Chương 4: A Bug in Magic

Ch 4: A Bug in Magic I had just unlocked my dorm room and stepped inside when I noticed Sahirah hadn't followed me. She lingered at the threshold, as if she was expecting a formal invitation.

"Come on in. I swear I don't bite, though with teeth like yours, I should probably be the one worried." My attempt at humor fell flat. Her mismatched eyes drifted to the glowing orb hovering above my writing desk. She stared at it quietly for a moment before asking a question, without stepping inside.

"How is that thing glowing and flying? You didn't cast a spell just now, so where is it getting its energy from?" It was a smart question, one that instantly earned her a little more respect in my eyes. I hadn't thought she was dumb before, but my first impression of her back on my first day in Navar still lingered. I'd seen her as little more than a pretty face who was kind with strangers and happened to be good with kids.

"Page 781 of Magica Principia. The spell is called Passive Mana Absorption," I said, meeting her gaze.

"My system can sustain itself without constant mana injections. It would've sucked to wake up several times every night just to keep it running, so I designed it to require only a single assisted activation." Sahirah frowned.

"You've already read over seven hundred pages of that tome?" Wait... was she impressed by that? I'd already read nearly fifteen hundred pages, about half the book. But why was she impressed? I'd been here for three weeks, and I hadn't done anything except play with runes all day. If anything, I felt behind schedule for only making it halfway the monstrous tome.

"Something like that," I answered vaguely.

"Now come on in, please. You already agreed to help me test the system, right? The range is limited, and it can't reach you if you stay outside." She sighed and finally stepped into the room.

"I hope you don't regret this, Eric Nevermore." What was there to regret? This was just a simple test. She, on the other hand, clearly didn't see it that way. She approached the glowing orb hesitantly, and with almost shy steps. Suddenly, a glowing window materialized in front of her. And I... I saw it. That meant there was definitely a bug in my spell, which was supposed to be completely private.

I'd most likely forgotten to account for the edge case of two or more people standing inside the detection range at the same time. Yet a few details about her status immediately caught my attention. Both her name and one absurd number made me forget the privacy bug entirely. [SYSTEM STATUS] Name: Sahirah Fiora of Leodore ATTRIBUTES ‣ Strength: 4 ‣ Agility: 6 ‣ Constitution: 19 ‣ Mana: 203 Already convincing myself that the mana reading had to be nonsense for no reason other than wishful thinking, I asked, "Leodore?

Is that the name of your planet? Why is it showing up in the name field...?" She didn't answer. Instead, she reached toward the window, surprise visible everywhere across her face. When her hand passed straight through it, the shock only deepened.

"No. There's no way you created this alone." She tried touching the illusion again.

"Is your planet really a manaless world? You... you must already be a competent caster! Humans must have mana, and you lied to me during lunch every time you claimed your home was manaless." The accusation irritated me, and that irritation made me more honest than I probably would've been otherwise.

"In fact, I didn't create this alone. The Archmage, Elitha Hearthstrong, gave me the blueprints for the illusion spell. But everything else is my own work, whether that's adapting spells from the big book or creating new ones whenever I had no other choice." I crossed my arms.

"As for Earth, we really don't have mana there. We have other things, though. Computers. Programming languages. That previous knowledge helped me understand Navar's magic faster." She touched the window a third time, as though expecting a different result. Her hand crossed right through it again, and she finally stopped. The third time was indeed the charm. Only after reality finally sank in did she turn back to me, her wide eyes now shining, staring at me with obvious curiosity. And that wasn't all.

There was anger there too.

"Sahirah Fiora of Leodore." Her voice was sharp as she repeated her own name.

"I told the intake clerk my name was just Sahirah and that my people don't use surnames. How did you, of all people, uncover my lie?" She had lied about her name? But why?

"Not my fault, all right? I invited you here for a test, and the word test kind of implies things can go sideways, doesn't it?" Despite my defense, I smiled awkwardly, feeling a little guilty. Yes, this was an accidental invasion of her privacy. But hadn't she just accused me of lying about Earth a moment ago? It was hard to feel too bad for her after that. Perhaps realizing as much, she didn't argue. She merely pouted and rolled her eyes. Meanwhile, I couldn't suppress a deep sigh.

This version of the system was garbage. Yeah, it sucked, and I'd have to redesign several modules and patch the bugs before letting the other students use it. When the silence became unbearable, I walked over to her and pointed at the mana value, hoping to steer the conversation away from her name.

"Look, even the mana reading is wrong. There's no way you have that much more mana than I do, right? Mine only showed eleven." To my surprise, instead of commenting on my supposed mistake, she stared at the wall as though it had suddenly become the most fascinating thing in the room. One of her legs shifted restlessly while she rubbed her fingers together before speaking.

"That number... it doesn't look like a mistake."

