ã€ŠOf Wizards and Ravens [Magical Academy, Progression Fantasy, Slice of Life]ã€‹


 Chapter One: Tested by the Erudites

    ¡°Emrys of the White Sands?¡± an attendant that smelled of lilacs and sweat asked, and I shot my head up from where I had been nodding off on the bench.

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am?¡± I asked.

    ¡°The written portion of your exam was considered adequate,¡± she said, and I let out a breath of relief.

    ¡°The Erudites will see you now,¡± she said, then reached out and put her hand on my shoulder to steady me. ¡°Good luck.¡±

    I nodded, then she led me down, and through one of the doors. I stepped in, and felt like I was in a king¡¯s court, with seventeen monarchs surrounding me. Each one sat on a throne, with each throne decorated differently ¨C spires of blue crystal, whirling and shifting tides of water, a throne of skulls, and more than a dozen other strange thrones. Atop each throne was a regal figure, from a variety of mortal races: men and elves, beastfolk and plantfolk, dwarves and gnomes, and more besides.

    These were the seventeen most powerful mortal spellcasters in the world, and they had come to judge me.

    In fairness, I doubted they were all actually here. These were most likely simulacra or illusions, given that I knew that each of Cendel¡¯s eight holds had a testing facility like this, and there were a few in other countries as well.

    Well, that, and the fact that not a single one of them smelled like anything at all. The sight was still impressive, though.

    The thrones and people circled the chamber in a ring, and left me staring at an old, dark skinned human woman, sitting directly ahead in a simple chair of wood and wicker. The placard before her throne was marked with the number one.

    I stepped forwards and bowed to each of the thrones in turn, leaving the old woman for last, then spoke.

    ¡°My name is Emrys of White Sands, and I am here to apply to one of your universities.¡±

    ¡°Tell me the history of the world?¡± the old human woman asked, and I paused.

    That¡­ was not what I had been expecting. I had fully expected that she¡¯d ask for a practical demonstration of magic. I¡¯d written an essay about this, why couldn¡¯t she just read that?

    I tamped down on the frustration and began to speak.

    ¡°It is said that while the history of Etherius stretches into the infinite, our world''s story can be told in seven ages,¡± I said, slowly pacing around the chamber as the seventeen stared down at me. I tried not to sweat.

    ¡°In the Age of Stone, our world was a part of the endless planes of Etherius, rich with magic, for all of time and no time at all. In those days, the titans roamed the world, until through the endless changing that is in the nature of Magyk, the titans died, and our world fell away for a time.¡±

    I paused for a moment, before I continued.

    ¡°In the Age of Fire, Etherius was forgotten, and the world was seen as nothing but the physical. This age lasted many years, and many weapons lit the sky itself on fire, giving the age its name. This burning ushered in the next age¡­ In the age of the dark, life was rare, the sun had grown cold, and the might of the physical was lost. The screaming birds of metal fell from the air as the rules that held them aloft were changed. The endless sky fire was snuffed out, no longer a part of the natural order, and it is said that even the earth''s gravity began to fail to function, and nearly all things died.¡±

    I paused for a breath, but held up my hand to hide it, as if to tell them the story wasn¡¯t over.

    ¡°Then, the Age of the Wilds began when the endless realms of Etherius, and thus Magyk, touched the world, connected once more, but not united. The laws of the world returned, some say the same, while others say different, though not even the most elder of dragons can tell such a thing for certain. In these days, Magyk shared her power without constraints, and it is said all were as divines in those days. With the right force of will, one could summon Etherius to themselves and rewrite the world. But the people of this world are ever greedy¡­¡±

    I was getting into the rhythm of it now, allowing my voice to rise and fall.

    ¡°The Age of Pools began when Magyk saw the greed and hate of people, and sought to fix it. She shattered herself, and sparks spread across this world and beyond, and magic changed. People could now form a pool of ether from their soul''s connection to Etherius, and had to grow this pool and its power to match the task. Magyk thought that she had solved the problem of handing out too much power, too freely. But this only allowed some to flourish as tyrants by consuming the pools of others, and so Magyk sought a new solution.¡±

    I turned and looked at each of the Erudites.

    ¡°The Age of Sunder began when Magyk saw the abuses that such power wrought, and she split herself in half, then allowed half to restore while half withered, and the pools of ether within all mortals did the same. This act defined that each pool of ether had power it was suited to, and all power it was not, and made it so pools could no longer be passed along or consumed. For a time she was happy with such an arrangement, but in time, she realized that people were not. What was one to do when their magic was only of use for making cheese, and they wished to pursue carpentry?¡±

    I paused for a dramatic moment.

    ¡°The Age of Stars began when Magyk split herself into the three million and one stars, falling to earth in a great rain. Each of these falling stars was a spell, one created by Magyk for the people, organized into none and nine schools and none and nine difficulties. Each person''s innate ether shaping was changed, the start of what a person was, rather than a limit on what they could be. And so all power, from any source, and of any nature was much changed. Structured to follow rules, rules not unlike the new spells. And so in the age of stars we stay. For now¡­¡±

    I glanced around as I finished, and one of them, a powerfully built orcish woman covered in tattoos, who¡¯s placard read the number nine, nodded. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°You would do well as a minstrel,¡± she told me. ¡°It suits you. Are you satisfied, number one?¡±

    I bowed my head in thanks, but let the old women speak.

    ¡°I am,¡± the old woman marked as the first and strongest said. ¡°He left out some subtle nuances, such as the divines, the innately magical beasts, the interactions between the infinite planes of Etherius and the mortal world, and more¡­ but it was not wholly terrible.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her,¡± number seven, a slender mermaid said, shaking her head. ¡°She is impossible to please.¡±

    I just paused and sat there, plastering a stupid smile on my face, because I didn¡¯t want to agree and offend number one, but I didn¡¯t want to disagree and offend number seven. Even the power that was my erstwhile mother would struggle to kill one of these mages, after all.

    ¡°Stop tormenting the boy,¡± number eleven said, an elven man in a stylish gray coat. ¡°Do you know your affinity, child?¡±

    ¡°No sir,¡± I said, struck with a mix of emotions. I disliked being treated like a child, my babyface a bit of a sore spot, but I appreciated that the elf was speaking up for me. ¡°I don¡¯t have the money for a grimoire summoning spell.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t entirely clear on the whole difference between spell guides, grimoires, affinity magic, and spellcasting, but I was sure I¡¯d learn it eventually.

    ¡°Of course,¡± he agreed. ¡°Well, you will learn it if you gain admittance to one of our schools.¡±

    ¡°Shall we begin the practicum?¡± the mermaid asked, and the old woman agreed, but number two, a vulpine woman sitting on a golden throne shook her head.

    ¡°Let us go through the admittance questions, so we do not waste our time,¡± she said, and there was a general murmur of agreement. She waved her hand, and a binding circle of silver light fell around me, seeping into my mind, too vast and powerful to resist.¡±

    ¡°A truth spell,¡± she said, ¡°I swear on my life it brings no harm. Please confirm that you are truly below the age of twenty winters.¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± I said, glad that my mind had developed so quickly.

    Magyk favored the young and the bold, and it was generally considered that once a person had passed their twenty-fifth winter, the rate at which they could grow and improve their casting fell to a tenth of what it had been.

    ¡°Are you truly from the White Sands region?¡±

    ¡°I ran away from home as a child,¡± I said. ¡°I was not born in White Sands, but it was where I grew up, and is more of a home to me than the island on which I was born.¡±

    ¡°Would you be a threat to a student at any of our academies?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t intend to bring harm, but if my mother or one of my older siblings was to try and forcibly retrieve me, they might not worry about casualties.¡±

    I didn¡¯t want to say it, but under the power of the spell, I had no other option.

    ¡°Noted,¡± a giant of a man on the sixteenth throne said.

    The questions continued for some time after that, and then we finally moved onto the practicum. That gave me a bit of relief. I had faith in my ability to cast spells, at least.

    ¡°Please demonstrate that you have condensed a pool of ether within yourself,¡± number four said, a human man sitting on a throne of fire and brass work.

    ¡°Has anyone ever gotten this far without having formed an ether pool?¡± I asked, turning my palms upwards and allowing streams of ether to flow out of my hand, like cobalt blue smoke, then curled it to pull it back into myself. I didn¡¯t want to waste ether, after all.

    ¡°You would be surprised,¡± number one said. ¡°We once had someone who used runes, song, and borrowed artifice who got very creative. Demonstrate for us some clayshaping.¡±

    I froze up for a moment, unsure what she meant. I didn¡¯t have any spells that used clay.

    ¡°Our friend here is overly fond of using outdated nomenclature,¡± the elven man said. ¡°She means a cantrip, an unbounded spell, or a null-spell. I believe all of those terms are used in this nation and its holds.¡±

    I let out a sigh of relief and nodded, then reached within myself to the pool of ether within me. I spun it into the shape of the simplest spell I knew, the first one I had ever learned, and spoke a single word of power.

    A weirlight flitted from my fingers, then began to orbit around my head, glowing the same cobalt blue as my ether.

    ¡°Stop it,¡± the mermaid said, and I did.

    ¡°Change its color. Alright, now make it brighter. Dimmer.¡±

    ¡°What other cantrips do you know?¡± asked number three as I finished. Three was a very bland looking human man in his mid-forties. He was sitting on the throne shaped from spires of blue crystal.

    In response, I flexed the ether within my spirit and spoke four words of power in rapid succession. A small bloom of flame appeared in the air, a current of ether lifted a few locks of my hair, mending magic repaired where a thread had begun to fray on my shirt, and a flow of ether that pointed north like a compass all appeared in rapid succession.

    ¡°Five that are mediocre in quality,¡± the old woman said. ¡°You should have mastered your clayshaping more, but it is not the end of the world.¡±

    I bowed my agreement to her, even though internally I was a little snarkier. I¡¯d learned my magic from wanderers, half-charlatans, and by scouring every single library I came across for spell guides. I hadn¡¯t had the chance to just casually learn more.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see a first circle spell, then. No need to go over every single one, just pick the one you find the most impressive,¡± the elven man said.

    I took a moment to run through the spells I knew. Basic arcane armor, shielding and missiles were definitely out.

    Spook animals was an alright choice, as was ethersight or a circle of alarm. All three of the spells had been invaluable in traveling, and ethersight was valuable for reading spell guides. They had to approve of that.

    Then again, they had said they wanted the most impressive. If that meant visually impressive, then fresh face ¨C which created a new, illusory face over my own ¨C would probably be the most impressive. If they meant impressive in terms of complex aetheric shaping¡­

    I drew several small berries from a pouch at my side and began to spin a spell through my ether pool, then murmured several sentences of power, and blew on the berries. Green light shone over the berries for a moment, and they transformed into lifeberries, which could serve as food and water, and could help the body heal faster. It was the most complicated first circle spell I knew of, and I hoped that it would be impressive to these powerful seventh circle or higher mages.

    ¡°Very well,¡± the bland man on blue crystal said. ¡°And second tier? Same as the first, just show us your best.¡±

    I was relieved I¡¯d chosen right, and turned my mind to my second circle spells. This was easier, since I¡¯d only managed to find three: glimmersands, bloodmark, and summon gadhar.

    Glimmersands was too simple, and showing off a blood magic spell felt iffy ¨C lots of people thought that was inherently evil, and it was ritual magic anyways ¨C so I was left with only one.

    I built the spell within my ether pool, and it stretched to twice the size of a first circle spell, then a moment later, it was completed. I spoke the words of power, and a gadhar appeared in the air, called from Etherius.

    The gadhar resembled a sheep dog, with large, angelus-like wings, and it strutted around the room for a moment. I reached into my pouches and drew out some jerky, then tossed it to the celestine dog, before letting it fade away.

    ¡°And now for third circle¡­¡± the old woman said.

 Chapter Two: Scholarship Offers

    I took a breath to steel myself.

    ¡°I only know one third circle spell,¡± I admitted.

    It had taken me eight months of time apprenticing under a wandering mage who called himself the Lordly Druid Demiurge ¨C a ridiculous and overblown title for a mage who I had never seen cast a spell higher than third circle.

    But I had gotten one.

    ¡°Cast it,¡± the old woman said, and I nodded my agreement. I began to spin my hands through the air, trailing lines of ether, as I built the spell within my internal pool. I spoke words of power, letting them resonate within me and without. As I moved, I removed a bottle of water from my bag, and placed it in the center of the etheric current, followed by a scattering of iron dust from a pouch.

    Any metal worked, and the more ether conductive the metal was, the better the result would be, but I didn¡¯t have the money to waste silver, gold, or rarer metals for this. The ether flows wouldn¡¯t change, after all, and that was what showed my skill as a mage, rather than the size of my wallet.

    It took me three minutes ¨C though supposedly, it could be done in one ¨C and when the spell completed, the magic surged out of me, draining my ether pool nearly dry, and then spun into the metal, which vanished. The liquid within my bottle began to shimmer, then transformed into a rich purple-red color.

    I stepped over and held it up for the people on the thrones to examine, though I doubted it was necessary.

    ¡°Water to wine,¡± I said, and the huge man who was marked as sixteenth began booming out laughter.

    ¡°Hah! You¡¯ll be popular on campus, that much is certain.¡±

    I shrugged. Wine, or any alcohol really, didn¡¯t do much for me. I didn¡¯t get why people ¨C especially humans and elves ¨C loved it, but creating wine was a decent way to make a bit of money while traveling.

