The day quickly came to an end, as the classes finished, the students of the Academy of Modern Magecraft started to do their own things.
Most of the students would head to the library, unlike normal schools where the library is empty, this school's library is filled with activity. It was so busy that the "keep quiet" rule was lifted as break times when students were free would be the times when this library was filled with people.
Although some wished for peace and quiet, such places were not lacking in this place.
Of course, the library was not one of them, instead, it had turned into a true study hub. People of all ages sat together around tables, huddled in groups as they discussed various topics.
They would go over books seriously, although loud, their discussions were filled with a drive for knowledge. Few people joked around, most of their talks were serious, all of them carried notebooks, pens and papers.
It was a surreal sight but for Victor, this was not what truly took his attention.
No, Victor was currently experiencing something that was both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.
Walking through the library, he found himself the center of attention. Many fellow students would take a glance at him, some whispering as they discreetly pointed at him. Whether they used their fingers or other body parts, it was plainly obvious what they were doing.
But this type of attention- Victor didn't hate it, in fact, he relished this attention he was experiencing.
They were pointing at him, whispering about something he had done, but unlike his previous experience, this type of attention was what he longed for.
All the people pointing at him, all the people staring at him, everyone who was whispering about his deeds…
Their gazes did not carry an ounce of disdain, it was the opposite in fact. The fire of respect burned in the eyes of the many magi in training as they gazed at Victor.
"Yo! If it isn't our dear true mage, how's the resurrection spell going?"
As he savored his newfound sense of superiority, an obnoxious voice echoed behind him. Victor turned around, his gaze landing on the familiar head of blonde hair… no- two heads of blonde hair.
"I guess one fall wasn't enough for you Johnny?"
Victor teased, although he meant it as a joke, he also made sure to teach Johnny a lesson. After all, magecraft is something really frightening.
Especially for Johnny who was the type of guy to face things head on. A true magus would be the direct counter to him but he would also be the direct counter ot magi.
It was an interesting paradox really, magic are adept at subterfuge, they thrive in fighting in their own terms. Their methods shine when they have time to prepare, when they are smart enough to always be a few steps ahead of their adversary.
This puts them at a severe advantage against people who are smart, calculating and careful.
After all, the smarter a person is, the easier it is to read their movements.
Johnny on the other hand, could be described as nothing more than a brute. A huge oaf whose greatest asset is his fiery nature, power and will to push forward.
Against an adversary who would rush into danger headfirst, trading injury for an opportunity to strike, a magus, especially one who was weaker in frontal confrontation was the weakness of most magi.
For this reason, Enforcers were always selected from a group of spellcasters. The few magi who become Enforcers would show particular talent in combat. In other words, Enforcers were chosen for their ability to overcome the mystery of magi through pure force.
That was why spellcasters were taught few spells and instead of learning the complex nature of a spell. They were given "methods", which were ultimately guidelines for deduction and reasoning. This allowed spellcasters to quickly adapt to any spell using even the simplest of spells.
Unfortunately for Johnny, he should have lacked the method of counter-curse that day, but his fortune had turned as Victor noticed the difference in the air about the young blonde man.
Johnny was not quick to reply to Victor, instead he paused as he seemed to have noticed something amiss. Then, after a few seconds he rolled his eyes, staring at Victor as if he were an idiot-
"Quit it Victor, you can't catch me off guard! I specifically studied curses and mastered the general counter curse methodology! So long as you don't do some complex ritual, I could handle whatever small curse you send my way"
His words made Victor show a look of surprise, he did not mind the tone which Johnny took with him. After all, Johnny was not really looking down on him. In a way, Victor knew that Johnny had a sort of inferiority complex in relation to his sister.
Victor was aware of this without Johnny even needing to explain as he had witnessed what someone with true pride looked like.
The image of Reed was something Victor would never forget, the superiority complex he had, the attitude of being above the world… Victor knew what "feeling superior" looked like.
Johnny? His actions, tone, his whole persona were all nothing more than methods of compensating for what he lacks.
After all, no matter how much he acts high and mighty, Johnny was obviously aware of the difference between him and Victor. Moreover, the mere fact that Johnny had spent his precious time to learn and master the spellcasters counter curse method meant that he placed particular care on the matter of being defeated by Victor.
Unlike Reed who would have called him a cheat, or maybe someone who was completely wrong. The face of true worthless pride is when you ignore the words of others, shut off people who don't agree with you.
Johnny had taken Victor's words to heart, evident in how he learned to counter curses. Moreover, when Victor saw the ingenious method used by Johnny, he couldn't help but smile at the young man who was just too shy to admit that he took Victor's words to heart.
Though, this didn't mean that Victor was going to ignore Johnny.
The way the young blonde man handled the situation was smart, he even brought his sister with him and had her wait beside him just in case.
But Victor knew that this method was still too naive, he had shown Johnny the simplest method a magus would use against their opponents. But, considering that level of power a true magus would have, what Victor did to Johnny before was nothing short of a joke, a harmless prank if anything.
