You're A Freak

The group's eyes were fixed on Jace as he summoned a small fireball, closing his eyes to focus. He didn't just feel the warmth of the flame, but pushed deeper, tracing the circuits of the spell and following the currents of mana as they pulsed through its form.

After a moment, he conjured a fire bolt, repeating the process. The differences between the two spells became clearer. The fireball was stable, its energy evenly distributed, while the fire bolt was coiled and volatile, ready to launch at a moment's notice.

He split his focus, comparing them both, locking his mind onto their structures. 

Then, a soft voice broke through his concentration.

"Change each sequence one at a time, Don't try to force it." 

His breath hitched slightly, and his focus flickered for a moment. The voice was calm, patient, and knowledgeable.

"Take your time. With your inexperience, if you try to go too fast the spell will collapse."

Jace didn't question it. Instead, he obeyed.

Following the voice's instructions, Jace slowly began altering the sequences of the fireball to match the firebolt. Sweat beaded on his forehead, his mind straining under the effort, every adjustment demanding absolute precision.

Bit by bit, he succeeded. A few sequences fully shifted, the fireball beginning to change shape, edging closer to the structure of the firebolt.

But then… His focus wavered. 

Both flames flickered out at once, the spell collapsing.

"Damn," Jace muttered, exhaling sharply as he opened his eyes.

Only to find everyone staring at him in shock.

Lord Severian stood in front of him, his piercing gaze locked onto Jace with a rare expression of approval.

"Exceptionally done, Jace," he said, his tone carrying praise despite the failure.

Jace blinked, confused. "Umm… Thank you, sir?" He fumbled for words, unsure why he was receiving praise when he had failed.

Lord Severian gave a small nod. "Make sure to take a break before attempting it again. Your mind needs time to recover from the strain." Then, without another word, he turned to another student attempting the exercise.

Jace exhaled, still processing the unexpected praise. His fingers twitched from the lingering strain, but his mind was elsewhere now.

That voice. It had been Lord Severian's, guiding him through the spell.

Jace shook his head, confused, but noticed the students around him still glancing his way. His frown deepened as he turned to Ethan.

"Why does everyone keep looking at me?"

Ethan gave a long sigh, clearly exasperated. "Because you're a freak."

Jace raised an eyebrow. "...Excuse me?"

Ethan gestured broadly. "No one else has even come close to pulling this off, and then you," He jabbed a finger at Jace. "Get halfway to succeeding on your first damn try."

To emphasize his point, Ethan pointed toward another student attempting the exercise.

Jace turned to watch, just in time to see the student's spell collapse the instant they started. 

He blinked. "You're kidding, right? Someone else has to be getting this, at least a little." He turned toward Aurora. "You must've succeeded at least a little, right?"

Aurora shook her head. "I haven't even managed to start the first sequence."

Jace's gaze swept across the group, hoping for a different answer, but each of them shook their heads in turn.

"Damn," he muttered, frustration rising. It wasn't easy for him either, so why was he the only one to see any success? Even if it was just a little.

He glanced at Aurora again, thinking she'd have the best chance of succeeding. "Can you show me?"

Aurora nodded, her expression thoughtful. Closing her eyes, she summoned two spells: a small earth ball and an earth wall. She focused for a moment, the silence in the room thick with anticipation, before starting to try and shift the structure of her spells.

Jace noticed it almost immediately, cocking his head as he watched Aurora attempt to shift her spells. He bit his tongue, though, not wanting to interrupt her until she had finished her attempt, despite knowing she was likely to fail.

His instincts proved correct. The moment she began trying to adjust the spell, both the earth ball and the earth wall collapsed, disintegrating into mana. A flash of disappointment crossed her face.

"See?" Ethan said, gesturing toward Aurora with a smirk. "Even the princess can't get past the start."

Aurora blinked, clearly confused by the sudden nickname. "Princess?" she asked, furrowing her brow.

Before Ethan could answer, Jace spoke up, his voice a bit sharp. "Are you guys not tracing the flow of mana in your spells before trying the shift?" He asked, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

The whole group froze, staring at Jace with disbelief clear on their faces.

Ethan shook his head, a chuckle escaping his lips. "You really are a freak." This time, the rest of the group nodded in agreement, adding to the sentiment.

Astra raised an eyebrow, her voice sincere as she spoke. "Jace, do you realize the level of mana sensitivity you need to have to be able to do that?"

Jace shrugged, nonchalant. "Well, I knew it was hard to do, but I figured it was common at the level of the academy."

"Well, according to my calculations, of the one thousand students in our year, there are probably five who have that level of sensitivity," Felix said after quickly running the numbers in his head.

"Seriously?" Jace questioned, blinking in surprise. "Maybe I really am a freak…"