Powerful Psychic Pain

“Barrier.” Golden light shot from Robolina’s hand and formed a wall centimeters in front off my face. The giant slime splatted against it. A few tiny drops spilled over the top and landed on my sleeve. A smell like burning plastic wafted from my brand-new coat as the slime ate through the fabric. I barely managed to flick the drops onto the grass before they touched my skin.

But I was far from safe. The slime quickly recovered from the impact and slithered up the wall. No doubt, it was coming after me.

“Salt spike.” Robolina raised her arms above her head and a white spike erupted from the ground. It sizzled as it skewered the slime, but instead of dying, the slime split into a dozen or so smaller slimes. “Sei, run,” she called out. “They’re after you.”

Didn’t need to tell me twice. Even if it had just been one slime, I had nothing to defend myself with. I booked it. Even at my fastest, though, the slimes quickly gained on me “Help!” I shouted.

Placing her palms together, Robolina closed her eyes. When next she spoke, her voice echoed across the field. “Mighty Kooririnshu, who sculpts the glaciers with his hands, I beseech thee, grant us thy blessings.” Clouds formed in the sky as she spoke, blocking out the sun. “Allow us to prove ourselves worthy of thy favor.” A cold breeze rushed past, forming goosebumps on my exposed arms. Robolina opened her eyes, which were now glowing so bright that the daylight around her appeared dark in comparison. “Smite our foe with all thy might.”

Ice crystals formed on the slimes. Quivering, the closest one took a last jump toward me, but froze solid in midair, thumping harmlessly against my side and falling back to the ground.

The light in Robolina’s eyes faded. “The slimes are now dead.” As quickly as they appeared, the clouds vanished, and the air around us warmed.

“Yeah, I can see that,” the coach said, “but why did you need to invoke a god for such a weak enemy?”

“Slimes resist electricity, and burning them releases toxic fumes. Earth or wind magic are the most effective, but Sei could have been hit by their splattering remains. Freezing was the best course of action, but I do not know ice magic.”

The oni coach looked down at the frozen slime and nudged it with her shoe. “What kind of god is Kooririnshu anyway? Never heard of him.”

“That’s because I invented him just now. I needed a god that would freeze slimes, and I didn’t know of any other god who would bother.”

Sighing, the coach placed her hand over her forehead, in between her two horns. “You brought a brand-new god into existence just to deal with slimes? For a prodigy, you sure are dumb sometimes. How much mana do you even have left?”

“None.”

“And that’s why you don’t go all out against weak monsters. If you use up all your mana, you’re useless.”

“Of course, I already know that, but I do not foresee needing to cast any more spells before my mana recovers.”

“You never know what’s lurking just around the corner. Always keep an emergency reserve. You should take special care, since you can’t use potions.”

Robolina blinked. “Was that… a lesson?”

“Yeah, well, you’re right about some things. I’m going to try to be better about actually teaching you kids a thing or two this year. Anyway, looks like Yamaguchi got splashed. Escort him to the infirmary for me, will ya?”

I felt fine, but not wanting to argue with the coach, I followed Robolina back into the school building. To my surprise, she led us to an empty classroom on the second floor. Bundles of fabric were strewn across the room.

“I don’t see any injuries,” Robolina said. “Let’s get your clothes fixed up, then we can continue your training.” She led me to the cubbies at the back of the room. Sitting atop them was a small altar, decorated with ribbons and embroidery. Sewing needles and small spools of thread had been left as offerings.

Bowing to the shrine, she clapped twice and pressed her hands together. “Senpu Hime, hear myne prayer. Thine eternal enemy, the slime, hath damaged the clothing of myne underclassman. We beg thee to bestow thy glory upon his shirt, and his blazer, which were ruined, though they were new.”

A green light enveloped me, and the damaged fibers of my blazer began to grow, as if they were vines, weaving themselves into new sleeves.

“Thank you,” I said. “They look better than they did before.”

“If you wish to thank someone, thank Senpu Hime. She is a kind and generous goddess, but she appreciates hand-made offerings.”

“Of course. I’ll bring something.” Bowing and clapping, I offered a prayer of thanks. “Robolina, can I ask you something? Why are you so friendly toward me?”

“The teachers say I should make an effort to be more social. I spend too much time reading, apparently. I am not sure how I am supposed to learn magic without reading, but they’re the experts.”

“That’s not what… Is that why you asked if you could call me Sei? Because you were trying to be social?”

“I read that calling people by nicknames is a good way to foster positive interactions.”

“That’s true, but you should get to know them first. Start by addressing people by their family name. Then, once you’re friends, you can move on to their given name, and then nicknames.”

“But many girls in my class started calling each other by their nicknames on the first day of school, so I thought that was standard procedure. We do not have family names in the realm I’m from.”

Sighing, I rubbed the back of my head. “I’m not as familiar with how things work between girls. But this is Japan, not Mechanoria. Things will go smoother if you learn to fit in. Maybe that’s why the teachers want you to be social. Not all wisdom is recorded in books. In fact, some magic is jealously guarded. You’ll learn more if you can befriend others.”

“Is that so? I did not realize. Thank you, Sei. May I still call you Sei?”

“Sure.”

“Good. Now hand me the mana stone.” I took the glowing orb from her pocket and handed it to her. She held it up to her eye. “Looks like it absorbed a lot of mana. You should be more aware of it now. Close your eyes and try to circulate your mana throughout your body.”

I closed my eyes like she asked, but I still had no awareness of my mana. I tried imagining magical sparkles moving around in my chest, hoping that something would happen.

“Is it working?” I asked.

“Not at all. This calls for drastic measures. Brace yourself.” My eyes still closed, I felt her press the stone to the back of my head. What followed may have actually happened or may have been a hallucination. To this day, I’m not sure which.

Burning-hot needles pulled at my flesh. My organs tore themselves to pieces. Acid filled my lungs, drowning me and melting my insides at the same time. My bones were pulverized to dust.

Through the pain, I was vaguely aware that I was alive. I existed separately from my body in some way. Something else existed there too. My mana.

I gasped as Robolina pulled the stone away, pulling real air into my lungs after what felt like an eternity. My first thought was to run, to get as far away from her, this school, and magic as possible. But I couldn’t move my feet. Something about being back in a physical body felt wrong.

Robolina held the stone in front of my face. “You should be able to feel your mana now. Let’s try casting your first spell.”

Desperate to keep the stone as far away as possible, I pushed at it, not with my hand, but with my mind. And in that moment, I felt my mana move under my control for the first time.

Whatever Robolina had done, it worked. I could use magic. Me. This morning, I was just a run-of-the-mill, below-average student filled with dreams of a different life. Now, I was a mage. It may not have been how I expected, but my life would never be the same.