    ¡°A more impressive feat than you may realize,¡± the vulpine woman lounging at number two said. ¡°Well. I do believe that we¡¯ve gotten a good sense for your abilities, and your life¡¯s story. It seems like you won¡¯t be able to pay for this in gold, right?¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± I said, inclining my head. ¡°But if I must take out loans, I will.¡±

    ¡°You could get a full ride and then some to any lesser schools, those that are run by mages who have not attained our power,¡± the old woman on the first throne said. ¡°Why do you seek us out? Why here?¡±

    ¡°Because,¡± I said, and after so long of questions and examination, I felt myself growing bolder. ¡°I want the power to change my circumstances, to change my life, and to make my way in the world. I might be able to get that at a lesser school. But at the end of the day, I am who I am. I want to give it everything, and get everything. No half measures. And here, well¡­ White Sands doesn¡¯t have a test. This is the only one in this hold, I believe.¡±

    ¡°Your answers from earlier, as well as on the written exam indicate you live in extreme poverty, taught yourself the majority of your magic, and that your bloodline is from a native being, and thus does not grant you any innate abilities with ether or calling upon Etherius, and are actually a local and not simply seeking to fill our slots,¡± one of the people who hadn¡¯t spoken yet, a large tree-kin, said, their branches rustling. ¡°This means the scholarships you are eligible to receive have been increased to the fourth degree out of five, unless one of my fellows would contest this?¡±

    There was a moment of silence, then the tree-kin nodded.

    ¡°Your bloodline does you credit, and also demerits you,¡± the man on the throne of flame, number four, said. ¡°Considering that you have been ranked as a four out of five¡­ I will offer you a hundred thousand silver in scholarship each semester, if you agree to allow me to cast a spell upon you, which will consume any and all effects your bloodline may have, and render you entirely human.¡±

    I shifted uncomfortably. That was a lot of money ¨C more than enough to cover tuition and classes, if I was right about the costs. But as much as I hid from my mother, the idea of permanently losing a part of myself made me uncomfortable. Plus, while I hadn¡¯t lied to them about the bloodline, I might have framed the answers in a way that made it seem weaker than it was.

    Before I finished contemplating, the elf on the eleventh throne threw out a counteroffer.

    ¡°The same, but without the bloodline stealing, contingent upon you taking actions to keep yourself concealed from your family,¡± he said, and the thrones from twelve to seventeen began shouting out numbers and conditions. Some of the numbers got ridiculously high, and I heard an offer of two hundred thousand silver coming from number seventeen.

    Then some of the others began to throw about offers, the ones from higher thrones. The mermaid on the seventh throne was tempting ¨C it wasn¡¯t quite enough to mean I wouldn''t need a job to help pay for supplies, but she was number seven among them all, and that number took both personal power, power of their graduates, and the quality of their education into account.

    Then number three spoke, and the hall went silent.

    ¡°I will offer you room, board, basic supplies, and some money for tuition. I do not know the amount, you would need to consult with the bursar. It will be enough to cover your required general magecraft and ethics courses, three electives, and a stipend of one thousand silver for more advanced materials each semester,¡± the weary looking man sitting on a blue crystal throne said. ¡°You will perform to a minimum of an eighty percent in all your classes, with two exemptions allowed across the three-year program, and you will take all reasonable steps needed to hide from your family. Furthermore, one of those electives must be in Applied Mage Combat.¡±

    ¡°And if his family does find him?¡± the one on the throne of flame said. ¡°Better for me to take the bloodline. Safer for everyone.¡±

    Number three leaned forwards, and though his eyes were an earthy brown, they had a weight and intensity that made everyone but one and two seem like children before his power.

    ¡°If your family does try to drag you back, you will crush them, and show them what it means to learn magic.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    I considered his offer, then looked at the fox-woman and old human who sat at the thrones denoting them as rank one and two. Neither of them seemed inclined to say anything, or even move.

    That made it easy, in a way. I had to either choose three, seven, or eleven.

    Three and seven¡¯s offers were similar. I¡¯d need a job working in whatever city their college was located in for materials and spending money, whereas with eleven, I had everything covered, and could focus entirely on my studies. The only real difference between three and seven was the quality of the schools, and the fact that I¡¯d be slightly less flexible with the electives.

    The flexibility wasn¡¯t worth it. I eliminated seven.

    Three or eleven, then.

    I¡¯d never been scared of a challenge. If I had been, I wouldn¡¯t have been willing to run and spend years on the road. I wouldn¡¯t have studied every chance I could get. I wouldn¡¯t have worked for every spell, in the hopes I could get the power to establish my own life, family be damned to the hellish planes of Etherius.

    I met the eyes of the bland man, and realized that they matched the same shade of blue as his chair, then frowned. They had just been a plain, muddy brown, hadn¡¯t they?

    The man nodded to me, and I nodded back.

    ¡°Very well,¡± he said. ¡°Let it be done.¡±

    I felt magic settle on me. Not a spell, or affinity magic, but something older and deeper.

    Hope.

    The man hopped off his throne and walked over, a quill appearing in the air next to him and writing out a contract. I read through it carefully, and when it was clear that it was real, I signed it. A copy of it appeared in my hands, and another tucked itself away into nothingness.

    I left the room shortly afterwards, and a new attendant ¨C this time a very, very pretty young man about my age who smelled slightly of brimstone, and who I thought might have a drop of incubus blood in him ¨C took me to a hall where almost a hundred other people were gathered.

    I glanced at the attendant who had brought me here.

    ¡°This can¡¯t be the entirety of everyone who was accepted to number three,¡± I said, then paused in consideration. ¡°Which school is number three? Where is number three?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re full of questions, huh?¡± he responded, eyes twinkling. ¡°Well, you may be surprised. Many people fail the written portion, and very, very few manage to make it to third circle spells before the cutoff age. But yeah, there¡¯s several of these rooms. This is just one.¡±

    That hadn¡¯t answered all my questions, so I repeated some of them.

    ¡°Which school is number three? I didn¡¯t ever actually pay attention to the rankings, since the lists usually cost coppers to check, and I¡¯d rather spend that on getting into a library. What region is it in?¡±

    ¡°You have the honor to attend the Citadel of Ether, a college located in the Ocean Spires region of Panath hold. In the nation of Cendel. You do know it¡¯s in Cendel, right? That¡¯s the country you¡¯re in right now, so I¡¯d hope so, but you didn¡¯t even know what school you signed up for.¡±

    I rolled my eyes at him. The snark was hardly needed. I knew a few things about the Citadel of Ether, though of course, I suspected most were overblown. I was just relieved that it was still far away from my family¡¯s island-nation.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, and he nodded before shimmying away.

    I stepped into the room. I had no desire to make friends with a bunch of random people who would just wind up scattered to the winds, and I wouldn¡¯t even share a class with, more than likely. Besides, the entire room stank of unwashed bodies and teenage hormones.

    I slunk around the side of the room, making my way to where I could see some waters set on a table against the wall. I didn¡¯t have much left in my bags, and while I could use my lifeberry spell in an emergency, there was no substitute for real water.

    ¡°Hey!¡± someone said, clapping their hand on my shoulder. I leapt into the air and spun, whirling around to face them. My hand was already clenched into a fist, and I almost struck before I remembered where I was.

    A moment later, I realized why he¡¯d snuck up on me. Apart from sweat ¨C which the whole room stank of ¨C he really only smelled like light and fire. There was plenty of both in the room from the weirlights and torches, so I hadn¡¯t picked his smell out as he approached me.

    ¡°Oh, sorry man, didn¡¯t mean to spook you,¡± the man who¡¯d put his hand on my shoulder said, holding his hands up to show he had no weapons.

    Of course, given the fact that we were going to a mage school, that didn¡¯t exactly mean much, but it was something at least.

    The man was about my age, but where I appeared on the short and scrawny side, he was tall and muscular. It looked like he¡¯d play a sport of some kind, one of the stupid ones that relied on physical strength and toughness. My family had loved those.

    Where my heritage from the north gave me lighter skin that had barely tanned at all from my time down south, light brown hair, blue eyes, and freckles from the sun, his skin and hair was dark, darker even than most White Sands locals, and his eyes were a rich brown color that almost looked inhumanly intense.

    It combined with his neat goatee and manicured hair to give him the visage of a chosen divine hero, which was only further supported by the fact he smelled of pepper and flame and light.

    ¡°Just thought I¡¯d greet you,¡± he said, grinning a little too broadly and clapping my shoulder for the second time. ¡°My name is Jackson Uyer.¡±

    I took an immediate dislike to him. He was too¡­ touchy. I hadn¡¯t given him permission to do that. Why was he all up in my face?

    ¡°Anders Velcer,¡± I lied, smiling. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I was hoping to get some water.¡±

    ¡°Oh, sure, sure, nice to meet you Xander,¡± the man agreed, watching as I took some and stowed it in my bag, not responding.

    ¡°So, Xander, do you know how to conjure an Etherius locker yet?¡± he asked, apparently desperate for conversation.

    ¡°Anders,¡± I said, not needing to fake the irritability. Did he think I had given him a false name? Or had he just misheard me?

    In his defense, I had given him a false name, but he didn¡¯t know that.

    ¡°And no,¡± I said shortly, and Jackson gave me a sympathetic nod.

    ¡°Well, since you¡¯re in this room, I¡¯m sure you can learn! I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s one of the spells taught in Fundamental Magecraft¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± I said sourly.

    ¡°So, Anders, which divine do you serve?¡± Jackson asked, rolling up his shirt sleeve to show a shimmering tattooed symbol for one of the sun deities ¨C Lytite, I thought?

    By the hells, why did I have to get approached by him?

    ¡°I prefer to keep matters of faith private,¡± I said.

    ¡°I understand,¡± Jackson said, oozing patience and understanding. ¡°Well, Effervesce¡¯s light shines on all things, private and public. I¡¯d be happy to tell you more about him if you want to learn?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t Lytite, then. Oh well, I never could keep all of the divines straight, since they were almost as numerous as the planes of Etherius, and apart from Magyk, I didn¡¯t personally feel like any of them mattered.

    Not that Magyk was a deity, she was more like a natural law who was also a person.

    ¡°Anders?¡± Jackson asked, and I realized I¡¯d retreated to my brain so I didn¡¯t have to deal with him.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry,¡± I lied. ¡°I was just so caught up in my nervousness about attending the Citadel¡­¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Jackson said, continuing to act like a pillar of social kindness. ¡°I¡¯m quite excited. A few members of my church had paintings of the citadel, since they attended in their youth. I could tell you about it, if you¡¯d like?¡±

    ¡°I would like to keep some surprise,¡± I lied, hoping it would make Jackson finally go away.

    It did not.

    I wandered through the edges of the room, followed by Jackson as he prattled on about his church, his deity, his fire affinity, and how he wouldn¡¯t just rely on that, but would learn fire magic in the traditional method as well.

    I was relieved when a tall, middle aged elf, with her hair tied up in a top knot entered and clapped.

    ¡°Alright, listen up. Those of you who have already completed the ritual to summon a grimoire, or who don¡¯t need or want one, I want you to line up on the left. Everyone else, line up on the right.¡±

    I headed to the right, and Jackson snapped.

    ¡°Oh, too bad. See you at the academy?¡±

    ¡°Definitely,¡± I lied, and for the first time in a long time, said a prayer, calling out to Effervesce, the god Jackson was so enthused about. I invested most of my remaining ether into the prayer, and begged him to keep Jackson far away from me.

 Chapter Three: The Paperwork of the Powerful

    The tall elven woman with the topknot had all of the students who had already summoned their grimoire head off with the incubi-blooded attendant I¡¯d seen earlier, while she led the rest of us ¨C the ones who hadn¡¯t summoned their grimoire yet ¨C into a large room that reminded me of a library. At least, it would have, if not for the fact that all of the shelves had been shoved to one side and completely emptied.

    Several large desks had been brought in, and people sat behind each of the desks, with chairs opposite them.

    ¡°Alright students,¡± the woman called out, heading to the only desk that was empty and sitting behind it. ¡°Form up in a line and we¡¯ll call you up as soon as we can.¡±

    There was a lot of grumbling, jostling, and fighting over position in line, but I really couldn¡¯t care less. Did any of these people really think that a half an hour of saved time was really going to matter?

    Once I was finally called up, I was with the top knot woman. She nodded to me.

    ¡°I¡¯m Bea, a graduate student at the Citadel. Your name?¡±

    ¡°Emrys of White Sands,¡± I said, and she flicked through the papers until she retrieved a copy of the contract I¡¯d signed. She skimmed it, then nodded.

    ¡°All this looks to be in order. Your first semester payout¡­ will you be needing it for transport?¡±

    I paused. Were they not providing transit? I was in the region of Red Earth, which was the same hold as my home, White Sands, and traveling here had already robbed me of the few coins I had left to my name.

    But Ocean Spires was on another hold entirely, separated by some rivers and small seas, if I could recall my geography right. I¡¯d have to find a ship that could ferry me there, and I didn''t have the money. Plus, I really didn¡¯t want to have to go into a big city. I knew for a fact that my family owned a house or at least a flat in any city that was reasonably large, even if nobody lived there full time, just in case they had to travel there for a diplomatic mission.

    That was the entire reason I stuck to small towns and villages.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you can snap your fingers and teleport me?¡± I asked, and she snorted.

    ¡°I wish. Teleporting myself here for the testing already took me the better part of a week. So I¡¯ll take that as a yes?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± I said, gritting my teeth. I really didn¡¯t like that the thousand silver I¡¯d been offered was already slipping away so fast, but I had to get to school if I wanted to go to school.

