The exhibition hall was bustling with activity. A healthy mix of Heartspell students, instructors, and alumni were manning a multitude of booths, and prospective students were casually inspecting each one, being spoilt for choice.


    Having just rode on the ManaRail to get to Heartspell, Jonas found himself drawn to the booth that was essentially a large train engine. Clem followed behind, his face a picture of amusement as he inspected the booth’s outlandish design.


    Stepping in, Jonas was taken aback by how much larger its interior seemed from the inside. When he first walked up to it, he was sure it could fit no more than five students and a single presenter. Yet, here was an uncomfortably rowdy crowd tended to by multiple Heartspell representatives. He popped his head in and out of the entrance to make sure that he wasn’t seeing things.


    “Aye, this be spatial magic for sure,” said Clem, addressing his concern.


    “They really aren’t holding anything back for this one are they,” said Jonas, before shuffling into the booth. He hated jostling with others in cramped spaces, but the train engine was too fascinating for him to pass up.


    “Hey, that logo doesn’t belong to the ForwardMotion company,” noted Jonas, pointing to a heart-shaped design with wings.


    “Of course not - what would that century-old, sorry ass excuse of a company be doing at a cutting edge Heartspell exhibition?” replied Clem with a laugh.


    A man who was dressed in a formal shirt that featured that same logo overheard their conversation, and ambled on by. “You’re absolutely right! This is a new transport company started by a group of Heartspell alumni. I’m one of the company representatives in charge of this booth.” He continued in a cheery tone, “Frustrated by the inefficiencies of the ManaRail, our new company had decided to compete in the up-till-now stagnant transportation industry. Buses, taxis, trains, even planes - nothing is off limits to our industry-disrupting magical creativity!”


    A shout from a prospective student they did not know interjected the man’s promotional introduction, "What’s so special about your trains? Doesn''t everyone, even those from Vxtraei, just use mana to power the rails? How much more different can it get?"


    The representative replied, "What sets us apart from the ForwardMotion company is that our rails use a patented Persistence magic technology. We cast our spells once - and yes, it is a very elaborate sequence, definitely trademarked - and they run almost forever. No need to supply mana in such a wasteful manner."


    “Sounds like quite the innovation,” said Clem, stroking his chin. “Imagine how much mana they save on a daily basis – they can put their mages to work elsewhere, and easily dominate the industry.”


    “Yea! I’d like to get on one of their trains someday,” said Jonas. “Think they’ll have plenty of seats?” His knees ached at the memory of standing in the freezing ManaRail for hours.


    “I bet they do. I mean, if their level of innovation is at the same level of their ‘Persistance magic technology’, I’m sure their carriages would blow away the competition.”


    Elsewhere in the surprisingly roomy interior of the train engine booth, there were a few tables displaying various technomagical inventions. Strolling past them, he guessed that they were designed to complement a rider’s journey. Clem stopped at one that was full of what looked like marbles in lunchboxes, and Jonas followed up from behind.


    "Curious, aren''t ya?" called out a lady who was standing behind the table.


    "Colour me crazy,” said Clem, “but that sign says that this booth be about ‘Portable Meals’, and yet all I see are small stones in boxes.”


    Jonas picked up one of them and rolled it around his palm. It was an opaque purple, and felt cold in his hands.


    Looks like a marble, feels like a marble, isn’t it just a marble?


    "No, no, you lads aren’t crazy,” she chuckled. “Most people who come by our booth ask the same question. These’re our self-cooked meals! One of the many innovations that you''ll see in all of our transportation services soon enough. We aim to transform the transportation industry into one that makes the customer feel right at home even as they''re leaving it.”


    “Great mission statement,” muttered Clem to himself.


    "Self-cooked meals? So, these marbles - they turn into food?" asked Jonas. His squinting eyes opened up with curiosity.


    "Well, try it for yourself. Take this container, close the lid, and choose one of the meals from among this list," instructed the lady, handing him a red lunchbox. "The artifact, or the marble as you call it", she added, chortling, "will be able to sense your thoughts and quickly manifest the food right in the box, ready for your consumption!"


    "Ah, no thanks. I''m not that hungry -" Jonas waved his palm and tried to shy away, but the lady reached out, flipped his hands to a horizontal position and placed the lunchbox on it.


    "No, I insist! Don''t worry about the food, we''ll just turn it back into the artifact. Nothing will be wasted at all, trust me."


    Hearing that, Jonas visualized his choice - the ribeye steak with mashed potatoes, a fancier option that he was actually excited to see manifest in the red container. Just as the thought formed in his mind, he felt an extra weight in the lunchbox, and it rapidly grew warm in his hands.


    “Wait, let me do the honours,” said Clem, who looked eager to experience the magic as well. He put his hands around the red box and slowly lifted up the lid. “Damn! This box be pipin’.”


    Sure enough, there was a little bit of steam coming out from what felt like a freshly cooked meal, and he set the newly heated lunchbox on the table in surprise.


    The ribeye looked perfectly grilled, with pepper, thyme and dark crisscross sear markings all over its browned body. There was a neat scoop of buttery mash next to it, in just the right proportion. A small serving of baby carrots and broccoli added colour to the meal, which was finished off in thick brown sauce.


