The Mage's Forgotten Wand

The hidden library section felt different after hours, when even corporate monitoring crystals dimmed to their lowest settings. Zeph sat cross-legged on the ancient carpet, *The Wandsmith's Echo* open before him, while his sensitivity traced the natural flows that permeated the space. The wrongness from the Crimson Dawn's attack still lingered in his awareness, raising questions he couldn't ignore.

"Why does it feel like that?" he finally asked. "Corrupt magic. It's not just different from corporate or true magic – it feels fundamentally wrong."

"Finally, an intelligent question," Thaddeus replied. "Though your timing could use work. Most students don't wait until after encountering corrupted power to ask about its nature."

"I've been a bit busy learning everything else," Zeph pointed out. "Like how to not get caught using true magic, or how to maintain corporate cover, or—"

"Yes, yes, your list of excuses is fascinating. Now be quiet and pay attention. This is important."

```

Status Check:

[Location: Hidden Section]

[Security: Minimal Coverage]

[Time: After Hours]

[Topic: Magical Theory]

[Thaddeus's Patience: Surprisingly Present]

```

New words flowed across the pages, accompanied by diagrams showing currents of power moving in natural patterns. "First, you need to understand what magic actually is. Not the corporate definition, not the standardized theory, but the truth."

The diagrams shifted, showing flows of energy weaving through reality itself. "Magic – or mana, as it was called in my time – is a fundamental force of nature. Like water, it seeks to flow along natural paths. Like air, it moves in currents and patterns. And like both, it is essential to life itself."

Zeph watched, fascinated, as the illustrations demonstrated how magic naturally flowed through the world. His sensitivity resonated with the truth of it – he'd always felt these currents, even before understanding what they were.

"The planet breathes magic," Thaddeus continued. "It flows through every living thing, every stone, every breath of wind. In their natural state, these flows maintain balance. They heal, they nurture, they maintain the very fabric of reality."

"That's what I feel when I use true magic," Zeph realized. "Working with those natural flows."

"Precisely. True magic is about understanding and guiding these currents, not forcing them. A true mage is more like... a gardener tending a river's course than an engineer building dams."

The metaphor clicked with Zeph's experiences. Every time he'd tried to force magic through corporate channels, it had felt wrong. But when he worked with the natural flows...

"Show me," Thaddeus instructed. "Create light, but this time, pay attention to exactly how the power moves."

Zeph raised his hand, letting his sensitivity guide him. Instead of forcing magic through rigid patterns, he felt for the natural flows of light and energy. Power responded eagerly, swirling around his fingers before condensing into a soft glow that felt *right* in a way corporate lighting never did.

"Good," Thaddeus said. "Now watch what happens when you try to force it."

Following the book's instruction, Zeph attempted to make the light brighter by pushing more power into it. Immediately, the natural flows resisted. The light flickered, becoming harsh and artificial. His sensitivity detected subtle distortions in the local magical currents.

"Stop," Thaddeus commanded. "That discomfort you feel? That's your sensitivity warning you that you're disrupting natural patterns. A small disruption like this will heal quickly. But imagine that force multiplied. Imagine someone tearing the flows apart, forcing them into completely unnatural configurations..."

"Like the Crimson Dawn student did," Zeph said quietly, remembering the wrongness that had permeated the library during the attack.

"Indeed. Corrupt magic is what happens when mages try to force power beyond their natural ability. Instead of working with the flows, they tear into them, creating chaos in the fundamental fabric of reality."

The book's illustrations shifted to show natural flows being twisted and distorted. Zeph's sensitivity recoiled even from the diagrams, recognizing the wrongness they depicted.

"But why would anyone choose to use magic that way?" he asked. "If it feels so wrong..."

"Power," Thaddeus replied simply. "Corrupt magic offers quick power, unrestricted by natural limits or corporate controls. What they don't understand – or choose to ignore – is the cost."

```

Theory Discussion:

[Topic: Fundamental Magic]

[Natural Flows: Explained]

[Corruption Effects: Introducing]

[Understanding: Growing]

[Questions: Multiplying]

```

"What kind of cost?"

"That," Thaddeus said, "is a lesson for another time. Dawn approaches, and you have corporate classes to maintain your cover. But consider this: if magic flows naturally through all things, what happens when you force it to violate its own nature?"

Zeph thought about the twisted currents he'd sensed during the attack, how reality itself had seemed to flinch away from the corrupted power. "Nothing good, I'm guessing."

"Indeed. Though your grasp of magical theory remains barely adequate, you at least show some instinct for the obvious. Now go. We'll continue this discussion tomorrow – assuming you survive another day of pretending to be corporately incompetent."

As Zeph packed up, his sensitivity traced the healthy flows running through the hidden section. After learning more about magic's true nature, he understood better why this place felt so right – here, away from corporate regulation and corruption's touch, power still moved as it was meant to.

"One more thing," Thaddeus added as Zeph reached the hidden entrance. "Watch the natural flows around you today. Really watch them. Notice how they move, how they interact, how they maintain balance. Understanding begins with observation."

"And criticism?" Zeph asked with a slight smile. "Does that begin with observation too?"

"Criticism begins with having a student who thinks he's clever. Now go pretend to be magically inept before someone notices you're missing. And do try not to let any more corrupted power-seekers attack the library. Some of us are trying to maintain proper archival conditions."

The crystal spires were beginning to catch dawn's first light as Zeph made his way back to the dormitories. His sensitivity felt sharper after Thaddeus's lesson, more attuned to the complex dance of natural flows around him. Even the rigid corporate channels seemed different now that he understood more about what they were attempting to control.

But questions still nagged at him. If corrupt magic was so obviously wrong, why had the Houses chosen to regulate rather than stop it? Why build a system of standardized magic instead of teaching people to work with natural flows? And what exactly was the cost that Thaddeus had been so careful not to specify?

The answers, he suspected, would prove as complex as the flows of power themselves. But for now, he had to focus on maintaining his cover – even as his growing understanding made corporate magic feel more artificial than ever.

Above him, the crystal spires pulsed with regulated power, their light harsh against the subtle glow of dawn. Natural magic flowed beneath and around their rigid channels, as it always had, as it always would. Understanding those flows was just the beginning. The real question was: what had made someone choose to corrupt them in the first place?