Wearing Power Armor to a Magic School (70/?) WiP 1 (Patreon)

Hey everyone! Here is the Work in Progress for Chapter 70 I hope you guys enjoy! :D

The tables had been turned.

Whereas the start of class was marked by a sudden and abrupt question that’d placed me on the spot, the tail end of the class had seen me completely reversing the course of that dynamic.

And for similar reasons at that.

As in the same vein Vanavan had probed me of all people for a benchmark of the class’ baseline understanding of magic and mana, so too was my intent to probe him for answers to a question that would be helpful in establishing a baseline of the Academy’s written narrative - and by extension, the Nexus’ fundamental beliefs.

“Can a living being exist without a manafield? Are you hearing this right now?” Came several audible whispers amongst the crowd, the most prominent of which stemmed directly from that of Auris Ping’s entourage that sat several rows in front of us.

And so it was that that question now hung in the air.

Yet despite my stated intent, a part of me wanted to see just how the man would answer, as a part of me wanted to see just how he’d respond to a question that I knew he knew the answers to.

A second of silence punctuated the room following that question, as dead-air was poised to settle, if only Vanavan hadn’t been so inclined to answer almost instinctively.

A talent that seemed to be second nature to those socially competent in this room, or in Vanavan’s case, those with the uncanny ability to worm their way out of anything.

“By the definition which you are referencing-” He pointed at the board. “-no it cannot, Cadet Emma Booker.” The man spoke with a level of candidness, a degree of confidence, and a complete and utter lack of any sense of doubt in his speech that genuinely made me sick.

Because I knew  for a fact he understood more than he was letting on publicly.

There was a glint in his eyes that indicated he knew as such.

Moreover, I still had that recording with him arguing with Mal’tory through one of the crate’s cameras…

“We’ve seen the existence of a null-fielder, a mana-less, an aura-less capable of feats of craftsmanship that shouldn’t be possible. Consider the ramifications of a society behind the portal that is capable of such a feat without the aid of mana-”

A recording that in spite of its inability to record manastreams, meaning it would’ve been completely dismissed as hard-evidence, still served to prove one thing to me…

The man knew what he was saying was false.

And yet, he didn’t have the backbone to acknowledge it.

A part of me wanted to confront him right then and there.

But that wasn’t the intent of that question.

I just wanted to probe the man for the official party-line narrative.

But that didn’t mean I couldn’t press a bit further for that very same purpose, just for thoroughness’ sake.

“But why not?” I asked plainly.

To which several gasps abruptly erupted throughout the room. Though most died down through the surprisingly helpful Qiv, who shushed them down as soon as they arose.

“Because all living things have a soul.” The professor began. “And all souls project a manafield.”

“And so a living being, no matter the circumstances, can’t survive without a manafield?” I continued, cocking my head as I did so.

“No, Cadet Booker. Because a living being cannot exist without a manafield in the first place. For all living things possess a soul, which in turn, guarantees that it possesses a manafield.” The man… repeated, once more skirting around my question with the finesse of a 25th century corpo shill. “Moreover, a manafield exists to both nourish the body, and sustain the soul, as well as protecting both; by dictating the flow of mana in and out of a living being. A lack of a manafield, would mean the death of the body by virtue of mana sickness. Which in this hypothetical case, all but guarantees a rather severe and acute bout of mana sickness at that.”

“But what if you removed ambient mana from the equation? Supposing a lifeform did come into being without a manafield, spawning within an environment with absolutely no ambient mana? Could such a lifeform exist and persist provided a lack of mana on both the side of the lifeform and the environment around them?”

“Suppositions can be constructed in such a way that any manner of possibilities are capable of being considered as potentially worthwhile, by virtue of imposing an impossible set of circumstances to validate an equally impossible claim.” The man, for the first time, actually stood firm. Though perhaps it was more so because he had the word of the Nexus backing him up, rather than him actually standing on his own two feet for something he believed in. “However, if I were to entertain such a thought… then perhaps such a hypothetical may be possible.” The man conceded, and for a fraction of  a second, shot me a knowing glance. That was, until he transitioned almost immediately to his outward facing persona, as Qiv entered the scene just as quickly.

“Even if such a life form did exist, would it not by the definition of life, lack the appropriate axioms by which life is defined, Professor?” There was genuine… curiosity there, a playfully dismissive one that was clearly done to dunk on my questions, but one that was still entrenched in something more than just a cold and calculated social maneuver. “Such a lifeform would, in a sense, be living yet not living. Existing somewhere in the spectrum of things that defy definition. Not truly a lifeless golem, yet not truly a living animal.” The man speculated, prompting Vanavan to let out a visibly distressed sigh.

“A valid and entertaining thought experiment, Lord Qiv. In fact, it is a known thought experiment… but best reserved for advanced classes of speculative philosophy. Which is firmly beyond the scope of the study of this course.” The professor made an effort to transition his gaze from Qiv, back to me. “Moreover, these questions pertaining to the nature of manafields and the nature of life, would best be reserved for Professor Belnor, as she shall delve into the fundamental nature of life as a prelude to her Healing Magic class. I wouldn’t want to step on her toes, in the same vein as I wouldn’t want to step on Professor Articord’s toes as it pertains to answers best left to experts in their fields.” The man once more paused, as if to consider his transition off of this mess of a topic carefully. “If there are no further questions-”

“I do not have a question, but merely a Point of Contest, Professor.” Auris announced loudly, and  with a conniving grin.

“Request for a Point of Contest recognized. Please, proceed Lord Ping.” Vanavan answered methodically, as if he’d rehearsed this time and time again.

“I raise a Point of Contest to Cadet Emma Booker."