    We worked our way through a couple more bits of paperwork, and I learned that I¡¯d be able to register for classes anytime before the first of autumn, but only at the school itself, so as to not waste the time and ether that was already being burnt to hold the tests.

    The fact that I had a bit less than two months made it worse, if anything. I¡¯d need to get on a ship directly, and it would need to be a decently fast one, because a slow cargo ship wouldn¡¯t make it to the other side of Cendel in time.

    Which meant I needed to go to our hold¡¯s capital, Summerbone, and that posed far too much of a risk for my tastes.

    Given the fact that my mother seemed incapable of not having an absurd amount of children, I¡¯d bet that at least some of my older siblings would have headed south to avoid needing to help raise them. Especially the more sentimental ones, who wouldn¡¯t want to get too attached.

    Worse, they¡¯d have likely brought an entire contingent of guards and servants with them. I could still remember narrowly making my escape from Salted Shores, when I¡¯d first run away. I¡¯d been eleven or so, and one of my older sisters had been in the capital of Salted Shores at the same time I had been. One of her servants had recognized me, and used the influence of her master ¨C my sister ¨C to rile up the entire city guard. I¡¯d only started learning to condense an ether pool at that point, and didn¡¯t even have any spells.

    I¡¯d wound up sneaking out of the city inside a wine barrel in the cart of a farmer who was leaving the city. They would have found me if it weren¡¯t for the fact that I¡¯d held my breath and stayed beneath the surface of the wine the entire time. I was very good at holding my breath, at least.

    I had felt bad about needing to empty out half the wine to squeeze myself in, and if I recalled correctly, I thought I¡¯d driven off a bandit camp and stolen their silver, then left it at the farmhouse ¨C that had been the days before I¡¯d begun self-suppressing my bloodline.

    Actually, come to think of it, that had been one of the last times I¡¯d used that power, before I¡¯d figured out the bounty hunters were tracking me using the remnants of power that I left each time I tapped into it¡­

    But the point was, I was terrified of going into big cities, and perfectly happy to stick to small towns and villages.

    But I was going to need transit to the Citadel of Ether, and I couldn¡¯t get that far on my legs. Even on a strong mundane horse, it would be a stretch to make it there in the two months before the semester began.

    ¡°Listen, I really don¡¯t mean to be a pain, but is there any way at all you could take me?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know what your documents say about my bloodline, but¨C¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    ¡°They just say ¡®high risk¡¯, and everything else is redacted,¡± Bea said. ¡°That¡¯s not exactly a stunning achievement. Besides, bringing you means it would take me a full month to get there.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± I said. ¡°Do you know of a way I could get there without having to go through a big city?¡±

    She frowned, squinting at me.

    ¡°You are aware that the Citadel is a city, right? It¡¯s a college, but it¡¯s also a city.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but there I¡¯ll just be cowering in my room and going to classes,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s entirely different.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ see,¡± she said, then shook her head. ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t know what your problem with cities is, but you¡¯ll need to get over it, okay?¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± I ground out. What was the worst that could happen?

    Bea nodded and withdrew an iron box from below the desk, which I had been confident wasn¡¯t there before. She opened it, then counted out ten shimmering platinum coins.

    I stared at it with naked greed. The last time I¡¯d had this much wealth was before I¡¯d run away. It wasn¡¯t even close. Before now, the most I¡¯d managed to hoard up was about two hundred silver, and that had entirely been spent on taking these tests.

    I swept the coins into my pocket, alongside the handful of spell components I had, and nodded to her.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said.

    ¡°See you in autumn. Next!¡±

    Keeping an eye on my surroundings, and making sure to keep my nose out for anyone who smelled like greed, I left the testing center, then spun up my northfinding cantrip, oriented myself, and started walking.

    The testing center was a few hours walk from the hold capital, but it was already late in the evening. I¡¯d just walk through the night, I supposed. If someone ambushed me, it would be an annoyance, but a couple of arcane missiles should be enough to drive them away, since I should have recovered enough ether by then.

    I had begun walking when I smelled someone approaching me from behind, serpentine and quick. Their footfalls were soft, and I turned to see a woman approaching. She wore flowing robes in a style that was quite uncommon in this region. Or hold. Or even in Cendel.

    Her eyes were vertically slitted, like a cat or a snake¡¯s, and given the scales on her exposed forearms, I took her to be a serpentine beastfolk. Her hair was fine black strands, and she was very pretty, in a classical sense of the word.

    But the fact she was approaching me had me on edge, because I¡¯d just been handed a lot of coin. That, and Jackson had me already on edge.

    ¡°Excuse me, but I couldn¡¯t help but overhearing that you have a bloodline, and needed to keep it hidden,¡± she said, speaking with a slight lilt in her voice.

    A familiar lilt.

    I narrowed my eyes, then spoke in Hua-Long, the language of Shen-Long. I was rusty, since I¡¯d learned it before I¡¯d run away from home, but my mother had drilled the importance of speaking it. After all, their Divine King was a longstanding family ally.

    ¡°Why could you not help yourself? My senses are sharp, and yet I kept myself from overhearing,¡± I said.

    Her eyes widened in surprise at my tone and words, and the very demure manner in which she had been holding herself faded.

    But instead of relaxing, she spat out a chant. Red ether began to pour from her hands, and arcane missiles thundered through the air toward me.

    ¡°Oh, hells.¡±

    My ether pool was almost totally empty, since I¡¯d spent it on my water to wine spell, then investing a prayer.

    But even keeping my bloodline completely suppressed, I was still fast, faster than a human. I tensed, dropped into a fighting stance, then threw myself to the side. The missiles curved, headed toward me, and I landed in a crouch, then exploded forward, tackling the woman in the stomach.

    She lost control of her ether and the missiles faded away, thumping weakly against the ground.

    She lashed out with hands that were curled like claws, her nails glinting with sharp edges. I caught one and tried to pin it to the ground, but the other grabbed my jacket, and I felt it rake my back, leaving a trail of scratches, but not drawing any blood.

    Both her hands were free then, and going for my eyes. I dodged to the side, but ether suddenly wrapped around the woman. She spat out quick words of power, then spun, flipping our positions so she was straddling me, pinning me down. One hand slammed into the ground next to my head, ripping through the grass, while the other grabbed my throat.

    ¡°Which faction do you work for?¡± she hissed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t work for anyone,¡± I said, coughing. ¡°I¡¯m a wanderer.¡±

    ¡°Why do¨C¡±

    ¡°Boo, stop flirting,¡± someone called out. Both of our faces turned red, and I spotted Jackson walking towards us.

    I didn¡¯t know if I should be thanking or cursing Effervesce.

    The serpentine beastfolk released my throat, and we exchanged a look, agreeing that this definitely wasn¡¯t over. Jackson started chattering away about different things, and I entirely tuned him out, glaring daggers at the woman.

    ¡°Anders, you didn¡¯t introduce me. Who¡¯s this?¡± Jackson asked, and I froze.

    ¡°My name is Sh¨¦ Yushin, or Yushin Sh¨¦, in your style of names,¡± the woman said. ¡°You may call me Yushin. That would be seen as improper back home, but I know it is normal here.¡±

    ¡°Anders Velcer, or Velcer Anders, in the Shen-Long style of names,¡± I said. ¡°Call me Anders.¡±

    Apparently, that fake name was going to stick. Oh well.

    ¡°Wait, you all decided to go in a tussle in the dirt without even getting the other¡¯s names?¡± Jackson asked. ¡°Hells, Anders, you have to teach me how to do that.¡±

    Yushin and I both looked away from one another, blushing furiously, and unfortunately, my northern heritage, and Yushin¡¯s noblewoman bearing meant that it was blindingly obvious on both of us.

    ¡°Nah, nothing to be ashamed of,¡± Jackson said. ¡°Effervesce¡¯s scripture states that pleasure and love are the lights of our world as surely as the sun, and to needlessly deny oneself of it is like denying a plant of light.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Yushin said.

    ¡°Ah,¡± I echoed.

    Jackson continued to chatter as he steered us both towards the city.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to get a room in Summerbone, at my favorite tavern, it¡¯s called Dragon¡¯s Drop Inn, and then I¡¯ll take the boat towards school. Do you all care to join me? It would be great. The first round of drinks is on me.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ Could I speak to Mister Anders for a moment?¡±

    ¡°Course,¡± Jackson said. ¡°The scripture also dictates that privacy is good for the soul and heart. Just don¡¯t take too long, okay?¡±

    He winked at us as we both stepped back.

    I eyed Yushin. She eyed me back, equally suspicious.

    ¡°Why should I believe you don¡¯t work for one of them?¡± she said, speaking in rapid Hua-Long.

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± I responded in the same language. ¡°Listen. You¡¯ve clearly got it wrong. I¡¯ve got a weak demon bloodline, true, but I was just trying to speak to you in your native tongue.¡±

    My bloodline was far from weak, and it definitely wasn¡¯t demonic, but there was no reason for Yushin to know that. I didn¡¯t exactly trust her.

    Yushin let out a slow sigh, then her hand blurred. She snatched my hand before I could react, and licked my palm. I snatched it back, but Yushin was staring at me, her eyes as wide as saucers. She let out the most vile string of curses I¡¯d ever heard in Hua-Long, including some curses I didn¡¯t know, before looking back up at me.

    ¡°You¡¯re not Anders. You¡¯re Hailaga Dreki, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    I froze in place, as for the first time in years, I heard my birth name again.

 Chapter Four: Affinity Discussion

    A half dozen options rushed through my head at once. I could kill her and flee, but I¡¯d have to tap into my bloodline to do it, and if I did that, then anyone in my family in Summerbone would smell it, and they¡¯d start hunting me down.

    Not to mention, that felt extreme. If she started threatening me, I¡¯d do it, but so far, it seemed like she was on the run too, hiding from someone unrelated to me. If I could ferret out her secret, we¡¯d be on even footing.

    I could run, but then everything I¡¯d just gotten would be lost. My best chance to flee this side of the continent, and to learn enough magic to hide and protect myself, would be gone.

    I would keep that option in mind, but for now? I¡¯d see if I couldn¡¯t convince her to keep her silence.

    ¡°Keep your voice down,¡± I said. ¡°Okay, yes, I don¡¯t have a weak demon bloodline. I was born under that name. But I prefer Emrys of White Sands.¡±

    ¡°What about Anders?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll accept Anders. I told that name to Jackson because he was too¡­ touchy.¡±

    Her eyes narrowed, and I saw her processing the implications. My own mind was working, and I threw out an educated guess.

    ¡°You have a bounty on you in Shen-Long,¡± I said. ¡°Now you¡¯re on the run.¡±

    When I smelled fear spiking, I knew I was on the right track.

    ¡°How about you tell me,¡± I said. ¡°You know my secret, so this will give us both leverage.¡±

    ¡°I am the child of a demonic serpent and a human. I carry a powerful, pure bloodline. My mother kept it secret and claimed I was just the child of a serpentine beastfolk. I thought, given how suppressed you kept your bloodline, and that it was listed as a risk, that you were a demon blood too. We could travel together, and be safer, since Auntie Lei was killed¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you attacked me? They followed you and killed your guardian?¡±

    ¡°My mother¡­ made enemies,¡± she said. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why here? If you¡¯re going to the Citadel of Ether, then why not go¨C¡±

    ¡°She sent me to go to the Citadel, because she has an ally there who can shelter me, but I did my testing here because it¡¯s known to have the lowest bar for the entrance exams, given it¡¯s so far from any reputable academies, and they were keeping an eye on the testing centers near the Citadel.¡±

    I paused.

    It was? That was news to me.

    ¡°I see,¡± I said. ¡°Well¡­ What now?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I suppose my offer is still open,¡± Yushin said. ¡°I could show you the spell to hide a bloodline. You seem very good at it, but the spell can help. You teach me the method you use to do it, and we will both be safer. If I betray you, you can equally betray me.¡±

    I considered it for a long moment, turning over the ways this could go horribly wrong in my head. There were a lot, but the ways it could go wrong if I said no were even higher. This would let me keep an eye on her, at least.

    ¡°Deal,¡± I said. ¡°Do you know the false face spell?¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± she said, nodding. ¡°Do you keep a spellbook?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to afford to summon my grim¨C¡±

    ¡°No, not that. A book of spells.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no, I¡¯ve never been able to afford spell guides. I just keep it memorized.¡±

    She sighed, then flicked her hand in an odd motion and pressed a wrapped scroll into my hand.

    ¡°This is the spell guide for enshroud. It lasts for eight hours, and requires a small amount of diamond dust to be sacrificed, only about fifteen standard gold coins worth. It will hide you from most divinations, ether signature tracking, and the ability to sense other bloodlines, so long as you keep your own bloodline suppressed.¡±

    My eyes went wide as saucers. On one hand, it explained why I hadn¡¯t picked her out as having a bloodline until she¡¯d told me ¨C I was normally good at sniffing out people with non-mortal heritage.

    On the other hand, that was a lot of money!

    ¡°A hundred and fifty silvers a day? I only have a thousand silver, that won¡¯t last the whole voyage. I also don¡¯t have any diamond dust at all.¡±

    She gave me a puzzled look, then sighed.

    ¡°You¡¯re sure you¡¯re the missing member of the Dreki family? The ones so rich they run their own nation?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty bloody well certain, yeah,¡± I said, and she rolled her eyes, then produced a bag barely large enough to fit two grapes in it from nowhere, and handed it to me.

    ¡°There. That¡¯s five hundred silver worth of powdered diamond.¡±

    My mouth fell open, and she shut it with one finger, then removed a pouch from her waist.

