Chapter 3: Cause and Effect
Muhammed was wary, but he also looked at Malvern as if he were a clown. Yeah, he was surprised by the man appearing out of thin air—but his looks were downright ridiculous, not to mention the obvious attempt at aura farming.
He glanced back at the girl and the muscular guy, expecting smirks or something similar, but they were dead serious. He was about to mirror their seriousness, but he made a decision—he would no longer let anyone dictate the laws of his life.
"Phss—hahhhahaha," Muhammed laughed loudly.
"Kid, you better stop," the muscular man said.
But Muhammed only laughed louder. Then—darkness.
Suddenly, he found himself in a black room.
Huh? Then his head came flying off. He was aware—but he couldn't breathe. He stared at his own body, unable to die. And just like that—he was back.
He collapsed to one knee, clutching his throat, eyes wide.
"I could take your life as if it were but a gust of wind. Do you still laugh?"
"Pssssh—hahahahaha."
Silence fell so heavy a pin could drop, and everyone would hear it.
Muhammed continued laughing. The girl and the muscular man shifted, clearly afraid Malvern would kill them.
"You're insane," Malvern's voice rang out. "No wonder." He wore a wide grin.
Muhammed stood up. "Well, you have to be a little crazy to even enter this world, so..." He shrugged.
"Hahahaha." This time, it was Malvern who laughed. "Very well. But show some respect."
Muhammed said nothing but smiled. He didn't know Malvern, so he wouldn't automatically respect him. Judging by the others' reactions, Malvern was strong—respected. So he wouldn't take his words lightly. But respect? That wasn't something Muhammed gave away freely. He was his best self now, and he'd treat himself accordingly.
"I like your spark," Malvern said. "But nonetheless, I'm still your teacher, and you have a lot to learn in the next two years before you're summoned."
"Summoned?" Muhammed asked, confused.
"Oh, confusion. That's nice. I remember when I was once confused," Malvern said with a nostalgic glow in his eyes.
"Anyway, I'll teach you, along with the rest of the students. Be patient." Malvern turned away from Muhammed and the others.
He walked toward the closed door, stopping just before it. Then, with a wave of his hand—
"Come," he said, turning back quickly before stepping through the door.
The three followed, peering through the doorway. The hospital hallway was gone. In its place stood a grand structure—a school that looked like a castle.
It didn't even seem like it belonged to this era.
Muhammed stood in awe—until two loud voices snapped him out of it.
"Frequency portal!" the girl exclaimed.
"He's reached the sixth stage already? I thought he'd take at least a hundred spirit years," the muscular, tattooed man said.
"What are you waiting for?" Malvern's calm voice called from the other side, a pearly white grin on his face.
Muhammed stepped forward, half-cautious, eyes fixed on the portal.
If he wanted to hurt me, he could've easily done it already. I have value... Let's milk that, he thought slyly as he stepped through the portal.
The other two followed, but the portal was suddenly sealed off with a shimmering cover.
"Uh-uh. Not you two. New student only." Malvern snapped his fingers, and the portal closed behind Muhammed.
Then, without warning, Malvern took a deep breath and held it.
"What are you doing?" Muhammed asked.
Malvern exhaled slowly. "I'm realigning my energy. That portal—called a frequency portal—is just time and space manipulation, in a sense," he said with his eyes closed. Yet somehow, Muhammed still felt his gaze.
"I project a mental image using visual imagery and emotional charge. Then I materialize that image. I can essentially imagine myself in a place—and by changing to the frequency where I exist in that place—I appear there."
"So what happened to the you in the hospital?" Muhammed asked.
"It's all the same. The energy we move by—and everything else—it's infinite and eternal. It can't be destroyed, only transmuted. Here, you'll learn how to increase the upper limit of the energy you can control. That's why I had to realign mine—by removing meaning and making it 'my neutral,'" he said, air-quoting the last words.
"Okay... so how do I transmute this energy and control it?" Muhammed asked, eager to learn more.
