he withdrew from the vastness of the cosmos and was once again a single point of consciousness. Dropping lower to the planet’s surface, Xander flew across vast stretches of land and ocean, until eventually coming to a place familiar and inviting: the Meridian Academy.
The building was modelled from some of the greatest medieval castles in Europe, despite the fact the American school of magic was barely a few centuries old. Compared to the other schools it was still very young, made all the more obvious from the small touches of modern architecture that insidiously crept into the designs. The only building that truly looked gothic was the Tower of Testing, and it was here Xander felt himself drawn towards.
Half expecting to see himself standing there, Xander was nonetheless surprised to find the rooftop empty except for three large mirrors spaced equidistance from each other. Bodiless, he descended onto the platform between the mirrors, and turning around he examined each one. The first mirror showed himself as he was now – youthful and arrogant, bordering on narcissistic. The second mirror displayed himself but slightly older, possibly in the mid-twenties. The arrogance was no longer present however he carried himself with confidence. If this was his future it didn’t seem so bad. Turning to face the third mirror, Xander barely stopped himself from taking an involuntary step backwards and off the tower’s ledge.
A man stared back from the mirror, but he was a stranger, completely unfamiliar to Xander. If he had to guess, the unknown person was in his early forties, a hint of grey sprinkled through his dark hair which was cut short and pushed back. His features were unremarkable; he could easily be misplaced in a crowd. However, it was the man’s eyes that held Xander captivated. Looking into them was like losing oneself in an ocean of darkness, and behind the piercing blue eyes was unfathomable knowledge. In short, Xander felt this man was dangerous, a caged animal waiting for a chance to escape and wreak havoc. But despite his aura of malice, the man also exuded a sense of familiarity and openness, as though you could share with him anything and know undoubtedly it would be kept in confidence. Whoever the man was, Xander didn’t really want to get acquainted.
A sudden sheet of rain fell around Xander and he was abruptly returned back to reality. Standing alone once again on the Tower of Testing the storm raged violently around him. Wind and rain battered him, lightning and thunder threatened to blind and disorientate him, but as a magician none of these things would force him off the Tower. He was a rock, standing solid and unrelenting against the forces of nature that were now his to command.
Surprisingly, Xander felt the presence of the constructed magical network hovering above the world, and drawing some of its mana he created a protective shield around himself. The howling wind and pelting rain no longer touched him, and the concussive bouts of thunder and lightning were rendered impotent.
With the storm’s fury neutralised around the platform, Xander wondered if there was more to the final Test, having no way of knowing when it would be completed. Looking up at the darkened sky he contemplated further examining the constructed network, whose function seemed primarily to syphon mana from around the universe and channel it to the controller.
Having access to an almost infinite source of mana would make any magician omnipotent, and Xander wondered why it had been left untouched for so long. The network was impossible to miss and surely other magicians were aware of its presence winding around the galaxy like a demented spider-web.
About to delve further into the mystery of the mana network Xander sensed a violent disturbance in the Aether. Not only was it close but it centred unexpectedly on the Tower’s rooftop. Unsure if this was part of the final Test, Xander used all the mana at his disposal to strengthen the erected shield of protection.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as he frantically tried drawing on more mana, and fighting rising panic he hoped it would be enough. Everything around Xander suddenly disappeared in a blazing explosion of fire and stone. Feeling his barrier crack and shatter against the onslaught he silently prayed to whichever gods might be listening. In the infinitesimal space between moments, something answered.
Abraham Bishop, headmaster of the Meridian Academy, paced restlessly around his circular tower office. To no one in particular he repeated the last unanswered question. “Do we know who was responsible?”
“Nothing definitive Headmaster,” a small mousey woman in brown robes spoke up, “the explosion destroyed any residual magic, making it impossible to determine exactly who had created the device…”
“But..?” Headmaster Bishop prompted.
“We have several possible suspects associated with the attack,” another teacher replied. He was tall and thin, with long grey hair reaching well past his shoulders and tied in an intricate braid. “The boy was well liked here at the Academy so we’ve ruled out anyone local, leaving us to suspect an outside source most likely responsible. A student he beat during the Tournament perhaps? Sometimes they hold grudges.”
“Grudges don’t often turn homicidal. Being bested in the Tournament hardly warrants the boy’s death. However, the strange circumstances surrounding the final fight with the Russian student deserves considering. But without proof there’s nothing we can do until Xander regains consciousness.”
The Headmaster stared out into the distance, lost in his own thoughts, seemingly oblivious to the gaping hole before hi
m in the wall, created by the explosion that had destroyed the Tower of Testing. His ornate wooden desk had been lost when large chunks of stone had crashed into the side of his tower room, but he was at least thankful no one was killed by the blast or falling debris. The hole would be mended and a new desk would be made, but the damage done to his student was unknowable.
The rain had not let up during the night, and in the early morning gloom Headmaster Bishop could barely make out the ruined half of the remaining Tower. It was obvious the intent had been to target the student rather than the Tower itself, but such a spell should have been detected, meaning the attack was likely the work of a Master Artificer. Concealing the device would require phasing it out of space and time which meant the use of advanced magics beyond any student’s capabilities.
And then there was the triggering method. The device would have to phase back at the right time so it would have to be spelled to react to a particular students magic, and the ex-Russian student certainly had enough contact with Xander to get a feel for his energy. So, the Headmaster mused to himself, we have at least two suspects; the student and someone more powerful and knowledgeable who could assist with the phasing spells. Perhaps this unknown master magician was the same who helped fashion the student’s wand, capable of summoning a Shadow creature for the tournament. If this were true then Xander may still be in danger.
“What is the boy’s condition for now?” Headmaster Bishop asked without turning from the hole in the wall. The cold morning air blew in and around the room scattering pieces of paper and debris from his destroyed desk.
“He appears to be relatively unharmed,” one of the senior staff replied, “however his mental state is unknown.” She was a plump woman who looked to be in her late forties and wore a plain white smock. Around her neck she wore a silver torc denoting her station as a Master Healer.
