Scared Maguses

"Haven't you noticed?" Linfel asked back. "When I bumped into you at the entrance, I was able to feel your Magic Energy naturally moving that way. It was entering the bottom of the Core and coming from the top. Of course, it was very, very slow, almost imperceptible. Then I guess that's just how your Core works when it is in an idle state."

"It is only when you start using it that you change into always sending Magic Energy inside from both sides or always drawing from both sides. That is not wrong. If you are in a fight, for example, you need to draw Magic Energy to attack, so using both sides to draw Magic Energy is the correct thing to do. But, in this case, you could truly do it by simply pushing the Red Magic Energy out of your Core Walls."

Mongis immediately got worried. "Master, I don't think you should hear him. Absorbing Magic Energy at the same time that you pull it out is too risky. There is a reason why no one tries to do it. Deviation could truly put an end to your Magus future. Besides, you didn't even notice that happening until Linfel spoke. What if he is wrong and such a thing isn't happening at all?"

William had to admit that Mongis was right. "That's true."

"Sigh... fine." Linfel immediately jumped on the platform where the Magic Energy Gathering Device operated.

"What are you doing?" Mongis got angry again. "Are you trying to steal the Brown Magic Energy my master worked hard to acquire?"

Linfel immediately shook his head. "Don't be ridiculous. Did you forget I'm a Level One familiar? I can't absorb Brown Magic Energy even if I wanted." Indeed, Alvin had told Linfel about it, and Linfel tried it himself back when they found the Green Magic Energy Pond. It simply didn't work.

"This..." Mongis wanted to retort, but he knew Linfel was speaking the truth. Linfel simply couldn't take that energy at all. "Then what do you want to do to Master?"

"I'm helping him, of course. Aren't we all from the same Floating Blades Faction? It is only natural I want to help a fellow member who understands a Familiar should be independent," said Linfel.

Yet, William was puzzled. "Help me...? How?"

"I'm going to help you guide the Magic Energy in your Core. I can't absorb Brown Magic Energy, but that doesn't mean I can't control it. Now, relax and let me do it." Linfel immediately gathered the Brown Magic Energy in the surroundings. "Do not fight it. Just start absorbing the Magic Energy I'm gathering near you and send it up from the bottom meridians in your Core. As long as you don't block my senses, I should be able to prevent any deviations of Magic Energy."

William found it hard to believe. That would require a ridiculously high Magic Energy sensitivity, even if he doesn't block it. A magus obviously could prevent anyone from messing with their own Magic Energy. Otherwise, anyone could disrupt other Maguses' Magic Energy flow at any moment, so battles would be impossible depending on the circumstances. Even Magic Beasts do it instinctively and keep their Magic Energy blocked against outside intervention all the time. That was how everyone's bodies worked. They had to consciously want to open up, or it was simply impossible to do what Linfel wanted.

"I..." William didn't know if he should do it. But then again, he had truly reached a dead end. He knew that the Red Magic Energy was all pressed in a center line around his Core, and he was trying to press it out of existence, which wasn't working at all. Other maguses don't have this problem since their meridians are all spread and connected equally around their cores. "Are you sure you can do this?"

*Pah!*

Linfel used his own Magic Energy to slap William's back head, much to his confusion. "Stop all this bullshit and just do it. You are turning out just like Alvin, a scared cat. Just do it already. If anything goes wrong, I will immediately stop."

William was speechless, and so was Mongis outside. How dare a Level One Familiar treat a Level Two Magus like this?

"Are you doing it or not?" Linfel asked, already running out of patience.

"Fine! But if you mess anything, Mongis, just kill him!" William finally relented.

"Master!" Mongis was shocked William would truly go through this process. 

"I've made my decision," William stopped Mongis.

"Alright!" Mongis nodded and looked with hostility at Linfel. "You better not cause any trouble!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I understand already. Let's go!" Linfel couldn't care less, though.

---

Droval was adjusting a few things on one of the equipments of the Floating Blades Faction when suddenly, he felt a burst of Magic Energy. He looked up to the ceiling, knowing that it was the room with the Magic Energy Gathering Devices. "Hum? Did he finally succeed?"

He got up and stretched a little. He had just finished his job here, so he decided to go back to the entrance. There, he found Linfel making his way out of the Floating Blades Faction. "Hey, Linfel. Do you need anything?"

"Hum?" Linfel turned around. "Not really. I'm just going to the missions hall to take a look at the jobs there. Now that I'm a Rank C Familiar, it should be easier to get higher-paying jobs."

"That's true," Droval felt a little jealous. He just worked as an attendant to gain some Academy Credits. He was a Rank F magus, so it was very hard for good missions to appear for him, just like it was for Alvin. "By the way, how were things with William?"

"He did fine. I had to slap some sense into his head, but he came around. He should be stabilizing his Core at level three now. Seriously... Why do I always bump into easily scared Maguses? Alvin, Connor, and now this guy." Linfel sighed. "Oh well, whatever. I'm leaving. See you later."

"Slap... some sense?" Droval was taken aback. Did he truly slap William?

And so Linfel left. Later that day, William's information on the Magus Academy Website was updated to a Level Three Magus!