    She extracted a tiny pinch of glimmering dust, and I felt ether churn around her. She spoke several long words of power, chanting for half a minute, then there was a small flash of red light as it was consumed. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Yushin pressed her finger to my forehead, and I felt power settle inside of me. It layered over¡­ something¡­ then kept moving. A light mesh of magic settled around my ether pool, but the spell kept going deeper, until the same diaphanous spellwork lay over the space where I kept my bloodline suppressed.

    I shivered at the feeling. It felt¡­ weird. It would be easy to puncture, that much was for certain. If I pushed ether out of my pool for spellcasting, or drew on my bloodline ability, it would break, but¡­ There were three layers. I could break one, but leave the other two intact. My family didn¡¯t have my ether signature ¨C if they did, they¡¯d have found me a long time ago, bloodline suppression or no ¨C so I should be safe to cast spells. .

    ¡°You will teach me every spell you know, and we are even.¡±

    ¡°You have a deal,¡± I said, nodding.

    ¡°Oh, what language is that?¡± Jackson asked, strolling in from where he¡¯d gone ahead. ¡°I felt ether and heard words of power. Got worried for a second.¡±

    ¡°Ognu,¡± I lied, picking a language that was from the same continent as Shen-Long, but was quite different. I was much less fluent in Ongu, but I knew a few phrases.

    Yushin shot me a grateful look, and I winked.

    ¡°Ohhh, seducing her in her native tongue? Let¡¯s get a move on, lovebirds. We won¡¯t make it to the city by nightfall otherwise.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yushin agreed, her voice flat. Jackson didn¡¯t seem to notice, and instead rambled on about whatever topic caught his interest.

    ¡°So, I know Anders here doesn¡¯t have one, but have you summoned a grimoire, Yushin? What affinity do you have?¡±

    ¡°I have not,¡± Yushin said. ¡°There¡¯s a rumor that if you perform the ritual in a place where Etherius is very close, and when many other grimoires are present, the affinity spell within your grimoire will be stronger, and it is more likely to contain useful spells.¡±

    ¡°Really really really? I¡¯ve never heard of that. The church did my summoning for me, though we channeled Effervence¡¯s divinities, rather than rely on components.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of it,¡± I jumped in. I kind of had ¨C an old witch-woman who I¡¯d learned lifeberries from had told me something similar.

    ¡°Though,¡± I said after a moment. ¡°I was told it was best to summon it where Etherius is close, and on a day or night around the time of a full moon. Not the other grimoires bit.¡±

    ¡°Huh. Well, I¡¯m sure my god was able to help pick my grimoire out for me. If you could get any affinity, what would you want?¡± Jackson asked. ¡°I got fire, which is pretty amazing for my style of magic.¡±

    I paused. I did know a little about affinity magic ¨C it was the old stuff, which worked more like magical beast bloodline, or the innate magic from the beings of Etherius. But beyond that, I didn¡¯t know much about magic.

    ¡°I want something that spellcraft struggles to do,¡± Yushin said definitively. ¡°Perhaps a core spell of stealth.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll bite,¡± I said. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Affinity magic is older magic,¡± Jackson said. ¡°Left over from the¡­ Sundered age? But it¡¯s a unique spell that¡¯s usually super flexible. Like, I heard of one guy with a book affinity, who learned a bunch of runic spells, then used his affinity to make a ton at once, and took down a wing of dragons with it.¡±

    ¡°Elemental or material manipulation are the most common type by far, though every core affinity spell is unique to the individual,¡± Yushin explained. ¡°Fire manipulation is common, but very strong.¡±

    ¡°How can something be common and unique?¡± I asked skeptically.

    ¡°Easy,¡± Jackson said. ¡°Each spell is designed differently, and only works for the person who calls its grimoire. Fire manipulation is a big term, but there''s a lot of stuff in there. Each one has different limits. Like, I doubt most lemon affinities could make their juice into flesh melting acid, but maybe some can. The rest can just do a bunch of cool lemon magic, with only one spell. There¡¯s also occupation affinities, which are rarer, but do pop up, like¡­ I dunno, chef affinities. They let you do a lot of other things, but all localized around the kitchen or cooking.¡±

    ¡°Huh, so when you said you wanted to learn fire magic¡­ Your affinity lets you skip it?¡±

    ¡°Mostly, sure,¡± he said. ¡°But my grimoire allows me to combine my fire manipulation with fire spellcraft to boost it.¡±

    ¡°Most spellbooks contain these sorts of spells,¡± Yushin commented. ¡°Also unique affinity spells, but that only modify the core spell, rather than act on their own.¡±

    ¡°And a couple of spellcraft spells, then a ton of blank pages for you to fill in however you want,¡± Jackson said. ¡°Mine had the third circle spell firestride, and the fourth circle firewall.¡±

    ¡°So when you said a stealth affinity, I assume that¡¯s one of the strange ones that¡¯s not an element or a substance,¡± I said, nodding to Yushin.

    ¡°Indeed. But a flexible spell to hide me sounds perfect, especially if it can enhance other spells of the sort.¡±

    I nodded sagely, then thought about what I would want.

    Something stupid like lemons was right out. I needed something I could defend myself with, when or if my family came knocking.

    Yushin said elemental and material were the most common, but common didn¡¯t mean useless or weak. Water or wind would be perfect for me, and even earth could provide power ¨C catapults did launch stones, after all, and I could armor myself in it.

    Fire would be amazing, so long as my particular one was flexible enough to work with strange, innately magical fires, like phoenix fire. If it was purely mundane, I was less interested.

    More esoteric ones like stealth or enchanting had their place, and I wouldn¡¯t be unhappy with them.

    But my mind was drawn back to water. I could do so much with water, and if I could infuse it with my spellcraft, I could become a true force to be reckoned with.

    ¡°Water, or maybe wind,¡± I said.

    ¡°What about storms?¡± Jackson asked.

    ¡°That would give me less defense and utility, but I¡¯d be content with it,¡± I said.

    We chatted for a while longer about affinities, as well as what kinds of spellcraft we wanted to learn at school.

    Jackson, to the surprise of exactly nobody, was most interested in fire magic and the obliteration school, but he also had some interest in restoration magic.

    That surprised me for the whole of two seconds¡­ then he started preaching about the healing qualities of the sun and fire, and how it was the greatest ally of the mortal races.

    I tuned out the ramble, then Jackson asked Yushin and I what types of magic we were most interested in.

    ¡°If I had to pick a school, I would select illusion and transmutation,¡± Yushin said. ¡°But I¡¯m not so much interested in a specific school of magic as I am in certain effects. Wind magic, notably. While many wind controlling spells are transmutation, many are obliteration, several are abjuration, and so on and so forth. I do not think Magyk was correct in making schools.¡±

    ¡°Sure, but the classic counter argument exists for a reason,¡± I said. ¡°If you sort only by effects, other types of magic fail to fit in nicely. A spell to summon a fire elemental is fire¡­ Unless the same spell is used to summon a water elemental. Or air.¡±

    ¡°Summoning would be its own effect,¡± Yushin said, ¡°Obviously.¡±

    ¡°So the summon stone spell wouldn¡¯t be a stone spell?¡± I asked.

    Yushin made a ¡®hmm¡¯ noise.

    ¡°Maybe spells can¡¯t be categorized?¡± Jackson suggested.

    ¡°That¡¯s the whole thing with old wyld magic, when anyone could do anything, though, and all magic was like affinity magic,¡± I pointed out, and he nodded.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think there is a perfect system,¡± Yushin said. ¡°Maybe Magyk simply did the best she could?¡±

    ¡°No, there¡¯s got to be some sort of objective underlying principle, since she is all magic and all spellcraft,¡± I said, though even I wasn¡¯t convinced by my own argument.

    The three of us bickered back and forth about the nature of magic, not because any of us could solve it, but because it was fun. When we finally arrived in Summerbone, I made an excuse to Jackson about having some really annoying family members that lived there, and Yushin and I cast the false face spell to disguise our appearance.

    He didn¡¯t seem convinced, but he didn¡¯t press the issue either, and I thanked his god for that.

 Chapter Five: Stress Testing Enshroud

    Four days. That was how long we would have to stay in the city before our boat to Ocean Spires departed.

    I could survive in the city for four days, probably.

    I spent the entire next day holed up in the inn¡¯s room studying the spell guide that Yushin had given me.

    Yushin studied from her own books, cast enshroud on me, and helped me work through the spell guide. After a while of this, we would alternate to me teaching her the spells I knew and she didn''t. We were starting with cantrips, so I was working my way through teaching her the northfinding exercise.

    Cantrips were relatively easy to pick up the basics of, but they were hard to master. Where I could just use the tiniest thimbleful of ether to whip up an arrow that traced the earthfields northward within seconds, by the end of the day, Yushin¡¯s arrow took over a minute to calibrate itself to point northward.

    Jackson¡­ called us both boring, and left to go do his own thing. When he returned to the inn that evening, it was with a woman on his shoulder, and tickets for the ship that he¡¯d asked about the night before. It was apparently called the Azure Beetle. Yushin and I paid him back for our tickets without complaint, and then left him for his date.

    The second day passed in much the same fashion, and by the evening of the third day, I was confident in being able to cast enshroud without failure. It took me the better part of ten minutes, but I was able to merge together the aetheric flows and layer the multi-pronged divination suppressing spell over myself. Yushin had mastered the northfinding cantrip and had moved on to the lifeberry spell, which she said was the most difficult first circle spell she¡¯d ever seen.

    That was gratifying, in truth. After the comments Yushin had made about this region being low in ether, lacking good schools, and all-around being known for being the easiest spot to score a scholarship, I¡¯d begun to doubt my own casting skills. Seeing Yushin struggle to form the spell, even though she had substantially more ether, spells, and experience than I did gave me a perverse sense of pleasure.

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it,¡± Jackson said that evening. He had no date this time, and all three of us were eating in the common room, with both Yushin and I reading. We looked up.

    ¡°What¡¯s it?¡± I said, a touch of annoyance entering my tone.

    ¡°I¡¯ve had enough,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re in the largest city in the hold, and I don¡¯t think either of you has looked outside of the inn since we arrived. I know you two have each other to entertain yourselves, but you¡¯ve got to see the sights!¡±

    ¡°This is barely even a city,¡± Yushin said. ¡°In fact, it¡¯s more of an overgrown village. Golden City is a city. Over one and half a million people live there. This isn¡¯t even a hundred thousand, and the ether is pitifully thin.¡±

    I hadn¡¯t been in a truly big city since I was a kid, and this smaller city was still enough to make me anxious. Plus, even with enshroud wrapping around my bloodline, false face disguising my appearance, and a mixture of herbal tinctures to hide my scent, I didn¡¯t want to risk running into one of my siblings while out and about.

    ¡°Ughhhh, please? By Effervesce, you can¡¯t just spend the whole time cooped up. Do you even know the way to the docks?¡±

    ¡°You can lead us,¡± I said, but an idea was starting to stir in the back of my head.

    Summerbone and the Citadel of Ether were both far from Dreki island, but the Citadel was a lot bigger, richer, and ether rich, which meant that any siblings that had decided to flee the island were more likely to be there than here. I was leaving Summerbone tomorrow, too, and would be on a ship.

    This would be the ideal time to test out my defenses. If I got sniffed out here and managed to escape, then I¡¯d be able to use what I learned to refine my disguise and hide better in the Citadel.

    But if I arrived in the Citadel without a stress test, then I¡¯d be running in blind, and more likely to be caught.

    Of course, there was the chance of not seeing my family, which wouldn¡¯t provide information, but also wouldn¡¯t hurt me.

    There was also a risk of my disguise not working, and getting caught. That had almost happened several times, especially in the beginning, but I¡¯d gotten good at hiding. As long as it wasn¡¯t one of my elder siblings, the ones who were from several generations ahead of me, I felt confident I could escape.

    And if one of my elder siblings, like Chloe, was here, she probably could have tracked me down from halfway across the region, and so it wasn¡¯t even worth worrying about. It was like an ant worrying about the possibility of a tsunami.

    ¡°Fine,¡± both Yushin and I said at the same instant, then glanced at one another. She grinned, rubbing her scales in a nervous gesture.

    The following morning, Jackson dragged us all around the town, to see the various sights.

    He brought us to the worship square, which had shrines and temples for various deities, demigods, powerful spirits of Etherius, and more, where we left a couple of offerings at the shrine for Magyk, and Jackson burnt an absurd amount of incense for Effervesce.

    He brought us to the park in the city, named after some local rich tree-folk who¡¯d brought up the land and used it as a preserve for nature. That was actually pretty refreshing, as a break from the overwhelming city.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    He brought us to a street filled with people selling food from their wooden carts, or from over small fires, which was a mixed bag. Even keeping my bloodline suppressed and enshrouded, my sense of smell was leagues ahead of a normal person¡¯s, so there were some carts that I refused to eat at entirely, while other carts I devoured the greasy-yet-good food, especially an old woman who was selling meat pies out of a rundown wooden cart.

    As the day wore on, both Yushin and I started to relax. Nobody had given either of us any indication they thought we were anything other than human ¨C or serpentine beastfolk, in Yushin¡¯s case ¨C and I hadn¡¯t seen a sign of my family.

    It was only when we headed to the docks, to check where the Azure Beetle was, that things went wrong.

    A ship, long, sleek, and expensive, with three sails and a pitch black coat of paint was docking near us, while the Azure Beetle was loading its cargo up on the far side of the harbor. That alone wasn¡¯t too shocking, but when the silk sails ¨C seriously, was canvas not acceptable? ¨C were being rolled up, I spotted the flag, and my heart went cold.

