Chapter 3: The Friend Collector's Dilemma

"I'm telling you, it was absolutely incredible," Blaze continued as they walked down the corridor. "Those ghostly figures looked so real I could almost reach out and touch them."

Max tried to focus on what she was saying, but the whispers followed them wherever they went. Students pointed at him from doorways and alcoves, their conversations dropping to hushed tones the moment he passed.

"Did you hear about the friendship ghosts?"

"He destroyed four dummies with a high-five."

"My sister says he can summon dead people."

"No, they were living people, just... see-through."

Max winced at that last one. The story was already getting distorted as it spread through the academy. By tomorrow, students would probably think he could raise actual spirits from the grave.

"Does it bother you?" Blaze asked, noticing his expression. "All the attention, I mean."

"I'm not sure yet," Max admitted. "Yesterday nobody knew who I was. Now everyone's staring at me like I might explode at any moment."

"Or like you might help them," Blaze pointed out. "I heard some first-years talking about how cool it would be to have friendship magic. They think you're the luckiest student in the academy."

Max doubted that. Lucky students didn't accidentally demolish training equipment or manifest ghostly apparitions during combat class. Lucky students had normal elements like fire or water, elements that made sense and followed predictable rules.

They reached the dining hall just as dinner service was beginning. The usual evening bustle filled the space, but Max noticed something different in the atmosphere. Conversations seemed more animated than usual, and several students turned to look at him the moment he entered.

"There he is," someone whispered loudly enough for half the hall to hear.

Max grabbed a tray and joined the serving line, trying to ignore the increased attention. The kitchen staff seemed unaffected by his newfound notoriety, ladling food onto his plate with their usual efficiency. He was grateful for their indifference.

Pip waved at him from their usual table near the kitchen entrance. Max made his way over, relieved to have somewhere to sit that didn't require navigating the social complexities of his situation.

"So," Pip said as Max sat down, "I hear you summoned my ghost today."

"You heard about that already?"

"Max, the entire kitchen staff was talking about it within an hour. Apparently you high-fived a see-through version of me and created some kind of magical explosion." Pip grinned. "I'm honored to be part of your friendship magic, even if I wasn't actually there."

Blaze joined them a few minutes later, her tray loaded with what looked like twice the normal portion size. "The fire students were practically vibrating with excitement during dinner prep," she said. "Half of them want to know if you can summon their ghosts too."

"It wasn't summoning," Max protested. "I don't even know how it happened. One second I was about to get punched by a malfunctioning dummy, and the next second you were both there, and then..." He gestured helplessly. "Explosion."

"But you recognized us," Pip pointed out. "You reached for our hands specifically. That suggests some level of conscious control."

Max thought about this while chewing a particularly tough piece of roast beef. "Maybe. It all happened so fast. I remember thinking about both of you right before it happened, about how much your friendship means to me."

"Aww," Blaze said, nudging his shoulder. "That's actually really sweet."

"Sweet enough to demolish half a training room," Pip added with a laugh.

Their conversation was interrupted by the approach of three older students Max didn't recognize. They wore the blue sashes of water elementalists and moved with the swagger of students who were used to getting their way.

"Excuse me," the tallest one said, stopping beside their table. "You're Max Goodheart, right? The friendship magic guy?"

Max nodded warily. Something about these students' demeanor put him on edge.

"Cool," the tall student continued. "I'm Drake Mistbourne, third-year water student. These are my friends, Torrent and Splash." He gestured to his companions, who snickered at what Max assumed were their academy nicknames.

"Nice to meet you," Max said, though he wasn't sure he meant it.

"We wanted to ask you about your magic," Drake continued. "Specifically, we're curious about the defensive applications. Could you, say, protect someone from getting their lunch money taken?"

The question was casual enough, but something in Drake's tone made Max's stomach clench. He glanced at Pip, whose expression had gone carefully neutral.

"I don't really understand my magic yet," Max said slowly. "I can't control when it happens."

"That's too bad," Drake said, his friendly facade slipping slightly. "Because we heard you're pretty protective of your friends." His eyes fixed on Pip. "Especially the scrawny ones."

