After finishing up with Samara in the forge, and crafting a few other items and weapons for the fight ahead, Sen turned his preparations elsewhere. The assault on the cult of Harpis was still heavily contingent on Mori actually finding them, but he had faith in his friend. That wasn’t the problem. His current concern was the fact that there could be others in possession of his tomes from the past. 

He loved coming up with different ideas to use his spells, but that didn’t mean all of those ideas were ones he’d use in practice. If the Cult of Harpis had gotten hold of some of his other techniques as well, the fight ahead could be troublesome. Not only had large parts of his research been scattered across time, but those techniques could have been refined as well. He might face a powerful technique of his own from the past that had been passed down and improved for generations. Now that he knew what they were capable of, he needed to ensure he prepared accordingly. 

That was the reason he’d given Samara such a powerful sword. It was the reason he’d been training with Xochi and the others who’d volunteered to accompany him when he went to rescue the others. And it was the reason Professor Sikar and Ladia stood beside him in the faculty training room today. He hadn’t expected to find such steadfast allies in them, but they were experienced and their minds were particularly adept at refining techniques and creating new ones. 

Each of them had seen a glimpse into his true potential, and after realizing he’d use that power to help the other students, they’d thrown their full weight behind him. They’d even agreed to keep this session a secret.

Technically, he was using his last thirty minutes of one-on-one instruction time, with Ladia being the official professor. That had gotten him access to the faculty spell-crafting room outside of the time Calabari had once arranged for him. Sikar was here simply because he wanted to help. In the time, he needed to create an answer to any particularly dangerous techniques he might face. He couldn’t always rely on bluffing. If he ran into someone on par with the Soul Lord, or even stronger, he needed to be ready for that. He hadn’t become the God of Magic in his own time by underestimating his opponents. 

“We can focus on shoring up your weaknesses, or look to expand on your strengths,” Sikar said. He held his magic weapon in hand. He hadn’t gone anywhere without it since the attack on the academy. The man stood to Sen’s right, in the center of the circular room with a metallic floor. All three of them had reinforced the defensive runes to keep their project from spilling out into the rest of the academy. 

“Do you…even have weaknesses?” Professor Ladia asked.

Sikar shot her a look.

“What? I had to ask.”

Sen chuckled at that. But to be fair, Professor Ladia had seen him fight at a level well above what he should be able to. It was only natural for her to wonder about his abilities. 

“I do, but I’ve taken measures to account for them already. Although…your illusion magic was hard to detect. I have a spell, the Adamantine Mind, that protects me from mental attacks, but I was as surprised by your attack on that demon as he was. Is there a way to counter it?” He wasn’t sure if she would actually share that information. After all, it was obvious she was worried about his power. If that were the case, she’d be reluctant to give away a known advantage. At the same time, if the Cult of Harpis had anyone even remotely as skilled as she was in Illusion magic, it could prove a fatal mistake not to deal with it now.

“Protecting the mind differs from protecting the eyes. The brain has a natural tendency to fill in gaps. It shows you what it expects to see. Illusion magic operates in those gaps. It makes suggestions so your eyes interpret what you see in the way the caster wills it. Protecting your mind will prevent direct intervention, but indirect attacks are more complicated. However…” She looked at Xochi on his shoulder. “He could probably help.” Then she disappeared as if someone had slashed their hand through water to destroy a reflection. 

Xochi looked up and stared at Sen. He licked his eyeball.

[Adorable and horrible all in one.] 

Sen reached up and flicked a finger in Xochi’s direction. A trickle of mana floated from it and toward the mana-consuming creature. Xochi opened its mouth and inhaled the mana. It blinked and then turned to look slightly to the left of where Professor Ladia had been.

She reappeared exactly where Xochi was staring. 

“He can see you?” Sen asked in surprise. 

“He could sense me. They eat mana. When they sense some, they pay attention,” she said.

Sen gave Xochi a healthier dose of mana. Professor Crosp had recommended rewarding behavior that pleased him. Xochi would eventually learn to identify invisible sources of magic in the future. It wasn’t a foolproof cover against illusions, but it was something. He’d have to work on a technique that could refine his eyes. Maybe some mixture of Adamantine Mind and Enhanced Eyesight. That was something he could solve on his own. Spending time on it now would waste valuable time with the professors currently at his disposal. 