    The Dreki Island flag was flowing in the wind, vibrant and proud.

    Then the gangplank thumped down onto the docks, and I spotted one of my oldest brothers strolling down the docks.

    My mother had many children. Many, many, many children. And that was to say nothing of the grandchildren, nieces, great nieces, nephews, and so on and so forth, many of whom also carried enough of the bloodline to be considered a member of the Dreki family.

    There were enough Dreki that it was easier to break them up into generations than it was to try and remember all of them. I was from the sixteenth generation, and I thought it was likely that the eighteenth or nineteenth generation was either growing up, or about to happen.

    I didn¡¯t have everyone from each generation memorized, since there were too many of them, and the last time I¡¯d sat down to memorize them was ten years ago, and even then, there had been close to two hundred members of the sixteenth generation, even if most weren¡¯t directly children of my mother.

    All of this meant that the only Dreki family members whose names I could remember were those who did something truly memorable, or were really old.

    Gerhard Dreki was both. He was a member of the fourth generation, and had torn apart a rebellion on the island more than eighty years before I was born. No spellcraft, as far as I was aware, but he was absurdly gifted with the use of our bloodline, and had used that to shred every member of the rebellion to ribbons with his bare hands.

    The moment he stepped onto the pier, everyone could feel it. Even Jackson, who was entirely human as far as I could tell, stepped back when Gerhard Dreki glanced around.

    I started to sweat, frantically telling myself that this was a good thing, and that this kind of stress testing was exactly what I¡¯d been hoping for. Right? Right?

    Except, I¡¯d been hoping it would be with someone a lot weaker than Gerhard.

    A loud splash broke the silence, and everyone on the docks whipped their heads to look. A sailor who had been up in the masts of their ship had frozen, then struck the water when their grip loosened. The only reason I knew this was because their crew-mate fell off a moment later.

    Gerhard let out a sound amusement, one that was almost a laugh, but a little too dignified. The sound seemed to resound through the entire docks, and Gerhard strolled away, the enthralling presence fading away some.

    I was tempted to turn and run, but that would have been far more suspicious than anything, so I allowed Jackson to start leading us down the pier.

    But Gerhard started walking our way.

    My sweating redoubled as he got closer, and closer.

    Then he passed us by and kept walking, and I almost let out a shuddering sigh of relief. If my disguise could fool a fourth generation getting within arm¡¯s reach of me, then it was¨C

    ¡°Wait,¡± Gerhard said, doubling back to look at us, and my heart froze.

    ¡°Can I help you sir?¡± Jackson asked, sounding more respectful than I¡¯d ever heard him.

    ¡°Why do I¡­ there¡¯s something off about you all,¡± he said, sweeping his gaze over all three of us.

    ¡°Is it my divinity?¡± Jackson asked. ¡°I walk in the light of Effervesce, and he has gifted me with two of his divinities, a boon that allows me some small power to heal, and one that makes my flame burn more potently.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Gerhard said, frowning, then shifted to Hua-Long.

    ¡°Are you a member of the Divine King¡¯s court?¡± he asked Yushin, who bowed her head and responded in kind.

    ¡°My mother worked as a servant for the Divine King¡¯s court, sir, but I would not dare to suggest it would be possible for one of such a noble peerage as yourself to have recognized the daughter of a mere servant, sir.¡±

    Gerhard¡¯s face seemed to relax for a moment, then he sniffed the air twice and spoke in the common tongue again.

    ¡°Is one of you a smoker? There¡¯s a touch of hemp, tobacco, and mint in the air, and it¡¯s¡­ strange. It¡¯s like it¡¯s clogging up my nose.¡±

    That was exactly the point of the tincture I wore, but he¡¯d thrown me a rope, and I was happy to take it.

    ¡°I do occasionally smoke, in various ways,¡± I lied, ¡°I¡¯d be happy to recommend you my personal blend, if you¡¯re interested?¡±

    ¡°Gods and hells no,¡± Gerhard said. ¡°In fact, it¡¯s the opposite. Go take a shower, and never touch that stuff again. Especially the hemp.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t the mint cover the smell?¡± I asked, feigning innocence.

    ¡°No, it just makes it smell like mint and hemp,¡± he said, then stepped forwards, picked me up with one hand, and threw me into the water. I smashed into the surface, then sunk beneath the waves, and I let out fake gasps and flailed my arms, but I could see Yushin rushing over to me.

    Jackson, on the other hand, stepped forwards, angry and saying something to Gerhard. He lashed out in a punch, but Gerhard caught it, said something about healing ¨C it was hard to tell what, with water in my ears ¨C then used it to spin Jackson around.

    Gerhard pressed a single finger to Jackson¡¯s elbow, and the joint snapped, the sound audible even underwater. Jackson let out a scream, and Gerhard backhanded him in the stomach.

    Jackson was thrown into the air, sailing out over the water until he slammed right on top of me, with an accuracy no normal human could have managed.

    As we both sank beneath the surface of the waves, myself for the second time, I pushed Jackson up. As much of an overzealous pain as he could be, he had defended me, and that counted for something.

    When we both emerged above the water, and Yushin helped pull us onto the docks, while Gerhard strolled away. The moment I was on dry land, I reached into my pouch, very glad it was waterproof, and dabbed more of my tincture on around my neck, armpits, stomach, and groin, then let out a sigh of relief.

    Jackson was cursing like a sailor as he worked through a prayer to his god, and golden light flowed into his arm.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ be fine¡­¡± he said. ¡°Just¡­ Painful. That a¨C¡±

    ¡°You were lucky,¡± Yushin said, shaking her head. ¡°You attacked a foreign diplomat. It would have been within his rights to snap your neck.¡±

    Jackson¡¯s dark skin didn¡¯t pale, but it did get a shade less dark. The truth was, I agreed. Gerhard must have been in a pleasant mood, because he usually would have killed anyone who dared to attack him.

    As we headed back to the worship square to try and find a god or mage willing to help finish Jackson¡¯s healing, since the boon of Effervesce was exhausted, I had to hide my joy, since I knew Jackson wouldn¡¯t understand.

    Yushin¡¯s spell had worked!

 Chapter Six: Trouble on the Azure Beetle

    Though I¡¯d escaped Gerhard¡¯s attention, I wasn¡¯t able to fully relax until we were out at sea.

    I spent the time on deck, tensely watching to ensure that Gerhard wasn¡¯t going to follow the Azure Beetle.

    Yushin had joined me, but it became apparent rather swiftly that Jackson didn¡¯t have any sort of sea legs, and had quickly locked himself away.

    I didn¡¯t fully relax until the city of Summerbone, as well as the Summer Hold I¡¯d spent the last decade of my life living in, were entirely out of view.

    ¡°We¡¯re safe,¡± I said, sagging in relief and dispelling my false face spell. Yushin smiled, but it was tighter than mine.

    ¡°It is possible an assassin is on board looking to claim the bounty for me, but yes, you are safe.¡±

    I shot her an odd look, since attacking her on the boat seemed like a terrible play. There was no easy way to escape, after all. Yushin simply shrugged, and we took a seat on one of the benches, then started talking about spellcraft.

    We had barely begun when the trouble hit.

    A cordon of black ships, flying the Dreki flags, was sailing towards the hold, and from what I could tell, they didn¡¯t seem to be parting to allow the Azure Beetle to pass through. The Azure Beetle slowed, as did the lead ship of the Dreki fleet, and within moments, I was casting false face ¨C which despite the name, allowed me to also layer an illusion over my clothes and bod ¨C before slinking behind a corner of the deck, staying within earshot and able to peek at what happened but hopefully out of whichever Dreki might board.

    Enshroud was already wrapped around me, but I applied more of my tincture, just in case, while shaping my false face spell to look far older than I was, someone in my forties.

    Yushin cast a false face of her own, matching my age, and I passed her my scent-suppressing tincture.

    A moment later, we peeked around the corner.

    A throng of people was boarding, and our captain and some of her crew had come down, clearing the area of people. I studied the boarding crew.

    Mostly humans, all of them very pretty. A harem, perhaps? I knew several of my siblings liked to collect people as if they were rare gemstones, though I¡¯d always found the practice distasteful. Not that there was anything wrong with polyamory, but what my siblings did was distinctly dehumanizing.

    Or maybe it was a show of strength in numbers, and I was lucky enough to have run into a group of regular members of the island, with nobody from the family on board with them?

    As the group parted, I had to stop myself from sighing.

    I couldn¡¯t have been so lucky.

    I didn¡¯t recognize which of my sisters or cousins or whatever she was, but she definitely was a family member.

    A was a few generations ahead of me, but not as old as Gerhard. A member of the fourteenth generation, if I remembered right.

    ¡°To what do I owe the pleasure, Miss Dreki?¡± the captain asked, extending a hand to her. She shook it and let out a laugh.

    ¡°So polite¡­ If you were twenty years younger, I¡¯d add you to my collection. But no, this isn¡¯t a pleasure trip.¡±

    An aura exploded out of her, and I saw the crew stagger back. The captain shook for a moment, and Yushin stiffened. It wasn¡¯t as bad as Gerhard''s aura, but from the smell, she was tapping into our bloodline to enhance it, while he hadn¡¯t been.

    ¡°Captain, hand over all the food and water from your vessel, as well as any trade goods, and we¡¯ll let you live. Resist, and I¡¯ll personally slaughter every last person on board.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t do that!¡± the captain protested. ¡°That would be an act of war between the Dreki island and the hold. The high king would¨C¡±

    My relative again empowered her bloodline, causing smoke to rise off of her body.

    I could smell it ¨C she was using her power. The smoke might have been sloppiness, or it might have been an intimidation tactic. I couldn''t tell.

    But she didn¡¯t fuel her aura this time. She slapped him, and the blow took his head off.

    ¡°Of course it means war, idiot,¡± she told the corpse as it slumped to the ground. ¡°Mother and the High King already discussed the rules of war, not that it matters. I¡¯m winning, and I¡¯ll be taking the Summer Hold for the Dreki family.¡±

    She kicked the body and it sailed out and into the ocean.

    ¡°Alright, who¡¯s the new captain?¡± she asked, and a tall woman with a spellbook or grimoire tied around her waist stepped forwards.

    ¡°I am, ma¡¯am,¡± the new captain said, bowing. My family member nodded and started flirting with her, while Yushin and I exchanged a look.

    ¡°What do we do?¡± I asked.

    ¡°What can we do? I assume the ships will be making a blockade around most of the hold.¡±

    I grimaced, but nodded, then felt an inkling of a plan form in the back of my head. My family was prideful. Stubborn. Arrogant. Cruel.

    And good to their word.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    I spun my hand and tapped my ether pool, then began to chant words of power.

    A shield spell shimmered into life, and I squinted at it. If it was shimmering, then it was wasting ether. With a sharp focus of my will, I reinforced the spell within my spirit, making sure no ether leaked out, and the shield obligingly turned invisible, before being joined by a second, and then a third.

    I began spinning the last of my ether pool into another spell, and fished out a strip of leather looped around an iron buckle from the pouches around my belt. I tapped the component to my forehead, then over my heart, then on top of my gut.

    The last of my ether surged out of me, layering into arcane armor.

    That would have to be enough.

    I straightened and stepped around the corner.

    ¡°Wow,¡± I said. ¡°I had heard that the Dreki family was nothing without their bloodline, but to see it in action?¡±

    The entire deck practically whipped their heads around to stare at me.

    ¡°What did you say?¡± the Dreki woman said, her voice deadly sharp and serious.

    I waved my hand lazily at her.

    ¡°Oh, come on. You couldn¡¯t even kill someone without billowing as much smoke as a smith¡¯s forge.¡±

    She exploded across the space between us, trailing smoke as she did, and her hand lashed out, ready to rip the heart right out of my chest.

    It slammed into the first shield and shattered it, continuing its momentum to smash through the second, at which point it slowed, barely breaking through the third, and then, finally, cracked against his armor.

    ¡°Kill me with your bloodline and it just proves me right,¡± I spat out in the second it bought me. The Dreki had pulled her hand back to strike again and kill me, but froze.

    ¡°If you kill me with your bloodline, you¡¯re just proving me right, that the Dreki family is nothing without it,¡± I repeated.

    ¡°Yeah, well¡­ You cheated. Your magic stopped me from killing you.¡±

    Given the fact I was out of ether, her words actually relieved me, but I didn¡¯t allow a hint of it to show on my false face.

    ¡°Fair point. So how about a duel? You suppress your bloodline. I don¡¯t use magic.¡±

    The woman paused, considering it, and I begged that she was just as much of a victim to pride as the rest of my family ¨C myself included.

    ¡°Fine. A fight till one of us is knocked overboard, killed, blacks out, or surrenders. If you win, I¡¯ll let your ship go through the blockade, with only handing over a thousand silver from the ship¡¯s cargo. If I win¡­ I own the ship and everything on it.¡±

    ¡°Owned for ten years, and it¡¯s a deal,¡± the new captain interjected from the sidelines.

    ¡°And if you¡¯re forced to use your bloodline power, it counts as a win for me,¡± I added.

    ¡°Hmmm. Most of you humans will be ugly in ten years, and you¡¯ll stop being in prime work condition. Fine.¡±

    She gave me a wide, maniacal smile.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name? I¡¯m Greta Dreki.¡±

    ¡°Alastor Sinclair, graduate of the Sinclair sword school¡± I said, lying confidently. That was an actual sword school, and I¡¯d briefly been taught by one of its members during a teenage tryst, but I was certainly no master of their style. My sword fighting experience came from time on the road, defending myself, not from any great mastery.