Blaze's hand moved toward her pocket, where Max suspected she kept some kind of fire-starting tool. "Is there something specific you wanted?" she asked coldly.

"Just making conversation," Drake replied, but his smile had taken on an unpleasant edge. "Though I did hear that Pip here has been spreading rumors about the quality of food preparation in the kitchen. Something about hygiene standards not being up to his personal specifications."

"I never said anything like that," Pip protested.

"Oh, but you did," Torrent chimed in. "We heard it from a very reliable source. Apparently you've been telling people that the kitchen staff doesn't wash their hands properly."

Max could see where this was heading. These three had obviously decided to target Pip for some reason, probably because he was an easy mark with no elemental powers to defend himself. They were trying to create a pretext for confrontation while making it look like Pip had brought it on himself.

"That's not true," Max said firmly. "Pip would never say anything like that. He loves working in the kitchen."

"Are you calling us liars?" Splash asked, stepping closer to their table.

The dining hall was beginning to take notice of the confrontation. Conversations at nearby tables died down as students turned to watch what was happening. Max felt the familiar weight of unwanted attention settling on his shoulders.

"I'm saying you're mistaken," Max replied, standing up slowly. "Pip doesn't spread rumors about anyone."

Drake laughed, but it wasn't a friendly sound. "How touching. The friendship magic boy wants to protect his little buddy. Maybe you should come with us and we can discuss this privately."

"I don't think that's necessary," Blaze said, also standing. Small wisps of smoke were beginning to curl from her fingertips.

"Nobody asked you, fire girl," Torrent snapped. "This is between us and the kitchen rat."

That was definitely the wrong thing to say. Max felt something shift inside him, a warm pressure building in his chest that had nothing to do with normal emotions. The sensation was similar to what he'd experienced during combat training, but stronger and more focused.

"Don't call him that," Max said quietly.

"Or what?" Drake challenged. "You'll summon your friendship ghosts to high-five us to death?"

The mocking tone pushed Max over some invisible line. The warm pressure in his chest exploded outward, but instead of the golden shockwave he'd produced earlier, this felt different. More targeted. More personal.

Suddenly, Drake's expression changed completely. His hostile sneer melted away, replaced by a look of dawning wonder and delight.

"Oh wow," Drake breathed, his eyes lighting up like he'd just discovered the most amazing thing in the world. "Max, you're absolutely incredible. I can't believe I was being so rude to you just now. You're obviously the most wonderful person I've ever met."

Torrent and Splash underwent similar transformations. Their aggressive postures relaxed, and they looked at Max with expressions of pure adoration.

"This is amazing," Torrent gushed. "I feel like I've been missing out on the most important friendship of my life. Max, would you like to hang out with us? We could show you all the best spots in the academy."

"Or we could carry your books," Splash added eagerly. "Do you need someone to carry your books? Because I would love to carry your books."

Max stared at them in horror. The three students who had been preparing to bully Pip moments ago were now looking at him like he was their long-lost best friend. Their entire demeanor had changed so completely that other students were beginning to stare in confusion.

"What did you do to them?" Blaze whispered.

"I don't know," Max whispered back. "I just got angry, and then..." He gestured helplessly at the three water students, who were now practically bouncing with excitement at the prospect of being near him.

"Max," Drake said earnestly, "I need to apologize for my behavior earlier. I was completely out of line. Pip seems like a wonderful person, and anyone who's friends with you must be absolutely fantastic."

"Yeah," Torrent agreed enthusiastically. "Pip, I'm so sorry we bothered you. You're obviously awesome if Max likes you."

Pip looked like he was trying to solve a complex mathematical equation. "Uh, thanks?"

"Can we sit with you?" Splash asked hopefully. "Please? We promise we'll be good friends."

"No," Max said quickly. "I mean, we were just finishing dinner. Maybe some other time."

Their faces fell like disappointed puppies. "Oh," Drake said sadly. "Well, maybe tomorrow then? We could meet for breakfast. Or lunch. Or any meal you want, really. We're very flexible."

