Thanks for the Memory

There was a wave of hesitation in the class full of students. A volunteer? What were they volunteering for? Many of them eyed the strange polymer enclosure in the corner of the room.

Some of the teachers in the Academy had rather unorthodox methods of education. As none of them were familiar with Noble's teaching style, they were reluctant to be the first Guinea Pig…whatever that was.

Finally, a tentative hand raised. It was the young man with fiery hair whose name she had yet to learn. Noble motioned for him to come forward.

"I didn't catch who you were before," the professor apologized.

"Hamish, Ma'am." The boy dipped his head as he reached the front of the room. His words and actions were respectful, but his cool confidence and slight smile as he passed the attractive raven-haired student at the end of the aisle made Noble believe he was not always so subdued.

'As long as he doesn't cause trouble in here,' Noble hid her grin. "It is good to meet you, Hamish. Could you please summon a Memory for me?"

"Any Memory?" Hamish pondered.

Noble did not want to assume that he had more than one, but now that she knew, her job became much easier. "Good question. Please summon a Memory that you know how to use. We will go through the initial evaluation using something you are comfortable with."

Hamish took a deep breath and held out his hand. A series of sparks wove itself into a small reflective object in his hand.

"Not very big, is it?" Hectare of the Siwo Han Clan looked back and winked at the dark-haired beauty. 

She raised one eyebrow at him in response. A few others chuckled at the comment, clearly wanting the legacy to like them.

"It isn't this size of the Memory that counts," Noble pretended not to understand the innuendo, "It is the way it can augment the person's life that matters. A small but ordinary rock can on occasion prove far more useful than even the largest nuclear weapon."

Turning back to Hamish, Noble motioned for him to hand her the mirror. "Close your eyes and focus on the runes. What can you see?"

Hamish obeyed. After a moment, he spoke. "I see

 Name: Fractured Fairytale

Rank: Dormant

Type: Tool

Description: [No matter how much the princess tried to forget, the memories always returned.]"

He opened his eyes to see the approval of the professor. "Very good. You will always be able to see the name, rank, type, and description. Each piece of the puzzle will help you know what to do with the Memory."

Noble thought about going into the runes and how the translation might not always be exact, but the professor could see by many of the faces that she would lose them if she went too deep.

"From those clues, you can begin to gather what a Memory will do. While a few Awakened can actually see the enchantments in a Memory, most of us just have to work off of our intuition. How did you figure out what it does?" Noble motioned to the small reflective surface in Hamish's hand.

"I don't know. It just kind of happened," Hamish couldn't quite describe how he had tilted the mirror the first time and activated it. Somehow it had just come naturally.

Noble was pleased with his response. She could move on. "The [Fractured Fairytale] is a utility Memory. Tell us, what does it do?"

"It replays my memories," Hamish announced with pride, then he slouched a little bit, "But only from the last half-hour or so. I cannot make it go further back than that."

"Lame Memory," Hectare muttered loudly under his breath.

The professor looked reproachfully at the legacy before giving her volunteer an encouraging smile. "Show us what it can do, please."

Hamish tilted the mirror and straightened his arm. Suddenly an exact duplicate of Hectare and the raven-haired student were projected into the space at the front of the room.

"Want to have lunch with me later?" the projection of Hectare asked as he ran his fingers through his hair.

The girl pressed her lips together. "Some other time." She hurried into the classroom, leaving Hectare red-faced in the hall. The memory wavered and faded as Hamish lowered the mirror.

"You!" the legacy screamed as he rose to his feet. "What gives you the right to spy on me like that?!" 

"I wasn't spying. It literally happened in front of the door!" Hamish pointed outside.

Hectare's face flushed. "Who do you think you are?! You are a nobody!" 

"And what are you going to do about it? Send your brothers Meter, Kilometer, and Acre after me? Or perhaps your sister—Millie-meter." Hamish rolled his eyes. 

"You DARE!?" 

The legacy surged forward, ready to do excessive damage to Hamish's smug smile. But Hectare was stopped short, lifted, and went floating up the stairs of the classroom. Taking their eyes off of their teacher, the rest of the students stared in wonder for a moment as the legacy was placed back in his seat. 

Hectare felt a sudden coolness press against his anger. While it did not snuff out his rage, the sensation did quell it significantly. 

Noble snapped open her eyes as the last of the psychedelic color faded. Only one or two sparks remained for those quick enough to peek. 

"That is quite enough from the both of you," Noble said firmly as she released Hectare from his levitation. "We've enough problems in this world without people going around and creating new ones. Save your fighting for the Nightmare Creatures. Don't do their job for them." 

The two young men looked visibly chastised. At least for now, it seemed both would behave. Satisfied, Noble continued.

"Before you get too upset, Hectare, I do not think Hamish did it on purpose." She looked pointedly at the red-haired man. 

Hamish's smug smile subsided. "I haven't figured out how to get it to show what I want, yet. It was truly an accident."

"You will figure it out soon enough. Just give it time and practice. There are nuances that can only be discovered if you are willing to spend the energy to discover them." 

When Hamish looked slightly exhausted by the idea, Noble smiled gently. 

"That is not to say we don't have a few cheats here and there. With spelltech and some human ingenuity, there are some things we can do to help expedite the process." 

Many of the students in the room perked up in their seats. Even Hectare seemed to come out of his funk a little.

Who wouldn't like to have a bit of an edge? In the Dream Realm, the Nightmare Creatures did not play fair. Any small advantage could mean the difference between life and death. 

Gliding over to the desk, Noble flipped up the cover on a small box and pressed a button. 

A panel in the wall slid away as a slender body appeared. Its eyes flickered and then lit with a radiance that caused those in the room to squint momentarily. The newcomer walked across the floor on two seamless legs and dipped its head before the professor.

"How may I be of service, Professor Noble?" The voice was almost human as were its mannerisms. Its metallic arms were covered with a long white coat resembling a scientist of old. 

Hamish took a step back from the imposing being. "A…a talking echo?"

Noble tapped her fingers together. "Now, wouldn't that be something! But this is just as impressive. I would like you all to meet Bee Two, my android assistant."

Bee Two raised a metallic hand and waved at the crowd. The students were still wary, but a few of them waved back, unsure what else to do.

The android was originally invented by the government, but after not meeting their particular needs, Fort had managed to lend the device to the Academy with the understanding that it would remain in his wife's classroom.

The name, of course, had been Fort's idea, much to Noble's reluctance. But she was too happy with the gift to complain. After months of tweaks and calling in a favor or two, Professor Noble had infused the flawless android with enough spelltech to be invaluable.

Now she would show off what the android could do.

"Bee Two," Noble addressed her assistant, "I would like for you to analyze this mirror."

With a whir, the android swept a set of lights across Hamish and his mirror.

"Don't move," Noble advised the student.

After a moment, the lights faded and Bee Two seemed to turn off. Picking up a datapad from her desk, Noble stared at the results for a moment. "Hmmm."

"What do you see?" Hamish resisted the urge to peek over and look at the screen.

"It seems your Memory is of the second tier. That means there is another enchantment which you have yet to use." She paused, looking at the screen for a little longer. "Well, it is an active enchantment, so you'll have to wait until you Awaken to use it."

"Any idea what it might be?" Hamish's eyes glittered with excitement.

"I cannot say for sure, but my guess is that it will have to do with altering people's memory of you. I do hope you will come back and tell me if my guess is correct. Just don't use the mirror on me right after to make me forget, alright?"

Noble was greeted with a few snickers. 'Such a good group!''

With her analysis complete, the professor sent the student back to his seat.

"Who's next?" 

Hands shot up all over the room.