    Greta turned and snapped.

    ¡°Swords.¡±

    Immediately, one of her retinue began moving, shifting around and heading back to their own boat. I acted up my role, pausing and stuttering slightly.

    ¡°Right now?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± she said, her smirk clearly indicating that she thought this would be a breeze.

    One of her attendants, a pretty woman who definitely had a drop of something inhuman in her ¨C angelus, maybe? ¨C hurried forwards and presented a pair of swords. They were standard Dreki military blades, and I picked it up, spinning it gently in my hands. Greta mirrored my motion, and people cleared away, giving us a space on the deck.

    I watched her movements as she started circling me, her power suppressed, and I felt a touch of confidence enter me.

    Greta was still moving faster and more fluidly than a normal human, but so was I. But her motions weren''t as smooth and clean as they had been before.

    Greta was used to having her bloodline power freely running through her, even if she wasn¡¯t actively fueling any of the abilities it bestowed. She wasn¡¯t entirely certain of how much, or how little, strength she was actually working with.

    I, on the other hand, had kept my bloodline suppressed for the better part of a decade. I knew exactly where my limits were, and how much strength I could exert without needing to let its power flow through me or actively drawing on it.

    Greta darted forwards, stumbling slightly when she didn¡¯t move as fast as she expected, and a moment flashed before me. I could put my sword through her eye, and even with the strength of our mutual bloodline, while she was suppressed like this, it would kill her. That was one of the conditions of winning.

    But if there were any other Dreki in the other ships, subordinates, friends, or allies, they might turn around and kill me, rather than accept the deal that had been made.

    I lunged in anyways, but allowed her to evade the strike before it landed in her eye.

    I had to play this carefully. I had to win, obviously, but if I won too easily or through a killing blow, the other Dreki family or servants might attack me, hunt me down, or put a bounty on my head. But I still had to win, and it had to be through skill, not luck.

    I flicked my blade to knock her attack to the side, then stepped into her guard, driving the sword at her at a speed just barely within normal human limits. That proved to be an error as she lashed out with a palm-strike, sending me back several steps, and I was forced to shed several more blows from her sword.

    I couldn¡¯t let her do that, either. If I won by anything that could be seen as a trick, or not a clear win, then she could claim I was cheating or use the excuse to unleash her bloodline powers onto me.

    I let myself speed up a bit as I shed four of her rapid strikes, then counterattacked with a series of quick jabs, which she barely blocked.

    ¡°You¡¯re better¡­ than I expected¡­¡± she said, sweat forming on her brow as she danced back.

    ¡°Perhaps my words were rash,¡± I said as I spun out of the way of her powerful lunging blow. ¡°The Dreki family clearly trained you well. There is more than just your bloodline. But I am still better.¡±

    She growled and performed another lunge, this one relying on strength she didn¡¯t have. I swept her foot out from under her, then stomped down on her chest, blade at her throat.

    ¡°Surrender,¡± I said.

    She threw her sword at me, but to her credit, there was no smoke or hint of bloodline power in it. I dodged slightly to the side, and she used it to shift and throw my foot off her, then she leapt at me, trying to tackle me to the ground.

    I threw my sword to the side and met her in a rush, intentionally letting her push me back with her strength, since if I matched her, it would become far too apparent that I had a bloodline that enhanced my strength of some sort, much more so than just exchanging sword blows.

    Strength boosting bloodlines were a dime a dozen, and even many people who thought they were purely mundane had a weak amount of a bloodline like that, but it was still too much of a risk.

    Rather, I let her push me back and dodged a few blows, until she overextended again, then I struck, landing a blow with just a whisper more force than she would expect me to have against her side.

    When she lost her footing, unable to rely on preternatural grace to steady herself, I pressed the advantage, layering blows to her temple, which would have dropped and possibly killed a human.

    My first strike didn¡¯t get her to surrender, but by the fifth, she staggered back.

    ¡°Fine! I surrender.¡±

    She took in a ragged breath, and smoke rolled off of her. For a moment, I was afraid that she was going to attack, deal or no deal, but instead she used it to enforce her voice, and bellowed out.

    ¡°Let it not be said that the Dreki family is without honor! I have been challenged and learned there is more to learn in the art of sword and fist. Turn over the pittance of a fortune, and we will allow you to sail in peace.¡±

    I practically sagged in relief.

 Chapter Seven: Boat Ride Training

    It took me nearly three entire hours to finally break away and take a moment to breathe.

    First, of course, it was business ¨C Give Greta the coin, then flee like a demon was at our heels.

    I tried to slip away and hide during that, but other people on deck insisted on chatting with me, including a woman insisting I come visit her for tea if I was ever in the area, a marriage proposal, and an entire chest full of random stuff that they insisted I simply MUST take as thanks.

    It got bad enough that Yushin, in the guise of a middle aged human woman, pretended to be my wife, just to get people to stop making moves on me. Also, she could use her enchanted storage to hold the stuff.

    Once people were finally starting to calm down, I thought I might have a break, but instead, a sailor approached.

    ¡°First ma¨C Err, the new captain, sorry. She wants to meet you in the captain¡¯s office ¨C her office.¡±

    Yushin and I exchanged a look, and the sailor spoke up again.

    ¡°Just you, mister Sinclair.¡±

    Yushin and I spoke several rapid sentences in Hua-Long, her promising to act as backup in case the worst happened, and I nodded to the sailor.

    The office was small, but elegant, with bookshelves covered in a good quality, almost perfectly clear glass, maps, and a large wooden desk in the center. Behind said desk was the new captain, who nodded for me to take a seat.

    ¡°Mister Sinclair,¡± she said. ¡°Before we begin, I should thank you. You played that noble child like a harp, and likely saved many lives.¡±

    ¡°Not really,¡± I said. ¡°She¡¯ll still launch her invasion.¡±

    ¡°Under the rules of war, and that would have happened regardless. Now several hundred people get to flee as refugees, rather than stay as prisoners of the Dreki family.¡±

    I shifted uncomfortably, and she nodded.

    ¡°So thank you. Now, that thanks is the entire reason we¡¯re speaking now, and you¡¯re not being tossed overboard.¡±

    I blinked, caught off guard, and the captain gestured to a book on the table I hadn¡¯t paid attention to.

    ¡°There is no Alastor Sinclair in the records. Not purchasing a ticket. Not checking in.¡±

    I laughed, relieved that she was just upset about that, then waved my hand.

    ¡°No, no. Not what¡¯s happening. I saw your grimoire, you must know a good bit about magic.¡±

    ¡°I know more than most. I¡¯m a second circle mage,¡± the captain said, a hint of pride in her voice. ¡°Ship affinity. That¡¯s what got me into this business.¡±

    ¡°Alastor Sinclair is a false face. The first circle spell,¡± I explained. ¡°My ticket was for Anders Velcer.¡±

    I mentally checked my ether pool, and seeing I¡¯d recovered enough, nodded.

    ¡°With your permission, I¡¯ll end the spell early, then re-cast it before I leave.¡±

    At her nod, I ended my false face. The illusion over my face, body, and clothes faded away, leaving me as Emrys again.

    Or, I supposed, Anders.

    ¡°Thousand hells, you¡¯re young,¡± the captain said, then her eyes widened. ¡°Sorry, meant no disrespect. Just¡­ To go from looking to be forty to being, what, seventeen?¡±

    ¡°Nineteen,¡± I said.

    ¡°Still,¡± she said, then recognition dawned. ¡°You¡¯re a student, traveling to the Citadel, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m guessing that you couldn¡¯t afford the fees of one of the faster passenger ships, are trying to save coin for college, or else you just enjoy being at sea, right?¡±

    I shifted uncomfortably at her analysis. She was a little too sharp for my liking.

    ¡°I am,¡± I said. ¡°On scholarship, and trying to save coin, since I only have a limited budget.¡±

    ¡°I see, I see,¡± the captain said, bobbing her head rapidly. ¡°I must say, thanking you is much nicer than dealing with a helpful stowaway. I was planning for your reward to be room and board, but since you already paid for it¡­¡±

    She hummed in thought, calculating. I didn¡¯t press her. The people here had already given me too much, and she¡¯d been the one to pay out Greta and get her to leave.

    ¡°Well, I might not know much compared to your academy, but I got a few spells that are helpful in my grimoire. You¡¯re welcome to make copies of whatever you want.¡±

    I grinned.

    ¡°That is absolutely wonderful compensation. Thank you!¡±

    She tossed me her grimoire, and I stared at her.

    ¡°Ah, keep it. If anyone asks, I¡¯ll tell them Anders pestered me to hell and back, so I¡¯m letting him look. I don¡¯t need it for casting most spells. Just copy it out, and give it back to me.¡±

    I agreed delightedly, before recasting my illusion, heading to a bathroom, and dispelling it again, then met up with Jackson in our shared room.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    ¡°What was all the commotion about?¡± he asked, looking absolutely green at the gills. ¡°Did some guy really kill a Dreki?¡±

    ¡°Something like that,¡± I said, ¡°though she didn¡¯t die. Just beat her. And can your healing not fix seasickness?¡±

    Jackson made a retching sound, and I shuddered, stepping back.

    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ Leave you be,¡± I said.

    I headed to Yushin¡¯s room, which was smaller, but private. She was already in there, presumably having escaped when I¡¯d been called in to see the captain. I grinned at her, and waggled the grimoire.

    ¡°Captain¡¯s rewarded me by letting me steal all her spells,¡± I said with a grin. ¡°Don¡¯t suppose that anyone gifted me with a book and paper?¡±

    Yushin sighed and waved her hand. There was a flash of light, then a pile of assorted junk appeared on the floor.

    ¡°I¡¯m taking a cut of this,¡± she warned.

    ¡°Totally fair,¡± I agreed, as I started sorting through the contents, before pausing.

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t suppose you know the ethereal chest spell?¡±

    ¡°I do, but you won¡¯t be able to cast it here and now,¡± she said. ¡°Unless someone gifted you the components for it.¡±

    I cursed, and eyed the massive pile. I had never been much of a person to gather random things. As a wanderer, anything I owned needed to be carried with me.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start sorting into four piles,¡± Yushin suggested, kneeling on the floor next to me as I took a seat.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Yushin ticked items off on her fingers.

    ¡°One for items that you want to keep and carry around with you, like coin or spell components. One for items that are to be sold, like a silver brooch or earrings. One for items that could be useful once you settle into the dorm, but aren¡¯t useful now, like plates or a blanket. And the last pile will be for items to get rid of.¡±

    I agreed, and we set about sorting.

    Coin was easiest. After paying Yushin back for the diamond dust loan, as well as a small fee for holding onto all of this in her storage ring, I was left with a shade over three hundred silver, which made me feel absurdly rich. I even bought a chest from the captain, so my stuff wouldn¡¯t rattle around in Yushin¡¯s storage, as well as a book, ink, and quill to copy the spells from the captain''s grimoire.

    There were a lot of things that fell into the second and third category ¨C especially jewelry.

    I didn¡¯t know why. Maybe people had simply divested themselves of valuables as thanks?

    But there were other things too. Cutlery made of silver, silk handkerchiefs, bags full of various spices, a very stylish and well tailored coat that was three sizes too big for me, but might fit Jackson, a copper handsaw, several sharpening stones, a over a dozen bottles of wine or oil of assorted qualities, and a mountain of other things I could keep or sell.

    Outside of that, I received a set of calibrated hourglasses set for a minute, hour, and day, which Yushin also insisted I keep. I¡¯d never seen the use in them when I¡¯d been on the road, but I could see how they might be of some use at a university.

    There was plenty of trash, of course ¨C fliers for churches and events, a crock of eggs that would definitely spoil by the end of the week, and no less than fourteen candles.

    But the real haul, in my opinion, was in magic and information. Yushin disagreed, saying it was trite, but I appreciated it.

    I¡¯d been gifted three martial manuals for different sword styles, and while I was no real swordsman ¨C there was a reason I didn¡¯t carry a blade around ¨C I knew how valuable learning different perspectives could be.

    In addition to those, I was gifted two vials of antitoxin and a weak healing salve.

    Finally, I received a spell guide for arcane missile, which I already knew, but also a guide for a first circle spell, arcane disc, which was new to me.

    And that wasn¡¯t including the captain¡¯s spells. I couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of her affinity magic, but it contained some non-affinity spells as well: a cantrip that molded shadows into a cloak that protected from heat, a day-long waterproofing spell, a spell that conjured an orb of air from one of Etherius¡¯ planes around the person¡¯s head, and a second circle ritual spell.

    Ritual magic was¡­ Weird. They were still spells, like any other, but they had a lot of steps, components, and that had to be taken to cast the spell.

    Of course, Magyk was fair. All that hassle usually meant you got a really powerful effect, far more than a normal spell of its circle could provide.

    My bloodmark spell was the perfect example. I¡¯d had to come up with a personal symbol beneath the full moon, draw it in blood, and keep it in contact my skin until the new moon, at which point I needed to burn it while reciting a poem about myself.

    The following full moon, I¡¯d painted my new symbol seven times, as well as the entire spell, onto a tree that was big enough to fit it, all in my own blood, while chanting the words of power seven times.

    Normally, a second circle spell might have had a sentence or two, but the bloodmark spell¡¯s had lasted for a full page, and as I¡¯d said, I needed to go through it seven times, all while channeling ether into the drawn out spell and symbols, and not passing out from blood loss.

    Naturally, if anything went wrong, the spell failed.

    Did the paper lose contact with the skin? Fail.

