ã€ŠAcademy Crashã€‹


 Prologue - The King of Avalons Long Sleep

    ¡°My Liege, your stasis chamber is prepared,¡±

    The king glanced to the aging face of the man who¡¯d called out; a fourth or fifth generation butler of his, he couldn¡¯t quite remember, some of the long spans asleep had clouded his memories over the centuries he¡¯d ruled.

    ¡°When will it be next?¡± The king asked without a movement from his leather-like lips. Sebastian, his butler, had always found the device he used for speech rather eerie, but he would never allow the thought to show on his face. He¡¯d been trained since birth to serve his majesty so something like this was a matter of course.

    Clearing his throat, Sebastian pulled a notepad from his jacket pocket, it was for effect more than anything as he had obviously already memorized the King¡¯s future schedule.

    ¡°The next appointment is two years from now. Starting with Your Majesty¡¯s inspection of Lantis Academy¡¯s graduation expo.¡±

    ¡°The time goes fast,¡± The king chuckled, remembering the previous gradation as if it were yesterday. ¡°Has there been any rumors about the entrants this time around?¡±

    ¡°Your Highness¡­¡± Sebastian muttered with a hint of exasperation lingering in his voice, ¡°You know how serious The Academy handles security, let alone any names or information, it¡¯d be a miracle if we could even figure out what they had for dinner.¡±

    ¡°Heh,¡± The King grunted from his chest, finally placing a hand roughly onto an orb inlaid into the armrest of his throne. ¡°I could use a rest I suppose.¡±

    Nodding with satisfaction, Sebastian followed quickly after the throne carrying the King towards the sleeping ward.

    ¡°There was one bit,¡± Sebastian said as he caught up beside the King. ¡°There are probably eight of them enrolled this time.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± The King glanced over with an eye while keeping his other focused solely on guiding his way.

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Sebastian continued, ignoring the shiver running his spine. ¡°General Fulgen, at the request of the Twelfth Prince, employed reconnaissance techniques to measure the fuel loads of the floatplanes landing near Isla Lant...¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t hear any succession talk from you Sebastian. Mind your words.¡± The King growled as he stopped his Throne abruptly.

    ¡°My apologies, Your Majesty.¡± Sebastian declared while falling painfully to his knees. Bowing his head to the floor, he didn¡¯t dare look up to meet the gaze he knew was coming from the King.

    ¡°I¡¯ll forgive it because I learned something interesting.¡± The King eventually called as he returned his movement towards the awaiting chamber.

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    The halls leading toward the deeply hidden ward of the castle were lined with conduits and piping that shook and dripped as they shuttled odd liquids towards the royal statis vat. Few but the ghost maintaining the machine could even identify half of the machinery so after a time it began to blend into the scenery. Metal machines, turned black from centuries of grime build-up, passed the throne ignored by the king¡¯s chameleon like eyes as he made his way toward the long sleep.

    ¡°Sebastian,¡± The King spoke without bothering to instruct the man further.

    Well trained that he was, of course Sebastian knew exactly what he was supposed to do and instantaneously stepped forward to help ease the king up from his throne. Gingerly leading the feeble King a handful of steps, he then helped him turn and lay back onto a slanted frame mounted to a set of sturdy arms hanging from the ceiling. As soon as his body was comfortably situated, a set of grips wrapped his limbs into a soft embrace.

    Quickly stepping away, to respect his lieges privacy, Sebastian quickly recognized the familiar smells of the liquid bath filling with a strange substance as the sound of the mechanical arms holding the king slowly eased him down to lay in the thick ichor.

    His clothing, which had been little more than a simple hospital gown slowly disintegrated as the lightly acidic mixture of proteins, medicinal fluids, and nanoparticles began reacting to the mana and radio-waves being pumped through the massive contraption centered in the castle.

    ¡°Dream well Your Majesty.¡± Sebastian spoke while raising his arm to a trained salute.

    ¡°Mm,¡± The Throne spoke eerily as the last bit of the King¡¯s consciousness hung on as the vat filled rapidly. ¡°Sebastian, you are dismissed, have your heir wake me.¡±

    ¡°At your will.¡± Sebastian answered with a gritted jaw.

    With his final order given, the King finally shut his eyes and began to allow the artificial drowsiness to win-over his mind. While told to ¡®dream well¡¯, it really wasn¡¯t anything like that. There were no dreams, it was simply like shutting your eyes and opening them in a new time. He¡¯d likely have forgotten what a dream was if not for the insincere wishes said to him each time he was laid to rest.

    As always, he expected to feel the sensation of shutting his eyes, and then opening them to the chill of the draining liquid, but instead he felt heat as his eyes flickered open. It was dark too, which was strange, the area was always lit perfectly when he was woken up. What was happening?

    Then the heat became noticeable again, but stronger.

    ¡®Ah,¡¯ The King thought as the sensation finally clicked in his head. ¡®This is pain, I¡¯d nearly forgotten. Perhaps I¡¯ve been stabbed?¡¯

    Then again, the heat came from another location, this time the side of his abdomen. He was sure of it now. It was a much deeper heat that spread through his stomach quickly. He forced a cough but found his chest and lung still heavily filled with the fluid which had previously been keeping him alive.

    Choking on the mixture of blood and thick ooze, the King died slowly, with the medicine in his lungs slowly healing him as if to prolong the suffering.

    The King¡¯s death was not reported immediately, as nobody was permitted to enter the ward while he rested. It would be some-time before the death was finally discovered. But by then most of his body had already been consumed by the vicious liquids meant to prolong his life.

    This is not the story of the murder of the King of Avalon. Nor is it a story of the ¡®War of the Red and White¡¯ that followed; as the factions supporting the various princes battled for their blood-right.

    This is the story of a world where technology and magika are nearly one and the same, where history swayed through the early discovery of an impossible phenomena known as Magic.

 Chapter 1 - The first arrivals

    Between the four super-powers that keep peace across the world, there lies a small artificial island risen from the seafloor. Isla Lantis is the official designation of the place, but most simply refer to it as ¡®The Academy¡¯.

    Where most universities and higher education facilities prioritize their own countries citizens and often act as funnels into the established industries of the land, the small secretive Academy in the center of the ocean differs greatly. For one, the school only accepts a handful of students every four years, and they choose from a pool spanning the entire globe.

    Its one of the only international educational facilities with no ties to a foreign country or corporate power.

    But none of these facts are what make the school so well-known and sought after, instead that renown comes from a very simple place.

    The graduate list, apart from a handful stricken, is filled with some of the most influential figures in history.

    Einstein, Hohenheim, Nobunaga, Da Vinci, Grahm, Terresact, Qianlong ¡ª names that changed the face of the earth once they set foot off the graduation stage.

    There have been endless hidden rumors of the shadowy figure leading the school, some believe he¡¯s Merlin from the Avalonian legends, while others say it¡¯s an avatar of Lord Brahma, or even Sun Wu Kong himself.

    The unchanging part between all the rumors is the might hidden behind the Academy and all of Isla Lantis, an untestable might that could topple nations.

    Its no wonder then that the nations of the world step with their toes when handling the movements of the Academy, no nation dare draw the ire of the phantom headmaster.

    Another difference from the ordinary academy or university, is the thesis-style graduation system. For a student chosen to fill one of the coveted positions at the school, a simply pass/fail system is far from sufficient in displaying the true abilities of the pupil.

    This is why each student demonstrates their skills to a series of independent adjudicators chosen from across the world. Heads of corporations, secretaries of defense, even kings and princes flock to attend as prospectors.

    For some students, this might mean a duel to prove their mana control, while for others this might mean the presentation of developed spells, or even a magical device.

    Each class would display a mind-boggling presentation, and no matter how prepared the visitors made themselves, they never left without a shock.

    ¡®And this year would be no different¡¯ Carter Walsh thought to himself as he checked his watch between glances out the airplane window. Of course, he was excited for the chance to see his daughter again after all these years away, but that wasn¡¯t the only thing that enticed him.

    [Watch closely, there¡¯s one who¡¯ll be conducting their own test, and I doubt many will realize the limit of their vision.]

    His own daughter had risked expulsion to secretly pass the warning to him, how could he dare ignore the curious message. Again, he impatiently glanced to his watch, they couldn¡¯t land soon enough.

    The small airplane was the fourth in a line of seven to be granted entry to the highly restricted airspace around the man-made island.

    There was limited room for landing strips on the small Isla, so each plane that made their way towards the port were equipped with large angular floats that cut through the rough sea-waves as they landed in the protected cove.

    One by one, the floatplanes were ferried into slips with the help of the olive-skinned locals who¡¯d called Lantis their home for centuries.

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    Again, just another one of the mysteries surrounding the Island. The locals who lived and worked around the Academy spoke a language completely foreign to the rest of the world, and somehow only those who attend the Academy could even communicate with them.

    Its thought, that this too is the doings of the phantom headmaster, perhaps some sort of sophisticated security ward, but there¡¯s no recorded history of any such magic existing; so again its left as simple rumor.

    ¡°Head Inspector Walsh,¡± A voice called out as Carter stepped from the teetering plank linking his jet to the stone wharf. Catching up beside him, the familiar face began again after an exchanged handshake. ¡°How was your flight?¡±

    ¡°Your design is still holding up, don¡¯t worry.¡± Carter chided with a glance behind his shoulder at the pricey investment.

    ¡°Aiya, I¡¯m not after your purse,¡± Yan Zi laughed with a hand to his thin beard. ¡°I called out to the ¡®Head Inspector¡¯, not to Chairman Welsh.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Carter laughed without pausing his step as the smooth stones of the wharf beneath his feet transitioned to the carved stone the island was famous for.

    The marble roads of Isla Lantis, thought to be nothing but rumors and legends were a very real thing, but Carter didn¡¯t gape or pray he simply became more vigilant for standing water.

    ¡°So what is it you need? You should know official business is strictly forbidden from happening outside of working hours.¡±

    ¡°But are you not here also representing the Bureau of Magical Usage and Ethics?¡± Yan Zi asked while gracefully walking with his arms tucked into his sleeves behind his back. ¡°And as my report is perhaps enflaming, I fear making my accusation via official means could spark conflict, so it is perhaps better handled in official-unofficial ways.¡±

    ¡°Is there a reason you are seeking out me, and not officials from your own Emperor¡¯s Celestial Ministry¡± Carter asked with furrowed brow, the Qing Dynastic Democracy didn¡¯t have a particularly good relationship with the United States of Columbia. Half the foreign reports on his desk back in Philadelphia were accusations against the Q.D.D. But he had the responsibility to hear the man out so with a sigh he finally paused to face the highly regarded scholar and inventor.

    ¡°I already know how my country will react if given the information. What I want is a true assessment.¡± Yan Zi explained, again rubbing his beard as if contemplating the sea-spray the scented the wind. ¡°I¡¯ve received reports the imply the Republic of Yamato has employed the taboo in order to mass produce their newest generation of Mobile Suits. If you think about it, it¡¯s the only logical¡ª¡±

    ¡°Stop,¡± Carter interrupted raising a hand the moment he heard the word ¡®Yamato¡¯, ¡°I am not touching that, no offense it¡¯s just...¡±

    ¡°I am serious.¡± Yan Zi reiterated pulling a small fragment of Jade from a pocket hidden in his silk robes. ¡°Take this at least, and realize that I am giving it to you, because I know exactly how it sounds given the history between my people and Yamato.¡±

    Hesitantly, Carter accepted the thin engraved slip of jade and tucked it into a silver sleeved portion in his wallet. He had no way of knowing what was on the jade until he had it decrypted back in the office, but until then he also had no way of knowing what secrets mechanisms it might have hidden. Better it at least be insulated from any airborne mana in case it was a hidden bug.

    ¡°I¡¯m hiding no tricks.¡± Yan Zi remorsefully said with raised palms as he noticed the care Carter had put into avoid direct contact with the simple slip of stone. ¡°I only know what is written in those purchase manifests, it¡¯s impossible. And you will see it too if you are willing to put aside your thoughts and simply investigate.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t make any promises.¡± Carter said with a tired shake of his head. ¡°I can only say they are an unprompted tip, and they will be handled as such.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Yan Zi grunted with a nod, turning as his business with the man concluded. ¡°Although; Chairman Walsh, are you sure you won¡¯t upgrade to our newest model, the Phoenix Wing? It uses the newest pinnacle of wind arrays scribed with nanometer precision to¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you at the ceremony tomorrow.¡± Carter waved with a laugh as he turned to escape while he still could.

    The both of them knew the grounds well, so it was no issue for them to separate, it wasn¡¯t as if they would get lost. Yan Zi had graduated a few classes prior to Carter, but he was already a well-known name by the time Carter¡¯s graduation arrived.

    Perhaps it was because they both focused on rune-work and inscription for their thesis works, but they had a deeper comradery than most alumni of different years. Traditionally it was more of an adversarial relationship, unless of course those alumni were able to scoop up the graduates before someone else did.

    That was the true purpose of the thesis judgement. It wasn¡¯t so much judgement as it was advertising, and only the most powerful got the edge of being invited early as prospectors.

    Every graduation the competition for the students was hotter, and to compete the graduates had only become more brilliant.

    Carter was floored to see what this class would show. His daughter had made it sound like there was a hidden dragon amongst her peers, so the anticipation was bubbling in his chest.

 Chapter 2 - An odd invitation

    Kaitlyn Walsh, or ¡®Katie¡¯ as she¡¯d prefer, was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Her father was not just a self-made billionaire, but he was in-line to be one of the most powerful law-enforcement officials in the country.

    It would be expected for her to turn into a common story of affluenza, but she choose the difficult path and studied relentlessly.

    And in her mind, how could she not? Her father was a multi-faceted genius, so how could she accept being seen as anything less. By ten years old she had finished her high school diploma and was receiving enticing invitations to colleges around the country. But that obviously wouldn¡¯t be enough so she continued her studies on her own until the invitation she was waiting finally arrived.

    On her nineteenth birthday her work finally paid off. The letter arrived unaddressed and blank. Carter knew what it was, but he also knew better than to ruin the process.

    She¡¯d received the invitation but that was only the beginning. There was still twelve month until class began and unless she could decipher a blank invitation before then, she might as well give up on attending her dream.

    The Invitation, and its way of resolution is different depending on the recipient. It might seem like a cruel prank, but in reality, the first class had already begun. Each invitation is solved by harnessing the strength of the student.

    As the daughter of a Walsh, obviously Katie¡¯s revolved around the interpretation of complex magic inscriptions. It was imperceptible to most, but Carter had felt it as he handed the envelop off to his daughter.

    Inside the paper itself a complex array of runes and shapes were arranged within the thin grains of pulp. It would be so easy if that were all, Katie found the structure within an afternoon but then came the true task; Reassembling the array into a working shape.

    Most would call the task impossible. Its at the same level of difficulty as designing an entire working array without any knowledge of its purpose.

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    But this was exactly the type of puzzle she¡¯d been playing with her father since she was a toddler. All it took was a little trial and error, mixed with intuition.

    She started with the widest shapes. A pentagon and circle, her intuition told her to layer the circle first, as an array built on non-concentric shapes is rare especially in arrays that use the Phoenician script.

    Once the script was arranged on the outer loop, she layered the pentagon after debating on its rotation. Although there was no way they would know even if she did, Katie was stubborn about failure so although she had more than enough time, she still wanted to solve the puzzle on her first try.

    With each and every shape, before ink ever went to vellum she studied them, comparing each to the thousands of reference materials stored in their library. Array crafting was no simple business, and she treated it as such. Every movement of her quill was methodical once she confirmed her decisions.

    She would slave over the array until even she failed, it wouldn¡¯t. Even if the result isn¡¯t the intended one, there would still be a result.

    Of course, her worry was unfounded. As her father easily predicted, Katie was able to decode the mystery hidden within the invitation in less than twenty days.

    The invitation contained a simple set of instructions.

    [On a certain time and day, assemble with the other students of your class.]

    This wasn¡¯t what Katie had expected to see when she¡¯d finally activated the array. Carter was equally as stumped when he heard the contents. Nothing of the sort had happened during his year so he couldn¡¯t make sense of the vague instructions.

    There was no other information in the letter, only those words. Just as soon as she¡¯d begun to relax about attending the Academy, a brand new point of stress was introduced.

    Still, in the end, now four years later she was anxiously awaiting her opportunity to demonstrate her worth to the various prospectors who were waiting with nearly equal anxiety.

    Carter Walsh, who also waited while clutching his numbered plague, had never actually heard how Katie ended up solving the odd instructions she¡¯d received from her invitation exam. It¡¯d been bothering him ever since he first received word that she¡¯d safely arrived.

    How had all the students coordinated with each other, when none of them would even know who the others were? The mystery would last in his mind far longer than it needed as he¡¯d eventually come face to face with the answer, but unaware, he¡¯d never bother to ask.

 Chapter 3 - What flavor is your wand?

    Magika exists in many forms, and as it further spread to the greater populace, those forms expanded endlessly. The typical person might come in contact with three to five different magic, or mana-based, devices in each room of their house.

    From the ovens jammed with countless recipe-arrays and alchemical materials, to the simple light emitting gems dotting the surface of their plasterboard ceilings. Its hard to take ten steps without feeling the effects of the industrial control of mana.

    In truth only about ten percent of most countries populace can truly exhibit magic, but that¡¯s not to say those without the ability are left to rot. Wands filled with mana and layered in countless carvings are sold on every street-corner. The lack of ability can¡¯t stop capitalism, big wand would never ignore such a massive market.

    Even without the ability to create the spells, as long as you could control a wand, you could become powerful. And the more powerful the spells your wand has, the more powerful you can be.

    Entire industries exist around different specialized wands, a carpenter might not need a wand packed with fire spells, while equally a baker might not need a spell meant for silencing footsteps. Different wand-strokes for different folks as one famous advertising campaign had said.

    The use of wands isn¡¯t universal though, so while ¡®Fint¡¯s Pointers¡¯ might have wished it, there were certain markets that remained as impossible to breach bulwarks.

    They weren¡¯t foolish enough to try to break into the staff market like a few of their foolhardy competitors.

    Sure, it would be nice to have an avenue into Qing, or the Indies, but Chaz was aware of how ferocious the businessmen of the east can be.

    Even if the greatest staff craftsmen in the world were to appear at today¡¯s expo, Chaz Fint would stay strong. Or so he told himself as he impatiently paced with the other VIP guests in a courtyard outside one of the Academy facilities.

    They would each take turns touring the eight students, the order was based on arrival and Chaz had gotten lucky enough to receive a plague labeled with the number four.