"No way you have that much mana," I said, placing a hand on her back and gently trying to guide her closer to the desk where the floating sphere awaited. It was magic debugging time, and I wanted to see whether the number changed as she got closer. If it did, that would prove something was definitely wrong with the calculation.

"Wait, Eric. I don't think that's a good idea." She refused to budge, ignoring the gentle pressure of my hand.

"Come on. Just three steps forward. I'll help you with whatever vague request you wanted to ask me about. You are not exactly doing this for free right?" This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. When she still didn't react, I added, "Don't tell me you're scared of my little low-power spell." She turned and looked me straight in the eyes. A sharpness that hadn't been there before now filled those mismatched irises.

"Don't ever forget that you're the one who invited me into your room, human." With three decisive steps, she walked right up to the orb. I stared at the number beside her mana stat. Still... 203 mana. Yet despite the unchanged value, the entire window suddenly began to flicker. A moment later, I noticed the orb's glow growing brighter and brighter.

"What the fuck?" That was all I managed to utter when I saw the Passive Mana Absorption spell drawing mana directly from Sahirah's body, a thin bridge of blue light forming between her and the floating orb. Bang. The next thing I knew, Sahirah and I were crouched on the floor, confused as we stared at each other with wide eyes. The image of the glowing orb was still burned into my retinas, and a loud ringing filled my ears as I watched her lips moving, trying to say something I couldn't hear.

She grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me, forcing awareness back into my body.

"Quickly! Let's destroy the evidence and get out of here before the professors arrive." What the hell? What kind of girl would think of destroying evidence before we even check if we are okay? Still, she moved faster than I could react. By the time I came to terms with the fact that my disbelief in her absurd mana pool had caused yet another explosion, she was already on all fours, gathering the still-smoking scraps of paper scattered across the floor. It took me only a moment to follow her reasoning.

Yeah, neither of us needed another trip to Principal Zorik's office. Screw that guy. Destroying the evidence and getting out of here was exactly what we needed to do. Before I knew it, I was helping her. The paper was still hot. Some fragments still glowed with embers, while others had survived with their runes intact, ruthlessly reminding me how many days of work and expensive mana ink had been reduced to rubbish in a fraction of a second.

Still, I shoved that thought to the back of my mind and kept gathering the pieces. Working together, we cleared the floor, the bed, and the desk in a little over a minute. When we finished, we exchanged a glance before reluctantly opening the door, both of us expecting to find Principal Zorik waiting outside with his usual judgmental stare. Luckily, fate was on our side for once. The corridor was empty. Just the familiar railing along one side and rows of dorm room doors on the other.

I pointed at Sahirah's dorm, immediately to my left.

"Your room?"

"Are you insane?" she whispered.

"That's the first place they'll search." At that moment, the sound of several doors opening on both the floor above and the floor below reached our ears.

"What was that? An earthquake?" a male student asked.

"No, there was a strong mana pulse. It was probably a prank or a failed spell," another replied. Still clutching the smoking scraps of paper, Sahirah and I exchanged another look. Before we could decide what to do, another voice drifted up from the floor below us.

"Look! Principal Zorik and the professors are coming." I didn't hesitate. After glancing at the dorm room beside mine, I said, "Our floor is for rare species. I bet the room next to mine is empty." Instead of answering, Sahirah was already moving. She grabbed the handle and smiled when she heard the lock click open.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked as she stepped inside. When I followed her, I was surprised by how efficient she was. She was already opening the bathroom door, tossing the smoking papers into the toilet, and glaring at me as though my slow reaction time were a crime. Remembering to close the door behind me, I hurried inside and threw my handful of paper into the bowl. She immediately flushed.

As we watched the water carry away hours of my work, I couldn't help asking, "Why does it feel like you've done this before?" She smiled, though I couldn't tell whether it hid mischief or embarrassment.

"Because I have. More times than I can remember."

"Wait... what?" For a moment, it looked like she was about to answer. Then we heard a voice through the wall. The wall separating this room from mine.

"It's empty." The voice was quiet, but I'd recognize Principal Zorik's voice anywhere. Without exchanging a word, Sahirah and I pressed our ears against the wall, listening to the conversation unfolding inside my dorm.

"Your mana senses are the best among us, Principal," Miss Lathara said, "but I think you're mistaken. Both the human and the Nadiri girl left my class only a few minutes ago after a difficult test. They wouldn't have had time to cause any trouble."

"It's them. I have no doubt." He suspected us? That was bullshit! I'd spent twenty-one straight days studying quietly in my room without causing a single incident. Why was I even a suspect? When I glanced beside me, Sahirah was absentmindedly biting a finger, a tiny smile playing on her lips. That raised one very specific concern. I'd only attended one class, sure, but by my own standards I'd been an exemplary student, not exactly the kind of person who should be the first suspect whenever something exploded.

But what about Sahirah? The question stayed in the back of my mind as we continued listening. Then Principal Zorik said, "Return to your classes for now. I'll search the library and the training grounds. I swear I won't sleep tonight until I find out what expensive piece of mana-training equipment that girl blew up this time." It took another minute before I was convinced everyone had left. Only then did I finally let out a long breath.