    Did you not copy the symbol onto the trees right from your memory after having burnt it? Fail.

    Mispronounce the words of power? Improperly balance the ether? Pass out from blood loss? Go back, start over, you¡¯ve wasted a month and a half on being a failure.

    But¡­ They were worth it. For all the pain my bloodmark spell had been, now all I needed to do was touch an object with a drop of my blood while channeling ether, and the blood would vanish, leaving an invisible mark on the object only I could see, and more importantly, track.

    For a year and a day after I set the mark, I knew exactly where the mark was, no matter how far away it got from me, and if I added more blood and ether, I could extend it basically indefinitely.

    The captain¡¯s ritual was, unfortunately, not a blood ritual. It was called naiad¡¯s kiss, and required close to a hundred silver each worth of powdered blue, silver, and pink pearls, a glass vial of water collected from the ocean under the light of a full moon and stoppered with red wax, and an actual kiss on the forehead from a naiad, though the book did mention that most sapient aquatic creatures, like merfolk or selkies, would work too.

    The instructions for the spell form and completing the ritual were every bit as elaborate as bloodmark, but different in nature, and while I copied them down diligently, I didn¡¯t put much effort in committing them to memory, given how far out of reach just the components were.

    Still, I couldn''t help but envision the supposed effects. The grimoire claimed that it would allow someone who had completed the ritual to use their ether and adapt to water, be it salt or fresh, breathing it freely, swimming as swiftly as a naiad, and seeing through it clearly. Returning to being an air breather was as simple as stepping out of the water and channeling ether again.

    A semi-permanent transformation ability was basically unheard of using second circle spellcraft, unless, of course, it was through a ritual like this one.

    Even without being able to complete it, spending the months on-board allowed me to truly relax for the first time in what felt like an age. We could see out for miles, so if there was a boat coming, I applied my tincture, false face, and enshroud spell, but the rest of the time, I was just able to relax, study my notes from the captain¡¯s grimoire, and practice spellcraft.

    I did have to make a few more appearances as Alastor Sinclair, before disembarking in Middlehold¡¯s capital, dispelling the illusion, and heading back onto the boat as Anders.

    Jackson¡­ Was not nearly as happy, but by the time we were nearing Panath Hold, and thus, the Ocean Spires region, he was able to walk around for a few hours on deck before retreating to the room.

    The only thing that marred the comfortable trip was the fact that Summerhold was going to war, and news was sparse. The White Sands region I¡¯d grown up in hadn¡¯t been captured or attacked yet, but I checked the news each time we stopped in a port.

 Chapter Eight: Bloodline Training

    ¡°Bloodline suppression,¡± I said, seated across from Yushin. I¡¯d promised to teach her about it as a part of the original deal, but in the excitement of the Alastor incident, and with me repaying my debt, it had gotten away from us both.

    At least until we started approaching Panath.

    The Panath Hold was the metaphorical head and heart of Cendel, and thus, absurdly busy. It¡¯s three regions ¨C Ocean Spires, Grand Trees, and Tall Mesa ¨C each housed vital aspects of Cendel¡¯s home and culture.

    Ocean Spires was obvious, as that was our destination, and home to the Citadel of Ether.

    Grand Trees contained the royal court and palace of the high king, as well as the great oak where the king was elected each year by the representatives of each region.

    Tall Mesa¡¯s value was both a lot more, and a lot less, than its fellow hold regions, as it was the only spot in Cendel, and one of only four in the world, where ether crystal naturally grew.

    All of which meant more and more ships on the water, and more and more days where we needed to enshroud ourselves, and thus, my freely given lesson to Yushin.

    I think Jackson was under a different impression, given this wasn¡¯t the first time we¡¯d locked ourselves in Yushin¡¯s room, and I was happy to let him believe whatever he wanted, if it meant he wasn¡¯t suspicious of us.

    ¡°What is your bloodline like within your spirit?¡¯ I asked. ¡°I¡¯ll go first. Mine is like a blazing bonfire, crackling with flames that I can reach out and channel in various ways. The coals at the bottom are where those abilities lie.¡±

    Yushin frowned as she reached within.

    ¡°I would say mine is like¡­ a pool.¡±

    I looked at her and grinned.

    ¡°Sure that¡¯s not just your ether pool?¡±

    She rolled her eyes at me, but continued.

    ¡°It¡¯s like a pool, with deep cracks at the bottom I can pour the p¨C pour the water through.¡±

    Yushin wasn¡¯t nearly as slick as she thought she was being, since given that she had admitted to a demonic serpent bloodline, and had started a word with a p, I¡¯d have bet several silver on her saying poison. Technically, serpents had venom, but Ceyish was clearly Yushin¡¯s second language, after Hua-Long, so I wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d have known that. Plus, depending on the serpent, it might also have poisonous flesh.

    ¡°Right,¡± I said. ¡°So, how do you normally suppress it?¡±

    ¡°I just slow and still the¡­ water, so it¡¯s not forming a vortex.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s the basic suppression, no fancy tricks. For me, it¡¯s snuffing out the fire. The more advanced technique¡­ Feel my bloodline.

    I reached within myself and let my control relax to a normal level. Yushin studied me, then nodded.

    ¡°I can feel it.¡±

    The moment she spoke, I disjointed the fire from the coals, lifting it up into the air. Yushin let out a little gasp, and I grinned at her.

    ¡°What did you do?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I lifted the fire off the coals,¡± I said. ¡°For you, I would imagine that it would be somewhat similar. Lift the water. But that¡¯s not the end.¡±

    I set the ball of flame rotating within my spirit, then froze it, then spun it the other way. I shaped it into a dragon, then a phoenix, then a sword, then an angelus. I split it into two balls of fire and set them spinning.

    ¡°Controlling your bloodline while it¡¯s disjointed is much harder than normal bloodline manipulation training,¡± I told her. ¡°Which in turn makes it excellent training.¡±

    ¡°This can¡¯t be all, though,¡± Yushin said. ¡°Disjointed, I can barely feel you, but when you took the tests, it wasn¡¯t even a whisper. A normal veil is a one, this is a two, but you were at a¡­ four. Five.¡±

    In response, I compressed the ball of fire in my spirit from a roaring bonfire the size of a person, down to a white hot orb the size of an apple. Yushin¡¯s eyes flicked, her nose took in a deep breath, and her tongue flickered out.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how it will work with your¡­ water¡­¡± I said. ¡°But I just condensed my bloodline. I¡¯ve got a lot less power to draw on, but the power I do have is much more effective.¡±

    ¡°Then why am I having such trouble feeling it?¡±

    ¡°A solarsteel dagger is much more effective than an entire room full of scrapped iron hinges, but it¡¯s still easier to hide the dagger,¡± I said. ¡°Also, there¡¯s a benefit to doing disjointed compression. It trains your bloodline to adapt to this new level of concentration.¡±

    I held up a hand.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go thinking that just because you compress it down to a certain strength that it becomes the new default. It takes time and effort to adapt, and that concentrated power in turn becomes harder to concentrate again.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    It had certainly come as a shock to me. The tortoise-blood who¡¯d taught me the technique hadn¡¯t forewarned me, and I had been briefly convinced he had been trying to kill me.

    ¡°So how strong are you?¡± Yushin asked bluntly. ¡°You¡¯ve been compressing your bloodline all day, every day, for¡­¡±

    ¡°Years,¡± I admitted. ¡°And it¡¯s hard to say. How do bloodlines grow in size?¡±

    ¡°Use,¡± Yushin said, and her eyes narrowed. ¡°But you never use yours.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m constantly concentrating it,¡± I said, then sighed and shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m also not used to weilding my power.¡±

    Once, I had been hailed as an expert, but while I was certain my shaping skills and concentration surpassed anyone my age, I was out of real practice. I was like a swordsman who only ever trained in forms and never sparred.

    ¡°You defeated Greta well enough,¡± Yushin said wryly, and I shrugged.

    ¡°I tricked her and played to her pride. Nothing more. Now, lift your water!¡±

    Yushin did as I said, straining, and I felt a few tiny droplets of her bloodline wick away into the air, before falling back to her poisoned pool.

    ¡°You¡­ didn¡¯t say¡­ it was so hard!¡± Yushin gasped, sweat having broken out on her brow.

    I had to stop myself from laughing, because it would have been terribly rude. I honestly had forgotten that it was hard, because the last time I¡¯d struggled with it was as a kid. To me, disjointing my bloodline was as easy as breathing.

    ¡°You can do it,¡± I said encouragingly. ¡°And think about how much stronger you can get with these techniques. In theory.¡±

    ¡°Emrys, I will ¨C¡± Yushin started to say, but was interrupted when Jackson entered the room.

    ¡°Who¡¯s Emrys?¡± Jackson asked, a plate of food in his hand.

    ¡°Me,¡± I said, brain whirling. ¡°Emrys Anders Velcer of White Sands. Is that cheese?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I brought it to share since you two were probably nerding out over a book and no gonna get lunch,¡± Jackson responded, accepting my lie with complete ease. ¡°So which do you prefer?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Name,¡± he said, extending the platter to Yushin, who picked up a carrot and bit into it.

    ¡°Oh,¡± I said, then shrugged. ¡°Whatever, really. I swap between them without any real care one way or the other. I think I used Emrys for testing, so that¡¯s what I¡¯ll be called at school. You were clearly a divine follower though, so I defaulted to Anders, since it sounds more formal.¡±

    ¡°The divine realms of Etherius are no joke,¡± Jackson said, ¡°but I¡¯m a little hurt you never told me.¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± I lied, putting on a mask of innocent chagrin. ¡°I meant to, then it just¡­ slipped my mind.¡±

    ¡°No harm done,¡± he said. ¡°So what spell were you working on?¡±

    ¡°Arcane missile,¡± I lied. ¡°I can make my armor and shields invisible, but the missile is harder. I can¡¯t do it.¡±

    ¡°I can, but only if I am focusing and releasing a single small missile,¡± Yushin said. ¡°It takes too much concentration for combat use.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all the ether packed into such a small container,¡± Jackson said, nodding. ¡°I never understood the point, though.¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± I asked, curious despite myself. ¡°The practice in perfectly shaping ether is helpful with casting any spell.¡±

    ¡°Oh sure,¡± Jackson agreed. ¡°But in a fight, I can assume whatever mage I¡¯m fighting has thrown up a shield spell, and has arcane armor. Having them invisible isn¡¯t much better than having them be a shimmer. And the missiles are so ether dense that even most skilled mages have to really focus to make them invisible.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yushin agreed. ¡°But the practice you get with ether shaping assists.¡±

    ¡°It does, but I prefer to take another route: power,¡± Jackson said. ¡°My arcane armor, missiles, and shield might be visible, but all the time you spent shaping, I spent expanding my ether pool.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± I asked curiously.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Jackson agreed. ¡°Now, far as I know, there¡¯s no perfect way to measure Ether.¡±

    ¡°There is not,¡± Yushin agreed. ¡°The Magyk Uncertainty Principal. Plus other factors like spell familiarity, etheric compatibility, intraplantar ether disruption, and more.¡±

    ¡°But there¡¯s the old standby of spell comparison,¡± I pointed out. ¡°Far from perfect ¨C plenty of people can force out an extra spell when they¡¯re fighting for their life that they can¡¯t in practice, or blow their power in a panic. But it¡¯s something.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Jackson said. ¡°I can fire somewhere in the vein of fifty or so missiles.¡±

    I stared at him, and even Yushin raised a delicate eyebrow. I could maybe fire half that amount before my ether pool was dry.

    ¡°And this is a spell you don¡¯t practice to have perfect etheric efficiency?¡± Yushin asked.

    ¡°Just power,¡± Jackson said with a relaxed grin.

    I wondered if Jackson could cast a fourth circle spell. It seemed likely that he had enough raw power, but with his lack of focus on ether shaping, he might not have the skill to do it.

    That wasn¡¯t a trade that I would make, but I couldn¡¯t deny that it would have its uses. But Yushin pointed out something a moment later that made me reconsider.

    ¡°Your fire affinity,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s a simple base channeled spell with few modifications, isn¡¯t it? You don¡¯t need to have strong ether shaping to cast it, but it drains your ether rapidly.¡±

    Jackson nodded.

    ¡°Yep. The amount of fire I can create and control has a scaling continual ether cost.¡±

    That changed things. If his affinity magic relied on strength over finesse, and he was looking to do combat magic¡­

    ¡°Are you looking to fight in the demon wastes?¡± I blurted out.

    ¡°Maybe?¡± Jackson said. ¡°It would be good, no? We can always use more farmland. But I might join a hunter guild or the military.¡±

    A frown crossed his lips.

    ¡°If the war with Dreki Island is still ongoing, then the military feels like the more important one.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re crazy,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°Don¡¯t fight the Dreki. There¡¯s a reason the king limited the fight ¨C they can¡¯t be stopped. Only made to think that winning isn¡¯t worth the money.¡±

    Jackson opened his mouth to argue, but Yushin cut him off.

    ¡°We¡¯ve gotten far afield. Jackson, how do you focus on power? I drain my ether pool dry casting spells every day, but it¡¯s still nowhere near that size.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Jackson hedged. ¡°Effervesce has some methods that are¡­ Uh¡­ I don¡¯t want to be rude, but¡­¡±

    ¡°No need to reveal church secrets,¡± I said, waving my hand.

    ¡°I can show you some basic shaping exercises designs to expand your pool, instead of your finesse. I can also share one¡­ trick,¡± Jackson said, sounding concerned. ¡°It¡¯s not secret, just uncommon. And painful. Really painful.¡±

    ¡°Did you use it?¡± Yushin asked.