    Number Three had been called around a quarter hour ago, so Chaz heart was racing as his turn grew closer with each passing moment.

    As usual, the seconds stretched the longer he watched the floating clockface. It almost seemed to mock him, sitting on fifty-nine for far longer than even the driest comic timing.

    Finally, the clock hit sixty and a bell chimed with four strikes. Chaz gulped, and then remembered his net worth, which set his mind straight. He stepped proudly across the courtyard, presented his plague to the door, and wrenched the door open in a practiced manner.

    The hall opposite the heavy wood door made it abundantly clear how you were meant to proceed, even had he not come before he would have been an idiot not to understand the process. There were ten doors along the hallway but only eight doors were illuminated. The moment he opened the door however, all the lights in the hallway except one turned off in sequence. It was eerie but as a magic engineer himself Chaz could easily discern the way it worked. ¡®It was simple really¡¯ he wrongly assumed as he proudly stepped into the hallway and followed its instructions to the nearest lit door.

    As he pulled it open, he had no idea that the person inside was searching directly for him, and he wouldn¡¯t let the information slip easily either.

    ¡°Welcome!¡± A cheerful voice almost sang the moment he passed the threshold. Immediately after the words hit his ears, his nostrils were invade by a sweet smell that seemed to appear abruptly.

    The inside of the room was decorated impressively, all the bland stone walls were draped with cream colored cloth that shimmered with an almost aurora-like glow.

    Chaz though he knew almost all spells in most mages arsenal, but he was immediately stumped without even seeing the student or the presentation.

    Finally, he caught sight of the owner of the cheerful introduction.

    Although, that part was still missing Chaz realized, so he rushed his hand to his jacket pocket to retrieve a card and shot it out as he stepped forward to introduce himself.

    There was an order to things, and he knew he couldn¡¯t neglect it.

    ¡°Hello young man.¡± He began after handing off the card to the slender hand of the long haired student. ¡°I¡¯m Chaz Fint, representing both, ¡®Fint¡¯s Pointers¡¯ as well as the Defense Department of Pacifica, although the latter is mostly on paper.¡±

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    ¡°I understand.¡± The man answered with a nod of his head. ¡°You can call me Rafael, I was born in the countryside so I have no surname, you understand.¡±

    ¡°Of course, Rafael, it¡¯s a pleasure.¡± Chaz nodded finally turning his attention to the simple set of chairs and set table centered in the demo room. ¡°So, if you don¡¯t mind me asking what is it that you¡ª?¡±

    ¡°Take a seat, please.¡± Rafael prompted, motioning a few times as he stepped around to do the same opposite. ¡°I¡¯ll start, you understand.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Chaz agreed calming his impatience as he again stabilized his mindset. ¡°So, then I take this to¡ª¡±

    His words fell off as he watched what he knew to be impossible drop from out a wand that looked to be fairly simple.

    ¡°Prefer chocolate or vanilla?¡± Rafael asked glancing up as he held an empty plate beside the one he¡¯d clearly made for himself.

    ¡°Ah¡ª Cho¡ªVanilla?¡± Chaz stammered out, still having trouble comprehending how he¡¯d just seen what he¡¯d seen. Then again, he watched as the wand was carefully gestured with a reasonably complex sequence. It wasn¡¯t an unteachable sequence like some of the more complex all-in-one wands. ¡®Then how¡¯, Chaz asked himself silently as again a fully formed vanilla cupcake plopped easily onto the awaiting plate.

    ¡°You understand, this wand makes only cupcake, highly-complex. Specialized, but possible and maybe simplifiable. Try now first.¡±

    ¡°Y¡­yeah.¡± Chaz agreed, realizing he¡¯d been growing hungry ever since walking into the room. He accepted the plate greedily and quickly bit into the cake. It was exactly as he¡¯d expected it to be, apart from the fact that it¡¯s source was thought impossible by modern wand-making standards.

    ¡°I have other wands, here.¡± Rafael spoke unprompted as Chaz continued devouring the treat passionately. With an easy motion, the young man pulled out three more wands, each looking as simple as the previous. Chaz truly couldn¡¯t comprehend how such sophistication could be integrated into what appeared to be a double or maybe triple-cored wand. But again he was in for a surprise.

    ¡°This wand was made for friend, but she insist I should at least demo once.¡± Rafael again spoke in his near perfect but still occasionally broken accent. ¡°Needlessly complex,¡±

    As he said, he gestured the wand with no more than fourteen distinct gestures, again not an impossible sequence to memorize or even use in the heat of the moment, a skilled wand holder could likely kick it out in less than eight seconds.

    Again the result that dripped from the wand tip stumped the long-time wandmaker in his seat. First, a fairly simple spell was initiated, that much Fint could recognize both with his sight as well as mana-sense. But after that things grew scrambled, and even Rafael would have warned Chaz against attempting to sense the chaotic flow which churned out from the second portion of the compound spell.

    First, a vellum of around eight inches by eight inches was conjured via the first courses of the spell loops engraved in the wand, then a surge of powerful mana churned along the surface of the vellum to engrave a highly complex array that even Chaz had trouble discerning.

    ¡®A friend¡¯ Rafael had said earlier, Chaz immediately connected the dots when he noticed the complexity of the array. Kaitlyn Walsh, the daughter of the man known as the father of multilayered arrays. ¡®If she¡¯s really one of the students this year¡¯ Chaz thought to himself as everything began clicking in his head. ¡®This means the worlds about to feel another real ¡®Academy wave¡¯.¡¯

    In manner of months, all industries would likely see a shake up, Chaz knew it inherently when he connected the simple pieces of information Rafael had let slip.

    ¡®It explains how a wand of such sophistication was created so easily too¡¯ Chaz internally gasped, ¡®It all must center around Kaitlyn Walsh, she must have developed something incredible just like her father during his time as a student.¡¯

    ¡°Internal Monologue done?¡± Rafael asked uneasily with a wobble of his head. ¡°Time is short, remember. See next wand quick?¡±

    ¡°I can already say I don¡¯t need to even see more. I will agree to any reasonable demand you can make as long as you come work with me at Fint¡¯s Pointers.¡±

    ¡°Then a good idea, I have.¡± Rafael laughed as if he hadn¡¯t considered what he would want until just now. ¡°Okay two ideas. After I get paper saying I pass. At big party, you come and tell me who of us eight graduates had most important demo. Only one right answer, okay? If you right, then I work for you, no pay no problem, just a house and food. If you¡¯re wrong. One¡­ no, Two million a year!¡±

    ¡°Deal, and deal. Okay, I already want to say, you made the best presentation bar none, but I will judge this seriously.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Rafael laughed with a shake of his head. He knew Chaz would get the answer wrong, so he didn¡¯t even make the bet seriously. If he could really get two million dollars in a year, Rafael would be able to make more money in a month than his village could in an entire year.

    He had no idea how much he was still undervaluing himself, Katie as well as most of the rest of his class mates had endlessly chastised him to raise his starting demand but Rafael wouldn¡¯t budge past doubling it, like he had.

    Rafael was hopeful he hadn¡¯t accidentally pushed too far, but he had faith in the words his friends.

    ¡°I¡¯ll triple it or quadruple that number if I have to, you must come work for Fint¡¯s pointers.¡±

    ¡°Y¡­¡± Rafael stammered as the bell tolled for the fifth time, indicating the time had ceased.

    Any more of Chaz¡¯s offers fell on deaf ears after that as the assortment of spells around the room forced silence over the chamber giving Chaz no choice but to reluctantly step out in order to inspect the next student.

    He almost didn¡¯t care anymore, he¡¯d found exactly what he wanted and the more he considered it the more he wanted him.

    Rafael wasn¡¯t just the key to an entirely new industry; he might just be the key to the east Chaz had been searching for. But how had he never heard of such a magnificent wandmaker before now? It was almost a miracle that the Academy had fostered such a talent Chaz thought as he continued to the next room, catching glance of a few other prospectors as they each exchanged rooms.

    Everyone wore tired expressions already, and the first prospector hadn¡¯t even reached the end of the hall yet; Chaz quickly realized he was in for an extremely interesting day.

 Chapter 4 - The Ghost of the Nakamura Clan

    ¡°Nee-chan, sorry, the robe tore again,¡± Haruto Nakamura reported with a pained voice as he peeked into the room his classmate had claimed as her studio.

    ¡°Haruto, you can¡¯t be wrecking these things so close to graduation.¡± Katie sighed as she received the robe and inspected the portion of fabric which had clearly been shredded from battle.

    ¡°I still couldn¡¯t get a single hit¡­¡± Haruto grumbled beneath his breath, still unsatisfied with the unfinished battle which had now lasted over four years.

    ¡°Then stop fighting him,¡± Katie answered without looking away from the important sections of the robe that required repair. ¡°If you know the result anyways. I¡¯m being serious though, are you planning on coming across the ocean every time you get into a big fight? You should be more aware of your surroundings. You¡¯re not bullet proof.¡±

    Katie¡¯s meaning was clear as she stitched a patch of random fabric into the damaged section with a wand. Setting it aside she retrieved another and began reworking the array lacing throughout the inner lining of the simple-looking cloak.

    ¡°I know, thanks Nee-chan,¡± Haruto gleamed as he retrieved the repaired robe and unfurled it. He stuffed his arms into the sleeves and then flicked his collar to straiten it, glancing in a full-length mirror kept nearby, he nodded with satisfaction then threw a final wave to Katie.

    ???

    Haruto Nakamura was placed in the second demonstration room, and his room was no less decorated than Rafael¡¯s had been, but in a much different manner.

    The walls were again draped in fabric, but it¡¯s glow was an eerie purple which matched the young Yamatonian¡¯s irises. There was no finely set table in this room or fragrant emissions, instead in the center of the chamber, a large ring had been built and two wooden barrels had been arranged and stuffed with a handful of different fine weapons.

    The expectation was clear the moment a prospector entered the room. However, most modern mages don¡¯t practice close-range combat, for that Haruto had of-course devised a back-up strategy. After-all, he only truly had one goal in coming to the Academy.

    ¡°My name is Nakamura Haruto, I don¡¯t seek your patronage, I only wish to prove the strength of my families technique. If you can provide me a stage worthy to my ancestors, then I will swear to serve as your sword until Nakamura blood vanishes from this earth.¡±

    Haruto expected a series of responses to such a bold statement made the moment such powerful people set foot within his assigned room. The first one was immediate doubt or anger, which Haruto was used to dealing with, but the type he preferred was like the second figure who¡¯d entered.

    ¡°I carry great respect for a true warrior of Yamato, however my chosen weapon differs from those Nakamura-san, is it a problem?¡± The man who asked, nodded to his bladed staff, but from his familiar shaded robes alone, Haruto was able to instantly recognize the man as one of Tibet¡¯s hidden martial experts.

    ¡°It would be my honor.¡± Haruto bowed, ignoring his better judgement, he averted his eyes in order to be adequately respectful.

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    ¡°And mine.¡± The monk responded, gripping the neck of his robe and pulling it away to reveal a body much different than would be expected for the hunched elder.

    ¡°Good idea.¡± Haruto shrugged, pulling his own robes off, likely for slightly different reason than the monk had.

    ¡°I will allow you the first move.¡± The monk spoke while raising his staff across his chest into a defensive posture.

    ¡°Could I know Grandmaster¡¯s name before I end things then?¡± Haruto asked, worried he¡¯d be punished if he completely ignored the Academy¡¯s protocol.

    ¡°I¡¯m often called Master Tashi, I come representing a fleeting interest, as well as the Tibetan Secret Police, the Silent Lotus.¡± The monk answered with a smirk crawling up his cheek. ¡°And I¡¯ll take your words as that first strike.¡±

    ¡°Y¡ª¡± Haruto began to ask with a cocked eyebrow, but Master Tashi didn¡¯t allow him the benefit of time to consider.

    His staff shot out from his defensive stance into a deadly thrust, raising a leg to balance himself, he whirled the bladed staff around forcing Haruto to either retreat or duck.

    If he ducked, he¡¯d be directly in the path of a kick, but retreating would only benefit the better range of Master Tashi¡¯s bladed staff.

    Both would force him into the hands of the staff-expert, so he had no choice but to create a third option. Breathing carefully Haruto forced his feet against the ground with all his might and rocketed his body upwards.

    He cleared the blade by a manner of inches, not wasting the moment of surprise, he finally unsheathed his own blade and carried it downwards with all his strength.

    If the Master wasn¡¯t careful, he¡¯d be cut in two, but Haruto assumed the man would have enough skill to avoid the strike.

    Again, the cat and mouse game repeated. As the Monk recovered from Haruto¡¯s unexpected speed, he demonstrated a dose of his own, again shooting forward with his spear at speeds beyond comprehension.

    This time, Haruto was curious, so he raised his blade and narrowed his eyes with the intention of attempting a parry.

    Master Tashi must have noticed the intent so at the final moment he diverted his spear to the left, just barely grazing Haruto¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°That¡¯s cheap!¡± Haruto grumbled, twisting out of the way to dodge the weight of the man¡¯s powerful follow-through.

    ¡°You would¡¯ve died.¡± The Monk chastised with a look of fury filling his face. ¡°D¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get distracted!¡± Haruto shouted, handing off his short curved blade to his uninjured arm and immediately firing out a flurry of slashes.

    Each slash took more strength to defend against, after the third, Master Tashi quickly realized he¡¯d underestimated his opponent. The boy, while young, was a ball of unquenchable flames and each strike brought more of that heat to his surface.

    Working under him, the boy would be a dangerous tool, but taming a beast is far different from creating a soldier. The Monk felt great respect for the boy, and that respect grew greater as the fight stretch onwards, but in his heart he knew that Haruto could not be acquired by him.

    Tashi couldn¡¯t provide a battlefield grand enough to whet such untamed skill.

    How would he dare when he couldn¡¯t even take the seventh strike without needing to rely on the defensive structures traced into the core of his staff.

    ¡°Thank you for this training, Master.¡± Haruto politely bowed after noticing the change in Tashi¡¯s defense and interpreting it as he ought.

    Haruto may have been cut first, but the moment Master Tashi raised an artificial defense, the warriors battle had been lost.

    ¡°No, I should thank you.¡± Master Tashi bowed in return with a bitter pinch on his brow. ¡°I won¡¯t ever forget the Nakamura blade I¡¯ve seen here today. I can swear to it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my only wish, Grandmaster.¡± Haruto nodded in appreciation. ¡°I hope we never meet against blades again, unless surrounded by velvet as we are now.¡±

    ¡°That we also agree on.¡± The monk laughed grabbing his robe from where it¡¯d been left on the floor. Glancing up at the clock, his silent question was answered by the start of a tolling bell. ¡°Say, are the rest of your classmates as impressive as Rafael and you?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Haruto laughed shaking his head to adamantly deny the question. ¡°Me and Rafael are the only normal ones¡ª¡±

    His answer continued further, but the final bell had tolled so his speech was cut off before he could complete the warning.

 Chapter 5 - The Digital Student

    The third room of the demonstration hallway held a mass of loud machinery and computers, and the moment the prospectors entered they knew what type of person they were dealing with.

    ¡°Sit if you wanna,¡± The tracksuit-kitted man said with an unenthusiastic wave of his hand towards the opened doorway. Tipping the translucent glass bottle of crystal clear liquid into a shallow glass he tossed it to the back of his throat then returned his attention away from a monitor and to the unwelcome guests. ¡°What? You got a problem?¡±

    ¡°Erm¡­¡± The prospector gaped uneasily as he attempted to make sense of the strange reception. It wasn¡¯t the only thing that felt off to the man, but he couldn¡¯t place his finger on the oddity. Finally, he relented and accepted the brash invitation to sit. Stepping carefully over to a fine-looking wicker lounger, the gullible prospector dropped his weight into it only to watch as his body passed through it without even a hint of resistance.

    ¡°It¡¯s a hol¡­¡± The prospector huffed as he realized what had happened. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such a perfect hologram, where¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s seven.¡± The scraggly bearded Novgorodian explained while pointing out a series of small orb-shaped protrusions scattered around the room.

    ¡°Incredible,¡± The prospector said, again returning his gaze to the perfectly represented chair and table.

    They say missing the forest for the trees. You¡¯d think he at least might know better.

    ¡°Right, My name is Gregory Hutton, I¡¯ve come as representative of the Nordic Union as Finance minister.¡± The Prospector finally said, realizing he¡¯d become entranced by the projection. ¡°Have you considered your plans after graduation? You¡¯re from Novgorod, right? You should visit us in Stockholm, the weather will be familiar and¡­¡±

    ¡°The student hasn¡¯t considered yet.¡± The bearded man answered without allowing Gregory to finish his pleas. ¡°I thank you for the kind offer made.¡±

    ¡°A¡­ ah. Yeah,¡± Gregory stumbled, with a clear face filled with confusion. Again the odd feeling bothered him for a second time. But this time, he wasn¡¯t inspecting the chair or table projected in the center of the room. ¡°You¡­ aren¡¯t the student.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± The man answered with a mischievous smile. ¡°You needed a hint though, lost points.¡±

    The moment the final words fell, the body of the track-suit wearing man vanished into a blur of small projected voxels. Similarly, most of the large racks of computers and machines also vanished revealing a petite woman with deep red hair seated at a desk hidden behind the various holograms.

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    ¡°I suppose I should introduce myself finally,¡± The woman said with a cheerful smile. ¡°My name is Anastasia Kuznetsova and as you can tell I specialize in the development of Magika with a focus on ocular phenomena. As my assistant Boris said, I have yet to consider my future plans, but I would be pleased to at least visit The Nordic Union when time permits.¡±

    ¡°It would be our pleasure to host you.¡± Gregory said, recovering from the shock as quickly as he could manage. Extending a hand he shook the delicate palm of the redhead, if anything, to prove she wasn¡¯t another illusion.

    Giggling, Ana reciprocated the handshake, knowing full-well the thoughts hidden behind it. She couldn¡¯t exactly blame him, only a few people she¡¯d met have been able to discern one of her holograms from the real thing, and shockingly two of them had been her classmates.

    She¡¯d known the Academy would be filled with monsters, but she hadn¡¯t expected it to be this outrageous.

    ¡°Erhm¡­¡± Gregory coughed awkwardly as he again glanced around the room to spot the arrangement of hologram projectors spattered around the room. Two of the one¡¯s ¡®Boris¡¯ had pointed out had vanished, clearly another layer of the fa?ade that¡¯d been stripped away during the reveal.

