Page 50 of Self Studies

Professor Garnet grunted. “That should be all of your end goals, but not your fantasy.” He gave Saffron a disappointed look, but moved on as if his lover was any other student.

It gave me a little bit of hope to see the professor treat Saffron with the same indifference he’d shown me.

“Now, stand, move, do what you need to,” Professor Garnet said. “We’re taking a five-minute break. When we come back, Aphy, you are back in the middle. Our exercise today entails sending her a fantasy to spark creativity. By sending, I mean manipulating the energy of your thoughts to put them directly into her mind.” He looked towards me, a challenge in his eyes. “Whoever’s fantasy she dreams about tonight will get double rations on your gem for the next week.”

The mages started talking, a few already standing and stretching.

I caught a few comments using the words—'Interesting’ and a few more speculating on how their fantasies would affect their Aptitudes. I looked for one of the little round cameras and found it, watching us.

Unlike my other classes, the mages focused on themselves. My back tingled, and twisted, only to see Saffron staring at me. His gaze burned. Something sparked between us for a moment until he looked away. Fear and excitement churned my stomach. Professor Garnet wanted me to use my magic. Maybe he thought I needed this to do it.

Fingers wiggled, opening interdimensional pockets. Brightly colored mats soon overlapped, making the circle around me feel solid.

The ghost of Damon put his hands on my shoulder, sending fear rippling down my body. I couldn’t sit anymore and shot up, rocking on my heels. The runes on the floor left indents on my bare legs. “What if I don’t want others' fantasies in my head?”

“Then you better figure out how to keep them out and fast,” Professor Garnet answered, oblivious to my fear. “Or have one of your own to share when we come back.”

I tugged on my braid. “Can my fantasy be, not to have a fantasy?”

Saffron snorted his usual grumpy face lightening. A few people chuckled, including Professor Garnet. Logically, I understood the humor of my words, but I’d not said it to be funny.

“No, Aphy,” Professor Garnet said. “Your fantasy is inside you; you need to find it.”

* * *

Although the runes that ventilated the dome glowed steadily, six of us, five working magic, made the Sphérique stifling. Turning Alice’s ever more versatile hoodie into a makeshift yoga mat, I rolled up my sleeves, removed my tie, and unbuttoned my shirt as much as I dared. The five mages returned to their spots, all in a similar state of trying to keep cool.

Ghalen, a bald mage currently on my left, stripped off his shirt, showing off an expanse of chiseled muscles under dark contoured skin. He gave me a wink when my gaze drifted to him.

Professor Garnet started off the exercise, and I permitted him to take from me so he could cast.

His magic whispered against my skin, setting fire to my core as he pulled life force from me. It felt nothing like a transfer, and his ruby-red magic stayed ruby-red while his physical body didn’t change.

The professor either didn’t feel the same lust I did, or he was a master at hiding it. He didn’t even miss a beat in his lecture. When he was ready, he pushed his fantasy into my mind.

It hit me like a drug.

“No resistance.” Professor Garnet’s frown and soft words drifted as my senses floated in a void.

A vivid image of himself and Saffron seated on a couch playing video games grew around me. I giggled at the unexpected simplicity of it. My heart swelled with love as the image became my reality. I turned a circle and blinked, recognizing the living room of the apartment I’d shared with Damon.

“Your memories and imagination will fill in any blanks,” he answered when I’d asked about the location. “Magic of the mind is difficult to make exact. My emotional attachment is to the action, the two of us playing as equals, not the setting. These details are important; you can learn more about a person by what they leave out than what they show you.”

As the professor’s fantasy and magic moved out of me, a swell of heat and lust tensed every muscle in my body.

I rotated to face the next mage, the sensation only building as the process began again.

Ghalen, the only other red-rimmed mage, asked permission first before he fed off me. Like the professor, my life force didn’t seem to affect him physically. An image of himself flying with a bright red cape streaming behind him made me smile.

But like the others, the movement of his magic inside me excited my nerve endings.

Next, I turned to Tanwyn. Blue and green tattoos danced up his arms in intricate, demonic patterns, disappearing into his rolled-up sleeves. The only Natural Mage in the room, his dark, sharp features perfectly balanced his spiked chocolate hair. His simple fantasy of having a pet dog blossomed to life in my mind, almost as vividly as the professors. Without thinking, I reached out and pet the fluffy black and white husky. Tanwyn’s sharp intake of breath made me pull back, and the fantasy faded. My gaze locked with his. One side of his lips quirked up into a smile.

I found myself smiling back.

“My turn.” Ram said excitedly.

My smile fell. Unconsciously, I’d been slightly rocking my hips, my overstimulated needy body searching for relief. But all of that shut down. I didn’t want Ram’s magic anywhere near me.

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