Zane was speechless at such an introduction, but he still listened.
"Now, I want you to cast the Mana Rope Spell, but pay attention to the diagram as you utter the incantation."
"Alright." Zane followed the direction; he engraved the rune, then chanted: "Mana, condense, mold, and stretch for my convenience."
"Hmm? It's vibrating?" He had never noticed that.
"And that's your answer: vibration. The key to activating a spell is to vibrate it at the right frequency."
"Is this how [Nonverbal Casting] works? Vibrating the spell diagram without the use of an incantation?" Zane instinctively asked.
"That's right," Professor Burbank replied, nodding. "Now, try the modified spell and just replace the incantation with what you feel fits best."
"Feel?"
"Yes, feel. You can also use the original incantation as inspiration."
Zane frowned briefly before trying. "Mana, condense, stretch, and remain attached to my source." The diagram moves slightly, but nothing happens.
"Try again, and maybe replace some of the words with synonyms."
"Mana, condense, stretch, and remain attached to my origin," Zane uttered, but the result was the same. "Mana, condense, stretch, and be an extension of my source." This time around, the vibration was stronger than before.
"Not bad; it seems the word extension might be the key."
Zane tried a few times, and as the professor said, the word extension seemed to be key, but that alone wasn't enough for a successful activation. "Professor, there has to be a better way. What's the second method you mentioned?"
"Calculating activation frequency," Professor Burbank replied. "The Arcane Empire created Gremorian to fit innate runes, and in the process, they also recorded the frequency of each word in relation to every rune. With this system, they can calculate the activation frequency of a spell and the incantation."
Zane groaned softly; he could imagine how much work, time, data, and calculation such a project would require. It's times like these that he's glad that Earth — and most other dimensions — are standing on the shoulders of giants. The predecessors did lay the foundation for the future, and no mage should take that for granted.
"Activation Frequency Calculation is one of the most math-intensive aspects of magic, and you are not ready for that."
Zane smiled wryly. His Gremorian Mathematics was improving at a rapid pace, but the professor was probably right: he wasn't ready for such a large step. With a snap of Professor Burbank's finger, Electro flew into the classroom carrying a book.
"Here."
Zane read the title: [Introduction to Mana Frequency] by Robert Elonsti.
"You can read this in your spare time, but don't focus on it and neglect your other work."
"I won't."
"It's late, so we should end things here."
Zane checked his phone and almost cursed; it was almost time for the Elite Class, which meant he had missed his second meditation and training session.
"As homework, you can finish the second modification, and I'll check your work tomorrow. I'll also help you calculate the activation frequencies."
"Thank you, Professor."
"Alright, get on with your day."
Zane rushed to the Elite Class, then separated from the group and went to meditate. Although he missed training today, he wouldn't miss meditation. As he walked home alone, Zane received an email from Professor Burbank: a step-by-step guide to how he calculated the activation frequency. The professor also recommended books and papers to read to understand each step. Of course, he also reminded Zane not to focus too much on this. The Analytic Association and the True Math Society will teach activation frequency calculations, but only later in the year.
After sending a reassuring reply to the professor, Zane checked on the student board; he wanted to know what the trending topic was. "Again?" he muttered. For the second time in a few weeks, a student was caught trying to use an Aphrodisiac Potion against another student. Zane sighed. Magic has many wonderful aspects, but people themselves were terrible. And so when the two combined, things like the Aphrodisiac or the even crueler Mind Domination Potion exist.
"The Aphrodisiac Potion only increases the hormones in the brain, which I can shut down by channeling the hypothalamus, followed by the limbic system, which controls the emotional change, and eliminate the desire," Zane thought. "However, Mind Domination involved a more spiritual level of control. Mental Channeling may not be enough to deal with it."
Once again, Zane felt the urgency of learning Defensive Mind Magic. However, he really didn't have the time or the resources. After returning to the dorm, he said hello to Ahmed, who was waiting to ensure he returned, before immediately beginning Professor Burbank's assignments. His other spells needed modification, and the process demanded his full attention.