    ¡®So it was even more impressive,¡¯ He muttered to himself silently as he pondered how best to ask the burning question in his mind. ¡°I¡¯ve been informed in the past, that students are limited in their budgets; I believe it was a single¡ª¡±

    ¡°Mhm, all of it was made with materials that costed me less than a single Avalonian mithril coin.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ What?¡ª Fifty grand?¡±

    ¡°Fifty-six roughly, I can get a single projector done for under five grand in materials.¡± Ana proudly boasted with a hand to her chest. ¡°Half my budget went towards the terminal.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s crazy,¡± Gregory stammered trying to even consider the possibilities this could bring to his country. ¡°You must give us consideration for this. You know the resource available within the Union¡¯s mainland, and we can certainly do our best to meet any of the other offers you get from the other¡¯s here today.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no real need to rush, is there?¡± Anastasia sighed out as if becoming deflated. ¡°You know, I really wish we didn¡¯t have to graduate. There¡¯s so much more I could learn. I mean, I missed out on so many opportunities because of my stupid dumb idiot head. I just¡­ Argh¡­ ya¡¯know? But then now everyone is probably going far away, and I can¡¯t¡ª¡±

    Gregory breathed a bit easier as the woman began unloading like a machine gun, the previous two had terrified him with their brilliance it was a bit refreshing to finally see a more human face on one of the graduates.

    Nodding along as she continued, he and the clock counted down the seconds until the bell finally cut into the conversation.

    Like a switch Anastasia returned back to her proper form and slunk away, as-if again it was all part of the act.

    He tried to reign it, but a shiver once more ran up his spine as he stepped back to the door towards the next near heart attack waiting beyond the hall.

    Same as the last time, he caught a glance towards the man directly in front of him in the parade. The man tossed a curious glance back to Gregory as he vividly remembered the room he was leaving.

    ¡°Did you also¡­¡± The man curiously began to ask, before remembering one of the few silent rules. He knew they would all have plenty of time to discuss it later, still Gregory¡¯s understanding nod gave Chaz all the answers he needed.

 Chapter 6 - The Heavenly Turtle Furnace

    The ¡®leader of the parade¡¯ as it''s sometimes almost jokingly called is seen as a great opportunity, to be the first to see and talk to the brilliant minds of the next generation, but in reality its more often like the head of the battering ram. The leader of the parade must be resilient to the crushing blows that the graduates inevitably unload upon them.

    In this case, the man leading the pack was merely fortunate enough to have been the first plane in formation once the arrays came down, he wasn¡¯t made for the rigors of leading a charge, and it showed as his wide forehead glistened with sweat in front of the fourth doorway.  Eventually pushing it open, he came face to face with a looming man with hair tied neatly into a careful bun.

    ¡°Are you injured?¡± The man asked, narrow eyes clearly concerned as he placed a hand to guide the prospector inside.

    Li Jun had been growing impatient as he sensed the uneasy pools of Chi bounce from room to room while forcible locked in the stuffy chamber.

    ¡°No¡­ No¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± Juan Rizal grunted while pushing the hand away uneasily. ¡°Just the rigors of meeting all you¡­¡±

    He trailed off so as not to say the word on his tongue.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Jun said patiently as he oriented himself across a low table. ¡°I fully understand. My peers are indeed impressive. Tea?¡±

    ¡°Ah, sure I guess?¡± Juan shrugged, realizing he¡¯d have no choice but to follow the young man¡¯s example and kneel at the table. ¡°I am Juan Rizal IV, by the way, I am here with Oceania and the SikSik Corporate. I¡¯m not sure you¡¯ve tried it yet, we do have a few branches open in The Q.D.¡ª¡±

    ¡°Drink first, please.¡± Jun pleaded earnestly, a true appearance of concern lacing his face. ¡°But likewise, My name in your manner would read as Jun Li, As you can tell, I am a cultivator and doctor specializing in lost ancient medicines. First, tell me how the tea works.¡±

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s delicious¡ª¡± Juan began before twisting his face as he reread the words in his minds voice. ¡°Works? What¡¯s it¡­¡±

    He couldn¡¯t finish his words as warmth from the tea began quickly spreading past just his throat and into the rest of his chest.

    Instantly the sweat which had already been damp on his brow hastened and began to smell almost sickly.

    Jaun¡¯s face twisted uncomfortably as he wondered if the young man had perhaps poisoned him. He couldn¡¯t believe it to be possible under the security of the Academy but he couldn¡¯t rationalize it any other way.

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    ¡°Seems it¡¯s not enough to fully clear the blockage in your meridians. Here,¡± As Jun spoke he plucked a thin needle from out the inside of his robe and meticulously positioned it between the eyes of the portly man who sat sputtering fearfully on the cushion opposite him. Tapping it carefully and lodging it comfortably beneath the skin, Jun turned his attention finally away from Juan and to a large metal pot that sat a short distance from the table. Waving with a wide sleeve, the pot whirled over to his grasp and a dozen fresh smelling herbs appeared from out his closed palm.

    Still in a mix of terror, odd comfort, and confusion, Juan watched carefully as the strange man worked at the alchemical furnace. He worked effortlessly, grinding some of the herbs in his hand with nimble fingers, while others he would chew and snap before finally depositing into careful portions in the large metal pot.

    Flipping a lid from out his sleeve, Jun yawned as he shut the lid and brought out a tuft of flame.

    With a carefully practiced movement, Jun heated the shell of the furnace from the bottom to the top, once it began glowing dimly he settled it back to the ground and then began cranking up the heat.

    A fire began blazing powerfully underneath his hands, mingling perfectly in the center of the bottom of the furnace and cascading all around it.

    Juan might have partially thought this was to be his fate, but he wasn¡¯t completely unaware of the secret medicines of Qing so he settled his fears in exchange for a budding curiosity.

    Finally after a grueling five or six minutes, Jun pulled his hands away and allowed the brightly glowing furnace to slowly cool before he finally lifted the lid.

    Of course, the glorious fragrant smell so highly associated to Qing alchemic medicine immediately filled the room. With a careful wave of his hands four bright orange pills laced with a complex array of patterns shimmered in his palm.

    ¡°That makes one hundred in a row.¡± Jun absently laughed pocketing all but one of the pills which he calmly rolled across the table to Juan. ¡°This should finish the job, please.¡±

    Juan obviously hesitated a moment as he glanced between the pill and Jun. It felt a bit late to suddenly ask what exactly this would finish, but now that the surprise of the tea had settled, and the feeling of the needle wiggling on his forehead grew unnoticeable, he figured he had the duty to see his role through to completion.

    He was the leader of the parade, no simple pill would scare him off.

    Steeling himself, Juan gulped his leftover spit and tossed the pill to the rear of his throat. Swallowing the large orb uncomfortably, Juan clenched his eyes as he feared what would come next.

    A minute and a half later, the sixth bell rung and Juan stepped confidently from the room as if a massive weight had been pulled from his shoulders.

    Behind him, Master Tashi, of Tibet¡¯s Silent Lotus, obviously noticed the smell of medicine on the air but his eyes bulged as he caught a glance to the man who¡¯d, until then, been waddling from room to room.

    He was jacked, it was as if all the energy that¡¯d been left stored on his body as fat was forcibly burned to leave nothing but a hulking frame in its shadow.

    Master Tashi was burning with interest as he stepped up to the door, but he would be less excited once he saw all that¡¯d been left over after such a rapid transformation. Expecting the sweet tinge of medicine, he pushed the door open, but his mind quickly aligned, and he was almost forced to pull the door back shut from the wretched smell of the expelled impurities.

 Chapter 7 - The Illogical Prestige of Blood

    The fifth room contained one of the most talked about rising stars of the magic world, it was noticed publicly when she¡¯d gone missing a few months after the previous graduation ceremony, so it was all but confirmed that she had been allowed enrollment, and now the media was already drafting stories about the brilliant performance she¡¯d displayed during the expo. All they needed was a few actual facts to pepper in, and they were set to print.

    It shows just how powerful a pureblood Avalonian family name can be. If Kaitlyn Walsh grew up with silver spoon, then Gwendolyn Ashcroft grew up with a mithril one, and forks and knives to match.

    And similarly she didn¡¯t neglect that privilege, getting best in class all throughout primary school up until her enrollment in a traditional Avalonian Wizardry School.

    Her parents wanted her to get assigned to the snake house but somehow, she managed to get placed in the badger one. But all that is of little importance, so moving on.

    After graduating with all honors, and finally having completely grasp on her budding strength, Gwen knew she wanted more.

    In the past she¡¯d found inspiration when dueling so she first decided to join a few tournaments. But quickly those got boring, once her competitors started to forfeit before the whistle even cleared, she instead turned back to books and buried herself deep into the endless libraries of the Mediterranean.

    She¡¯d had a recognizable name to begin with, but by the time she was twenty she¡¯d more than made a name for herself even beyond her family¡¯s sphere. Not just the tournaments; she¡¯d already been certified as fifth level mage, most can¡¯t even reach that point at fifty, let alone twenty years old.

    But since she needed more and had no source for it, behind the scenes she was constantly at an internal mental battle, how could she strive to learn more when she didn¡¯t even know what she was missing. Every book said the same thing, and the source scrolls were no better. At night she¡¯d occasionally pray that she could just speak with Merlin himself.

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    And then she spotted a white letter sticking out between two book she¡¯d been searching for day and night. It felt like coincidence until she saw her name on the front of the envelope.

    And on the back, that notorious return address that occasionally went viral on social media.

    [1, The Ocean, Isla Lantis, 11111-1234 ]

    Then it finally dawned on her, that had been her goal. That¡¯d surely be where she¡¯d find it.

    Four years and some change later, she was prepared to show how much growth is truly possible. But one thing was wrong that she hadn¡¯t yet realized.

    ¡°You must be the littlest Ashcroft then.¡± An unfamiliar voice asked pushing open the fifth door after Carter Walsh had exited.

    ¡°And you are?¡± Gwen rebounded with an irritated glare. She¡¯d worked endlessly to build her own name, who¡¯d be so brazen to patronize her so blatantly?

    ¡°Right, Not used to these rules, I¡¯m new to this you see.¡± The man stepped further under the light and smiled wide as he answered the question. ¡°My name is Goddard Sinclair-Pendragon, and although still unannounced, I¡¯m to be the King of Avalon in the coming days.¡±

    ¡°My¡­ Liege.¡± Gwen quickly corrected, falling to a knee with too little information to counter his claim.

    ¡°Ah, you are still a citizen of the Island as I understand it. So raise your head.¡± Goddard pandered weakly with a plastered-on expression.

    Matching his gaze again, Gwen got a look of the man and could immediately confirm he was indeed a royal, the recessive slit irises that they all incessantly claim as proof to their blood-right were clear as day in his wide shimmering eyes.

    ¡°So I take it that you are representing the Avalon Royal family then?¡± Gwen prodded, knowing the headmaster wouldn¡¯t allow protocol to be ignored.

    ¡°I am here in lieu of my father, who would never sleep well knowing that a Pendragon was not present at this most important occasion.¡± Goddard continued, clearly skirting the issue a bit wide.

    Gwen was a loyal citizen to her true nationality but she also wasn¡¯t dumb. Goddard, if she remembered her royal acronym correctly was, at best, fifth or sixth in line to the throne unless things had changed dramatically in the four years she¡¯d been out of the loop. And with the addition of him clearly dodging the issue of ¡®representation¡¯ to not get himself ejected from the Academy prematurely, that meant he wasn¡¯t officially sanctioned by parliament to make any offers of employment or benefits beyond his own personal means.

    She¡¯d continue as usual, but Gwen was immediately on edge as she began her presentation.

 Chapter 8 - The Eagles talk on Ley-Relativity and its effects on Modern Magic

    ¡°Shamanism, Wicca, Voodoo, Spirit Walking¡­¡± A broad shoulder man with deep oak colored skin spoke as if presenting a TedX talk. ¡°All of them have roots in a common core that was rediscovered through the worship of naturally occurring ley-lines. We all know what ley-lines are right?¡±

    He asked, hopefully rhetorically, as the prospector fifth in the sequence didn¡¯t verbally answer despite the long pause.

    ¡°Right, those interconnecting lines of mana/chi/essence/radiation; whatever you prefer calling it. Our ancestors first harnessed those life-springs of energy to build entire civilizations that are all now lost to us. But not all the information was lost with them. There will always be echoes in the energy flow that we can use and learn from, but sensing such a thing isn¡¯t very easy.¡±

    The tall student removed the small microphone from where it¡¯d clung to his cheek and then stretched his neck carefully before he began to speak again.

    The prospector too stepped back as the odd preparatory motion from the student set off countless alarm bells in his mind.

    ¡°Although difficult in this form, it¡¯s not in others. The clan I come from practices a unique form of communion with nature, one of our practices comes from our belief that in death, a great guardian eagle will soar overhead, catching our drifting souls and ushering us to our next life. Once in a generation a child is born etched with the mark of that eagle,¡±

    Again, he stopped as he loosened the knot securing his rough leather pants. The Prospector hid his eyes in a panic but all that did was make him miss the best part.

    ¡°I am that child.¡± As he spoke a gush of energy reverberated the walls of the stone room as the mana equivalent to a half-dozen sedans arced and peeled through the room as a massive amount of energy was expended to reform his body into the more compact shape he usually stayed in.

    ¡°And yeah,¡± The Eagle spoke plainly through his now jagged golden beak, ¡°Measuring and detecting Mana-echoes within ley-lines is far simpler with a more mana-attuned body. Even when I¡¯m human it¡¯s still far more easy, we theorize it¡¯s because both my human body and this body are made from energy. It¡¯s a highly interesting field of study, perhaps ancient humans had a similar technique of turning their bodies into energy, its possibly they could have even used it to stay alive perpetually, but I¡¯m definitely not saying I¡¯m planning on messing with any taboo¡¯s or¡­¡±

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    The Prospector was still stuck glancing between the pile of clothes and the bird standing on the conveniently placed perch. He¡¯d thought it was a coatrack. ¡°Druidism¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, so you know of the Celtic woodland mystiques,¡± The eagle nodded, recognizing the apt¡ª but not entirely accurate¡ª word, the man had associate with his transformation. ¡°Druids though, merely cloak their skin under the body of their animal avatars, my clan holds the true art. But a body, born capable of exhibiting our technique, is extremely rare; same for Druid¡¯s as you¡¯d likely know.¡±

    ¡°But doesn¡¯t that mean¡ª¡± The prospector finally realized as he connected the points the Eagle had mentioned about his clan¡¯s ritualistic beliefs when still wearing a human face. ¡°Is it alright for you to not be with your people? Or would you be seeking to conduct your research near your home?¡±

    ¡°I can fly fast. And they call a few hours before any funeral ceremonies begins.¡± The Eagle blandly answered with a wing pointing towards the pile of clothing that held his phone. ¡°But yes, it¡¯s no concern. I will conduct my research wherever the ley lines take it, my duties to my people will not hinder it.¡±

    ¡°Incredible,¡± The Prospector nodded while rubbing his chin considerately. ¡°How fast approxi¡ª¡±

    The Eagle had given this same, almost word for word, explanation to five people now, and just as the guy predicted, not one of them asked about the research and instead asked superficial questions about his abilities. Not one of them had yet seen the value of the research he cared about and instead they¡¯d seen him as the subject for it.

    The Eagle couldn¡¯t smirk in this form, but he tried anyways. Answering the bland questions one after another with a dull tone, The Eagle again considered the offer he¡¯d made before this glorified freakshow had started.

    If it was him, he¡¯d probably actually get someone to agree to his outrageous deal despite the uphill battle he¡¯d set for himself. So maybe he really could provide the resources necessary like he¡¯d claimed. Through legitimate means though, not through his typical¡ª

    Counting down the minutes until this round ended The Eagle finally sighed a breath of relief when the final question about how bird seed tasted while in that form was silenced by the spell pumped through the room as the seventh bell rung.

    Finally, it was almost over, and he could get back to work.

 Chapter 9 - A Long Awaited Reunion.

    ¡°There you are!¡± Carter Walsh excitedly yelped as he wrenched open the second to last door of the hallway. He¡¯d had to wait three and half hours to finally reach this door, and before that almost four years in addition. Obviously he couldn¡¯t hold himself back even if he did care about the strict rules of the Graduation Expo¡¯s protocol.

    Sprinting carelessly across the short room Carter wrapped his daughter into a tight hug, ¡°Look at you, you look so grown up. We missed you so much.¡±

    ¡°I missed you too dad.¡± Katie laughed patting her father¡¯s back a few times before forcible dislodging him in order to restore the proper order.

    ¡°This is silly, but fine,¡± Carter said with a shake of his head as he pulled a business card from his pocket. ¡°Hello, I am Carter Walsh and I represent Walsh Complex Array Foundry as Chairman as well as the Bureau of Magical Usage and Ethics as a Chief Inspector.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± Katie said with a huff, righting her clothes as she took another glance at her father. ¡°You¡¯re serious?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Carter grunted curiously as he glanced between himself and his daughter. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    He couldn¡¯t quiet understand what his daughter was asking about, but she had a strangely doubtful expression on her face.

    ¡°So, what do you think of my creation?¡± Katie again prompted with a raised eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯ve been looking at examples of it for almost two hours and you couldn¡¯t notice once? That can¡¯t be¡­¡±

    Carter was struck with a further confusion as he hadn¡¯t seen even a single array in any of the previous rooms, yet she made it seem like he¡¯d been struck in the face by her handy work since the very first room. ¡°Was it the glowing cloth? But that¡¯s¡ª I suppose if there¡¯s multiple stacked layers with pathways in-between then a¡ª¡±

    ¡°No¡­ Dad,¡± Katie said, shaking her head as if she too shared his guilt. ¡°We were doing it wrong.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Carter questioned, subtly shaking of his head as if he¡¯d heard her wrong. ¡°I understand since I once stood in your position, but it¡¯d be wise to learn to reign in your ego.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not my words.¡± Katie sighed with an understanding nod. ¡°It¡¯s not something I can explain in fifteen minutes obviously, but trust me, not as your daughter, but as a fellow graduate, our overreliance on two dimensions is a limitation to the possible power of complex arrays.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quoting to the speaker.¡± Carter responded as he heard his own words come from his daughter¡¯s mouth.