"All right. What happened today was completely my fault. But I'm starting to think I'm risking my spotless student reputation by associating with you." To my surprise, she laughed.

"What spotless student reputation?" She pointed an accusing finger at me.

"You've shown up to exactly one class in three weeks, and I'm pretty sure you'll skip even more now that you have to rebuild your little side project." It was a little unsettling that she could read me so well, I'm not going to lie. Still, I kept going, fighting fire with even more fire.

"So... what else have you destroyed with your mana besides my beautiful system?" I asked with a smirk.

"You really think I'm going to tell you that?"

"Oh, come on. Don't be such a chicken. I promise I won't make fun of you." She crossed her arms, lowered her head ever so slightly, and pouted. When she finally spoke, I couldn't tell whether her voice was one of shame... or pride.

"There was the mana orb in meditation class. I couldn't exactly hide that one since it happened in front of everyone. Then, a few days later, there was the stone in the training facility. After that came the crystal lights in every room I spent any time in, the payment crystal in the food court... I lost count of how many times I had to throw something away and pretend nothing had happened." She paused to catch her breath before continuing with a smile.

"Oh, and then there was the large meditation boulder in the training facility. I was alone that time, but the principal still suspected me because no one else among the students has enough mana to break a five-ton rock that's been in service for over a hundred years." I tried to keep my composure. To keep my promise that I wouldn't make fun of her. To be the responsible adult in the room. The compassionate friend who understood she suffered from a very peculiar problem. I even managed not to laugh right away.

But it all went to shit the moment I repeated one sentence.

"A five-ton boulder... that's been in service for over a hundred years. Holy shit, Sahirah." The laughter came. And it came hard. At some point, I realized I was probably overdoing it. Sahirah had been forced to sit down on a bed that wasn't even hers, silently watching me with the kind of expression that suggested she deeply regretted telling me any of this. I still didn't stop. Not even when she crossed her arms and fixed me with a look that clearly said: I am never telling you another secret again.

When the laughter finally died down, an awkward silence settled between us. Since I'd exhausted my right to tease her, I decided it was finally time to ask what she wanted in return for helping me test the system.

"Now might not be the best moment to ask... but is the favor you want related to all this?" Sahirah stared at me for a long moment. Long enough that I started worrying she was about to leave and never speak to me again. Eventually, though, the annoyance faded from her face, replaced by a tired expression.

"The Grey got tired of replacing the crystal light in my room, so they gave me a candle, Eric." She sighed.

"A candle. A girl just can't live like this."

"So... you want my help making everything mana-resistant?" I guessed.

"They say that's veeeery expensive."

"So what do you need my hel–""A partner for meditation class." She spoke so quickly that her words cut mine off.

"That's what I need to improve my control. The others..." She hesitated.

"They either keep to themselves... or they're avoiding the raw-meat-eating girl who blows things up just by being nearby." She looked at me with those mismatched green and amber eyes, as though genuinely afraid of my answer.

"Will you keep your part of the deal and help me... even if it means attending meditation class?" In my opinion, the question wasn't worth all the dramatic buildup she'd given it. Of course I'd help her. Even if it meant attending class. If anything, I was curious about meditation myself.

"Two conditions," I said with a smile.

"First, you let me borrow your mana-conductive ink again, because I've run out." Relief immediately spread across her face. Then the tension slowly crept back as I deliberately waited a few seconds before continuing, just to see how she'd react.

"Second, I want you there when I test the next version of the system with the other students. Probably tomorrow... or the day after, assuming you get me the ink." I grinned.

"You're the perfect edge-case test subject with your 203 mana points. I honestly can't imagine testing it without you. Now she was smiling too. Without a second thought, she reached into her purse, pulled out the small vial, and tossed it to me. Thankfully, I caught it without making a fool of myself.

"You can keep it," she said.

"And you don't even have to pay me back... as long as you stop skipping meditation class from now on." She was already walking toward the door, waving goodbye as she reached for the handle.

"I can't stay in this room any longer or the lights will explode. But I'm looking forward to the next class, Eric Nevermore." She smiled.

"Please don't disappoint me." When I heard the click of her locking her own dorm room across the hall, I realized I was smiling too. Yeah, today had been a setback. I'd probably get almost no sleep tonight with all the ideas racing through my head for the next iteration of the system. But I knew one thing for certain. The next version would be significantly better than the first. The current bugs would be gone, and maybe I'd even add a subsystem to track each user's personal progress over time.

It was still a long way from the world-spanning, indestructible infrastructure I envisioned for Navar. But if it was sturdy enough to survive one particular girl with mismatched eyes...... then for the founder of a startup with a single programmer playing with magic, a lunch allowance for funding, and an alien academy serving as his garage, that was more than enough to call it a victory.