Chapter 4: Lessons in Power

Asterion watched as Mr. Seitz finished the drawing, adding different stages of a tree’s growth cycle. The final tree was connected by lines to a depiction of a cut-down tree with visible rings—a cross-section like the ones Asterion had noticed on stumps from felled trees.

“Let’s start easy,” Mr. Seitz said, tapping his teaching stick on the roots of the tree he had drawn. “If powers grow like a tree, what would we call the first phase or tier of power?”

Everyone in the class, even those in the backmost row, raised their hands eagerly. Using his teaching stick, Mr. Seitz pointed at Asterion’s cousin, Alexius.

“The Root!” Alexius said, his voice brimming with confidence.

“Correct,” Mr. Seitz said with a nod. “The first phase, where all of your powers begin, is called the root tier—also commonly referred to as the foundation tier.”

The teacher bent over and wrote the terms next to the line pointing at the roots of the tree. When he finished, he turned back to the class.

“Alright, let’s make it a bit more difficult. What is the second phase?”

This time, nobody immediately raised their hands. Instead, the students inspected the board for clues. It was Anysia and Zena who raised their hands first—Zena hopping eagerly on her seat as always, while Anysia was much more hesitant.

“Zena, what do you think the second phase is?” Mr. Seitz asked calmly, his tone encouraging.

Zena seemed momentarily surprised to be picked and hesitated before answering, “The growth phase? Or Trunk?” she tried.

“And you, Anysia? Do you think the same?” Mr. Seitz asked.

“Yes, I thought the same thing,” Anysia confirmed softly.

Their teacher nodded sagely, tapping the small drawing of a blooming plant he had sketched on the side of the board.

“You are partially correct. It is the early growth and expansion phase, commonly called the bloom or core tier,” Mr. Seitz explained. “The term ‘Trunk’ was used in the past but has since fallen into obscurity in favor of bloom or core tier.”

“This is the tier where one's power advances beyond foundational, forming and strengthening the core of one's power.” Seitz continued, “Now then, what is the third tier?”

Again, the class hesitated, scanning the tree and the drawings, which had been neatly drawn in order from left to right, the drawing of the small bloom and its roots at the very left; Asterion and half of the class raised their hands again as the next one in line was obvious.

“Lucia?” Seitz called.

“The pith?” She asked hesitantly.

“Does everyone agree?” Seitz asked, to which the rest of the class lowered their hands, nodded, and quiet words of agreement made.

“I am truly blessed with a golden generation for the Lysandor family, it seems—correct again!” Mr. Seitz exclaimed, a note of enthusiasm in his voice. He tapped the cross-section of the tree he had drawn, pointing to the rings at its center.

“The Pith, or Essence tier, is the phase where one delves into and refines the deeper aspects of one’s power. Much like a tree’s rings reveal its age and growth, the Essence tier represents the culmination of understanding and development. This is the phase where mages spend the most time, as insights and comprehension become the most critical factors in advancing to the next and highest tier a power can naturally reach.”

He looked expectantly at the class, the question unspoken but clear. Asterion knew exactly what he wanted to ask, and once again, he and the rest of the class raised their hands.

“Katina, what do you think the highest tier of power is called?” Mr. Seitz said, pointing at her.

There was only a brief hesitation before she answered, “The Crown tier?”

Asterion watched as a bright smile spread across Mr. Seitz’s face. He clapped his hands together enthusiastically before turning back to the board and beginning to write again.

“Excellent! We’re almost there,” Mr. Seitz announced. “Yes, the highest tier is the Crown tier—true mastery over a power. The most common and sought-after power manifestation at this tier is known as permanence. This ability allows a mage to permanently infuse their magic into an object or item without relying on expansive and rare ingredients while also simplifying the enchantment process and substituting for most requirements. It grants them the power to leave an enduring mark on the world or create true wonders of magic.”

He paused, looking at the board with clear satisfaction etched across his face. Then his expression grew thoughtful.

“But this tree seems incomplete, doesn’t it?” he said, his tone almost theatrical. “Did we forget something?” Mr. Seitz scratched his beard as if deep in thought, his eyes lingering on the drawing, as though genuinely puzzled.

Asterion smiled as he raised his hand, his teacher looking almost relieved as he pointed toward him.

“Oh, Asterion, do you know what we’ve forgotten? What is this tree missing?”

Asterion chuckled at his teacher’s theatrics, and the laughter quickly spread through the room as the other children joined in, snickering at the obviously incomplete drawing.

“This tree has no branches!” Asterion called out.

“Brilliant! Yes, we forgot about the branches,” Mr. Seitz exclaimed, seeming to genuinely enjoy himself as he began extending branches across the drawing. The additions made the tree look more complete as he carefully filled out the trunk and crown.

“A power may branch out in unique ways, depending on its user,” he explained as he worked. “Branches can grow past the core phase, though there seems to be a limit of two to four branches per tier excluding the roots. Branches are peculiar—they can continue to grow even when someone has advanced to the next tier. They aren’t strictly a tier on their own but rather an often unique manifestation of an individual’s power, branching into related aspects or combining with other aspect an individual may possess.”

He moved to the board, stepping to the space he had left blank, and began writing. Asterion tried to see what was being written, but Mr. Seitz’s back blocked his view.