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    ¡°But you didn¡¯t solve the problem. You just started adding band-aids.¡± Katie responded, again with words that hadn¡¯t been her own original realizations, but something she¡¯d become convinced of by another. ¡°Real three dimensional arrays are possible. And they don¡¯t require array stacking or transposition. We were hobbled by the crutch. Rafael¡¯s wands use skewed arrays that work almost identically to their flattened equivalents, Haruto¡¯s robes use a flexible array that can block anything under a sixth level mage, Ana used a multi-tiered array imprinted along lengths of silver tube to minimize the size and complexity of her projector lenses, and I helped in the recasting of Jun¡¯s furnace to better transmit heat. Also, it¡¯s entirely etched with a concave array that uses narrowing capillary lines as a heat shunt th¡­¡±

    ¡°I get it¡­¡± Carter nodded, stunned, but not so unwilling to admit when he¡¯d been proven wrong. He hadn¡¯t noticed even a single array, yet every single project had been using them, it was incredibly embarrassing in a sense, but simultaneously a part of him was madly curious about how such arrays could be designed. ¡°You¡¯re a genius.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Katie reiterated impulsively as she glanced to the left-hand wall. ¡°You didn¡¯t forget what I said earlier right?¡±

    Carter detected the hidden meaning, so even if he wanted to continue hearing about the usages she¡¯d found for her new array format, he was given no choice.

    ¡°I do remember,¡± Carter said, thinking back to the previous six people he¡¯d spoken to in the hallway before her. All of them were clearly forces of nature that would have huge effects on the world, but he couldn¡¯t spot a one that jumped out to him as to fit the message.

    ¡°You¡¯ll know.¡± Katie said, revealing enough, but not outright saying that he¡¯d yet to meet him. ¡°I doubt anyone will bite, but just in case, please look carefully. And hopefully you¡¯ll thank me later.¡±

    ¡°Ok¡ª¡± Carter blankly said, still a bit confused about what his daughter was trying to do by going so far for another student.

    ¡°I knew you¡¯d be unsatisfied, so take a look at this real quick while we still have a couple minutes left.¡± Katie said while pulling a few diagrams of arrays out for her father to consider.

    ¡°It¡¯s just like our puzzles¡­¡± Carter laughed while retrieving the worksheet from his daughter. Quickly however the reminiscence departed as he became entranced in the strangely formed arrays that, in his mind, should not even be possible.

    The first was rectangular and clearly ended with unfinished capillaries, the longer Carter considered it the more that dawned on him, it must have been the tiered array designed for the lenses Katie had mentioned. Wrapped around a silver tube the arcs would align, completing the flow, but this only drew more concerns to Carter.

    With no constriction, it wasn¡¯t possible to force an effect, it¡¯s a fundamental rule of array design. There must always exist a smaller shape, which acts as a constrictor allowing an effect to take place.

    That¡¯s when Carter spotted the designs drawn beneath the first one, he¡¯d thought it was simply a variation, but this had to be the inner-surface array that acted as a three-dimensional constrictor.

    ¡°Incredible,¡± Carter grunted in amazement as he flipped to the next blueprint which explained basics of ¡®array skewing¡¯. There was no way to describe it other than an entire new level of array design. It didn¡¯t simply build on the fundamentals that Carter had set as the basics of three-dimensional arrays, it shattered them in exchange for a far better solution.

    ¡°You have no idea¡­¡± Katie laughed with a hint of sympathy.

 Chapter 10 - The End of the Hall

    More than half of the prospectors had now passed through the entire hall and their minds were searing with a mixture of headache and anticipation. Every time a new figure would emerge from out the hallway to the wide courtyard, the discussions would begin again as they quietly compared the graduates in order to gauge their competitors interests.

    ¡°Getting almost any of them would be a huge cultural victory.¡± Master Tashi murmured to a small group he¡¯d gathered with. ¡°There¡¯s no doubt this will lead to an ¡®Academy Wave¡¯, at that point the value of each of them will soar, for lack of a better term.¡±

    A few chuckles came from around him as they all recalled the third to final room.

    ¡°It goes without saying, Rafael is coming to build a new industry at the heart of Fint¡¯s Pointers.¡± Chaz boasted hopefully with a hand to his chest. ¡°There¡¯s no better place for him, don¡¯t you all agree?¡±

    ¡°While I kinda hate to, It probably is best I back down on that one.¡± Juan Rizel, who¡¯d been the first into the courtyard agreed halfheartedly. Although it¡¯d be a great addition for SikSik, it isn¡¯t a reasonable investment just to bring in a few new menu items.

    Clearly, he¡¯d not fully grasped the extent of the man¡¯s wand-making capabilities, and thought it merely ended at cupcakes.

    ¡°Okay, but who was that last idiot supposed to be?¡± The man who¡¯d followed behind Chaz asked, missing the point of the demo completely despite an entire fifteen minutes spent looking at it.

    ¡°Aa¡ª¡± Tashi began with an uncertain expression.

    ¡°That¡­¡± Chaz spoke, with similarly little to add.

    ¡°The dud?¡± Juan chuckled with a shake of his head. ¡°There¡¯s always gotta be one.¡±

    None of the small group had been able to make sense of the simple sculpture left sitting plainly on the table centered in the final student¡¯s room. Juan had thought he was just crazy when he¡¯d left the room, so hearing the others making similar remarks made them all feel slightly more comfortable.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, did the final Prospector show up once I went inside?¡± Chaz asked, remembering the missing figure from the small group. The ancient monarch had always been present at the graduation ceremony for as long as any of the group could remember. Even Master Tashi, who¡¯d been attending the event since the mid 80¡¯s had never recalled the legendary Avalonian Monarch failing to attend the event.

    ¡°The fourth prince arrived via the port-gate a few minutes after you went inside.¡± The man who¡¯d been fifth in the line filled in for Chaz, similarly curious about the unexpected change.

    No one but the monarch and his entourage had ever been allowed passage to Isla Lantis via the port-gate, so how had a fourth prince been permitted usage. It struck all the men as odd but gossiping about it aloud would likely only cause trouble so they held their tongues until they could find out more information once they¡¯d left the Island after the Graduation Ceremony the following day.

    As a bell rung, and another new figure joined the courtyard to discuss the massive potential; again, the eighth room was occupied by another clueless prospector.

    On the table centered in the room, a handful of feet away from where a messy headed lanky student stood, sat a simple-looking device made from a handful of components.

    Resting on the table, two short L shaped brackets rose to secure a small copper tube with a dark line bisecting the entire contraption.

    In front of the pile of scrap metal, a short five-inch-long pencil was left carelessly.

    The student didn¡¯t say much, he responded to the questions he needed to, but he refused to speak a single word about what sat on the table.

    Unless the Prospector was willing to accept his condition, but who would?

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you exactly how it works if you agree to become my partner.¡± The student again explained after another Prospector laughed his way out of the room a few moments prior.

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    ¡°Greedy, aren¡¯t we?¡± Yan Zi huffed with a chuckle. ¡°Most would hesitate to ask for even half the profits, yet you want half the sky?¡±

    ¡°I am a good judge of value.¡± The student shrugged with a quick glance to the simple demo unit that¡¯d gone over the heads of every single Prospector so far.

    ¡°As am I.¡± Yan Zi agreed, turning on his heels and walking out before the bell even struck once.

    Again the student could only sigh, he knew he was asking for a lot, but it was either this or he pretend it¡¯d never even existed. Unless he had the security he needed, he wouldn¡¯t reveal his hand.

    He¡¯d gotten used to waiting alone in the room after the first few left, but still the nerves inevitably grew, as more and more Prospectors came and went through the hall.

    ¡®They¡¯re nearly done¡¯, he thought to himself as he glanced up at the clock hanging above the door. Two more to go.

    ¡°Hello,¡± A man finally said after a few additional long minutes of waiting. ¡°My name is Carter Walsh, I¡¯m here representing W.C.A.F. as Chairman as well as the Bureau of Magical Usage and Ethics as Chief Inspector¡±

    ¡°Good afternoon,¡± The student said, growing a wide smile as his target finally landed in sight. ¡°My name is Victor Forsynth, and my specialty is thievery and black magics.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, technically I grew up working as the in-betweener for a couple of ¡®fences¡¯ but once I got older, I found a knack for the craft. I specialized in art forgery and ghost theft.¡±

    Enter and exit without even being known, commit the crime without the victim ever becoming aware. Ghost theft is often a phrase that makes the extremely wealthy shiver in their boots because there¡¯s practically no way of even knowing if you¡¯ve been hit until decades down the road when the forgery is detected, or the illusion is somehow disturbed.

    Carter knew the crime better than most as he¡¯d been on the front line of a number of notable cases of the crime.

    ¡°You know what the Bureau of Magical Usage and Ethics is responsible for, don¡¯t you?¡± Carter asked with narrowing eyes as he held his gaze with Victor.

    ¡°How could I not?¡± Victor asked with an almost shocked tone. ¡°But we aren¡¯t here to talk about the ¡®Hope Diamond¡¯ case; come take a look.¡±

    Again, Carter bit down on his lip almost hard enough to draw blood. This kid was clearly trying to rile him up, but Carter couldn¡¯t understand the purpose behind it.

    One thing he knew for sure of though was that this was the man Katie warned him about.

    Following Victor¡¯s motion, Carter was then put face-to-face with the same device that¡¯d left the others scratching at their scalps.

    ¡°What¡ª¡± Carter began to ask as he probed it with his mana as well as a few easy spells designed into his wand. He detected neither energy, nor any vibration from the device so he slowly began inspecting it visually.

    Victor again smiled as he watched the respected engineer inspecting his workmanship.

    ¡°May I?¡± Carter asked, motioning with his brow towards the pencil.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Victor assured him with another gesture. ¡°You can do whatever you want with it.¡±

    Carter nodded to the approval and slowly plucked the pencil from off the desk. It seemed normal, so clearly this wasn¡¯t the key he¡¯d been searching for.

    Holding it loosely in between two of his fingers, Carter considered for a moment, glancing between the implement and the device left sat on the table.

    Finally after a few long moments of consideration, an idea clicked into Carter¡¯s head, and he gingerly slid the point of the pencil into the open end of the copper pipe sat above the set of short legs.

    Immediately Victor grinned as the second person realized a piece of the riddle. He was hopeful in his heart that Carter would notice the next part, but he was anything but confident.

    After pressing it slowly and watching the pointed end eventually appear from out the other side, Carter stopped, mumbling a few words quietly as no noticeable result came from his actions.

    With the pencil now half-way through the tunnel, Carter paused as he considered how next to go about interpreting the demonstration. A feeling pestered him as he looked down at the dull point of the yellow pencil. Stepping forward again to grab the pencil and try a different technique, Carter bumped the table subtly and watched as a strange thing happened right before his eyes.

    Although the tube and stands moved as he nudged the unsteady table, the pencil stayed strangely still as if both side were securely locked within the halves of the tube.

    Thoughts aligned instantly, and Victor needn¡¯t even give a nod as Carter reached down and grabbed one of the segments of the copper pipe.

    Just as he¡¯d predicted, the section easily slide away from its partner, creating a gap of several feet between the two short segments of piping.

    Still however, the pencil didn¡¯t budge, with the point sticking out safely from the right-side, while the eraser sat feet away still nestled on the left-side.

    Stepping a bit closer, Victor flicked the eraser and sent it rocketing out the other side of the device, smiling brightly as he did.

    ¡°This¡­¡± Carter began, looking between the pencil rolling on the floor and the huge gap it¡¯d clearly just passed within a manner of moments.

    ¡°It¡¯s the future of transport.¡± Victor answered for him with a nod. ¡°And all it costs is fifty percent.¡±

    The offer was almost too good to be true, Carter thought to himself as his eyes widened the more he considered the possibilities this enabled.

    ¡°Fifty percent, as in, everything.¡± Victor reiterated in case it hadn¡¯t been fully clear. ¡°So yeah, unless you agree to hand over half of all your assets and bring me in as a legal partner in all future business dealings, I¡¯ll destroy my research, and silence everyone who knows about it.¡±

 Chapter 11 - Graduation

    ¡°Gwendolyn Ashcroft.¡± A disembodied voice announced, eliciting a large crowd of cheers from the now much larger assembly of people who¡¯d been allowed entry to the ceremony.

    The morning air was still chilly on the small island yet still the crowd was heated.

    It¡¯s never known how the information leaks out, but inevitably it always did and the announcement that a real Academy wave was coming riled the populace the moment the story hit the news outlets.

    Last minute flights were arranged by even the most hopeless business owners, as they all vied for the strength associated with a name from the graduation class capable of eliciting a wave.

    The term is often associated to a graduating class that has a distinctly significant discovery or event related to their graduation. Something significant enough that the economy of the world often shifts in one way or another. Perhaps in the form of a powerful person appearing from a formerly powerless place, suddenly swaying the strength of a territory and overhauling it into a mighty giant.

    Or maybe it could come in the form of an invention, like the terminal, which in the span of a few years outsold the personal computer ten-to-one. In that case it¡¯d been two graduates who¡¯d been responsible, but it was referred to as a mighty wave nonetheless.

    ¡°The Eagle.¡± The voice continued, eliciting again a huge eruption of applause as the broad shouldered man stepped across the stage and accepted the paper from where it fed out a short stone obelisk that centered the stage.

    In truth, the term they were using was actually incorrect if you look further back in history to where the phrase originates.

    What they were describing, where a single incredible student outshines the rest, is actually an event known as an Academy Eruption. Notable ones included Socrates, Both Helen of Troy, and Theseus¡ªThose two were nothing but trouble from day one if you asked the headmaster¡ª and of course Steve Wozniak.

    An Academy wave, on the other hand, was actually the slightly rarer alternative, where all of the students are spectacular geniuses in their fields and the world trembles from their sudden arrival. For examples of that, its easiest to actually look at the more distained graduates, ripped from the pages of the history books.

    You take in one failed art-school dropout and suddenly everyone¡¯s saying ¡®you created a monster¡¯. But It¡¯s hard to know what the result of the Academy years will look like until it¡¯s far too late.

    His same graduating class included Arch-magus Curie, and even Charles Chaplin. So clearly it hadn¡¯t all been rotten eggs that year.

    But anyways, it¡¯s much different. And it¡¯s not the only definition lost to history, there¡¯s one other term that¡¯s often forgotten or misprinted.

    ¡°Victor Forsynth.¡± The voice again announced, this time eliciting only the required curtesy applause from amongst the crowd.

    The other missing term is an ¡®Academy Crash¡¯, it¡¯s an oddly difficult to translate term. In a sense, an Academy Crash is much like the mixture between the two, the graduates are each spectacular, but their acceleration doesn¡¯t truly stem from their own effort, but instead it comes from somewhere else.

    There¡¯s a reason it¡¯s rare and it explains why the term is often forgotten.

    There are a few unwritten rules when attending the Academy. Your peers are your enemies, they are the goal you must surpass to be the best you can be. When there are only five to ten other students at a school known for producing the most influential people in the world, its obvious that you should see each other as steppingstones, so you can shine brighter at the end of the day.

    But there¡¯s also a reason it¡¯s an unwritten rule.

    Because its complete nonsense.

    ¡°Anastasia Kuznetsova.¡± The voice again interrupted, this time eliciting a few looks of confusion from a couple of the Prospectors as she nonchalantly wadded over to receive her diploma.

    She wasn¡¯t willing to leave it at that however so as she neared the Obelisk to retrieve the paper, her hand passed through it eerily.

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    Gasping, she looked down at her body and began patting it fearfully as she slowly grew transparent. The crowd, who still hadn¡¯t been briefed on their individual skills gasped in shock as they watched this poor young woman slowly fade out of existence.

    Tears and shouts of grief howled from most of the crowd while muted laughter rang from a few others.

    Again the voice repeated, as if she¡¯d not just clearly spontaneously disappeared from the stage. ¡°Anastasia Kuznetsova.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± She finally grunted leaning to her feet and again marching up to retrieve the paper.

    This time without trouble.

    ¡°Come on Boris.¡± She said, clicking a few times on her watch and quickly recreating the track-suit wearing man to walk in her shadow.

    ¡°You got it boss.¡± Boris quietly affirmed crossing his arms and eyeing up the crowd as he followed after the fiery red-head.

    ¡°Li Jun.¡± The voice spoke, swapping into the eastern format to accommodate the Qing and Yamatonian attendants.

    In a single step, Jun stepped across the stage, bowing to the obelisk twice he plucked his Diploma from the slot and then pulled a thin black sword from his waist. Stepping onto it he became a flash of light and, much to the dismay of many of the Prospectors, vanished across the horizon.

    ¡°Nakamura Haruto.¡± The voice continued, ignoring the ruckus Jun¡¯s departure had created.

    Clenching his fist with whitened knuckles, Haruto rose with a look of determination. He would restore his family¡¯s honor; this was only the beginning.

    Fire glowing in his eyes, Haruto marched across the stage and ripped the diploma from the slot. Holding it aloft, he returned his attention to the crowd and spoke in a loud voice.

    ¡°My name is Nakamura Haruto, my grandfather was Nakamura Akio,¡± Pulling out the short wakizashi, Haruto held it flat between his two hands perhaps as proof to the one or two here who might have wanted it. Eventually satisfied that everyone had enough time, Haruto returned the sword to its sheath at his waist and then replaced his glare towards the audience. ¡°Unless anyone else here can deliver me my family¡¯s redemption, than consider this a warning to those who¡¯d need it.¡±

    Having said what he¡¯d needed, and fearing that any moment now the voice might ruin his moment, Haruto swiftly jogged off the stage and ran towards a few familiar faces.

    ¡°Rafae¡ª¡±

    ¡°RAFFFEEEEEEE!!!!!¡± A chorus of thunderous cries cheered, overwhelming even the up-and-coming Avalonian star.

    As he rose with hardly noticeable blushing cheeks, he didn¡¯t even need to bother looking to see who had shouted at such volume.

    ¡°Siempre igual, estos hermanos¡­¡± Rafael laughed with a shake of his head. ¡®How¡¯d they even get here¡¯ he wondered to himself quietly as he went and plucked his diploma from the slot.

    After everyone else had made a show of it, Rafael felt a bit forced so to appease the curious crowd, he drew out a short wand and pointed it dangerously towards a few nearby sections of the crowd.

    There were a few subtle cries of panic but the most damage that ended up being inflicted was that a fine silk sun-dress had been stained with chocolate frosting.

    The owner didn¡¯t seem to be worried however as she was happily licking up the frosting from off her fingertips while clutching the smushed cupcake in her other hand.

    ¡°Why did everyone have to be extra?¡± Katie groaned, scavenging her mind for any sort of ideas.

    ¡°Kaitlyn Walsh.¡± The voice finally concluded as the last diploma slid out from the obelisk. Again the cheers were riotous, the Walsh family, while not an established magical pedigree by any stretch of the imagination, were one of the most well-known families in the world.

    The daughter of the famous Carter Walsh, what miracles would she bring with her everyone wondered with baited breath as she calmly walked across the stage.

