The Mage's Forgotten Wand

The engineering lab's basement felt different after the Crimson Dawn's attack. Zeph's sensitivity picked up lingering traces of wrongness in the academy's magical currents, like oil floating on water. But here, surrounded by Ash's modified equipment and carefully maintained privacy wards, they could at least speak freely.

"Show me again," Raven said, her premium wand held loose in what looked like a standard practice stance. "That corruption resistance pattern you used in the library."

```

Status Check:

[Corporate Cover: Maintained]

[True Magic: Active]

[Sensitivity: Heightened]

[Pattern Recognition: Enhanced]

[Thaddeus's Patience: Wearing Thin]

```

"First," Thaddeus interrupted from his place on the workbench, "explain what you sense in the local flows. And try not to sound completely incompetent this time."

Zeph closed his eyes, letting his sensitivity expand. The magic around them moved in layers – corporate channels imposed over natural currents, like rivers flowing beneath streets. But there was more, so much more that he'd always felt but never understood how to describe.

"The corporate magic is... rigid," he began. "Artificial channels forcing power through standardized paths. But underneath..." His fingers traced patterns in the air as he followed the natural flows. "There are deeper currents. Ancient ones. They move like... like music made visible, each flow harmonizing with the others."

He opened his eyes to find Raven staring at him. "What?"

"How clearly can you see them?" she asked carefully. "The natural flows?"

"They're obvious once you know to look," he said, then paused at her expression. "Aren't they?"

"Obvious?" Raven shook her head slowly. "Zeph, I trained for years with my grandmother before I could sense even basic flow patterns. What you're describing... that level of detail..."

"Ah," said Thaddeus, managing to sound both smug and exasperated. "Finally, someone notices the obvious. I was wondering how long it would take."

"Notice what?" Zeph asked, though something in his teacher's tone made him suspect he already knew.

"Your sensitivity, you magnificently oblivious apprentice. Did you think everyone could naturally perceive magical currents in such detail? That the Houses' standardized system just happened to feel wrong to everyone?"

Ash looked up from his monitoring equipment. "Wait, is that why corporate magic never worked right for you? Because you could actually see what it was doing to the natural flows?"

"More than see," Raven said thoughtfully. "You're not just detecting the currents – you're feeling how they're supposed to move. That's why your resistance pattern worked so well against the sacrifice magic. You weren't just fighting corruption; you were instinctively reinforcing the natural order."

```

Personal Assessment:

[Natural Sensitivity: Exceptional]

[Flow Perception: Master Level]

[Understanding: Growing]

[Thaddeus's Commentary: Incoming]

```

"Indeed," Thaddeus agreed. "Though his technique still needs considerable work. Having a gift for seeing patterns doesn't automatically translate to skill in working with them. As his regularly disastrous attempts at basic flow control demonstrate."

But there was something almost gentle in the book's criticism. "Show them," he instructed. "Really show them what you sense. Perhaps then they'll understand why I haven't completely given up hope for this generation."

Zeph nodded, letting his sensitivity guide him. Power gathered around his modified wand, but instead of forcing it through corporate channels or even standard true magic patterns, he simply... let it flow. Natural currents responded to his awareness, moving in ways that felt as right as breathing.

"Here," he said softly. "Feel how the flows want to move."

Raven's sharp intake of breath told him the moment she sensed what he was showing them. Through his pattern, she could feel what he felt – the intricate dance of natural magic, the subtle harmonies of power that the corporate system tried to standardize and control.

"That's... that's incredible," she whispered. "Grandmother told me stories about practitioners who could sense flows this clearly, but I thought they were just legends. Even in the old records, this level of sensitivity was rare."

"Which explains," Ash added, studying his modified sensors with new understanding, "why corporate equipment never correctly measured your power. It's not calibrated for natural flow detection at all. The standardized metrics literally can't process what you're doing."

"Yes, yes, very impressive," Thaddeus cut in. "Now perhaps we can focus on the fact that a corrupted power-seeker just attacked the academy library? Unless you'd prefer to spend all day marveling at basic sensitivity while sacrifice magic spreads?"

The reminder sobered them. Zeph let the demonstration pattern fade, though his awareness of the natural flows remained sharp as ever. The wrongness left by the Crimson Dawn's attack felt like a splinter in reality's flesh – small but significant, threatening to fester if left untreated.

"Grandmother warned me they were growing stronger," Raven said. "Recruiting those who feel trapped by corporate restrictions, promising them quick power without standardized limits."

"Because corrupting the fundamental forces of reality always ends so well," Thaddeus commented. "Though I suppose we can't expect better from people who think 'Crimson Dawn' is a sensible name for a magical revolution. Clearly, their taste is as corrupted as their power."

"We need to understand what we're facing," Zeph said, his sensitivity tracking the lingering traces of sacrifice magic. "That student... the way he twisted the flows... it felt wrong on a level I can't even describe."

"Then perhaps it's time for another history lesson." New words appeared on Thaddeus's pages, sharp with centuries of knowledge. "About how sacrifice magic first emerged, and why even the Houses fear it more than true magic practitioners."

```

Priority Update:

[Threat Analysis: Critical]

[Training Requirements: Expanding]

[Historical Context: Needed]

[Network Response: Developing]

[Reality Stability: Threatened]

```

As Thaddeus began his explanation, Zeph felt the weight of responsibility settling over him. His sensitivity wasn't just a gift – it was a tool, maybe even a weapon in the growing conflict between true magic, corporate control, and corruption. The natural flows sang around him, clear as daylight while others struggled to see them at all.

"Your awareness is exceptional," Thaddeus admitted grudgingly. "But awareness without understanding is just another form of blindness. Now, pay attention. And do try to look less pleased with yourself – natural sensitivity doesn't excuse poor study habits."

The crystal spires hummed overhead as afternoon sun painted shadows through corporate channeling matrices. But Zeph's attention was on the deeper currents, the true flows that had always called to him. Understanding dawned with each passing moment – he hadn't been weak in corporate magic; he'd been too attuned to magic's real nature to force it into artificial forms.

Now he just had to learn to use that sensitivity effectively before the Crimson Dawn struck again. Preferably while maintaining his corporate cover, avoiding security detection, and satisfying Thaddeus's impossible standards.

"I heard that thought," the book grumbled. "And my standards are perfectly reasonable. It's hardly my fault if modern magical education has fallen to such abysmal levels. Now, about sacrifice magic's historical context..."

The lesson continued as shadows lengthened and reality slowly healed around them. But something had fundamentally changed – not just in their understanding of the threats they faced, but in Zeph's comprehension of his own nature. He wasn't broken or weak. He was simply attuned to a deeper truth, one that even the Houses couldn't fully suppress.

The question was: what would he do with that truth now that darkness was rising?