“Each tier grows in stages before one can move on to the next,” Mr. Seitz announced, stepping aside to reveal the words he had written. “These stages have been defined as Early, Middle, Late, and Peak stages.”

He paused, allowing the class to read the words before continuing.

“Most of you who have awakened your first power are likely still in the Early or Middle stages. These stages often manifest as the addition of a new subset of powers—like Theos developing the Titans Garb aspect. However, more commonly, they result in a noticeable strengthening of an existing aspect, such as increased range or a greater amount of power that the aspect can exert.”

Asterion considered Mr. Seitz’s words carefully. He realized he had reached the Middle stage himself. At first, he’d only been able to manipulate objects within the immediate vicinity of his body. It wasn’t until much later that he managed to extend his control over gravity to anything within his visual range, though it had been years since he had made that progress and hadn’t given it much thought.

“Besides power manifestations, there is a rarer phenomenon that each of you will likely undergo eventually—provided you continue working diligently on your powers,” Mr. Seitz explained. “Physical manifestations can take many shapes and forms, some more noticeable than others, and they offer a plethora of unique advantages to each user. Some people grow wings and gain the ability to fly; others develop magical markings, or their hair and eyes might change color. Many of your parents likely display one or two such manifestations.”

He paused, letting his gaze wander across the class as children nodded or called out specific manifestations they had seen.

“Has anyone here already received a physical manifestation?” Mr. Seitz asked.

The class exchanged glances, but to his surprise, Anysia hesitantly raised her hand.

“Oh?” Mr. Seitz exclaimed, clearly pleased. “Would it be possible for you to show the class?”

The timid girl nodded, and as she stuck out her tongue, Asterion leaned forward curiously. He noticed what appeared to be an incomplete runic marking etched onto it.

“Ah, your Essencia is Speech, isn’t it?” Mr. Seitz asked. “The tongue is a frequent target of physical manifestations, with the most common being Silvertongue. Do you know what your manifestation does?”

Anysia shook her head, trying to make herself as small as possible. Her cheeks flushed a deep red from having shown the teacher and the rest of the class her tongue.

“No need to be ashamed,” Mr. Seitz said reassuringly. “I’ve been made aware of your power to understand and speak with animals—a truly wonderful gift. My best guess is that your initial awakening allowed you to understand them, while this physical manifestation enabled you to speak to them. However, that’s just speculation on my part.

“I recommend keeping an eye on it,” he continued, his tone thoughtful. “Your runic markings appear incomplete, and if you advance your aspect to the next stage—perhaps one allowing you to comprehend something else such as plants— your physical manifestation may advance alongside you, enabling you to speak to them too.”

Noticing how uncomfortable the attention was making her, Mr. Seitz gave her a kind smile. He turned back to the board, circling the Peak stage with his chalk before clapping his hands to refocus the class’s attention on the lesson and away from Anysia.

“Let’s briefly circle back to the stages for a moment and have a look at the Peak stage, because unlike the others, is an optional stage,” Mr. Seitz explained. “You can advance or breakthrough to the next tier of power without reaching the Peak stage. However, most mages worth their salt strive to reach the Peak stage before advancing, and I strongly recommend that you do the same. Otherwise, your power will be comparatively weaker than that of your peers.”

Mr. Seitz seemed to catch himself, noticing the mixture of excited and confused expressions on the children’s faces.

“While I do expect you to memorize all of this, there’s no need to worry,” he said reassuringly. “If there’s anything you don’t understand, you’re welcome to ask me during questioning or after class. And rest assured, we’ll be revisiting this topic frequently as we dive deeper into the nuances of the different tiers and stages.”

Asterion couldn’t help but exchange smiles with Theos and even Zena, who had turned around to look at him and the rest of their friends. He already liked Mr. Seitz—he genuinely seemed to enjoy what he was doing and put a lot of effort into teaching.

Still, Asterion was sure that some of the kids in the back row—those who were a little younger or hadn’t spent much time studying and were still struggling with their letters and numbers—found it harder to keep up. For him, though, the way Mr. Seitz explained and visualized the concepts made everything easy to follow.

“Alright, I think it’s time for a short break,” Mr. Seitz announced, glancing out the window. A smile crossed his face as he added, “It’ll be lunchtime soon, and the weather is fantastic. After the break, I’ll be teaching you some mana refinement techniques—you can never start too early with those. Meet me in the training yard in 20 minutes.”

Asterion and Theos watched as Mr. Seitz made his way to the back of the class, where some of their cousins were near tears or quietly sobbing. It quickly became clear that they were worried they were stupid for failing to follow and remember everything. Asterion observed as Mr. Seitz calmly reassured them, patiently reexplaining the concepts without a hint of frustration.

Absentmindedly, Asterion reached into his bag and pulled out the sunplum he had saved. Taking a bite, he savored the fruit’s sweetness and the faint tingle of mana on his tongue.

He caught his new teacher’s eye, which briefly flicked to both him and the fruit in his hands. Asterion noticed a faint, fleeting smile cross Mr. Seitz’s face before the teacher returned his full attention to the other students under his care.

A tug on his arm drew Asterion’s attention away. “Come on, let’s go outside,” Theos said eagerly.

Grinning, Asterion followed his friend as they dashed into the yard, heading straight for the racks of wooden weapons that awaited them.

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