    ¡°Hufff¡­¡± She panted audibly as she pulled the diploma from where it leaned. ¡°What do you expect me to do?¡±

    She asked quietly, so most people only saw her mouth move, but eventually she seemed to relent in some way and plucked a scarf from out a pouch hidden inside her graduation gown.

    Unfurling it, it looked like little more than a plain handkerchief, but as she gripped each corner between her pinched fingers, it quickly swelled like a cloth balloon.

    Holding on carefully, Katie¡¯s arm strained as she pumped a final jolt of mana into the complex three-dimensional array she¡¯d formed between her pinched fingers.

    Glancing through the crowd at where she knew her father was seated she smiled as she finally felt the resistance of the array stabilize as it completely filled.

    ¡®Say dad, I wonder if your curious what a real three-dimensional array looks like when destabilized intentionally.¡¯

    Releasing her fingers on the cloth, the orb of air tried to shoot upwards, carrying the cloth with it, but the instant her fingers stopped bridging the gap, a completely separate array formed inside the cloth, reversing the force partially.

    Again it jittered as the mana reversed directions, shooting the cloth higher, only to again hammer downwards a half second later.

    This continued five or six times until it finally ran dry of mana when it was around seventy feet in the air.

    ¡°Please work¡­¡± Katie muttered quietly as she watched the cloth start to fall the moment it ran out of juice.

    Miraculously after a short second of praying, the cloth erupted into a faint blue-green flame.

    Sighing in relief as the crowd muttered in disappointment Katie happily continued off the stage, glad to finally be done with this ordeal.

    The saddened crowd should be counting their blessings, catching that cloth wouldn¡¯t have been the good luck they think it would be. The threading used to embroider the various arrays into that small handkerchief are all made from pure silver, and after retaining that amount of mana, its no question that it¡¯d be searing hot.

    Again, it was thanks to that annoying know-it all for solving the issue.

 Chapter 12 - Post-graduate whirlwind

    ¡°I¡¯m with Hephum¡¯s Alchemical¡¯s¡­¡± A voice pleaded amongst the crowd lining the gates beyond the Academy grounds.

    ¡°¡ªFour thousand a month, for life. We Just want a few photo¡¯s a year scheduled whenever is most convenient.¡± Another begged while Anastasia continued past without a glance.

    ¡°Oy, you bumped me.¡± Boris suddenly accused after one of the more incessant voices accidentally stepped through the hologram without noticing.

    ¡°Oh¡­ I¡­ Did I?¡± The man gawked with sudden panic as the hologram suddenly created a vodka bottle from thin air. Swigging the remnants, Boris smashed the bottle on the pavement and raised up a hand clutching the sharp jagged neck.

    ¡°H¡­hey¡­I don¡¯t want any trouble.¡± The man quickly retreated with arms raised, glancing around for assistance.

    Barely stopping to laugh, Anastasia continued making her way past the crowd, clearly searching for a face in particular.

    ¡°Anatashia!¡± Rafael shouted abruptly, cutting into his own conversation as he spotted the classmate between the heads that¡¯d surrounded him.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± She began before giving up uncharacteristically. ¡°Whatever it¡¯s too late now.¡±

    ¡°Anatashia! This is my family, here.¡± Rafael motioned, dragging the woman over forcefully as the group he¡¯d abandoned glanced over curiously.

    Finally escorting her through another half-dozen obnoxiously persistent offers, Rafael pushed her towards the center of his family.

    ¡°Mi Madre,¡± Rafael explained, listing his relation one by one as he pointed between the people. All of course, entirely in Spanish, but Ana could piece it together with some context clues.

    ¡°I thought you said your family wouldn¡¯t come?¡± Ana asked after forgetting most the names Rafael had introduced to her.

    ¡°It¡¯s surprise to me.¡± Rafael nodded with a deeply moved expression. ¡°But Mister Fint, he is generous.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I just did what I could.¡± Chaz laughed innocently while rubbing his scalp. ¡°It¡¯s an important event, and a family should be together, what¡¯s a few plane tickets worth compared to a reunion like this, right?¡±

    ¡°?S¨ª!¡± The small crowd roared around him while mostly only catching a bit of what he¡¯d said through the language barrier.

    ¡°Anyways though, I¡¯m looking for¡ª¡± Ana began to explain only for Rafael to immediately understand.

    ¡°He was out way before us so he¡¯s probably already near the port,¡±

    ¡°Thanks!¡± Ana responded, only hesitating after she¡¯d made a couple of steps away. Twisting her face uncomfortably, Ana quickly turned back and wrapped Rafael in an unexpected, but extremely tight hug. ¡°Seriously. Thank you for everything.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll make me cry,¡± Rafael said tenderly without his usual over-acting. ¡°It was an unforgettable time, with unforgettable friends.¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Ana nodded into the side of his broad chest. Turning away quickly to hide her face from his view, Ana spoke again over her shoulder. ¡°I expect Blini next we meet, yeah?¡±

    ¡°And vodka. You make wand that make vodka,¡± Boris added with narrowed eyes.

    ¡°Keep her safe, Boris.¡± Rafael reminded with a narrowed glare of his own.

    ¡°Ah, who¡¯re¡¯ya my mom?¡± Boris grumbled with a wave of his hand.

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    ¡°Hate that guy¡­¡± Rafael muttered under his breath before returning his attention to his family.

    ???

    ¡°Look even if your project ended up a dud, that doesn¡¯t mean you squandered your whole opportunity.¡± The prospector sixth in line was glad to have caught up with one of the few affordable graduates of the bunch, if he could get him for a good price it would be easy to fill the mans schedule with talk-show slots and promotional work.

    There¡¯s no failures out of the Academy, only fools who can¡¯t figure out how to cash-in on their title.

    Unfortunately, what the shrewd man failed to realize was that Victor wasn¡¯t cheap, in fact he¡¯d demanded the highest of any student, perhaps in all history. And beside that, his project had never been a dud, just the opposite actually. What had been ¡®dud¡¯s¡¯ to Victor was the Prospectors themselves.

    And he wasn¡¯t entirely alone in that feeling.

    ¡°You were one hundred percent right dude.¡± The Eagle said, unaware he was interrupting the one-sided conversation. ¡°Ohh.. sorry. I can come back later.¡±

    ¡°Nah, its fine, so can he.¡± Victor responded, glancing over to the Prospector who¡¯d approached completely unprompted.

    ¡°A¡­Yesh.¡± The prospector nodded, biting his tongue as he fell under the dangerous glare of The Eagle¡¯s human form.

    ¡°You were saying?¡± Victor asked once the unwelcomed guest had scurried away.

    ¡°You were right, none of them listened.¡± The Eagle explained, briefly summarizing the assortment of responses he¡¯d gotten during his round of demos. ¡°The monk, and the last three were close. But they failed to reach my goal. So¡­ If you are serious about¡­¡±

    ¡°Well let¡¯s hold off a sec,¡± Victor said with a raised hand. ¡°At this point I¡¯m still just a Graduate with a ¡®dud project¡¯ so be patient a few days until the loose ends are tied up.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡± The Eagle responded with a stoic nod. ¡°Then until the ends are tied, you know how to reach me.¡±

    ¡°Fly safe,¡± Victor waved with a nod.

    A small crowd that¡¯d followed after The Eagle gasped in awe as they watched the man loosen his trousers before leaping into the air with wide open wings.

    ¡°Dumbass¡­¡± Victor groaned as he leaned over to collect the man¡¯s left-over clothes and cellphone.

    The moment he righted himself a flash again appeared and the phone was cleanly plucked from out his right hand with sharp talons.

    ¡°Almost lost a finger¡­¡± Victor again muttered shaking his head as the clothes held in his hand disappeared with a flick of his wrist.

    ¡°Why¡¯d you have to run off?¡± Another voice mixed into the curious crowd who¡¯d begun spinning quiet rumors amongst themselves after overhearing parts of the conversation.

    ¡°You know I hate crowds.¡± Victor shrugged without glancing over to the pair of new arrivals. ¡°And besides, I shouldn¡¯t push my luck with the headmaster any more than I already have. I¡¯m sure he wants me off the island as soon as possible.¡±

    Again the rumors mill spun faster, especially with the arrival of the pair.

    ¡°Well, how¡¯s my offer?¡± Victor asked, glancing over to the man he¡¯d rested his life on.

    ¡°¡­¡± Carter didn¡¯t speak immediately, despite knowing he¡¯d been the intended recipient to the question.

    ¡°A dud¡¯s a dud kid.¡± Juan Rizal, who¡¯d caught the conversation in passing joked with a shake of his head.

    ¡°Who dare¡¯s call boss-boss a dud!?¡± A thick accented voice asked as the sound a shattering glass came from a few dozen feet away from the small group of onlookers.

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame you couldn¡¯t have more time to learn the strength of this body granted to you by Li-Shifu¡± Another spoke in an almost whisper from behind the back of Juan¡¯s head. ¡°Speaking Ill of Master is equal to death.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine Haruto, relax.¡± Victor placated with a wave of his hand. ¡°You too Boris, these poor groundskeepers are going to be cleaning up holographic shards of glass for the next month.¡±

    ¡°Haruto¡¯s right, Vincenzo,¡± Another infuriated voice shouted while his flock of family members raced after his steps. ¡°Blind idiots who don¡¯t know a thing about anything!¡±

    ¡°Present company, hopefully excluded. Hah¡­¡± Chaz awkwardly stammered with shortened breath from the brisk pace.

    ¡°Eee¡­¡± Rafael said uncertainly, glancing at Victor to see his reaction. ¡°Ah, Mister Fint, our bet, you remember.¡±

    ¡°Ye¡­ yeah.¡± Chaz stuttered inadvertently as he recalled the outrageous offer.

    ¡°And?¡± Rafael asked curiously.

    ¡°I admit, I couldn¡¯t see it.¡± Chaz admitted with a nod, understanding Rafael at least well enough to know he¡¯d appreciate the honesty rather than attempting to say what he wanted to hear.

    ¡°I know.¡± Rafael nodded, patting the man¡¯s shoulder reassuringly before turning back to the crowd. ¡°Since they won¡¯t, I¡¯ll tell you. Every one of us stole our development from Victor, without him, we would have nothing! You understand that!?¡±

    Carter¡¯s face grew white as he heard the huge accusation and he immediately looked to his daughter to silently confirm the man¡¯s claim.

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Katie nodded quietly at her dad glance.

    ¡°I see.¡± Carter sighed, taking a heavy breath before stepping around his daughter to reach closer to the self-proclaimed thief. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll agree to your demands.¡±

    ¡°Good choice.¡± Victor agreed, extending a hand towards the man to shake.

    ¡°I hope so.¡± Carter said, gripping the extended hand with his own.

 Chapter 13 - The Confusing Meeting

    The stories that eventually came out regarding the highly anticipated graduation ceremony were a hazy mix of details. Some claimed that Gwen, who¡¯d officially become the youngest ninth level mage in history, was the clear frontrunner of the class, while others mixed the details regarding Kaitlyn Walsh¡¯s discovery, to the hidden dark-horse who¡¯d somehow concealed his abilities and then blackmailed Carter into marrying himself into the family fortune.

    Like I said, they were a hazy mix of details.

    Obviously Rafael¡¯s outburst was being quoted all across the world, often becoming the header for any article related to the event. He¡¯d only become a bit embarrassed once he saw the photograph they linked to the quote at a newsstand in his village, but in a way he was still glad he¡¯d said it.

    He was right, while perhaps filled with guilt, none of the others were willing to admit just how pivotal Victor had been to their growth. They felt that by saying it aloud, it would somehow trivialize their own part. Because if Victor had had a hand in it, well then of course it worked.

    But Rafael was different, perhaps because his part in their exchange was so clear-cut, he would scream till the ends of the earth the importance of Victor¡¯s contributions.

    Every interview he accepted, every call he got, he never once neglected heralding Victor¡¯s name.

    Which made things slightly awkward for some of the other graduates, but in his opinion, they deserved it if they weren¡¯t willing to do the same.

    ¡°The rumors of his involvement have been greatly exaggerated.¡± Gwen had been forced to answer during her first interview. ¡°While Victor is certainly an incredible magician and one-of-a-kind Magikan engineer¡­¡±

    ¡°Right, your classmate Anastasia Kuznetsova spoke similarly regarding his engineering skills. Could you expand upon what exactly his specialization is or¡­¡±

    *CLICK*

    ¡°You see what I mean?¡± Carter probed, returning his gaze to the young man who sat opposite him. ¡°The faster we are able to move in revealing¡­¡±

    ¡°Mr. Walsh,¡± Victor interrupted raising two fingers in order to not hear the same sentence for the hundredth time. ¡°I¡¯ve said it a dozen times, until our relationship is legally binding I can¡¯t say a single word about the portals.¡±

    ¡°And I heard you everytime,¡± Carter sighed, pulling open a lower drawer on his desk, ¡°But these things take time.¡±

    Dropping a tall stack of papers on the table, Carter pushed is smoothly over for Victor to see.

    ¡°My side is signed. You can have a lawyer look over it if you need.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡± Victor nodded, lifting the stack and tucking it under his arm. ¡°Well should I get started then? Or do you have other business?¡±

    ¡°Ex¡­¡± Carter began, curiously tilting his head before the question clicked in his head. ¡°I have time, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Alright, cool.¡± Victor said, pulling a small scrap of tubing from his jacket pocket. ¡°Take a look.¡±

    ¡°This is¡­¡± Carter began to ask, before remembering with a jolt. ¡°It¡¯s been deactivated I assume?¡±

    ¡°Course,¡± Victor affirmed, ¡°A couple things I should warn you of first though.¡±

    ¡°Go on,¡±

    ¡°Yep,¡± Victor bobbled carelessly, ¡°So, making that prototype required me to break three taboos.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Carter didn¡¯t speak for a while after the handful of simple words fell from Victor¡¯s mouth. ¡°You do realize what you¡¯ve just admitted to, correct?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡± Victor agreed without too much visible concern. ¡°I guess technically speaking it was two taboos and one big no-no. Anyways, that all aside, what¡¯d you think of the design?¡±

    ¡°No¡­ no, no.¡± Carter said, shaking his head as he set the ring back onto his desk, his expression slowly shifted to one he typically saved for his other work. ¡°I am honor bound to pursue any crimes that have been confessed to me. If¡­¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t.¡± Victor denied, partially motioning to the stack of papers beneath his arm. ¡°And not just because it¡¯d destroy your business. Right now you don¡¯t really give a shit about the taboos or law, you just wanna know how it works. Right now, you aren¡¯t thinking about what type of punishment I¡¯ll be receiving, you¡¯re thinking about the crime, what I possibly did to create the impossible; To create a magic on the same level as Da-Vinci himself.¡±

    Carter nearly spit-up blood as his face slowly morphed to a third shape that was used neither in business nor law.

    A different laugh rang from across the mahogany, to match the different man that finally sat there.

    The one who¡¯d been waiting to get out the moment Carter had lowered his hand in the expo room.

    ¡°What did you do?¡± Carter asked with no more ego in his voice, in no way powerless, but only now speaking man to man.

    ¡°Well, to start, how much do you know about Void magic?¡± Victor queried, reaching a hand to the desk to retrieve the scrap of metal Carter had released.

    As Carter began his answer, Victor was pulling on a piece of metal shoved deep inside the copper tube.

    ¡°Void magic is one of the most dangerous forms of magic in existence,¡± Carter said, while watching across the desk carefully.

    ¡°Alright, so far so good. It¡¯s also a great tool for a thief¡¯s repertoire. Evidence, mana traces, it¡¯s rather good for clean-up.¡± Victor grinned, finally pulling a short blue band of metal from inside the copper shielding. ¡°Did you know void magic is also one of the most stable ¡®field¡¯ magic¡¯s?¡±

    Carter surprised Victor by nodding to the question.

    ¡°We use a few void fields in the bureau for handling dangerous artifacts.¡± Carter explained, in reference to the large destructive field the Bureau had installed deep underneath their Philadelphia headquarters.

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    ¡°Oh, I actually didn¡¯t know that. So, you all dabble in taboos too.¡± Victor shrugged with a clear bit of surprise on his face. ¡°That makes things easier though since you understand, go ahead and try it.¡±

    Returning the ring to the table without it¡¯s copper shield, Carter finally got a clear look at the hidden structure powering the device.

    ¡°Mithril¡­¡± Carter muttered under his breath as he plucked the ring from off the table.

    ¡°Ah yeah¡­¡± Victor agreed awkwardly, ¡°We¡¯ll get to that later. For now, try casting a field spell, any type works doesn¡¯t have to be void, just something centered on this, with the outer edge as it¡¯s conductive field constraint.¡±

    Carter heard the words, but he¡¯d grown curious about a twin sets of arrays that were carefully imprinted on both the inside and outside of the small thumb-sized ring.

    The outer array looked normal, but the inner one was clearly broken, as it was missing the hugely important root structure.

    ¡°Field¡­¡± Victor reiterated waving a finger in the direction of the artifact.

    ¡°Right, right¡­¡± Carter nodded, peeling his thoughts from the set of complex arrays and back to Victor¡¯s explanation.

    Pulling a simple wand from out a mug resting at his desk, Carter considered for a moment before finally deciding on a usable spell.

    Tapping the wand in a few easy strokes, a variation of a water field began to swirl in the center of the small ring held between Carters fingers.

    More than a half dozen thoughts flooded Carter¡¯s mind as he watched the simple magic take hold in the ring.

    The first thing that happened was the array¡¯s inked onto the ring started glowing the moment Carter¡¯s field made contact. It was as-if the inner array wasn¡¯t actually incomplete, instead it was merely waiting for a field to act as its root-shape.

    Carter hadn¡¯t even thought it possible to interconnect an array with a field spell. He¡¯d never needed to even consider it before, but as he clutched the ring filled with curiosity, another effect began to unveil as the churning field of magical water filled the array with sufficient power to begin displaying its purpose.

    Watching the ring carefully, Carter noticed the strange flow the mana began taking and cocked his head as he tried to determine the reaction forming.

    His jaw fell as small loose crumbs of mithril began dusting his desk beneath the ring. His concentration broke as the words appeared into his mind abruptly. The mana swirling inside the ring faltered and vanished with a light ¡®pop¡¯, but Carter had completely ignored the backlash, instead burning his eyes into the man seated across from him.