"Sure," Max said weakly, just wanting them to leave. "Tomorrow sounds fine."

This perked them up immediately. "Great!" Drake exclaimed. "We'll see you tomorrow then, best friend Max. Come on, guys, let's give him some space."

The three water students practically skipped away from their table, chattering excitedly among themselves about their new friendship with Max. Other students throughout the dining hall watched them go with bewildered expressions.

"Okay," Blaze said slowly, "that was definitely not normal."

Max sank back into his chair, his legs suddenly feeling unsteady. "I think I just turned three bullies into my biggest fans."

"But how?" Pip asked. "What kind of magic can change someone's personality like that?"

"I don't know," Max admitted. "But I think it has something to do with my friendship element. When I got angry about them threatening you, I could feel the magic building up inside me. Only this time instead of creating shockwaves, it seemed to target them directly."

"Target them how?"

Max tried to find words for what he'd experienced. "It was like the magic forced them to see me as their best friend. Not just a friend, but someone they absolutely had to befriend no matter what."

Blaze looked troubled. "That's kind of disturbing when you think about it. You essentially overwrote their free will."

The weight of her words hit Max like a physical blow. He'd been so focused on protecting Pip that he hadn't considered the implications of what his magic had done. Drake, Torrent, and Splash were acting like completely different people, their original personalities subsumed beneath an artificial layer of friendship obsession.

"Oh no," Max said quietly. "What if it's permanent? What if I've basically mind-controlled them?"

"Let's not panic yet," Pip said, though he looked worried too. "Maybe it will wear off. Your other magic seems to be temporary."

"But what if it doesn't?" Max countered. "What if I've accidentally created three friendship zombies who are going to follow me around for the rest of my time here?"

As if summoned by his worst fears, Drake's voice echoed across the dining hall from the water student table. "Hey everyone, Max Goodheart is the most amazing person in the entire academy! If you're not friends with him yet, you're really missing out!"

Dozens of heads turned toward Max, who wished desperately that he could disappear beneath the table. Several students began making their way over, apparently curious about Drake's enthusiastic endorsement.

"We need to leave," Max said urgently. "Now."

They abandoned their half-finished dinners and headed for the exit, but Drake spotted them before they could escape.

"Max!" he called out, jumping up from his table. "Where are you going? Don't you want to hang out with your best friends?"

"Maybe tomorrow," Max called back, picking up his pace.

"Okay, but we'll miss you!" Drake replied cheerfully. "Sweet dreams, buddy!"

Once they were safely in the corridor outside the dining hall, Max stopped and put his head in his hands. "This is a disaster. I've accidentally created a fan club of people who used to hate me."

"Look on the bright side," Pip said, trying to sound optimistic. "At least they're not trying to stuff me in a storage room anymore."

"But they're not really choosing to be nice," Blaze pointed out. "You've essentially forced them to like you. That's not the same as earning their friendship through normal means."

Max knew she was right, but he wasn't sure what he could do about it. He couldn't exactly walk up to Drake and his friends and ask them to stop being magically compelled to like him. Even if the effect was temporary, there was no guarantee it wouldn't happen again the next time he got upset about something.

"I need to figure out how to control this," Max said finally. "If my magic keeps recruiting people without their consent, I'll end up with an army of friendship zombies following me around campus."

"That might not be entirely bad," Pip mused. "Think about it – you'd never have to worry about bullies again. Any time someone threatened you or your friends, you could just zap them with friendship magic and turn them into allies."

"But that's horrible," Max protested. "I'd basically be enslaving people. Taking away their ability to choose who they want to be friends with."

"Enslaving is a strong word," Pip said. "You're not making them do anything evil. You're just making them like you."

"Without their permission," Blaze added firmly. "Pip, you can't seriously think it's okay to magically override someone's personality just because it's convenient."

Pip looked chastened. "You're right. I wasn't thinking about it from their perspective."

They walked in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Max found himself wondering if this was how his magic was supposed to work, or if he was somehow using it wrong. The chandelier incident and the training dummy explosion had felt like defensive reactions, almost involuntary. But what had happened with Drake and his friends felt more deliberate, like he'd actively chosen to change them even if he hadn't consciously understood what he was doing.

