Wizard World Irregular

The next day, Ethan was called to the Headmaster’s Office after his classes ended.

There, he found Professor Rinehart and Professor Barret, waiting for him with solemn expressions on their faces. Ethan couldn't help but wonder if something terrible had happened.

“Did something happen?” Ethan asked after sensing the tension inside the Headmaster’s Office.

Whenever he saw Professor Rinehart, and Professor Barret with serious looks on their faces, he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.

“Nothing happened yet,” Professor Barret replied. “But something will happen in a few minutes.”

The young man’s face turned serious as he looked at the Ex-Magistratus, who was holding his wand with his right hand.

“Ethan, originally, I planned to do this when you're in Third Year, but I can’t afford to wait any longer,” Professor Barret stated. “So I’ll cut to the chase. Will you become my disciple?”

Ethan, who thought that he was going to embark on a new mission, momentarily froze and gave the retired Magistratus a confused look.

“Disciple?” Ethan asked. “Me?”

“Yes.” Professor Barret nodded. “You.”

The young man didn’t know how to react because Professor Barret’s invitation was too sudden.

Professor Rinehart calmly picked up the cup of coffee on the side and sipped from it as he waited for Ethan’s answer.

“Professor, why do you want me to become your disciple?” Ethan inquired. “There are many other talented Wizards and Witches here, so why me?”

Professor Barret patted Ethan’s shoulder while smiling evilly. “You’ll soon find out.”

A moment later, the young man and the retired Magistratus disappeared from the Headmaster’s Office, making Professor Rinehart chuckle.

He knew the reason why Professor Barret suddenly decided to take Ethan as his disciple. He was sure that the latter was feeling competitive with Professor Nicola and Professor Ophelia.

But aside from that, Professor Barret was indeed the perfect mentor to teach Ethan the ways of magic.

Right now, the young man might be strong, but he was still ignorant about many things.

Truth be told, the original plan was for Professor Barret to take Ethan as his disciple during his Third Year in the academy.

But just like what the Ex-Magistratus had mentioned earlier, they could no longer afford to wait.

Dangerous foes would be making their way to the Shire Continent soon, and they needed the Seeds, who would fight alongside them, to increase their strength before these ancient monsters made their appearance.

————————————

Ethan suddenly found himself submerged in water, which caught him completely by surprise.

However, since this was his domain, he didn’t panic and summoned his wand.

Immediately, he rose toward the surface as he manipulated the water around him. A few seconds later, he broke out of the surface of the water and coughed out the seawater that he had accidentally swallowed earlier.

After coughing up a few times, he looked around his surroundings and saw Professor Barret standing over the surface of the sea, with one of his hands tucked into his pocket.

“How’s the water?” Professor Barret asked in a teasing tone. “Are you in the mood to swim?”

“Nice joke, Professor,” Ethan replied as he rose up to stand above the water. “Where are we?”

“Where we are is not important,” Professor Barret answered. “Why we are here is the question that you should be asking.”

Ethan could sense that the middle-aged man in front of him seemed to be in a good mood.

“Why are we here, Professor?”

“So that you can better understand the true power that is inside your body.”

Ethan immediately tensed because he thought that Professor Barret was referring to Sebastian and his Other Half, who were currently staying inside his Sea of Consciousness.

‘Calm down. He’s not referring to us,’ Sebastian commented.

‘…’ Ethan’s Other Half remained silent because this sudden development might become a variable in the plan he had for Ethan.

However, he didn’t say anything. As much as possible, he didn’t want to interfere with Ethan’s life.

Even so, he was quite worried. As a powerful being, he could vaguely guess the reason why the Professor brought Ethan inside a special domain.

‘If this training that Professor Barret wants to implement is the same training that I am thinking, then there’s going to be a problem when Ethan undertakes his coming-of-age trial,’ Ethan’s Other Half thought. This can either be a blessing in disguise or a one-way trip to a world of suffering. I just don’t know if I should put a stop to it or not.’

Ethan’s Other Half was truly conflicted.

On one hand, he wanted Ethan to become stronger.

On the other hand, Ethan getting stronger would make the coming-of-age Trial harder because its difficulty would adjust itself depending on how strong Ethan was.

If Ethan suddenly gained a major boost in strength, then the trial he might undertake would be nearly unbeatable.

This was what his Other Half was worried about.

‘I just hope that he doesn't plan to train Ethan’s Origin Magic,’ Ethan’s Other Half clenched his fist due to worry.

Sebastian, who had no idea what his partner in crime was thinking, looked at the Professor with amusement.

The Guardian of Zentris knew that Ethan’s strong point was his control over the sea.

If Professor Barret were to train Ethan in this environment and even spar with him, then Sebastian was confident that the former would find himself stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“Ethan, do you know what the two kinds of Magic are?” Professor Barret asked.

“Professor, are you talking about Origin and Core Magic?” Ethan answered.

Professor Barret nodded. “Yes. There are two kinds of Magic. Origin Magic and Core Magic.”

The Ex-Magistratus raised his wand and showed it to Ethan.

“Core magic are all external forms of magic,” Professor Barret explained. “Your wands, your weapons, your clothes, your artifacts, and any other magical items that you possess that are imbued by magic is what we call Core Magic.”

The Professor then raised his right hand, which was not holding a wand, and lightly tapped his chest.

“Origin Magic, on the other hand, lies in the strength of a person’s heart.” Professor Barret smiled. “But that is not all. Origin Magic also depends on a person’s will. As long as they believe in magic, it will manifest itself according to the power of their imagination and will.”

Ethan listened attentively to Professor Barret’s explanation because he felt that this was a good opportunity to learn more about the laws of magic.

“It is our heart that gives magic its strength,” Professor Barret said as he once again tapped his chest. A moment later, he raised his hand and tapped the side of his head. “And the mind that gives it form. Magic is imagination personified. As long as you can imagine it, you can make it happen.

“Just like how Wizards and Witches dreamed of flying in the sky. Even without brooms, they will be able to soar in the sky like birds if their heart and will are strong enough to manifest this miracle.”

Professor Barret then pointed his wand at Ethan and smirked.

This was the first time that he was going to fight seriously against a student of the academy, and frankly, he was looking forward to teaching the young man a lesson or two about the secrets of magic that Ethan didn’t know.

“Let’s fight, Ethan,” Professor Barret declared. “Fight me using the magic you are most confident in, and you'll realize just how little you know about the world of magic.”