    ¡°What do you think happens if you use a clone spell on a lit candle?¡± Victor patiently asked, seemingly ignoring the questions in Carter¡¯s head.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Or better yet, what would happened if you cloned a stabilized Void field.¡± Victor corrected, looping his thumb and index fingers into a pair of circles. Aligning them and glancing through, like some sort of monocle. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the two fields overlap? Afterall, we all know the void is an actual place, right? So, imagine if two fields were linked using the void as a middle-layer.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re serious?¡± Carter asked, finally with a clear picture of Victor¡¯s explanation. In his head, it made sense but he had trouble believe that it was really that simple. ¡°Tell me if I have this right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Victor nodded patiently.

    ¡°So, you form a void field using the ring as the constraints,¡±

    ¡°Mhm¡­¡±

    ¡°The void field, activates the inner array which is¡­¡±

    ¡°Yep, the clone spell. Big bad taboo, number two.¡±

    ¡°However¡­¡± Carter continued, holding up a few of the mithril crumbs that¡¯d been created during his exploration a moment earlier. ¡°You¡¯re saying the field will be cloned with it?¡±

    ¡°It does.¡± Victor nodded, reaching out to take the ring back for Carter to see. ¡°Watch.¡±

    Without even pulling a wand, Victor flicked his finger towards the ring and a pale grey storm began whirling in a flat disk inside the mithril. Widening slowly, the array lit-up as Victor¡¯s mana filled it to its bursting point.

    ¡°Taa daa.¡± He announced after another ring fell from the air plainly a handful of seconds later.

    Sure enough, at the center of the ring that landed on Carter¡¯s desk, a mirror-like storm spiraled to match the one left between Victor¡¯s fingers.

    ¡°Active effects can be cloned pretty easily.¡± Victor explained with a shrug. ¡°And in the case of void fields, the cloning process causes their effect to change. Think of it like two overlapping doors the lead to the void.¡±

    ¡°Incre¡­¡± Carter began, reaching over to try to portal that¡¯d fallen onto his desk so simply.

    ¡°Ah. Don¡¯t put your finger in.¡± Victor quickly said leaning forward to block the man from a mistake he¡¯d likely prefer not to make. ¡°It¡¯s good that¡¯s all believable though.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Carter asked blankly glancing between the ring and Victor across from him. Before his question could be answered however, another small detail drew his attention back towards the narrow mithril ring.

    Both sides had been painted with a thick layer of liquid vellum, but through the outer layer, Carter noticed a familiar, if not a bit skewed, imprint.

    ¡°Is that an Avalonian¡­¡± Carter began to ask with a narrowed brow as he looked at the easily recognizable royal filigree that showed through from under the dried white paste where the array was imprinted.

    ¡°Here¡­¡± Victor laughed, waving his palm above the circlet, and causing a sharp pop to ring out from each of them. Sliding it across the desk, Victor again encouraged him to inspect the handywork. ¡°Wipe off the vellum. You¡¯ll see where my budget went.¡±

    He didn¡¯t even need to at that point, but still he had to confirm it, just for his own sake. Touching the ring carefully at first, in fear it might be warm, Carter took a deep breath and rubbed the material and array from off the surface of the Magika substrate. His exact assumption was proven true. Directly under his thumb, sat a large portion of the Avalonian Kings imprinted face. He¡¯d used his budget as a substrate and in doing so, ¡°I think it¡¯s considered more than a ¡®big no-no¡¯ to deface, or duplicate an Avalonian Royal Coin¡­¡±

    ¡°I had no choice, the value that has as mithril is more than its monetary worth.¡± Victor shrugged as if he¡¯d been given no other option but break the most stringent law of the magical world. ¡°Ended up being a great learning experience. You can ask Katie.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re pure evil.¡± Carter muttered, struggling to understand the thought process of the man but failing.

    ¡°That¡¯s harsh,¡± Victor frowned, ¡°Anyways, the coins aren¡¯t needed for the final implementation we can build a better version if I¡¯m able to source orichalcum or storm-silver.¡±

    If Avalon knew that there were not one, but two people who knew of a way to disrupt the protective wards on their highest valued unit of currency, there would be no end to their searching.

    And as Carter considered the relationship that seemed to exist between the strange new set of graduates, the realization that likely more than two were aware horrified him even further.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look so down.¡± Victor gingerly said with no clue of the fears growing in his partners mind. ¡°Or are you thinking of back down?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Carter shouted unintentionally with a lowered fist. ¡°This could change the face of the earth; we can¡¯t allow ancient fears to stop us from creating something that betters the world.  I¡¯ll figure something out with the Bureau.¡±

    ¡°I like that attitude.¡± Victor nodded, pulling the stack of papers back from under his arm. ¡°Now, you can take this back.¡±

    Dropping the stack of outrageous demands back on the table, Victor felt like a huge relief had been finally taken from off his back.

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t understand. Did I say something wrong or¡­?¡± Carter asked, unsure how to take the sudden reversal he hadn¡¯t expected to come at what he¡¯d thought was the last minute.

    ¡°No,¡± Victor said, shaking his head, ¡°I just don¡¯t want the stress of running half of all your stuff, and now we can start discussing the real agreement. See, I always prefer starting on equal ground.¡±

    Carter was shocked but he couldn¡¯t help feeling even more impressed by the man. Of course, he knew if they played their cards right, half of his current wealth would likely be a drop in the bucket compared to what could be generated with the proper monetization of the portals.

    As the more typical deal was settled between the two with profits being based on investments initially until a break-even point was reached at which time it¡¯d be split sixty-forty.

    After the fairly painless agreement was made, Victor spoke one more warning before rising to leave.

    ¡°This won¡¯t be easy, and we will probably become targets. If the truth of how the portals work is revealed, the world will never look the same.¡±

    Carter shuttered at the warning, but he couldn¡¯t understand why Victor felt it was so dangerous.

    ¡°I have backup plans; I hope you do too.¡±

 Chapter 14 - Two for the Price of Two

    ¡°The rumors of his involvement have been greatly exaggerated.¡± Gwen¡¯s face repeated from the television screen before the display again cut prior to her answer finishing.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get what you see in her.¡± Katie Walsh interpreted while setting down the remote on the corner of her desk as it began repeating a segment she¡¯d grown bored of before it even went live.

    ¡°Ah she¡¯s cute, and besides I prefer she take some of the heat off.¡± Victor laughed without looking up from a wide sheet of paper where he was redesigning the clone array used for his prototype.

    ¡°I suppose I¡¯m no better,¡± Katie muttered stretching out her arms before eventually returning to the stack of papers that contained her current research project. ¡°But I can¡¯t exactly say a part of my breakthrough came from you asking me to deform the arrays hidden under the Avalonian Seal.¡±

    ¡°Probably best to just keep quiet on that one.¡± Victor agreed, pausing his pen as the crime was brought up abruptly. ¡°I take it you talked to Carter then?¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Katie nodded scratching a series of lines on one sheet before continuing them onto the paper beneath. ¡°Dad also said that you gave everything back. I didn¡¯t know that was part of the plan.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t important.¡± Victor shrugged, repeating a pattern near the end of the array chain before finally inspecting his work.

    ¡°And here I was all excited to invite you shopping tomorrow so you could spend all that new money.¡± Katie said, with a mischievous grin.

    ¡°I never pegged you as a window-shopper.¡± Victor returned, feeling the question¡¯s oddness when associated with the typically strait-laced bookworm.

    If coming from Anastasia or Rafael, it might have sounded a little more natural, but Katie wasn¡¯t the type to feel the heat of new money in a wallet.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Katie muttered quietly before finally setting her pen down and meeting Victor¡¯s cautious gaze. ¡°I signed onto that grey-network you were talking about while we were in school. And¡­ Well you know already, you were right, I found something I needed pretty much immediately. The problem is where it¡¯s being sold¡­¡±

    ¡°So, there¡¯s even underground auctions here in Philly?¡± Victor laughed, piecing together her story with the few neglected details irrelevant.

    ¡°It¡¯s not in Philly, we¡¯d have to go by Port-gate, all the way to Pacifica, San Diego to be exact.¡±

    ¡°Port-gate huh, have you used one before?¡± Victor asked, ignoring the destination once he¡¯d determined it.

    ¡°Have you not?¡± Katie sputtered in return with widened eyes. ¡°No, you must have.¡±

    ¡°I have, I was just asking.¡± Victor responded with a shake of his head. ¡°Alright it should be fine, it¡¯s somewhere I was meaning to go, and you¡¯re right it¡¯s not somewhere you could go on your own.¡±

    ¡°I could¡­¡± Katie reiterated defensively with a frown. ¡°I just thought you might see something you need too.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Victor agreed with a smirk. ¡°What time is the San Diego Port-Gate scheduled?¡±

    ¡°Ten-thirty, and the auction starts at five. Do you want my driver to pick you up from the hotel on our way?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll meet you at the gate.¡±

    Katie furrowed her brow, but didn¡¯t speak-out the internal complaints. Even after all this time she still felt that Victor was an endless stream of secrets. Though friends, she still hadn¡¯t even pierced his first layer of fa?ade.

    ¡¬?¡¬

    In the morning, Victor indeed fulfilled his end and was patiently sitting when Katie finally made her way through security and reached their assigned gate. She was quietly glad that she hadn¡¯t offered to pay for his ticket, because it was clear he was up to something.

    ¡°Did you wait long?¡± Katie asked, slipping into the seat flanking his as a crowd of tourists began appearing through another nearby gate.

    Shrugging, Victor glanced to his watch. ¡°Does it matter?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Katie returned, shaking her head in exasperation. ¡°Anyways after we get to San Diego we can have a taxi bring us to the Lloyd Library on Park Boulevard. There we can kill time until¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, we have a ride waiting. And don¡¯t forget we have to get through customs.¡±

    ¡°W¡ª¡± Katie began to complain before clenching her jaw forcefully and reigning herself in. She thought that maybe after they graduate she would finally be able to regain control, but even now she continued to helplessly spin in Victor¡¯s web whenever nearby him.

    Although he was right about one thing, the customs process had completely slipped Katie¡¯s mind as she planned the excursion. The entire trip itself had been so abruptly decided that she¡¯d barely had time to fully consider what she was doing.

    Still, she knew she needed that book.

    The wait, while feeling longer due to the refreshing Cinnabon scent wafting towards their gate, eventually came to an end as the Port-Gate was reoriented to target San Diego. One by one the passengers stepped up onto the large round Magic device while below them a fleet of workmen were loading luggage and the other packages headed into Pacifica.

    After another five or ten minutes, the device was activated and everyone aboard was instantly transported to their targeted gate.

    Unloading quickly, the group were ushered towards a walled area where they were handed an assortment of documentation to fill-out.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go first.¡± Katie quipped with a smirk. She was excited to show-off how easily her passport made things. As the daughter of a high-ranking government official, it was normal for someone like her to be granted a low-restriction passport.

    But much to her chagrin, Victor quickly put a stop to her steps by planting his hand tightly on her wrist. ¡°What do you mean, first? We¡¯re husband and wife, of course we¡¯ll go up together.¡±

    ¡°Husb¡ª¡± Katie began to shout in shock, but a smooth motion of Victor¡¯s hand again silenced her.

    Without releasing his tight grip from Katie¡¯s arm, he produced a pair of passports in matching state and surname.

    Stepping up closer to Katie, he quietly spoke in a whisper beside her ear. ¡°Think of what a country might do, if suddenly two new Academy graduates were logged entering their land. You and I are lucky our faces aren¡¯t well known yet, but that can change quickly.¡±

    Katie shivered slightly from the tone of Victor¡¯s whispered words but his reasoning wasn¡¯t flawed. Again, she kicked herself mentally for rushing the preparations of this trip.

    Retrieving the passport from Victor somewhat bitterly, Katie bit her tongue as she patiently played the part of wife while the two made their way towards the entry desks.

    Passing through easily, with the help of Victor¡¯s terrifying ability to lie with a completely straight-face, the pair traced their way out the large building to a nearby pick-up zone.

    Taxi¡¯s and Van¡¯s sat honking at each other impatiently but Victor ignored them all, continuing down the sidewalk with Katie in tow. As they eventually neared a clearing in the jam of traffic, a horrendously obnoxious sound ripped through the concrete tunnel as a mid-engine downshifted a few times needlessly.

    ¡°That¡¯d be us.¡± Victor murmured quietly as he stepped off the sidewalk to meet the rapidly approaching sports-car.

    ¡°Taxi would¡¯ve been fine too.¡± Katie sighed, lifting her back-pack from the ground and following after Victor to where he was shaking hands with the car¡¯s owner.

    ¡°Katie, this is Anton. He¡¯s rather good with handling curses and¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not at all what I do.¡± Anton interrupted with a shaking head. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you Mrs. Walsh. Obviously I¡¯ve heard nothing but great things.¡±

    ¡°A¡­ Uh¡­ Thanks.¡± Katie awkwardly stammered, shaking the man¡¯s outstretched hand as Victor placed her bag into the small frunk of the sports-car.

    Setting off at a blistering pace once they¡¯d all buckled up. Anton and Victor immediately began reminiscing through the normal obscure phrases.

    ¡°Remember the chicken thing down at¡­¡±

    ¡°Down at Timbo¡¯s? You know they shut that whole area down, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

    ¡°Remember the wall incident?¡±

    ¡°I try not to¡­¡±

    ¡°¡±Bahahahaha¡±¡±

    Of course Katie would have no possible way of deciphering the words, for all she knew they were speaking a completely different language.

    ¡°How do you two know each other?¡± Katie finally butted into a pause, growing impatient with the strange conversation happening completely above her head.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Anton grunted with a narrowed glance towards Victor. ¡°I suppose it is a bit of an odd pairing. The Professor and the thief, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Professor¡­¡± Katie said, suddenly landing on a longer name from amongst the short list stored in her head. ¡°Are you Doctor Anton Boule?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Anton, nodded. ¡°Where¡¯d you think we were going? Didn¡¯t you tell her Vic?¡±

    ¡°Surprises can be fun.¡± Victor shrugged, keeping his gaze outside the window.

    ¡°Heh¡­¡± Anton again grunted before glancing to meet Katie¡¯s curious eyes in the rearview mirror. ¡°We¡¯re heading to the staff library of the University of San Diego. The second most strictly guarded library in all of Pacifica.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ we¡­¡± Katie stammered uneasily with glowing eyes.

    ¡°I pulled some strings since Vic was being persistent.¡± Anton laughed, realizing he¡¯d discovered a new side to his long-time acquaintance. His personality goaded him to continue picking at the new discovery, but Victor¡¯s nearly imperceptible glare silenced any further teasing.

    ¡°Th¡­ Thanks.¡± Katie stammered again, unsure how to handle the unexpected kindness from Victor.

    Victor didn¡¯t answer, but from the driver¡¯s seat Anton spotted the blushing cheeks.

    ¡¬?¡¬

    A few hours later, despite Katie barely getting a taste of the knowledge locked within the colossal library, they reluctantly made their way over to the location listed for the auction online. Dr. Boule had other matters to attend so he¡¯d left his keys with Victor, but knowing the area, the two ended up parking it a few blocks away in a some-what safer neighborhood and walking the remaining distance.

    ¡°Nervous?¡± Victor asked, noticing the uneasy jitter of Katie¡¯s hands as they delved deeper into the decrepit inner-city.

    ¡°A little.¡± Katie honestly admitted, knowing she¡¯d be unable to fool his eyes.

    ¡°Just let me do the talking and we should be okay.¡± Victor said, landing his gaze on the rusted steel warehouse they were searching for. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Katie nodded, grabbing the hand he left outstretched behind him as he made his way towards the hidden auction-site.

    Immediately through the flimsy door, Victor and Katie were peppered with the glares of a half-dozen workers who appeared to be in the midst of an afternoon game of poker.

    ¡°Ah, did we get the¡­¡± Katie began to ask, thinking her directions had somehow become mixed up.

    Victor quickly shook his head to silence her and instead maintained the gazes burrowing into him. ¡°Would I win with an Ace and King?¡±

    Nodding to each other across the table, the men rose slowly and worked as a team to push the large round table aside so that another could pull open the hidden door beneath.

    ¡°Right this way.¡± The man who¡¯d opened the trapdoor kindly instructed, motioning the two down the steep stairway.

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    Again leading her by the hand, Victor thanked the men silently and followed the stairs down into the underground auction.

    ¡°How¡¯d you do that?¡± Katie quietly asked while tossing hesitant glances to the odd assortment of figures looming around the lobby of the auction house.

    ¡°Every gatehouse has a different code, but as long as you know the structure it¡¯s pretty easy to figure it out.¡± Victor explained roughly while similarly keeping an eye on the faces that gauged the pair silently.

    ¡°Is this your first time at my auction?¡± A large man wearing a thin white wife-beater and a series of thin gold chains around his neck asked spotting the two unfamiliar faces from a short distance away as they walked in.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Katie quickly piped before Victor could answer.

    ¡°Ah then¡­¡± The man began to grin but a few words from Victor quieted him.

    ¡°We haven¡¯t, but its familiar, cause I¡¯ve been hosted by Mr. Won on several occasions.¡±

    The San Diego House Manager nearly gnawed his tongue off when he heard the forbidden name spoken so brazenly. ¡°I¡¯m not sure who you mean¡­ Ah¡­ Jennifer, would you mind escorting these two to private box. If you¡¯ll both excuse me, I need to¡­ well¡­¡±

    Unwilling to speak the excuse in full, the Manager glanced to Victor hesitantly while a layer of sweat formed on his brow.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Jennifer, was it?¡± Victor said, turning his attention away from the man as he¡¯d hoped.

    Quickly the man jogged away to his corner office to make about a half-dozen calls.

    Left, mostly, in confusion by the sudden disappearance of the man, Victor, Katie and Jennifer exchanged a short round of introductions while the woman kindly led them towards a stairway.

    ¡°The first item will be brought out in approximately ten minutes.¡± Jennifer explained, glancing at a clock once they¡¯d reached the well adorned room that¡¯d been prepared for them.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Katie said with a bright smile as she curiously glanced around the small room overlooking the expansive auction-floor.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Jennifer nodded, handing off a small, numbered paddle to Victor. ¡°Bring this to the counter whenever you are ready to leave. Payments may be made with most major cryptos, or the Avalonian Pound.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Victor nodded, retrieving the paddle, and checking the number out of curiosity.

    ¡®710¡¯

    It¡¯s odd how familiar numbers can tend to follow you.

    ¡°It¡¯s pointless to ask isn¡¯t it?¡± Katie asked once Jennifer had excused herself from the room leaving just the pair of them.