    The lady snapped her fingers, and the food instantly vanished, leaving a purple marble in its place, which dropped with a small thud onto the center of the lunchbox. Jonas was starting to regret what he said about not being hungry. He could still smell the scent of deliciously grilled ribeye wafting by in the air.


    "Amazing, isn''t it? It''s crazy how much work goes into mass producing these for consumption.”


    “I can’t imagine the magical engineering involved,” said Clem, “since these ‘marbles’ would have to interface with even a non-mage’s mind and function correctly. All without any external supply of mana.”


    “Absolutely right. These alumni were Magical Engineering majors in the School of Curiosity – one of the six major schools of emotion in Heartspell – and that explains how they got so good at doing what they do.”


    “Oh, I’ve heard of that school. They’re specialists in magical tools, aren’t they?” said Clem.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    “Yes. And you lads are so lucky. Y’all are one of the first few who get to try this brand new invention – it only goes live on the market next month!"


    Jonas scratched his head. "By ‘on the market’, do you mean I’ll get to sample these in the latest Heartspell trains? Because I’ve only seen ForwardMotion’s ManaRails in my country."


    “Ah. You live in one of the Caschian countries, I presume? Or Grelian Ostiarch?” asked the lady.


    “Western Caschian,” said Jonas.


    "That explains it. We''ve been testing out our new trains and buses at the countries closer to the Capital because they''re better integrated with technomagic. Don’t worry though, we’re coming to Western Caschian in a month’s time."


    "Oh, I will be looking forward to that! The ManaRail was really uncomfortable, and you’ll have to cast a preservative spell on your food if it’s a long ride,” said Jonas, recalling that old couple on the train whose fruit pie had started to go bad.


    “Sounds like our Heartspell trains will be a huge upgrade for you,” she said, smiling at him.


    “So… will studying at Heartspell will teach me how to make food manifest from marbles?" he asked.


    The lady laughed at his crudely fashioned question. "I mean, it depends on what subject you’ve chosen to major in, and which school of emotion you’ve found yourself having an affinity to. Many of the teenagers I’ve talked to today were very interested in explosive, combative magic, and we have a demonstration too but you''ll have to leave this portal and find the one marked ''Warfare'', back at the room where you all came from!"


    Jonas thanked the lady and exited the train engine with Clem. As he turned back to give one last glance at the train engine, he was once again impressed by how small it looked from the outside when it was so much more spacious on the inside.


    “That EnlargeSpace spell’s really hookin’ you in, ain’t it,” said Clem.


    “There were like twenty booths in there! But from the outside I swear it looks like it can only fit one,” Jonas said, still ogling at the Heartspell train engine.


    On the way back to the portal, the two of them passed by a booth that paraded a colourful mix of intriguing fashionwear. One of them was something he saw earlier at the reception hall - a levitating handbag.


    “Hang on, looks like a show’s about to start,” said Clem. He pointed to another prospective student who came peeking into the booth out of curiosity.


    As if it had a mind of its own, the floating handbag started spinning around the girl, eliciting delighted laughter.


    “I didn’t know it could do that,” commented Jonas, chuckling in surprise.


    “Looks like it can do more than just that,” replied Clem.


    A set of matching clothes – a skirt, a top, a fedora, and an outer jacket - starting slipping off their hangers and began floating as well, parading themselves around her. Like puppies, they all seemed to be begging for her attention. The teenage girl laughed and relented, picking out the denim jacket that was pressing needily at her shoulder.


    She held it in her hands, and stared at the material, a frown forming on her face. As if able to read her preferences, the jacket transformed into a softer, furrier material. Pleasantly taken aback, she pressed the jacket against her chest and inspected her new outfit in the nearby mirror.


    “Janelle would love to have one of these,” said Jonas.


    “Let me guess, that be your sister?” asked Clem.


    Jonas nodded. “Fashion’s never been my thing but my younger sis has a flare for it.”


    The girl shook her head, and the jacket transformed into a collared blazer. She scrutinized her now serious getup in the mirror.


    “Yea, but aren’t most gals into clothes anyway?” said Clem.


    “Oh, but not in the way that Janelle’s into clothes,” replied Jonas. “When she was younger, she stripped all her dolls of their outfits, and sewed on some of the most insane modifications onto their clothes. I’m talking high fashion, haute couture, fins and flares and bells and whistles and the like.”


    Clem whistled. “Damn. Your sis be crazy about clothes.”


    “And you know what? After all those mad add-ons, the dolls actually look good.”


    “That’s talent right there.”


    “Yeah! Imagine if she gets to play around with floating clothes that can transform at your whim and fancy.”


    “She be dominating the runway for sure.”


    Finally satisfied with the form of a well-knit cardigan, the girl carried the once-jacket to the Heartspell representative that was mending the fashion booth and started a conversation.


    The two boys moved on towards the exit portal, remarking at the various sights and sounds they saw at the booths all around them. A huge water tank made of glass drew Jonas’ attention, and he couldn’t help but stop and read the write-up in the panel next to the tank.


