The master stepped in without the irreverence I was used to seeing. His face was blank, his eyes wandering over the room before landing on me. He smiled then, but it was a small, hesitant thing.

  "Vayne," Julian said with a nod. "Thank you for seeing me."

  I almost wanted to lash out with some petty response, but caught myself and instead replied, "Of course."

  A tense silence fell over us. I didn't want to start, Julian didn't seem to know how to start, and Flynn, for his part, seemingly didn't care one way or the other. Finally, as the quiet grew suffocating, the master cleared his throat.

  "Your brother here wished to discuss mind magic with me, but I felt it was more appropriate to speak with you first. If it's not too much trouble, may we have some privacy?"

  Julian's eyes flicked towards Flynn, who smiled before replying, "That's up to Vayne, not me."

  I considered it, then nodded a few times. "I can handle myself, I think."

  Flynn's smile widened, and he stood, stretching before making his way to the door. "I think I'll grab something to eat, then. Be back soon."

  He made his departure, and the door had barely shut before I returned my attention to Julian.

  "I'm not sure why you insisted on meeting with me rather than Flynn, but let me make myself clear. I have no interest in being lied to or manipulated again. You've lost my trust, and I'm not sure how long it will take to regain it. Speak plainly and honestly, or leave."

  Julian stared at me, his eyebrows raised as I spoke. When I had finished, the edge of his mouth curled into a small but genuine smile. "You've grown up. When we first met, you never would've talked to me like that."

  "I wouldn't have talked to you like this two days ago, but relationships have a funny way of changing when you find out the truth about people."

  Julian's smile melted away, and he sighed before nodding. "I suppose I deserved that. May I sit?"

  I waved a hand. "Go ahead."

  Julian pulled a chair over, sitting across from me. He didn't say anything for a long time, instead staring at the floor without uttering a word. Finally, as seconds became minutes, he began to speak.

  "I can't tell you everything about why I did what I did, but I'll tell you what I can."

  I didn't respond, and Julian seemed to mull over his words before continuing, "Knowledge is dangerous. Not all of it, not to everyone, and not in the way many think, but knowing something is often a threat. Still, it's not every day that an boy walks into your office with a future like yours...Aether Blade."

  My blood ran cold, and I stood, reaching for my mana and molding it intoa Flicker Step. Before I could finish preparing the spell, Julian held up both hands. "Please, just...please."

  Slowly, I relaxed my posture and sat again, though I kept my mana flowing around my body. I took a moment to double-check the Aether circulating through my head, ensuring the mental screen I had taken to keeping up at all times had remained intact.

  Julian smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "It's a habit of mine. Bad one, but still. My mother always taught me to keep an eye on the minds of others. Helps you get an idea of who they are and what they want. I used it to advise students. If they had a hunger for honor and glory, guide them into combat magic. If they felt a burning desire to create or discover, steer them into one of the crafting schools."

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  The man let out a sigh. "But you? I had never felt anything like it. Desperation. Pride and insecurity. And below it all, a deep, burning ambition for everything. I was...well, I was curious. What did you want? What had you seen? I dug deeper and found more than I had anticipated."

  Julian let out another low breath. "I knew then and there where at least some of that drive came from, and I knew even more that what harm might come from your ambitions. There was no stopping you. Not really. But I also knew I wanted to keep you alive, away from the machinations of certain groups. So, I did what I could to keep you safe."

  "By twisting my mind?" I asked in a cold voice.

  "By ensuring my mother didn't find you," Julian corrected. "First, I placed shields around certain memories to ensure others wouldn't find what I did so easily. Nothing sturdy, but enough to rebuff casual digging. Then, I worked to embed compulsions into your mind. Impulses to avoid mental magic, and ideally remain away from my mother's gaze until you could stand up to her."

  Julian sighed. "I had hoped to work with you for years. Train you in mental magic, guide you, and prepare you for what you saw. Instead..."

  "Instead, I left," I said.

  "Instead, you left," Julian repeated with a humorless laugh. "Ironic, I suppose. At the time, I thought it'd be a temporary thing. You'd take some time, fail, and return here. I'd take you on as a personal student, and we'd train together to get you ready. But you never returned. I kept an eye on you as weeks became months. Then, you just...vanished. Disappeared without a trace."