    ¡°You know how I lived before the Academy.¡± Victor answered without much resistance, ¡°Is it that surprising that I know a few people?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not¡­¡± Katie explained, struggling to put her thoughts to a particular set of words. ¡°Everyone knows people, but there aren¡¯t many who can use names that make people react like that.¡±

    ¡°Everyone is just a person.¡± Victor shrugged, eying the crowd that slowly fed in through a series of hallways linking into the auction floor. ¡°I met Mr. Won in Beijing a few years before I got the white-envelope. I helped him recover some things and he promised to have his guys look out for me.¡±

    ¡°W¡­¡± Katie stuttered out as she pieced together a few details from the simple story. ¡°Who is he?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s one of the bosses of the Qing Triad.¡± Victor nonchalantly said, putting a hand to his chin as he considered the oddity. ¡°I hadn¡¯t realized they¡¯d moved any business to Pacifica though, but I guess it kinda worked out for the best.¡±

    Again, a full chill ran up and down Katie¡¯s spine. Occasionally something he¡¯d say would prompt the reaction. Every time she thought she¡¯d grown used to him, something like that would come from his mouth.

    ¡¬?¡¬

    The first six items across the auction block were low-quality relics that could be found at almost any local antique shop. The only obvious difference, that only a few amongst the crowd would know, is that every one of them was a stolen item.

    Old wands, dug from the graves of deceased witches, ward-stones plucked from the fields of rich-land owners, and even a pair of rusted automatons pilfered from the grave of a forgotten pharaoh.

    Each was masqueraded loosely as a legitimately acquired item, but with no-more than a little consideration it was obvious they were all hot items.

    Finally however, after another jar of pills with a torn label was settled for an eye-watering sixty-thousand dollars, the item Katie was waiting for eventually appeared.

    Carried by two people on a large wood slab sat a thick tome with a nearly unreadable title.

    Victor could instantly tell it was the item Katie wanted as her fists tightened until her knuckles went white.

    ¡°Coming all the way from the Mediterranean Sea, we have here an original draft of Thyuses¡¯ ¡®Treatise of Magical Veining¡¯.¡±

    Katie almost yelped as the title was announced with such little respect. But she was at least glad that they¡¯d missed an important detail about the draft.

    ¡°Those of you who may not know, the drafted version is actually a more complete version than the published work. Fifteen pages of the Treatise were forcibly removed at the request of the Catholic Church. So until his death, Thyuse kept this copy a secret in hopes it might be completely published someday. Of course, that was never accomplished which makes this the last and only version. Bidding will begin at one-hundred thousand incrementing by twenty.¡±

    ¡°Fuck.¡± Katie swore uncharacteristically, thinking her deductive skills had been impressive until right then.

    ¡°They do proper research.¡± Victor laughed, tapping his paddle on the side of the short wall in front of them.

    ¡°We have our first bid up top, do I hear one-twenty?¡±

    Quickly another paddle from the floor rose and the war began with a few more paddles joining in to capture the rare find.

    ¡°I really shouldn¡¯t go above quarter million.¡± Katie muttered as the battle between Victor in the booth and a few others below him continued waging high and higher.

    ¡°I don¡¯t pick battles that I can¡¯t win.¡± Victor ignored, raising his paddle despite her warning.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got two-sixty up top, anyone?¡± The auctioneer continued, narrowing his glance between the three figures who¡¯d been maintaining the battle.

    ¡°Uh oh¡­¡± Victor said quietly as he caught a movement coming from the east-side entrance of the lower floor. ¡°Thing¡¯s might get complicated.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Katie asked, instantly retracting her feverish interest in the item the moment she heard the rare anxious tone from Victor.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have a paddle, but we¡¯ll bid a dollar. I hope you¡¯ll all understand.¡± An amplified voice explained, addressing not just the auctioneer but everyone present in a somewhat insidious threat.

    It felt even more odd coming from a man in police uniform holding an amplifying horn to his mouth.

    The auctioneer wore a cramped face as he turned his gaze to the unwelcome presence.

    ¡°S¡­ sir, you understand we are only conducting sales only through legitimate means and every item we¡­¡±

    ¡°I know the spiel, we aren¡¯t here to stop you from conducting your legitimate business, of course not.¡± The officer explained rolling his eyes visibly as he forced a tone that didn¡¯t match his nature. ¡°My name is Lieutenant Sheriff Robert King and the guys in Seattle told me to get that book. Now I¡¯ll say again I¡¯m bidding a dollar, so where was the bid again?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡± The auctioneer awkwardly said, without even needing to look at the booth to see the reaction. ¡°The bid is one dollar, does anyone have another bid?¡±

    ¡°Tha¡­¡±

    ¡°Two dollars.¡± Victor said, tapping his paddle impatiently.

    ¡°Aa¡­.¡± The auctioneer gawked, shooting a horrified glance towards the private booth. Obviously, he couldn¡¯t make out the bidder¡¯s face, but he couldn¡¯t imagine what the person could be thinking by making such a foolish decision. He then guiltily glanced back towards the small flock of suited officers with Robert King at the center.

    Bob, as his friend called him, didn¡¯t expect the reaction but he didn¡¯t hate it either. He had done his job, another party wouldn¡¯t stop him from returning with the book, so he shrugged and waved to his officers with three distinct hand signals.

    They immediately split into three and went towards each exit of the building while Robert slowly left through the same entrance he had entered from.

    ¡°What was all that? Did you just do something bad?¡± Katie clamored with a few inklings of what all had occurred but missing the entire picture.

    ¡°Yeah, kinda maybe?¡± Victor laughed, smoothing his thoughts as he again nodded towards the auctioneer to affirm the sale.

    ¡°Sold¡­¡± The man stammered, with the air sudden chilly from the interruption.

    ¡°Got it for two dollars though.¡± Victor shrugged. ¡°As long as we can keep ahold of it.¡±

    ¡°The police will try to take it?¡±

    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s a stolen item.¡± Victor explained, glancing to the next item but seeing it as nothing much. ¡°These auctions operate in a grey area. It¡¯s all fairly complicated but basically, auction houses can sell stolen items, but buying or possessing stolen items is illegal. So occasionally if important items, like your book show up, the police will lurk outside and pounce on whoever buys it. It was different in this case because it seems like Pacifica¡¯s government is somehow involved, so they had to follow procedures.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­¡± Katie began, biting her lip as she turned whiter the more she heard. ¡°Then we should just turn it over. If they will publish the real version who cares if I get it now or in a few months.¡±

    ¡°They probably won¡¯t. Either it¡¯s for a presidential study or it¡¯ll get held ransom for some future deal.¡± Victor predicted, shaking his head at the naivety of the woman.

    ¡°So pessimistic¡­¡± Katie said, glancing back down to the eastern exit. ¡°Would they really try to take it by force? How would they even know who we are, wouldn¡¯t the Auction House keep that secret?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± Victor chuckled, ¡°How would you do it?¡±

    ¡°Good point.¡± Katie nodded. ¡°Still, I¡¯ve made up my mind.¡±

    ¡°Have you?¡± Victor¡¯s question came with no answer so he rose after another item of little importance flitted across the auction block. ¡°Then let¡¯s see how they come.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing you want?¡± Katie asked, leaping to her feet to catch up once she¡¯d realized his intent.

    ¡°Rare artifacts have that name for good reason.¡± Victor shrugged, ¡°Those are just artifacts.¡±

    The lobby on their side was already buzzing with activity despite the auction not having ended yet. People seemed to be spooked by the police presence and some were eager to return their bidding plaques.

    Fortunately none seemed to be at the redemption desk, so when Victor arrived with Katie in tow the attendant was blank-faced and inattentive.

    ¡°Oop, sorry.¡± The man said with a shake, retrieving the plaque gracefully once he¡¯d recovered from his daydreaming. ¡°Seven One Oh¡­ Seven One¡­ There we are. Big book number three.¡±

    ¡°Ah! Allow me.¡± The heavy-set manager quickly interrupted after receiving a report from one of his underlings that¡¯d been watching-over the pair.

    ¡°Oh. Thanks boss.¡± The man glibly chuckled handing off the tome to his panting boss needlessly.

    The manager ignored him and quickly returned his attention towards the VIP pair who¡¯d just made trouble with the Sheriff¡¯s office.

    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t believe I got your name Sir.¡± The manager innocently queried as he carefully folded a wide sheet of paper around the tome. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to pry. And I assure you we don¡¯t intend to cooperate with any questions regarding your identities.¡±

    ¡°Then there¡¯s no need to ask either way.¡± Victor said, narrowing his eyes as he noticed the managers intentions as-if written on his face.

    ¡°Very true. Right, so the total on that was one hundred thousand, yes?¡±

    ¡°No?¡± Victor answered in the form of a question.

    ¡°Considering the complications of the bidding process, our house deems it reasonable that the opening bid be at least respected as minimum.¡±

    ¡°The cops didn¡¯t,¡± Katie couldn¡¯t help but snarkily mutter under her breath.

    ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just call it what it is. Two dollars for the book, ninety-nine thousand nine-ninety-eight to keep our identities secret.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ right.¡± The manager reluctantly nodded honestly. ¡°You Academy students really are as smart as they say.¡±

    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t have Boss Won take a loss for me I guess.¡± Victor sighed, pulling out a crypto-cold card and tapping it against a nearby terminal.

    ¡°We greatly appreciate your patronage.¡± The manager bowed out of habit, before catching himself and jogging back to make dozens more calls.

    ¡°I¡¯ll carry it!¡± Katie immediately clamored, lunging forward to lock her hands onto the precious book.

    ¡°Eh, eh, not so fast.¡± Victor clucked, sliding a hand between hers and pulling the book into his arms effortlessly. ¡°Come on.¡±

    ¡°I have the money.¡± Katie said, following after Victor¡¯s steps as they retraced their path through the long hallway that led up into the fake warehouse. ¡°I¡¯ll send it, I have your Venmo, hold on.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t use my old contact, and put your phone away.¡± Victor chastised quietly shaking his head as he shifted the book in his arms. ¡°Fine, here.¡±

    ¡°Yesss,¡± Katie hissed, huffing quietly as the books weight was unloaded into her arms.

    She couldn¡¯t see the yellowed pages from through the dark wrapping paper, but the smell that drifted from it was nearly on the level of an industrial grade aphrodisiac.

    ¡¬?¡¬

    The Inside of all three secret entrances were currently being visibly staked by a pair of officers each. Katie had expected them to swarm them the moment she was seen carrying a large object from out the entrance, but instead they simply spoke quietly to each other and then made a call through the radio.

    ¡°Now I wish I would have parked closer.¡± Victor chuckled quietly as a handful of people began tailing them casually a few dozen feet away.

    Even Katie noticed the group despite their careful efforts to appear natural. It was an uncomfortable feeling but not one that she was unfamiliar with.

    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Katie asked urgently, more worried for their lives than anything else.

    ¡°Nothing, this is your thing, I won¡¯t cause trouble.¡± Victor shrugged; he¡¯d already been forced to handle the situation vastly differently due to her presence so at this point he was simply handling each situation as they came.

    And just as he thought so, another came.

    ¡°Excuse me.¡± A familiar voice called without the aid of amplification this time. ¡°Would you two mind submitting to a quick body search.¡±

    Standing twenty feet between them and the corner they¡¯d parked around stood Lt. Sheriff Bob King flanked by four uniformed police officers.

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. I have it here.¡± Katie courageously announced, holding the wrapped book out in her arms.

    Bob nodded to a nearby officer who wore thick reading glasses and the young man paced over to peel the book from her arms cautiously.

    Stripping the paper from around it carefully, he nodded affirmatively to the Lt. Sheriff who merely grunted as response.

    ¡°Search them.¡± Bob repeated to another pair of officers at his right.

    ¡°What?¡± Katie asked with a frown as the two came towards them pulling blue latex gloves from a pouch at their waist.

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t what they were searching for, that was what ¡®Seattle¡¯ was searching for.¡± Victor explained for her, understanding the shakeup for what it was at heart.

    ¡°This may be the only stolen item you bought today, but who knows how many others you could have in your possession.¡± Bob explained as Katie¡¯s fury became clear even across the distance.

    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous!¡± Katie accused, glancing to Victor in hope¡¯s he¡¯d say something in their defense. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ This is my thing right, Victor?¡±

    ¡°Mhm, what you say goes.¡±

    ¡°Get us out of here then. Quickly.¡± Katie demanded with almost a comical stomp of her foot.

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Victor nodded, reaching out a hand to latch into Katie¡¯s, the pair vanished into a cloud of deep darkness that rapidly swept across the entire street.

    ¡°Find them!¡± Bob commanded as he instantly began reacting to the sudden change. It would be easier said than done however, as like him, none of his officer could see a single millimeter in front of their faces.

    ¡°I got one!¡± Someone shouted, clutching ahold of another officers face as he attempted to wrangle the man to the ground painfully.

    ¡°That¡¯s me idiot!¡±

    ¡°Damnit!¡± Bob roared out, blowing a geyser of flames into the air as either a form of stress-relief or perhaps as signal.

    Either way, it didn¡¯t matter as the pair had already jogged around the corner and reached the two-door sports-car to make their escape.

    ¡°Where do we go?¡± Katie panted as she glanced out both the rear and side windows as they raced away from the still heavily clouded street.

    ¡°Back to the university, we still have to return the car and we have a few hours to kill until the next port-gate to Philly.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Katie muttered, with heavily deflated excitement in comparison to earlier.

    Victor expected as much, so he didn¡¯t comment on it further. It would take time. But he figured she¡¯d eventually realize what she needed to say.

    The ride to the library was quiet as the adrenaline from the hasty escape slowly wore off. Once they arrived, they were again met by Dr Boule who immediately recognized the strange atmosphere.

    ¡°So that¡¯s what happened.¡± He nodded once Katie had filled him in on the entire situation. ¡°What are you playing at Vic? Is this supposed to be some kinda dumb life lesson or something?¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡± Victor growled, fearing this might happen if Anton was told.

    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Katie asked with furrowed brow as she looked between to two.

    ¡°Oh, come on, Vic. Just give it to her.¡± Anton chastised with a serious scowl.

    ¡°Fine,¡± Victor relented with a huff, pulling a large, wrapped book from out of thin-air. ¡°Here. Don¡¯t be dumb next time.¡±

    ¡°What¡­?¡± Katie stammered, gawking as she bounced her eyes between the package she¡¯d lost half an hour prior and Victor. ¡°How? Did you take it back when we were escaping?¡±

    ¡°Knowing Vic, you probably never had the real book from the start.¡± Anton explained, knowing the man¡¯s mindset, and correctly spotting the swap from her explanation.

    ¡°You know my specialty.¡± Victor shrugged once Katie had retrieved the book from his hands. ¡°Now it won¡¯t matter when they keep the secret pages hostage to better their trade agreements, or keep it restricted for national security.¡±

    ¡°Th¡­¡± Katie struggled as usual to express her appreciation causing her cheeks to glow warm and pink. ¡°Thank you. But I still believe they will do the right thing with the cloned version.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take that bet.¡± Victor laughed, outstretching his hand as he turned a glance down towards the book. ¡°If you are right and someday, they publish it, don¡¯t worry about paying me back.¡±

    ¡°Wait but then when would I¡­ That doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡±

 Chapter 15 - Frantic Business

    ¡°For instance,¡± The fifth host of the Tonight Show, Seth Rogan asked while righting his signature square-rim glasses. ¡°The eighth-level spell you demonstrated at Wednesday¡¯s Entombment ceremony, Chaos-Nova I believe it was called. That wasn¡¯t something this phantom student could have taught, right? It¡¯s obvious the slander spreading from this Ralph fellow is¡­¡±

    ¡°His name is Rafael.¡± Gwen cut-in before the fat, annoying-laughed, prick could infuriate her any further. ¡°But you¡¯re right, Victor couldn¡¯t teach me Chaos-Nova. Afterall he¡¯s a lousy teacher, but he¡¯s definitely no weaker than I am.¡±

    ¡°Ehehheheheh.¡± Seth laughed while sorting a few blank notecards awkwardly. ¡°I suppose we have gotten off-topic, your right. So, tell us about your next project. Any thoughts on pushing for Sage?¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ no, that¡¯s¡­¡± Gwen stammered with difficulty as the final addendum was tacked on at the end. ¡°I certainly won¡¯t be pushing for tenth level just yet. I¡¯d like to stabilize my abilities first and maybe dabble in spell-craft like¡­ my grandmother.¡±

    ¡°Amazing, amazing.¡± Seth nodded, twirling a book into his hands with a practiced motion. ¡°That¡¯s right, everyone Constantine Ashcroft¡¯s Spell Book is being reprinted with a foreword that, Gwen you wrote, is that right?¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gwen sighed with a visible eye-roll. ¡°For a limited time it¡¯ll be available internationally in thirty major languages.¡±

    ¡°Incredible, incredible.¡± Seth nodded, flipping the book open to a page at random as-if he had a single clue of what was inside. ¡°It¡¯s a page-turner folks. Really good stuff.¡±

    ¡°Hehhh¡­¡± Gwen sighed again, watching for the red light to finally cut.

    This was now the eighth appearance she¡¯d had on television since their graduation a month ago. And apart from the first few, all of them had eventually devolved into one-sided theory-crafting regarding the abilities of her mysterious classmate.

    The book-peddling was new as well. Her mother had approached her a few days after returning from the academy and pestered Gwen to write a few random paragraphs about learning magic. Gwen felt like the worst person to ask but to stop her mother from annoying her, she hastily jotted down some words that paraphrased some of the things Victor had said to her.

    Apparently it had been what Mrs. Ashcroft was looking for, as a handful of days later a stack of proofs showed up at their door and the rest was history.

    ¡°Is that everything?¡± Gwen asked the woman her parents hired to over-see her schedule once the video-feed with the Pacifican Television Studio had been cut.

    ¡°Until tomorrow afternoon, yes.¡± The publicist confirmed, pulling a phone from her bag and handing it back to Gwen. ¡°A call came during the interview. The number wasn¡¯t saved but it was a Novgorodian country-code.¡±

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Gwen said, retrieving the device and punching in her pin to check the call-log. ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Tapping the number with a feeling of who would be on the other side, Gwen set the phone to her ear as it began ringing.

    ¡°CHTO?!¡± A male voice asked aggressively confirming Gwen¡¯s assumption without even needing to know Novgorodian.

    ¡°Did you want to talk to me or not?¡± Gwen impatiently said, nearly hanging up before she finally detected Ana¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Sorry, sorry. I was busy.¡± Anastasia explained once she¡¯d rerouted the call back to herself. ¡°Have you been able to get in contact with Victor today?¡±

    ¡°Should I have needed to?¡± Gwen returned with a contorted expression.

