Magic The Gathering: Mind's Blue Eye

Jace

The ringing in the young mage's ears subsided momentarily. "Ja-" a calm, intent voice echoed though his mind. "Jace."

The mage flipped his eyes open, and the ringing came to a blistering silence. An unfocused, fuzzy image of his surroundings sharpened into the bearded face of a towering sphinx; the glimmer of its silver and gold mantle offended his sensitive blue eyes. "Jace, you've done enough. Give your young mind rest a moment." It's voice boomed through his mind, clear and direct.

Jace slumped back into his comfortable posture and allowed his projected glyphs of phantasmic blue magic to fizzle around him. He released the knowledge crystal he clasped in his hands, flinching at the ting of it hitting the stone floor.

"Alhammerret..." Jace struggled to lift his deep blue sleeve and wiped a stream of sweat from his forehead. He coughed a sigh of relief and made eye contact "That was a rather excessively exhausting exercise." He spoke, mentally, for they rarely, if ever, communicated aloud.

"Exhausting as it may be, excessive it is not. You know as Mind mages our most powerful weapon is our mind itself, and we must keep it as Sharp as a warrior would his blade. You've done well in your studies today, and have shown promising progression." Alhammerret took a step backward and positioned himself, as would a lion, in a sitting stance in the middle of the training room. "Today's scheduled studies are complete, it is now time for the real training of the day. Follow young one, to my study."

Within an instant, and with no more than a thought from the sphinx, an army of aether tentacles clasped Alhammerret and ripped him out of sight. He had vanished.

***

Jace climbed his way up the stair towards the twelve foot tall double doors of his mentor's study. Upon the top step, and stepping forward, he willed the elaborately carved doors to open and, with a loud wood on wood crack, the towering doors swiftly heeded his unspoken command.

The mage in training elegantly strode into the remarkable study of the great mind mage Alhammerret, and no matter the countless hours Jace had spent painstakingly obsessing over magical theory inside his mentor's study, the almost celestial presentation before him stole his breath again and again.

The back wall of the study was lined from floor to ceiling with carved stone shelves fully stocked with a plethora of magical crystals; all imbued with the knowledge of every subject imaginable. The eastern wall primarily sported a gigantic circular window trimmed in finely carved gold, allowing the afternoon sun to drench the room in warm, yellow-orange light.

The remaining two walls were decorated in stunning, flowing arches that flaunted grandmaster craftsmanship. Glass cabinets that held relics and artifacts Alhammerret collected over the years accompanied the arches. Atop the many systematically placed arches the ceiling rested comfortably thirty feet above Jace's head.

"Welcome Jace," the sphinx's thoughts intruded into the mage's mind "tell me, what have you learned from your exercise?" The sphinx stared through the circular window, neglecting eye contact.

"The true limitations of my mind, and how taxing mental magic can become." Jace patted his blue robes in an attempt to dust himself off, "also the unending convenience of countering and preventative magic."

Alhammerret remained silent for a moment... "I have a training mission for you. I expect nothing short of success."

"Rightfully so, Alhammerret. But tell me, have I ever failed a training mission of yours?" Jace crossed his arms and studied the sphinx.

"Never." With an almost unnoticeable grunt, Alhammerret gracefully pumped his six foot wings and lifted himself to the center of the study. Upon descending into landing he spoke "but I prefer to keep expectations abundantly clear."