Malvern studied him deeply for several seconds, as if seeing through his very core.
"Well... you'll have to attend school here to find out," Malvern smirked, then turned, walking down a pristine path toward the castle-like school.
Muhammed followed calmly, though inwardly on edge. Despite feeling in control of his emotions, he was still being seen through. But he understood—learning would take time.
He tuned into his body and really looked around. The place was stunning.
For the first time in years, he felt light. Free. Everything felt... okay. His mind wasn't at war with itself—at least not on the surface. He felt good. And for once, he didn't feel guilty about it—like he wasn't doing enough, or didn't have enough.
He felt a sense of satisfaction he thought he'd only achieve after a lifetime of work and a massive bank account. But no—he felt it now. At eighteen. With a goal in mind and no idea what would come next. And that was okay. He was making space for a better future, starting with better emotions and thoughts.
"Don't get lost in bliss too much," Malvern interjected, breaking his peace. "It might prove to be a headache later."
Muhammed tuned in again, curious—but something else itched at him.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Up to you," Malvern replied—eerily similar to what Electro had said. Muhammed noted a pattern.
"How can you see through me, even though I'm masking my emotions? And why does everyone—"
A chill cut through him.
"Be careful with what you say next." Malvern's smile remained filled with warm emotion, but the words felt cold.
Muhammed took the hint. They walked in silence until he finally said, slowly and deliberately, "Okay... and why did you say it's 'up to me'?"
Malvern didn't hesitate to answer.
"First, like Emlyn said at the hospital, you're currently unable to control the energy now available to you. That means people like me—or even the lowest of the Awakened—can completely see through you. Everything about you is exposed. Emotionally, mentally... you're basically naked.
"Second—the reason I said 'it's up to you' is because that's your first and most important lesson. Everything is defined by you. Strip away all terms and emotions, and what remains is neutral. But on this path, it's crucial to know what you define and give energy to.
"If I make a choice for you, then you've given me power. And that power can be used against you. From this moment on, your word must be law. Everything else is secondary. Listen—but don't consume."
Suddenly, like a curtain being pulled back, the entire scene changed. They now stood in a classroom with six other students of various ages.
Muhammed and Malvern stood at the front.
"Hey, new guy, don't worry—you were just today's volunteer," said a young man with short blond hair, an oval face, and a sharp jaw.
"It happens to everyone," the muscular man added, tapping Muhammed on the shoulder.
Emlyn, however, stood silent. Her face was cold—nothing like how she'd acted in the hospital.
"But how?!" Muhammed's mind raced.
Wait—how did he know her name? He looked toward Emlyn and realized—he'd been played.
"Don't worry, we didn't play you completely," Malvern said. "Today's lesson was on perception. And when I heard we had a new student, I decided to use you as an example."
Muhammed would've reacted in the past. But now—embodying his best self—he stayed calm.
"So... none of that was real?" he asked.
"That's subjective," Malvern replied.
"Walk me through it," Muhammed said curtly.
"First, we were in the hospital. Then here. What's there to explain?" Malvern shrugged.
"Come on, Teach. Tell him the truth," the muscular man said.
He's a student? Muhammed made a mental note, but quickly set it aside.
"Fine, since I'm so benevolent," Malvern sighed, as the students rolled their eyes. "When you went through the portal, I projected how I imagined the outside of the school looked. I overlaid that image with the feeling of being in this classroom. So what you were seeing was an afterimage, sustained by emotional charge.
"Between thoughts and emotions—emotions always win. I implanted in you the belief that I'm a great wizard, so you didn't question anything you saw. In truth, you tricked yourself. That's why it's crucial to know the difference between what you know, what you think you know, and what's true, at least to you.
"The world is made of cause and effect. Everyone is both. But when you let others project their fears and beliefs onto you, they become the cause. And your suffering? That becomes the effect."
He turned to Muhammed.
"Your entire life, you've been part of the effect. Just like this lesson. It's time to choose—be part of someone else's effect... or become the cause of something greater."