    ¡°No, I need to.¡± Ana explained poorly. ¡°Something happened to my sister¡¯s friend, and I didn¡¯t know who else to ask, but his phone is going straight to voicemail.¡±

    Realizing that it wasn¡¯t the time to be petty, Gwen¡¯s expression quickly changed back to normal as she grew concerned from Ana¡¯s tone of voice. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there anything I can do to help?¡±

    ¡°Get Victor to call me,¡± Ana snapped harshly before audibly taking a deep breath. ¡°Boris can explain the rest. I gotta go.¡±

    ¡°Wh¡­¡± Gwen tried to counter but the familiar sound of the phone connection rerouting again cut her off.

    ¡°CHTO?¡± Boris again repeated.

    ¡°Forget it, he can tell me after.¡± Gwen grumbled, yanking her phone from her ear and hastily tapping a few buttons to make a separate call.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, the phone number you have dialed is¡­¡±

    ¡°Damnit.¡± Gwen cursed, clicking again on her phone, and making a third call to a number she wanted to dial even less.

    ¡¬?¡¬

    ¡°Hello?¡± Katie asked into her phone cautiously after the unanticipated contact flashed across the screen sat on her desk.

    ¡°Where¡¯s¡­¡± Gwen partially asked before rephrasing mid-word. ¡°Ana needs to talk to him. Tell him to call her.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Katie muttered absently as the abrupt request landed awkwardly in her thoughts. ¡°What do you mean him? Him who?¡±

    ¡°I know he¡¯s working with your dad; you must know where he is.¡± Gwen answered, again ignoring the name. ¡°Anyways just¡­ Ana sounded frantic so just tell him to answer his phone. Please.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Katie nodded, ¡°Was that it?¡±

    ¡°Yea¡­ well¡­¡± Gwen stammered out uncomfortably. Only just then realizing she and Katie had never actually spoken on the phone like this before. ¡°Actually, there¡¯s a party in a few days, something about celebrating young female magic users. It¡¯s mostly the children of my parent¡¯s dusty friends, but if you¡­¡±

    Katie wasn¡¯t prepared for the attack so her hands jittered nervously as she heard the invitation. She and Gwen weren¡¯t particularly close friends, but she didn¡¯t dislike her. ¡°If it¡¯s okay. Then sure, I¡¯ll come.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Gwen awkwardly returned, suddenly a touch happy that she¡¯d randomly thought of the upcoming event. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to take some of the heat off me.¡±

    ¡°So, come in disguise. Gotcha.¡± Katie smirked.

    ¡°No! Please!¡± Gwen cried out, prompting a laugh to fill the speaker. ¡°Anyways, do you know where he is or not?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll tell him.¡± Katie responded narrowing her eyes as she heard no response come from the other side. ¡°Fine, my dad brought him to talk to some people at the B.M.U.E., happy?¡±

    ¡°Is it fine?¡± Gwen asked after a short pause, worried the bureaucrats might oppose the ethics of Victor¡¯s creation.

    She was one of the only people apart from Victor who truly understood the dirty secret of his Portal; So she, more than her classmates, was heavily invested in watching how the world reacted to the unveiling.

    ¡°It should be. My dad wouldn¡¯t have brought him if it were risky.¡±

    ¡°I hope you¡¯re right.¡± Gwen said, chomping uncomfortably on her lower lip. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ll text you the details for the tea party. Just make sure he call¡¯s Ana.¡±

 Chapter 16 - Slothful Bureaucracy and the Necessity of Lying

    ¡°I know, but I¡¯m not here for a patent.¡± Victor reiterated to the Bureau inspector Carter had introduced to him. ¡°The technique to create my creation won¡¯t be sold and neither will the device itself. So what need is there for patenting?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The inspector struggled, alternating his gaze between the young-man and his superior. ¡°Mr. Walsh could you explain how¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not here for work Rudy, and I actually agree with his reasoning.¡± Carter said, extending a helping hand in the direction Rudy hadn¡¯t expected.

    ¡°But theoretical breakdowns aren¡¯t allowed when processing magika devices for a license. Without submitting an accurate schematic and applying for¡­¡±

    ¡°So you have the skems for all the Port-Gates downtown? And Brinx new air-dome, you guys have that one too?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡®Different¡¯, he began to say, but the grains of truth were hard to ignore. ¡°Mr. Walsh, is this really okay?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s his trade secret,¡± Carter nodded with a similar dose of trepidation despite his stance. ¡°As long as the theoretical breakdown he provides can be confirmed by three ranking officials, we are allowed to skip the schematic patent requirements and push through with the business permit.¡±

    ¡°If you say so¡­¡± Rudy shrugged, signing off on a few boxes from the stack of forms Victor and Carter had prepared.

    The trip took longer than Victor had hoped it would, but for Carter it seemed to fly past. From his experience on both sides of the desk, it would normally take almost an entire day of waiting to complete the entire licensing process. But Victor¡¯s glib tongue seemed to ease every roadblock they met.

    ¡°Think of the void fields like a spinning a coin. When turning, would you be able to tell one from two?¡± He¡¯d said to one of the auditors who was tasked with signing off on his theoretical.

    A half-minute later, the man leaped from his seat as-if a major clue towards his own research had been unveiled as part of the simple breakdown. He slammed his stamp down without another thought and then raced off to request time-off for his stalled research.

    The other two had given similar reactions in one way or another. So after a breezy four hours, Victor had safely secured the documentation necessary to begin the creation of his business empire.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m popular?¡± Victor remarked as the phone in his pocket began stirring once they¡¯d reached the parking garage outside the bureau.

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Look¡¯s like Katie was trying to reach you.¡± Carter agreed, noticing the few missed text-messages on his phone as well.

    ¡°More than just her¡­¡± Victor shrugged, scrolling through the five number¡¯s that¡¯d called him. ¡°Do you mind?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Carter assured him with a nod, pulling open the door and scooting across the wide bench so Victor could fit. Grabbing a handset, Carter told his driver where they were heading while beside him Victor held the phone to his ear as it rang Ana¡¯s number.

    ¡°Finally!¡± Her voice shouted before Victor could even manage to get a single word in. ¡°Get to the Port-Gate¡¯s I¡¯ll pay your ticket, you¡¯ll have to take¡­¡±

    She paused as she traced an imaginary line between a few large Port-Gate hubs.

    ¡°Take the six forty-five setting to Istanbul and from there hop the seven o¡¯clock setting change from Moscow then into Novosibirsk.¡±

    ¡°First explain, what¡¯s even happening? Where do you need me and why exactly?¡± Victor asked calmly, having received a few similar calls from others prior to the Academy.

    ¡°If I take that kind of time, then I will have to recalculate your entire route!¡± Ana shouted in a combination of just enough Novgorodian for Victor to still have an idea of what she was saying.

    ¡°I¡¯m not risking port-gates again, just tell me what¡¯s happening calmly. I can handle the rest on my own.¡±

    He heard the sound of a deep breath and some subtle encouragement from a deep voice on the other end of the call, until eventually a response came in the woman¡¯s true voice.

    ¡°Sorry, my head¡¯s been pounding so everything just starting moving fast.¡± Knowing no more words from him would interrupt her, Ana continued from the beginning.

    ¡°A few days ago, my sister told me her friend stopped returning her calls and texts, she asked me to look into it but I didn¡¯t put much thought into it. I left it to Boris, thinking it was nothing, but he picked up on something much bigger. It wasn¡¯t just my sister¡¯s friend; every single one of the sixty students from her school have completely vanished.¡±

    ¡°Unscheduled fieldtrip?¡± Victor asked unconvincingly.

    ¡°My sister ignored my advice and flew to check on her, she landed sometime yesterday morning, but a few hours ago, her texts coming stopped and now her phone is going straight to voicemail.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll investigate it. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Victor said in a weak attempted to assure her.

    Still, it had the effect as a weight seemingly lifted from Ana¡¯s shoulders. She wouldn¡¯t stop searching via her means, but now she at least knew someone trustworthy would be on the ground to help her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll call you on a different number. Watch for it, I¡¯ll probably need your help.¡± Victor added before ending the call as he met the questioning look coming from Carter Walsh across from him in the limo.

    ¡°Should we drop you off somewhere else?¡± Carter asked, having heard bits and pieces of the conversation and recognizing the severity drawn on Victor¡¯s face.

    ¡°The hotel¡¯s fine. I need to prepare some things.¡±

    After the short call with Ana, Victor stayed on his phone, tapping away long message after long message to a number with only a few digits different from his own. Ignoring the motion-sickness inducing suspension of Carter¡¯s absurd preferred mode of transport, Victor continued typing messages to the unlabeled contact, each eliciting no response.

    He was confident the message would be received so he didn¡¯t expect a response.

 Chapter 17 - The Boreal Badlands

    Far in the east of Novgorod, the Siberian countryside is loosely run as a collection of small territories each operating almost completely independently. The region is notoriously treacherous and costly to maintain, so in exchange for that independence the region is basically ignored when it comes to aid or budgeting.

    ¡®If they want it, they can have it.¡¯ Is basically the gist of the government¡¯s strategy in regard to the region.

    This lack of coordination however is exactly how sixty students can vanish without anyone blowing whistles.

    Anastasia Kuznetsova¡¯s younger sister, Elizaveta¡ª or Liz as most called her¡ª landed at an airport an hours drive from the vanished school according to the texts she sent her sister. From there, Victor managed to catch her trail by talking with the cab drivers outside the airport. It¡¯s rare for a young girl to make the trip alone, so it wasn¡¯t too difficult to get the drivers name after asking a few making the loop around the airport.

    According to him, he last saw Liz on the outskirts of town where he¡¯d dropped her off. He¡¯d thought the location was a strange choice, but he stopped questioning it once she shoved a wad of cash through his plexiglass hole.

    ¡°Not trying to get mixed up in any trouble.¡± The cabbie muttered uncomfortably under Victor¡¯s array of questioning.

    ¡°Yeah me neither but sometimes it finds us, huh?¡± Victor sighed, as-if sharing a lot in life with the broke shift-stacker. ¡°Take me up to where you dropped her. And tell me some things while we¡¯re at it.¡±

    ¡°A¡­¡± The man stammered, glancing down at his clothes and then up at Victor. ¡°I¡¯m not working today¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you ten grand.¡±

    ¡°Did you want a water for the road, beer maybe, or y¡¯good?¡± The cabbie quickly asked, leaping to his feet to dash off to grab something to eat on the long drive.

    ? §Õa ?

    The roads in the mountains were dangerous and if the weather catches you off guard you could come around a bend and find yourself in a white-out blizzard. That¡¯s why the cab drivers often have seats stacked with cold pizza¡¯s and piles of junk-food. You never know when you¡¯ll need to spend a few nights in your car waiting for the roads to clear.

    ¡°And this one here¡ª¡± The cabbie explained, pointing over another sheer drop as he drove manically around the steep switchbacks of the mountain road. ¡°Like four people have died on this one.¡±

    ¡°I was more interested in the information you have about this town up here. Not the treachery of being a Siberian cabdriver, although it is fascinating.¡±

    ¡°Hah.¡± The man laughed, stuffing a pile of gummy worms into his mouth. ¡°Girl said the same thing. Well I¡¯ll tell you same thing I told her; it¡¯s a quiet city without too much going on. Mainly exports coal and mana-rock. Whole place is pretty much a B.E.Z. staffing farm. Mom¡¯s and Dad¡¯s work in the mines, labs, or code-farms and the kids are shuttered in one direction or the other through the regional schools.¡±

    ¡°You know it well?¡± Victor said, catching the cabbie¡¯s eyes in the rear-view mirror.

    ¡°One of the few who got out.¡± The man explained, again veering to keep on the road as it peaked a hill and rapidly twisted to the right with almost no warning. ¡°It¡¯s not a bad place, you¡¯ll never meet better people. It¡¯s just everything else, ya know?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Victor said, smiling pitifully. It was an all-too-common occurrence. ¡°So, what have you heard about people going missing?¡±

    ¡°Nothing beyond average.¡± The cabbie quietly said, again stuffing his mouth with a handful of candy to stop him speaking any further.

    With as many answers as he needed the ride grew quiet as they made their way through another valley, switching road qualities exponentially as they went.

    After another twenty minutes or so, the cabbie finally finished chewing his worms and pointed to a small mailbox a quarter mile up the road.

    ¡°S¡¯right up there.¡± He explained, switching hands as he was forced to wrench the wheel heavily to keep from plummeting into a wide river that traced the roadside. ¡°That¡¯s where that girl asked to be dropped off.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Victor nodded, pulling out his phone to report everything he¡¯d heard to the concerned parties.

    ¡°Ah, you might not get much service as you get closer.¡± The cabbie explained, disregarding the road fearlessly to look into the mirror at the strange passenger again.

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    ¡°It should be fine with this one.¡± Victor shrugged, holding the phone nearer the window just to be sure. Nodding he pressed a button on the side and returned it to his pocket. ¡°So, what; they have their own networks?¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± The cabbie nodded with all the information Victor needed.

    Strange that she¡¯d managed to make a friend inside a walled garden, social media and most other communication apps are typically blocked when setting up systems like that.

    ¡°Well, you gave me all I needed so here¡¯s as promised.¡± Victor said, pulling a small silver coin from his pocket as they skidded to a stop on the gravel road.

    ¡°Oh shit.¡± The cabbie clamored as he caught the coin. ¡°This what I think it¡­ Oh my god.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s ten grand as promised; give or take. Although this time last year it was twelve, so careful holding onto it.¡±

    ¡°Got it. Thanks boss!¡± The cabbie said, rolling down the passenger side window as Victor shut the door. ¡°Oy you want me to stick around for a ride home.¡±

    Victor turned a stiff grimace to the man who laughed hysterically in response.

    ¡°I¡¯s kidding. See ya boss. Be safe.¡±

    Shaking his head as the cabbie sped away with his handbrake still engaged, Victor again returned his attention to the mailbox she¡¯d chosen as her destination.

    Was this the friend of hers? The surname written on side said ¡®Orlov¡¯, Victor again pulled out his phone and read-over the messages he¡¯d received again.

    Sure enough, Lena Orlov.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s our first question answered.¡± Victor muttered to himself, glancing up the rough path that laid beside the crooked mailbox. Now he had a fork in the road, normally he knew exactly how to handle a situation like this but things would have to go differently this time.

    Approaching the house would be the logical choice, if he was able to ask the girls parents they might reveal a clue to what¡¯s really happening in this town. But it could put them in unnecessary danger, and Victor was really striving to prevent that type of thing now.

    The other option is to go directly to the school, and see for himself if the students really had vanished.

    The better question was, what had Elizaveta done?

    If she was at all suspicious based on what she¡¯d heard from the cabbie, she probably would have avoided the house, and gone directly for the school. Afterall, at that point she would have had no knowledge of the other student¡¯s disappearance.

    She likely would have prioritized asking the other students.

    So, Victor would do the same, he would go directly to the school.

    ¡®Likely straight to the belly of the beast,¡¯ Victor assumed with a chuckle.

    ? §Õa ?

    ¡°How did you get here?!¡± Lena cried out, wrapping her pen-pal into a tight hug. It was a meeting an extremely long time coming, but neither of the two expected the event to take place in the place it was.

    ¡°I figured you wouldn¡¯t just stop answering.¡± Liz grunted painfully as her bruises were pressed inadvertently from the tight hug. Glancing around once she¡¯d been released from the hug, Liz took in the extent of how deeply she¡¯d screwed up. ¡°What is this place?¡±

    Around her, eleven other girls of a similar age were either laying on the mattresses that dotted the floors, or sitting against the stone walls with broken expressions.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± Lena bawled as she realized the reality of her friends presence for a second time. ¡°Why did you have to get mixed up into this¡­ It¡¯s not fair.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here by choice!¡± Liz countered accidentally, receiving a flurry of glares from her misspeak. ¡°I mean not¡­ I came here to help, but then¡­ well yeah.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±  Lena again choked out through sobs.

    ¡°Stop. Stop.¡± Liz repeated, shaking her to bring the girl back to some sort of sense. ¡°Tell me, what is this place? What happened to all of you?¡±

    Again, she received a few silent glares from the other students.

    ¡°This place is the lab.¡± A girl other than Lena answered, realizing the sobbing mess wouldn¡¯t be able to get the words out fast enough. ¡°I guess we¡¯re the new batch of parts.¡±

    ¡°They¡­ they use students as research subjects?¡± Liz gasped uneasily, she had trouble believing it was could happen in Novgorod but the truth was in front of her eyes bawling.

    ¡°It¡¯s not very often, it depends on how long the previous batch lasts.¡± The girl said, laughing self-deprecatingly. ¡°My parents always said, ¡®Ah Olga don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll probably be your brother¡¯s class¡¯. So stupid, I could have gotten out.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it? Shouldn¡¯t we try to escape, or¡­?¡± Liz trailed off as dull empty eyes met her from around the wide room. It was obvious many of these girls had been subjected to their first experiments. The thought of escape or freedom had already become a comedic punchline rather than an actual hope.

    ¡°There¡¯s no escape. And no one is coming for us either. Trust me it¡¯ll protect your mind if you just accept it now.¡± Olga said plainly, shutting her eyes as she returned to leaning against the wall with empty thoughts.

    ¡°No.¡± Liz said adamantly. ¡°My sister is one of the new graduates from the Academy. She¡¯s a huge deal, people will come look for me, and they¡¯ll free all of you too. Probably the Novgorod military or maybe she¡¯ll just cover the entire town in holograms and force them to free us.¡±

    ¡°Oh ya?¡± Olga smirked keeping her eyes shut as she heard the silly threats. ¡°Well, wake me up when they get here.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll come.¡± Liz reiterated, turning her attention away from the girl against the wall and around to the others who¡¯d glanced up at her statement. ¡°They¡¯ll come!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the Academy?¡± One of the girls curiously asked without intending to. Grasping her mouth when she noticed, Liz grinned and waved her over excitedly.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know? It¡¯s amazing¡ª¡± She began; regaling the sheltered group with a semi-accurate list of the huge names and developments that¡¯d come from the secretive Academy. She spoke half to calm herself, and half to calm the others. But the curiosity was strong as she went on and on about how incredible the graduates, and in particular her sister, was.

    A few hours slipped by, with the other students in the room slowly loosening up as they listened to Liz¡¯s passionate voice. They recognized the attempt for what it was, but their curiosity towards the outside world overrode their ruggedized minds.

    Eventually even Liz grew exhausted and finally fell asleep, but they wouldn¡¯t sleep long as outside the walls, threads were moving that¡¯d inevitable decide their fates.

    Three or four hours after the room finally went quiet the doors were slammed open abruptly and unlike usually, not just one student was taken from the room, but all thirteen were.