“Thank you, that gives me an idea of how to proceed. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to focus on something more offensive.”

Sikar grinned. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

Ano

Most days he could sleep comfortably just about anywhere. But this time, when he awoke floating atop his pillow, something was wrong. He didn’t remember falling asleep. He remembered fighting. There was a creature. It was going to hurt some students. He’d gotten in the way, taking a blow meant for them and then…

Well, that was the last thing he remembered. Something was pressing at the edges of his subconscious. He hadn’t woken up naturally. He’d been woken up. Ano already knew by who. He fervently checked the zipper on his pillow. How had his sleep paralysis demon escaped in the middle of the day?

Day? He rubbed his eyes, looking around. Cultists in brown hoods surrounded him on all sides. 

No, not just him. 

A quick glance revealed around thirty students, give or take. They walked along a dirt path through the forest. Wherever they were headed was close. Through the trees, he could feel a powerful barrier approaching. It must be where they were hiding their base. If they got him through that barrier, it was over. He tried to sit up, but his body screamed. The hit he’d taken must have been harder than he’d expected if it’d left him like this. He wasn’t a human shield by any means, but he was tough. Fighting wasn’t out of the question. But it was going to suck. He didn’t see anyone from his school. But he recognized at least a few students from the academy war. 

Alari was towards the front. They’d chained her arms and legs and forced her to shuffle forward. Her sword wasn’t anywhere to be seen, but he could sense it nearby. They’d never allow her to keep that near. It was most effective in her hands, but she could draw power from it even at a distance. It was somewhere towards the back of the line. Maybe if he could get that to her, then…

No. Too risky. He was lucky enough that the idiots had let him keep his pillow. Then again, they probably hadn’t wanted to drag him. A demon could carry him easily enough, but although he could sense them, they weren’t moving among the cultists that encircled the students. They were above. They were watching from the treetops somewhere and would definitely intervene if he tried something. He was sure a few students had tried to escape, but he doubted they’d have been successful. That’s okay. He was here now. He forced himself up and sat cross-legged on the pillow. A few cultists turned to look at him. They’d know who he was. The top student of Green Book was used to people looking at him like that. Like they knew he could crush them. He flexed, testing his muscles, and rolled his neck. 

And then we went completely still. He felt eyes on him from deeper in the forest, out of sight of the cultists and the demons above. He realized where his sleep paralysis demon had gone. Why now? It had worked alongside him for years. Why betray him now? When he needed its help most?

The second surprise was even greater. When he heard its voice in his head for the first time. He hadn’t ever heard it make more than a simple grunt. Now it spoke, albeit in broken words.

“Not you. Me.” 

“What?” he thought.

“Me.”

He blinked. When his eyes opened again less than a second later, he was the one watching the group of students march on toward the barrier. Yet, he saw himself still sitting on the pillow in the same position he had been. The demon had taken his form.

“Me,” it said. “Not take you. Take me.” 

No! He tried to move, but the effects of paralysis lingered. His body wouldn’t respond. The cultists and students slowly disappeared into an invisible barrier. We can fight together! But the demon simply shook its head. 

“Need help.” 

The fact that he agreed frustrated him to no end. He was in the middle of the forest, with no idea where they’d come from. No sense of direction. No map. To top it all off, he had no control over his body whatsoever. He wasn’t sure how long the paralysis would last, but he hoped it would fade before nightfall. He didn’t want to get eaten out here by some wild animal waiting on it to wear off. That would suck. 

He sensed the barrier disappear completely, and his eyes widened. “What?” He realized he could speak. His body responded to his will again, and he shot up. He knew he should run away. He knew he should leave but…the others. 

When Ano reached the road where the barrier had been before, he slowly reached out a hand. 

Nothing. 

He shook his head. “How’s that possible?” They couldn’t have teleported, could they? Whatever they’d done, he didn’t have the knowledge to replicate it. He turned and looked in the opposite direction. He had no idea where he was, but walking backward was as good a guess as any. With any luck, he’d find a town or something. Anything. 

The demon was right. He needed help. 

And he could think of a certain white-haired friend of his that would do just the trick. 

He sighed. “When all this is said and done, I’m gonna take the fattest nap.”