    “Dang. This is an honour’s thesis project, Clem.”


    “Is that so?” replied Clem. He leaned over to read more. “A water purifier project? Fascinating.”


    “Yeah, the guys who built this haven’t even graduated yet…” muttered Jonas as he inspected the tank.


    It was filled with gross-looking water, and as he stared at it a little longer, he noticed that there were a number of blue, semi-translucent creatures darting around quickly in the dirty liquid. The water around their bodies seemed to transform quickly from brown to clear, as if the creatures were absorbing the impurities from the liquid that made contact with their skin.


    “You see those blue creatures, Clem?”


    “Mmhmm.”


    “Is it just me or are they multiplying faster than bunnies?”


    “Way faster.”


    Jonas drew closer to the tank and placed his hands on the cold glass surface. Up close, he finally caught those tiny magical creatures in the act.


    “They’re self-replicating!” Jonas exclaimed.


    After absorbing enough of the dirty and impurities from the water, they would wriggle a bit before splitting into two, as if performing some type of magical binary fission.


    “Yea, and they look like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” said Clem, who was also plastered to the surface of the tank.


    The creatures’ bodies were tiny, but were rounded off with a powerful dolphin-like tail that propelled them through the water.


    “If you look closer, you can see their ‘head’,” said Jonas.


    “Kinda creepy to be honest. There’s nothing on those rounded bumps,” said Clem, scrounging his nose.


    “Still cute though!” protested Jonas. “I mean they don’t need a face to do what they’re doing. Oh, and look – the tank is almost full of them now, and the water’s completely clean.”


    “Only took four minutes and thirty-seven seconds,” pointed out Clem.


    “How do you know that?” asked Jonas with a puzzled look on his face. “Oh. That.”


    He spotted a floating panel above the tank that indicated not just that the water was clean, but exactly how much time it took.


    “I wonder what’ll happen to all these creatures now that the water’s clean…” pondered Jonas as he took a step back and surveyed the tank full of azure-bodied, fast-swimming creatures. As if on cue, they completely vanished.


    "As you can see,” boomed the voice of someone behind the tank, “once the body of water is fully cleaned, all the creatures will automagically dematerialize themselves, leaving no trace behind."


    Jonas craned his neck. The young man who spoke donned a Heartspell blazer and was probably one of the final year students who worked on this project.


    The undergraduate continued speaking to the growing crowd, "We wanted to show that summoning spells can have a lot more value to civil society than what’s being done today. This is the culmination of our efforts, and we believe that it would transform many previously uninhabitable regions into far more hospitable ones."


    “That’s true,” said Clem, scratching his chin. “I know a couple of regions that could use this type of spell to purify their drinking water.”


    Their words made Jonas think of cousin Rowan and his humanitarian stance against technomagicry.


    He might even change his stance on technomagicry if he saw this! I’m gonna tell him about it the next time I see him.


    “Imagine if just a fraction of the magic exhibits here makes it to the market,” said Clem, interrupting his thoughts.


    “Hmm. That’s a good point. Why don’t we see more of the magic here everywhere?” asked Jonas.


    “Don’t forget that this be the top magic school in Nostriva, my man. It ain’t a stretch to say that they have technomagicry that others don’t. And say, even if they gave away all their secrets, there’s the problem of mass production. Not many places can keep up with the Heartspell quality at a large enough scale.”


    “I guess that Heartspell transportation company we saw earlier was one of the rarer ones eh, since they’ve got it figured out. They’re even bringing their trains to my country next month. Say, what’s the company called again?” asked Jonas.


    “EverRide, if I recall it right.”


    “Fits,” said Jonas. “Well, I can’t wait to ride on an EverRide train!”


    Having fully indulged their curiosity, Jonas and Clem continued on their way to the exit portal. There were still plenty more booths where they could see how Heartspell’s magic would be used in ‘Daily Life’ – as per the exhibition’s title – but the boys felt a tugging towards the excitingly titled “Warfare” exhibition. To get there, first they had to take the exit portal back to the reception room, and then find the right portal there to take them to the “Warfare” exhibit.


    When they reached the exit portal, Jonas placed his palm on the white screen, and braced himself for the inevitable numbness that would come. He knew that it would envelop him, starting from the extremities and spreading quickly all the way to his head.


    “Chill, my man,” said Clem, who was mildly amused at Jonas’ wincing face. “This ain’t your first time teleporting, you’ll be used to it by now.”


    His wry smile was the last thing Jonas saw before the darkness closed in. But Clem was right. This time, the disembodying sensation came and went away far more speedily than he expected. He blinked, felt a bit of coldness, and when he reopened his eyes, there he was, back in the reception room where over a dozen portals stood. Perhaps it was the novelty of the first teleportation that elevated its discomfort in his memory.


    Clem appeared behind him shortly, and pointed to the only portal that had a queue in front of it.


    “Warfare’s that popular, eh,” said Jonas.


    “You bet,” replied Clem.


    They waited in line for their turn, and soon enough, experienced that familiar cold numbness again for just a split second.