"Maybe I should talk to Instructor Razorcrest about it," Max said eventually. "She's supposed to help me understand my abilities better."

"That's probably a good idea," Blaze agreed. "Though I'm not sure anyone at this academy has experience with magic that works on emotions and relationships."

"All the more reason to get expert help," Max replied. "I can't keep accidentally collecting friends every time someone annoys me."

They reached the Tower of Undefined Elements, where Max would part ways with Blaze to head up to his room. The common area was unusually crowded for this time of evening, with several students clustered around tables covered in books and papers.

"Study groups," Pip explained when he noticed Max's confusion. "First exam period starts next week. Students without strong elemental abilities have to work twice as hard to pass the written portions."

Max felt another stab of worry. With all the excitement about his friendship magic, he'd completely forgotten about upcoming exams. How was he supposed to focus on studying when he couldn't even control his own abilities?

"Don't look so worried," Blaze said, reading his expression. "I can help you review the material we covered in Basic Elemental Theory. And Pip probably knows more about magical history than half the professors."

"That's true," Pip said modestly. "Kitchen work gives you a lot of time to read between meal services."

Max felt a surge of gratitude toward both of them, followed immediately by concern about whether his emotions might trigger another bout of unwanted friendship magic. He tried to monitor his feelings carefully, looking for any sign of the warm pressure that had preceded his earlier episodes.

Nothing happened. His gratitude remained normal human gratitude, without any magical enhancement or mysterious side effects.

"I think the magic only activates when I'm upset or threatened," Max said, relieved. "Positive emotions seem to be safe."

"That's good to know," Blaze replied. "Though it still leaves the question of what to do about your new fan club."

Before Max could respond, Drake's voice echoed from the entrance to the tower.

"Max! There you are! We've been looking everywhere for you!"

Max turned to see all three water students hurrying toward them, their faces bright with enthusiasm. Several other students in the common area looked up curiously at the commotion.

"Hi Drake," Max said weakly. "What are you doing here?"

"We wanted to make sure you got back to your room safely," Torrent explained. "Best friends look out for each other, right?"

"And we brought you a present," Splash added, producing a small wrapped package from his bag. "We pooled our money to buy you something from the academy gift shop."

Max accepted the package reluctantly, aware that everyone in the common area was now watching their interaction with great interest. He unwrapped it to reveal a small wooden figurine of a dragon, the kind of tourist trinket sold to visiting parents.

"It's supposed to be good luck," Drake said hopefully. "Do you like it?"

"It's very thoughtful," Max said, because what else could he say? The three students beamed at his response as if he'd just declared them the most wonderful people in the world.

"Can we walk you to your room?" Torrent asked. "We promise we won't stay long. We just want to make sure you're comfortable."

"That's really not necessary," Max said quickly. "I'm fine on my own."

Their faces fell in unison, and Max immediately wished he'd phrased that more gently. The last thing he wanted was to hurt their feelings, even if those feelings were artificially induced.

"Maybe tomorrow we could hang out properly," he added, trying to soften the rejection.

This cheered them up immediately. "Really?" Splash asked excitedly. "You mean it?"

"Sure," Max said, already regretting the promise. "We'll figure something out."

"This is the best day ever," Drake declared. "Come on guys, let's let Max get his rest. He needs to be fresh for our friendship activities tomorrow."

They practically danced out of the tower, leaving Max standing in the common area holding a wooden dragon and wondering what exactly he'd gotten himself into.

"Friendship activities?" Pip repeated weakly.

"I have a horrible feeling this is just the beginning," Max muttered.

"Look on the bright side," Blaze said with a mischievous grin. "At least now you know your magic works. You've successfully weaponized the power of friendship."

Max stared at her, then at the wooden dragon in his hands, then at the common area full of students who were still stealing glances at him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could almost hear the universe laughing at the absurdity of his situation.

"I'm going to use the power of friendship to troll people, aren't I?" he said slowly.

"Probably," Pip agreed cheerfully. "But think of all the fun you'll have doing it."