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Science had four main branches: Nature/Pure Science, Social Science, Formal Science, and Applied Science. For the first time in Galvan history, the study of mana, the life force of all living things, had been added under the sub-header of Life Science. Add to that, the study of Mana Manipulation (the Galvans didn't like the taste of the word "wizardry" since it brought to mind scatter-brained people like Bezel) had been added under Applied Science. First Thinker Azmuth himself had championed the idea of formal study on magic:

"It exists," he'd said bluntly. "It's a natural force and does follow certain rules despite what most people claim. Some among us even practice it secretly due to the social stigma; don't deny it. It should be observed and properly understood if only in case someone chooses to use it against us."

No one had been able to shoot down his argument without purely subjective protests. As part of the result, those Galvans practicing in secret had started to poke their heads out to offer their expertise.

That didn't mean the day Nita had gotten her manual had been any less terrifying.

DO YOU WANT TO BE A WIZARD? ACCEPT/REJECT

The prompt on her datapad had alarmed her. She'd heard of such things happening, a few of the Mana Manipulator teachers admitting that similar things had happened to them. She'd be terrified that all her studies in Botany had just been launched directly into a black hole, that her chosen passion and hopes to expand further upon her species' understanding of it would end in her being seen as another crackpot.

She'd pressed "YES" in the end, her manual being available to her on any terminal she liked even without transferring any data files. After all, there were some things that ordinary science hadn't been able to answer, things that perhaps mana had had some influence on.

At the moment, she stared up at Azmuth's tower, weak in the knees. Somewhere in there was her mentor. She'd been feeling a strange pull for days, and it was strongest here. She blew out a breath and entered the main lobby. One of her new teachers had insisted that she follow it, that the mentor her new abilities were pulling her towards would be invaluable in her studies.

She nearly ran into the First Thinker himself, the old Galvan looking somewhat amused.

"So, you're the one I've been waiting for," he said dryly. "I was hoping you'd show up earlier. It's been this horrendous itch in the back of my mind since two days ago."

And in that moment, she understood. Her eyes went wide just before she fainted.