  That must have been when Wallace and I fled to the Everforge, seeking to escape those assassins. It would make sense that even Julian would have some trouble tracking my movements at that point.

  I briefly wondered how my old traveling companion was doing before returning my focus to Julian.

  "Were you ever planning on telling me any of this?" I asked after a long pause.

  Julian shook his head immediately. "Not all of it, no. I still can't tell you everything. They're not my secrets to share."

  "People keep telling me that, and yet you had no problem taking my secrets for yourself."

  "I know," Julian replied once more without hesitation.

  "I don't trust you, and I'm not sure this has helped me regain that trust," I continued.

  This time, Julian had the decency to look embarrassed. "I'm aware."

  "Then how do we proceed?"

  Julian considered his words for another long pause, then replied, "For starters...I swear upon my magic that I will never again peer into your mind or manipulate your thoughts, emotions, or memories in any way without your permission."

  I felt his mana rise, then fall upon his core like a vice. Magical oaths grew stronger as you became a more powerful mage. Breaking a promise when you were in the middle of the liquid stages all but ensured you would never cast a spell again.

  It was a clear show of trust, effectively Julian trying to regain some of my confidence. Still...

  "That's a start, but frankly, I have no way of knowing what else you might have already done," I said, shaking my head.

  "If you can't trust me, why did you ask your brother to approach me about training?"

  Because I wanted to trust him.

  Master Julian had often annoyed me. He wasn't the best mentor, preferring to guide me towards the solution rather than presenting it outright, but he had helped me take those first few steps. I wanted to be wrong about him, regardless of how illogical it felt.

  But did I need to trust him if I had a magical promise ensuring he wouldn't muck about in my mind?

  "I don't trust you," I finally said. "But I might someday. In time."

  Julian stared at me for a long pause, then smiled. "That's about as good as I can expect. Maybe I can start earning that by giving you something I had intended to give you a long time ago."

  The wind mage flicked a hand, and a book appeared in his grip. He held it out to me, and I reached out with my Aether, pulling it with a brief flex of will.

  I caught the book in my palm, then flipped it over to look at the title.

  On the Creation and Expansion of Mind Palaces

  "Is this...?" I trailed off, opening it to a page at random.

  ...meaning of particular physical aspects of a mind palace are near-wholly individual. I believe there are certain commonalities that reflect our unconscious understandings, such as doors being a "gateway" of sorts, but these are rarer than one might expect. Endeavor to understand what materials and rooms you create, or you might find yourself limited by...

  "My mother's work," Julian replied. I looked up to see him smiling. "Or rather, a copy of it. She guards the original prints. Doesn't let them out of her sight, but my own mind palace is advanced enough that I could replicate it from memory."

  I wasn't sure how to reply to that, so I simply nodded.

  After a few seconds, Julian cleared his throat. "Why don't I give you some privacy. Read that, and if you are still interested, we can discuss more training. Although, if I might offer some advice, I'd strongly recommend against trying to make a mind palace for now."

  I snorted. "I'm reckless, but not that reckless."

  Julian smiled at that as he stood and nodded. He turned to leave, but I called after him before he could make for the door.

  "Wait," I said. Julian looked back at me, and I continued, "Why?"

  "Why...?"

  "Why do you want to help me?" I said. It wasn't everything I wanted to know, but it felt like the most immediate question to ask.

  "I saw what waits for us, and I saw what you can become. Seems like you're the best defense we have at the moment," Julian replied before adding, "Besides the other Archmagi, of course."

  I didn't buy it for a moment.

  "Then why not tell your mother? Or someone else, for that matter? Surely if you could help me, they could do more?" I pressed.

  Julian paused, and the smile that came across his face spoke to something else, something I couldn't quite name. "Maybe I hoped I could keep you from turning out like the rest of us."

  Before I could ask what he meant, Julian turned away again and crossed the room in a few long strides. He paused for only a heartbeat by the door, then opened it and was gone, leaving me alone with my thoughts and his gift.

  First, if you liked (or didn't like) the story, I'd love for more comments and reviews. Writing is a learning process and I've got a lot to learn still, so any feedback helps.

  Second, I've launched a Patreon, so if you want to read a little ahead or just support me, it'd be great if you checked it out:

  Third, I've also launched a Discord if you want to ask questions or discuss this story in general: