Chapter 13: Mana Problems

Their second class of the day was foundations of enchanting. That class was also taught in this class room, and by professor Keller too.

Red and Tom were busy watching dozens of students file out of the room. They were enjoying a sense of schadenfreude while watching these students leave.

"Don't you have any shame? Laughing at their misfortune." Alex could only shake his head at these two.

"You misunderstand friend." Red said, stifling a chuckle. "It is not that we laugh at these people, or take pleasure in their pain. Rather, we are celebrating our fortune for not being in their shoes." Red had a confident smile as he said this.

"It is only through the comparison that we can truly appreciate how lucky we are." Tom added.

"You can put a dress on a rat, give it the best makeup and perfume, and teach it about decorum and manners. It will still never be a lady." Alex said as he got to his feet.

These words stunned both Red and Tom, but only for a moment. "Hey, you stole those words from that book I lent you last summer!"

"Seemed appropriate." With a wide grin on his face, Alex made his way down to where professor Keller was.

Before stepping away from the seating area Alex composed himself and took a deep breath. Before he could even make it to the podium professor Keller had seen him. "Alexander Samson, thank you for your engagement in the class." Keller's smile seemed to say he was enjoying how nervous Alex was. If only slightly. "Some years I have to stand up there for more than five minutes before a student gets the nerve to respond."

This drew a comforting chuckle from Alex. "I can see why. I was worried about making a fool of my self in front of everyone."

"There is no shame in being a fool. Everyone is a fool until they learn better. Only those who choose to remain a fool, in spite of opportunity, should feel shame. A good amount of it at that." The look in Keller's eyes spoke of pain and loss.

Silence stretched between them for a moment. Alex didn't know how to respond.

Keller eventually broke the silence. "Well, what would you like to talk to me about?"

"Well, professor." Alex began, but he wasn't too sure what to say. "I realize that I made a bad first impression yesterday."

"I would think so. Attempting to confound my device at such a crucial time for me. That was not a good idea." As he said this, a bit of the anger from the day before could be seen in his eyes. "That being said, I believe that you have learned your lesson since then."

Seeing Alex like this, attempting to smooth out their issues was reassuring to Keller. He knew that teenagers could be rash at times. He needed to teach Alex a lesson, and assuage his bruised pride. That was why he acted against him. Seeing his goal achieved, Keller had decided to let things pass. Now he just needed to know how Alex had confused his device.

"Actually professor, while I am very sorry for upsetting you and for scowling during my test, I had no intention of doing anything except pass my examination." Alex couldn't help be sigh as he said this.

Confused, Keller couldn't help but ask. "You mean you didn't intentionally try to thwart my machine or gain favor with professor Elwin?" A skeptical tone was clear in his voice.

"I know how odd that may seem professor, but I can assure you I had no ill will." Alex pleaded.

"Then what was that mana aura exam all about?" Keller was clearly flustered at this point.

"My mana wont leave my body professor. So, I just pushed it as close to the surface as possible." Alex said this as though he was complaining to a parent.

It was quite a funny scene. A tall thin professor in a black robe behind a podium being whined at by what appeared to be a large, tan, and burly mercenary.

Keller stood completely straight for the first time since the conversation started. He leaned over the podium and whispered, "What, exactly, do you mean 'your' mana wont 'leave' your body?" Keller emphasized the words your and leave as he spoke. His gaze now held concern.

"It is just as it sounds."

Keller then remembered Alex's response to the mana question earlier. Normally, Keller would assume that Alex came from some high profile family and this was an artifact of that families teachings about mana. It was not unheard of for families to gain unique mana meditation techniques. These would a jealously guarded by the family. The problem was that Keller knew Alex was a commoner.

"How long has your mana been like this?" A tone of urgency filled Keller's voice now.

"Since I first learned how to gain mana at six." Alex said with a look of confusion. Keller's tone was worrying him quite a bit now.

Keller took a deep breath and steadied him self. 'He isn't in any immediate danger then. If it has been going on for years a couple more days shouldn't change anything. Either way, I should look into this.'

"On Saturday morning, meet me here at class time. We will figure this out." Keller patted Alex on the shoulder then motioned him toward his seat.

Alex was surprised to see that the class room had filled again. They had been talking longer than he thought.

Alex made his way back to Tom and Red and took his seat.

"Did you kiss and make up?" Tom asked snidely.

Alex couldn't help but laugh at the comment. He was still a little worried by Keller's words. In the end he decided that if Keller thought it could wait until the weekend, who was he to argue.

"Seriously though, how did it go?" Red asked.

"Better than I thought, but worse than I hoped." Alex responded.

"He is still going to make things difficult for you?" Red seemed genuinely surprised.

"No, no. That is not it. He wants me to come by this weekend."

"What for?" Tom asked.

'I know I can trust Tom, and I think Red is trustworthy too. But there are too many people around.' Alex was not sure if this needed to be a secret or not, but he didn't want any rumors spreading around about him.

Alex pulled both Red and Tom in close. It was a bit awkward, but it had to be done.

"Look, there seems to be some issue with my mana. That is why his device was acting weird during my test. He is going to look into it for me."

Both Tom and Red looked concerned. The mana in your body was not something you wanted to have a problem with. Both of them were clear on this point.

"I am sure it is nothing. Even so, there is no one better than Keller to help you with it." Red's reassuring tone was comforting to Alex. They hadn't know each other long at all, but Red was quickly working his way into working his way into Alex and Tom's circle.

Alex turned to look Red in the eyes. Up until this point they were still huddled together and whispering. "Thanks man. But I like women." Alex was straining to keep a straight face.

Red was flabbergasted for a moment. His face quickly turned slightly red and he pushed Alex away in embarrassment.

Tom was cackling with laughter. "I guess we know why he is called Red now." He said between heaves of laughter. That line destroyed Alex's self restraint and he joined Tom in uproarious laughter. It was so infectious even Red couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head.

It took a moment for them to calm down. By the time they had class was starting.