Now, the real test is to see if Johnny truly understood his failings, if he could adapt to the ever changing situation, as would a true enforcer, spell caster would do-
"Who said I used a curse?"
VIctor asked his words, causing Johnny to freeze, he quickly turned to Susan next to him. When he met with his sister's gaze, he saw her shaking her head. Realizing that he was had, Johnny snapped back at Victor only to find empty space-
"What?"
Confused, Johnny stood frozen, he did not move, instead he scanned his surroundings and as he did that-
"Smart"
Victor's voice echoed and as Johnny tried to look for its source, the space in front of him started to distort.
"Huh?"
Johnny did not feel any hint of spells being used, the magical energy, the space in the area was still as calm as ever. It was as if his mind was-
"Mental interference…. Damn it!"
He cursed, as he did, the voice of Susan resounded by his side-
"Finally"
Johnny could already guess that his sister was quite annoyed by the fact that he fell for such a simple trick.
As Victor's figure fully materialized before him- no, he did not materialize, he was there from the start, he never left…
"Sorry sis"
Knowing his mistake, Johnny did not snap at Victor, instead he turned to his sister and apologized. Today, much like the other day, Johnny had made another mistake.
If the first time was his error for being naive, then this one was his own failing. He was outclassed and had to turn to Susan for assistance.
Seeing her brother give a heartfelt apology, Susan did not push any further. Dropping the matter, she let out a sigh as she told Johnny.
"As long as you learned your lesson"
Hearing her sister's words, Johnny felt even more ashamed. Although Susan may not care about reputation- he did. Even if the person who suffered the most loss in reputation was Susan, Johnny still felt bad.
It was one thing for him to look like an idiot, but for his sister to have to suffer through the consequences of his actions…
"Next time!"
Johnny gave Victor a glare before leaving with Susan, although his actions seemed hostile, Johnny was simply trying to, as the Chinese would call it, "save face". He did not bear a grudge with Victor, it could be likened to competition between friends.
Victor watched as Johnny left with Susan, the exchange just now was quite aggressive and he was already prepared to be hated by Johnny.
To his surprise though, the young man did not show any sign of malice towards him. In fact, there was respect hidden beneath Johnny's eyes. A warm current coursed through Victor's body, a feeling he had long forgotten.
The last time he felt it was when he parted with his one friend at Empire State University, now he found a sense of camaraderie with someone else.
Although it was abrupt, Victor chose to impart the lessons he had learned in his life to Johnny, the naive young man who became one of the few "friends" he had.
After all, the information that Susan brought that day, about how someone was hunting down magic users… Victor had already confirmed it. Although it was not completely banned, leaving the school without being confirmed as a magus would have marked any student as a rogue spellcaster.
Victor had already taken his chances, he went out and checked the information and he did find dozens of people camping around the Empire State Building.
He did not know if they were there for the students or not but he was sure of one thing-
They were all there for James Barthomeloi.
'You need to understand this early Johnny… the professors won't teach you this, you need to grasp it before you get caught in something far beyond your control'
Victor sighed as he thought about the two troublesome friends he had.
Every other magus in training within the academy did not really mind staying in for long periods of time. But they were not the only students.
There were students like the Storm siblings, the two had family outside and they were technically enrolled in an academy under James Barthomeloi. Technically, all the students in the magecraft academy who came from "non-mystical" backgrounds were all enrolled in the Barthomeloi Academy of Natural Science.
Currently they were officially studying in a distant, "boarding school campus", but they still had to leave to contact their family and friends.
When the time comes for the siblings to go back to the "real world", they need to be able to handle themselves.
Susan was not a problem, Victor was more worried about Johnny which is why he now had this convoluted game with the young man.
Whether Johnny understood this or not did not matter to Victor, all he cared for was the safety of his friends, after all, this was the only way he knew how to care for them…
At the same time as this was happening, in Rhode Island, a young Reed Richards had a dejected look on his face as he left the rented apartment.
It's already been a month but he had not seen a single glimpse of Susan Storm.
According to her aunt, Susan and Johnny had left to study in a boarding school established by James Barthomeloi. Reed found the name quite peculiar but he didn't bother to search about it.
All he cared about was to see Susan, he was hoping to meet her coincidentally when she comes home during the weekend but she never returned.
Even though her aunt did not know when she would be coming back, Reed wanted to ask her if she was worried but from the way she acted, it was quite possible that Susan still had contact with her aunt. Maybe through calls or texts, they had exchanges which allowed her aunt to stay calm.
Unfortunately, Reed did not have the privilege of having Susan's contact information-
Well, how could he? He was nothing more than an older man who was renting at their apartment complex.
If he had the contact information of a girl, an underaged one no less… just the thought of it made him shudder.
Yet, his mind still held on to the hope, a hope that she would return and in order to ensure that he could take the chance, to strike the iron when it was hot, he made sure to befriend Susan's aunt.
Reed wanted to present himself as an outstanding young man, a talent who had a bright future ahead of him. In that way, maybe Susan would be told stories of a dashing young man who lived just next door…
He held onto that hope, and with that, Reed was able to focus on his current research.
"Interstellar travel…"
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