Midway through the assignment, Zane suddenly stopped. "Wait. A computer can do all those calculations. More importantly, I don't have to account for any extraordinary variable: it's only pure math and theory."
He reached out to take his laptop and suddenly stopped: "Now that I think about, magic theory is just another form of science and math: there are clear rules, patterns, and calculation. So, why can't I build a program to do the work for me? At its essence, magic is just another form of science."
Zane's eyes lit up. "Yes, it's just another form of programming."
On the first day of class, Professor Burbank asked them to define magic. And today, Zane had his answer. Runes are just a program designed to bend energy or reality itself; they have a support structure, logic, parameters, systems, commands, and many similarities with coding. Mana and mental energy are just the hardware, while the runes and directives are software.
As soon as he figured this out, a sleepless night awaited Zane. Over the next few hours, he finished modifying his spell, wrote the first ten pages of his thesis, and began working on a program that could help deduce and analyze magic. He only stopped when his morning alarm rang.
Friday, Day 56. Tutoring Session:
"What is this?" Professor Burbank said, glancing at the two spell diagrams on the board. He expected one, not two spells.
"After I was done with the second Mana Rope modification, I still wanted to improve the Magic Bullet. So, I tried to turn the mana bullets into flame energy."
"You're talking about the 1-ring Fire Bullet Spell, which should be beyond your capabilities."
Zane nodded. "I soon realized this. So, I thought instead of transforming them, why not just add a coating of flame energy around the magic bullets, without changing their fundamental nature."
"That's one way to get around it," Professor Burbank added. "However, even if you succeed, the mana cost of the spell will drastically increase, while the attack potency will not increase by much."
"I also thought of that, which is why I chose the thunder element instead. If done correctly, it can increase the speed of the bullets while also turning the spell into the type that does both magic and physical damage," Zane explained. Truthfully, the wind element would have been best, as it could remove air friction and let the magic bullet move faster. However, considering the Sponsored Title, Zane chose the lightning element.
"Well, then, let's see what you've got."
Professor Burbank reviewed both spell diagrams, and he couldn't help but nod. One thing he enjoyed about teaching talented students was how fast they improved. Yesterday, he gave Zane a score of 72, but today, he can confidently give him a score of 95 for the Mana Rope and 80-81 for the Magic Bullet.
"Once again, your rune logic is impeccable, but your spacing and directives are all over the place. I won't speak much on the mana rope since you've only made a few errors, but there are a lot of problems with the magic bullet," Professor Burbank explained. "The more complex a spell, the more specific the rune placement must be. Look at the Thunder Evocation Rune; instead of placing it in Chiron (-4,6), you can move it to Chiron (-3, 9). And if you shift this one, you must also shift the Arcane Rune…"
For the next few hours, Professor Burbank slowly helped Zane with the modification, walking him step by step through his mistakes. And as usual, Zane absorbed all the information like a sponge. By the end, Zane had three new spells: Enhanced Mana Rope, Multiple Mana Rope, and Lightning Magic Bullet; and unlike yesterday, they finished the lesson in time without Zane missing his training session.
"Professor, I have two things I want to ask you," Zane said as he packed his bags.
"I'm all ears."
"First, am I allowed to consult you on my thesis?"
"Yes, but since I'm your sponsor, you must do it after requesting a formal meeting."
"It seems the tower cares a lot about preventing bias and corruption among its professors."
"They do," Professor Burbank replied. "Have you found your answer? I mean about what magic is."
"I think I have."
"I can't wait to hear it."
Zane didn't need help yet, but he asked just in case. "My second inquiry is about the journal. Is there any way you can allow Tom Nguyen to access it? Even if it's through monetary exchange."
"As long as he pays, the tower has no issue. But why do you ask?"
"I feel it's a waste for me alone to read the journal. Another necromancer will definitely find it easier to find inspiration, and maybe even succeed where this one failed."