Algernon Black

(Chapter 85) Great Disdain

"Lucy!" Jasper called, taking the empty seat next to her just as their first class of the day was about to begin. "Look what I just found in the library." He held out a book between them. "A rendition of one of King Levithan's speeches." Lucy leaned closer to decipher the old worn-out text. "He talks a lot about desires," Jasper said, summarizing an entire page of just one of his many rants. "I can't tell if he was a fan of it or not."

Lucy caught the black fabric of Algernon's jacket past Jasper's head. She made eye contact with him just as he turned back to shoot the pair a glare. Lucy took a deep breath, pressing into her diagram as if that would release her sudden butterflies. A week later, and she still hadn't properly thanked him yet. Her feet healed fine as he'd promised and she didn't have to miss any of her team's practices, but she kept holding herself back from approaching him because of that uncomfortable ache he evoked in her.

Pecilia walked in just in time to see Algernon scowling at a tight-knit little Lahue and Jasper. She smiled to herself.

"What's got you two so snug today?" she bantered, stretching to read the book stationed between them. 

Jasper slammed it close. "None of your business." 

Pecilia glared back at him for the attitude.

"Class," Brickwood announced with his entrance. "As we come to our season of winter and darkness, we open with the hardest thing we have yet to touch on. Synergy."

Freya grimaced reactively.

"Synergy," Brickwood went on. "Is what happens when two practitioners combine streams of energy to create one together that is a thousand folds more powerful than anything that could be channeled alone." He drew out his examples on the chalkboard with his magic creating the images in his mind.

"It was a special form of magic discovered by Princess Themia when her lover was sent out to the war front. She disguised herself as a soldier to fight alongside him, and during the battle, they were able to fuse their magics to survive. Which is why it is only achievable with someone you have formed an excellent relationship with." Brickwood walked through the rows of his students and smiled at Lucy. She looked down blushing, thinking once again how similar his appearance matched Algernon's.

"The bond of intimacy is central to the accomplishment of it," Brickwood clarified, happy to see that naturally, they had all already paired up in a sense. "It's a fusion of energy that happens between two people perfectly in sync with their bodies, minds, and intentions." He gazed over the pairs, wondering what few of them could ever be that open to one another.

"They never talk about how many of those couples didn't though," Freya whispered to Lucy as she knew how dangerous it truly was to mess with the fusion of two energies. "And died in the process."

"What do you mean?" Lucy whispered back.

"It's not something that can even really be taught," Freya explained quietly. "It happens so rarely because finding someone you connect with and trust on such a deep level is near impossible." She looked at the professor's back wondering if it was negligent to introduce such a dangerous topic in their first year. "Most just try to force the connection and it usually ends with one of them dead."

Lucy contemplated Freya's words but was sure the professor wouldn't force them into anything that could harm them. Mostly sure.

"As we already know, no matter is ever touching," Brickwood said, while his magic did the outline of his ideas on the chalkboard. "There is always the smallest repulsion that prevents all things from truly contacting. This type of magic is overcoming that barrier to fuse two energies together. To put it in perspective, the only way humans are ever able to do this is at inception. Hence why intimacy is vital in the success of synergy." The professor glanced at Algernon, who was pretending not to listen to him, though he couldn't help his eyes shooting over once or twice in the direction of another student.