My mana ceased all semblance of movement the moment I shifted my attention to it.
It was strange.
I had never heard of mana behaving like that before. Even established mages only described mana as having concrete flow patterns.
I thought it was just my exhaustion playing tricks on me. Yesterday's effects were very much still imprinted on both my body and mind.
My focus drifted to the lecture the professor was giving us. It was something about the theory behind magic and formulas, which didn't exactly seem interesting.
Almost immediately, my mana resumed its movement.
My eyelids shook, the mana was actually moving.
The movement didn't seem chaotic or unrestrained, it felt... deliberate. While I, obviously, couldn't observe the mana, I felt it crawling towards the inner walls of my mana core and studying it for a few seconds.
Trying to observe the mana without drawing its attention, I split my concentration. Some on the lecture, some on the mana.
The moment my perception brushed slightly against the mana, my core went eerily silent. Even the ever present flow of mana felt fleeting.
I swallowed and leaned back on my chair, choosing to listen to the lecture and deal with the problem later.
The lecture hall wasn't exactly the best place to experiment with my strange mana, considering the amount of people around me.
As expected, my mana started moving once more. I still felt the movement and tried to somehow decipher it without direct scrutiny.
The professor was walking around the front of the lecture hall, shining formulae hovering beside him. His movements felt mechanic and studied, a testament to his ability as a professor.
Something was off about him.
I didn't know what, but something about the professor's movement felt slightly wrong. Of course, his robotic movements were strange, but that wasn't what felt wrong.
Whenever my mana twitched even slightly, the professor's voice would falter for just a fraction of a second. Not enough for the class to notice, enough for me to be sure.
The pauses were far too aligned to be a simple coincidence.
He knew.
My heart jumped at that realization.
But how did the professor sense my mana from so far away?
In a lecture hall filled with students, none of them using magic, discerning mana over such a long distance unintentionally would be impossible. Not to mention mana inside a core.
Was the professor paying attention to all the students' mana? No that would be even more absurd.
My hair stood up. Just that thought changed everything.
If the professor felt surprised enough to lose his composure, even if it was just for a fraction of a second, that meant something special was going on with my mana.
I waited patiently for the lecture to end, noting every single out-of-place movement the professor performed.
His strange pauses stopped after a while.
After that, nothing worthy of note happened.
*Ring*
The sound of the bell signalled the end of the lecture, and the time for me to start my experiments.
I rushed out of the lecture hall, heading towards my dorm room.
Students filled the hallway. Even with me sprinting, it took a few minutes to reach my room.
I shut the door behind me and pushed my back on it before sliding to the ground.
The sight of my messy room unnerved me. Clothes thrown around, a book left open on the desk, forgotten.
A bitter smile formed on my face.
Now wasn't the time.
Putting my arms around my head, I turned my intent inward, toward my mana.
It had calmed mid-way through the lecture, likely not having anything left to study inside my mana core. Now, it gave no evidence of all its previous activity.
I extended my perception towards it, prodding it gently. It twitched in response.
My hands grew cold.
It could react.
I drew a path in my core for it, hoping to see it flowing like normal mana.
To my surprise, it moved. It had been wary of my awareness before, but now it seemed more comfortable.
The mana crawled slowly towards the entrance of the path, but it didn't enter. It started studying it, circling around the entrance as if wanting to understand it.
Impossible.
Mana didn't hesitate.
I enveloped the mana in my perception, wanting to understand its movement.
The mana stopped completely. It seemed to deem my full attention too much for its liking.
"You're annoying," I breathed out shallowly.
I shifted my focus outward, toward my room, while still maintaining the path I had formed in my core. The mana shuffled a bit, trying to see if I was still focusing on it.
A few more 'attention tests' passed, and the mana finally felt comfortable enough to start moving.
Slowly, it made its way towards the entrance.
"...What are you?" A whisper left my mouth.
It could react, it could study, it could feel, and it could decide. None of these were traits of normal mana.
The mana pushed a tiny bit of itself into the path, obviously not trusting it.
The first contact the mana made with the path felt subtle, like a finger tapping on glass. Then it slipped in.
My entire body tensed.
The sensation was wrong.
Mana moving in a path should be like pressure equalization, like water flowing in a channel. This felt more like something 'walking'.
Step by step.
The path shuddered.
I gasped, pain flaring behind my eyes with each step it took. Images flickered at the edge of my thoughts. Indistinct shapes, fragments of emotions that weren't mine. Curiosity, caution, and a faint, distant excitement.
I severed the path instantly.
The mana recoiled, snapping back into the core like it had been burned.
I almost screamed, clutching my head as the sensations vanished.
Silence returned.
My heart pounded violently against my ribs.
"... That wasn't normal."
I sat there for a long time, staring at the empty wall of my room as my breathing gradually steadied. I thought hard about what my mana could be. Whatever it was, it wasn't something I could afford to experiment with blindly.
Mana affinities existed. Rare ones, especially sub-types that branched from the five main categories. Force, Flow, Spark, Frost, and Mind.
There was only one that fit what happened.
Emotions. Awareness. Reaction.
It was Mind mana.
*Knock*
A knock echoed through the silent room.
I flinched.
"Kyle?"
It was Denis's voice.
I immediately got up, straightening my clothes and coughing a few times to hide my hoarse voice.
Opening the door, Denis looked at me in a strangely serious manner.
He didn't look any different than usual, like nothing had happened yesterday.
His eyes widened slightly at my sight. I guessed the experiments left a mark on me.
"You missed lunch."
"...I wasn't hungry." I lied, not wanting to tell him about the special mana.
I felt like I shouldn't tell him about it. If it was a result of yesterday's training, and we all had it, he would say something about it. That way I would be able to discern if I was a special case or not.
"Penelope is waiting." Denis crossed his arms, seemingly feeling something amiss.
"Give me a bit, I'll come."
Denis nodded and left. I sighed. For some reason, it felt like I was in danger this time.
I started cleaning my room.
Denis and Penelope must've called me to talk about yesterday, but it still felt wrong.
However, seeing Denis not mention anything about strange mana affirmed that I was a special case.
I didn't know what to think of that. Special affinities were usually good, but they also limited your abilities in other fields. You also wouldn't be able to transform your mana into another type.
It was a curse and a blessing to have it, but I didn't even know what type mine was. It could be something pertaining to emotions, since my mana displayed curiosity, or it could be something like 'thought'.
Maybe Denis didn't see this place fit enough to talk about the mana or professors paying more attention to us. Though I doubt the cafeteria would be a safer place.
I finished cleaning my room, leaving these thoughts for later. It would be best to discuss things about yesterday with Penelope present as well.
The feeling still didn't leave me. I still felt like I shouldn't reveal anything about my mana unless they also do.
I sighed at my unfortunate circumstance, steeling myself to go meet them.
Leaving my room, the hall was empty. For some reason, the usually bustling hall was devoid of students.
The break shouldn't be over yet. It made no sense for no one to be here.
I left the hall, and still didn't see any students.
Reaching the cafeteria, no students were present.
My brows furrowed. Why would no one be here. Didn't Denis tell me that Penelope was waiting?
A feeling of unease grew in my chest.