    ¡°I do,¡± Jackson said, shifting.

    ¡°We can handle it,¡± I said confidently.

    ¡°You know spell backlash? When you mess up a spell circle so badly it explodes in your ether pool and sends your ether exploding out of you?¡± Jackson asked.

    I shuddered. I hadn¡¯t backlashed in years, but I remembered it. It was one reason a lot of people never learned more than cantrips, which had no circle to break and cause backlash.

    It wouldn¡¯t kill or cripple you, but it did hurt. It was the spiritual equivalent of being kicked in the groin, repeatedly, by an eight foot tall half-giant.

    It was also a horrible waste of ether, often exploding out with ten times as much ether as it would have taken to just cast the spell right.

    ¡°This technique is called bottled backlashing,¡± Jackson said. ¡°It captures the explosion and re-condenses most of it into your ether pool, though some does still escape. The only problem is it makes the pain even worse.¡±

    ¡°Oh no,¡± I muttered under my breath.

    ¡°So you can, by putting yourself in extreme pain, effectively spend several times more ether in your pool in a single day than you normally could,¡± Jackson continued. ¡°Backlash after backlash after backlash.¡±

    I gritted my teeth and prepared myself for the pain that this technique was going to give me.

 Chapter Nine: Administrative Applications

    The day we finally crossed into Panath and Ocean Spires, I got my first view of the Citadel of Ether, and of the huge city that had sprung up around it.

    Towering like a dozen mountains striking out of the waves were hundreds upon hundreds of tall black and purple spires of stone, piercing up into the heavens, each one so thick that it might have covered a small town square. The stone had been carved into a long spiral ramp that wound up towards the top of the spire, where there were rope bridges supported by glowing ether constructs, linking each spire with the other.

    Set all along the ramp, from barely a hundred feet above the sea, all the way to the top, were houses, carved out of the stone, or into the stone. Often I could see little more than a window and a door, but others had carved out a massive cavern to hold an entire mansion, and even imported dirt to create artificial forest.

    But all of that paled before the Citadel.

    Far off in the distance, in what looked to be the center of Ocean Spires, there was a large area, easily the size of Summerbone, that was missing its spires.

    I frowned and squinted.

    No, they hadn¡¯t gone missing. They¡¯d broken apart, falling into the ocean below, and leaving a wound in the landscape. Some great battle, maybe? I was sure there was historical context I was missing.

    But floating near the top of where the spires should have been, in order to connect with the network of bridges, was a monumental silver cloud.

    I didn¡¯t even have the words to describe it. The cloud was large enough to be an entire city, and it seemed to be made entirely out of shimmering silvery ether. The cost to create and maintain a spell of that size boggled the mind, and made me wonder if it was even a spell. It couldn¡¯t be a spell, could it? There was no way.

    It had to be the interdiction of a god, or some sort of natural magical formation, or leakage from one of the endless planes of Etherius.

    Maybe it was magic from the age of wilds? Most spells from that time had been destroyed, but some survived. I knew my mother had a sword from that age, with magic that no modern artificer could replicate. Maybe the cloud was like that.

    I stopped myself from going down an endless trail of possibilities and focused.

    Atop the silver cloud, I could see brass and bronze towers rising ten stories off the ground, lit with a hundred different colors of ether, and I could feel the concentration of raw ether from leagues away.

    That had to be the college.

    It was hard to see, given that I was looking up and at an angle, but I thought I could also make out grass and trees on the top of the cloud, like someone had taken a slice out of a verdant forest and plopped it down atop the cloud, then built towers on top of that.

    On the deck next to me, Yushin took in a sharp breath as her eyes caught sight of the city. Even Jackson, who had dragged himself up onto the deck, let out an impressed whistle.

    ¡°Hellfire and sunlight,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s our school?¡±

    ¡°I thought your church members described it to you,¡± I asked.

    ¡°The description of a city floating on a cloud is not able to do that justice,¡± Jackson said, and I nodded. That was fair enough.

    It took us two more days to actually reach the citadel, only one of which was on the boat. The other was spent moving across Ocean Spires.

    From afar, the hundreds of connected spires had looked small, but the total area they covered was still immense. Even with Yushin shelling out for an enchanted carriage, it still took nearly fourteen hours of riding across spire bridges to reach the citadel. What had looked like simple pedestrian bridges from afar was revealed to be massive roads, easily wide enough for five men standing shoulder to shoulder. And beefy men at that, like Jackson, rather than me.

    It was the first time I¡¯d seen an enchanted carriage in person. With the high ambient ether and connection to Etherius, there were many wonders of artificery that could be produced and ran on ambient ether that simply wouldn¡¯t work in a region like White Sands, with its low ether.

    The moving enchanted carriages in particular were unique to the spires, a product of the Citadel whose design was kept heavily under lock and key.

    I marveled at them, and was a bit sad when we had to depart.

    We spent the night at a cheap inn on the floating citadel, far away from the wealthiest parts of the floating city where a rogue Dreki might be staying, and Jackson wound up spending the night with the bartender, which Yushin seemed frustrated by. I couldn¡¯t care less, though I did wonder how exactly someone who I¡¯d personally categorize as midway between a religious zealot and a town strongman was able to attract so many people.

    The following morning, we headed onto the campus itself, passing under the massive burnished bronze arch that marked the entryway to the Citadel of Ether as separate from the¡­ Citadel of Ether.

    I could already tell that I was going to find it annoying to have the school and the small city around the school named the same thing.

    Ah, well.

    We were far from the only ones who were streaming through. There were still a few weeks before the school year officially began, but plenty of students had ridden on boats like ours, or come from all over the world to attend. I saw people of every possible race and description wandering the campus, from massive tree-folk, to muscled minotaurs, to slender elves, to squat dwarves, to winged harpies, and beyond.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The administrative hall was overflowing with almost a hundred students, but being such a massive institution, there were over two dozen attendants. Jackson, Yushin, and I all broke apart and made our way to separate lines, and I took the moment to take in the hall.

    Bronze and marble dominated every surface, polished and cut into neat tiles. There was no woodsmoke in the air, as the lights were all weirlights, sustained by ambient ether. The entire place smelled clean and fresh, the halls scrubbed clean by a mix of magic and the hard work of the cleaning staff. I had to tip my nonexistent hat to the cleaning staff, they did an excellent job. My sense of smell was better than most dogfolk, and I could barely catch a hint of dust or debris that hadn¡¯t been tracked in by the students recently.

    In the back of the hall, behind the rows of administrative desks was by far the strangest set of objects:

    One was the blue crystal chair that had seated the Erudite who sponsored the school and acted as its¡­ Headmaster? Dean? President? Chancellor? It was entirely composed of ether crystal, and it seemed to be connected to the other two items, almost as if it was a power source.

    The second was a tall and slender pillar of silvery cloud-smoke. I wasn¡¯t sure which it was. It had no smell, and while it resembled the cloud holding the Citadel aloft, it was much thinner and whispier, while at the same time seeming impossiblly ether dense. The attendants would frequently approach the pillar and remove things from it, so I assumed it to be some sort of storage spell or clever bit of artifice.

    The third item dominating the hall was a strange tree. It looked like an ash tree, but it smelled like blood and brains, and every single one of its leaves had an eye on it. As the line moved, I could have sworn that the tree¡¯s eyes were scanning the crowd, watching it, and I suppressed a shiver.

    ¡°Next!¡±

    I walked up, removing my papers from my satchel and passing them over to the attendant, who wore a well fitted dress and cardigan, with a gray stole that draped over her shoulders. Her cardigan had the symbol of the university on it, and was embossed in golden thread with emerald accents. She looked the papers over, then nodded.

    ¡°Very good, Emyrs. Please fill out these forms, and I¡¯ll be back momentarily.¡±

    She pushed a stack of papers and a pen my way, and I began dutifully filling them out. She took my papers and left, tossing them into the pillar of silver smoke, then paused as if waiting.

    The eyes of the tree focused on me. Hundreds of spots of vision, all focused on me. And they saw me. The leaves rustled in amusement, and the world froze.

    ¡°Running,¡± the tree said. ¡°Fear. Loneliness. Fix?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± I said.

    My voice made no noise.

    ¡°Stop. Overcome. Connect. Train. Train. Train. Traintraintraintraintraintrain¨C¡±

    ¡°I intend to train,¡± I said. ¡°I want to learn every bit of magic I can. I want all of it.¡±

    The rambling word stopped, and the world started moving again.

    ¡°Good,¡± was the last thing I heard the tree say.

    I blinked as I suddenly forgot what I¡¯d been thinking about. Ah, right. I was filling out paperwork while the attendant was retrieving my stuff from the smoke pillar.

    The attendant returned after a moment, and waited for me to finish the papers, then went and fed those to the pillar too, before returning again. She placed down a thin black slate, roughly three and a half inches by two inches. It was thick and slightly heavy.

    ¡°Channel your ether into that, and it will link to you,¡± the attendant told me. ¡°Don¡¯t lose it, they¡¯re expensive to produce, and are needed to bypass the wards in the library, classes, labs, dorms, and more.¡±

    I pushed a spark of ether into the slate and watched in fascination as my name ¨C Emrys, thankfully, not my birth name ¨C age, spell circle, and an image of me all appeared.

    I frowned, and my image frowned too. That distracted me enough that I spent a moment making faces and watching the image change to match me, then I looked up.

    ¡°Why does my card say second circle, then have third in parenthesis? I can cast third circle spells.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you must not have known many classically trained mages,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re from an ether poor region?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no way to measure exactly, but you¡¯ve got an ether pool that¡¯s comfortable with casting second circle spells, but you can stretch it to cast third circle spells. Like a pianist, able to memorize a piece beyond their normal skill level. I will say, the fact you got admitted this way is quite impressive.¡±

    I sat back, a little mollified, and the attendant continued speaking.

    ¡°Now, with your scholarship, you¡¯re in the adaptive dorms, room sixteen in the Northwest Tower.¡±

    ¡°Adaptive dorms?¡± I asked.

    ¡°The room starts out very basic, with just a cot and a small bathroom separated by a curtain. But they upgrade and change, depending on your accomplishments, grades, increasing ether pool, learning more spells, and other such things,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that they get incredibly fancy. Enchanted tea carts that can make tea and summon teatime snacks directly from the kitchens, bathing chambers fit for a king, and a bed made out of elysian cloudstuff. Of course, those are mostly rumors, and like I said, it all depends on your performance. Your room is private, but it will open into a common space with three others, and the common space is going to be determined by the average of all four of your rooms and such.¡±

    ¡°Interesting,¡± I said, then she continued.

    ¡°You can enter the dining hall three times a day using your token, and you¡¯ll find the schedule for what¡¯s prepared when, as well as a map of the school in these papers here. I suggest you get your tailoring done before school starts, as some teachers are rather sticklers for that sort of thing. There¡¯s a grace period, but things can easily get backed up.¡±

    ¡°Tailoring?¡± I asked, raising an eyebrow.

    ¡°Ah, sorry. You look¡­ well, I won¡¯t go into that. But I keep thinking you¡¯re one of the nobles who¡¯s just slumming it and already know this. There¡¯s a dress code on campus for the officially tailored coat and shirt and all that. The Erudite believes that it helps keep everyone on a more even playing field. But you¡¯ll find the Citadel¡¯s crest on each of them too, which is convenient, because it helps keep track.¡±

    She pulled out a list and pushed it to me. The system was simple enough. The color that the campus crest was made out of indicated what spell circle could be comfortably cast, and the accents indicated what spell they could stretch to, with red indicating first circle, orange for second, yellow for third, so on and so forth. Purple was for sixth circle, with black for seventh, gray for eighth, and white for ninth, though only the Erudite was able to comfortably cast that strong of a spell.

    I glanced at the woman¡¯s stole. She was a comfortable third circle caster, then, but could stretch to fourth. Strong.

    Stoles served to mark an extra layer of distinction on top of power, with white stoles for healers, black for campus guards, brown for librarians, blue for teachers, and gray for administrative staff, while labor like cooks and cleaners were free to dress as they saw fit. That felt a little classist to me, but I shrugged it off. The Erudite apparently had a purple stole, though he was rarely seen on campus.

    ¡°You should be due five uniforms,¡± the attendant told me helpfully. ¡°You can request up to three new ones each semester, in case they wind up damaged, and altering the thread is free. I¡¯d get them as soon as possible, like I said.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, nodding. ¡°I appreciate all your help.¡±

    She nodded, then looked up.

    ¡°Next!¡±

 Chapter Ten: Charting a Course

    I sighed as I passed my student slate over the entry to the common area and stepped in.

    The moment I was in, I froze and let out a mental sigh. I didn¡¯t let it touch my face.

    ¡°Hello Jackson,¡± I said with a smile.

    It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t like the man. He was just¡­ A lot to deal with at times. I wondered if the tree had been the one to arrange this.

    Jackson leapt off the couch, where he¡¯d been studying some papers, and bounded over, pulling me into a hug. I endured it, not liking the sudden touch, but knowing Jackson meant no harm. After he let me go, I took in the room.

    Plain gray stone floors, drab gray walls, accented by a ratty gray couch, pair of old gray chairs, and a gray table that was so flimsy that a stern look from Jackson would have made it start falling apart.

    It was rectangular, and though I thought it was spacious, I had also just spent months cramped on a ship, and years stowing away wherever I could fit. The entire room was lit ambiently in a very natural feeling way, despite the fact that there weren¡¯t any windows or visible weirlights, just light coming from everywhere and nowhere at all.

    On the opposite side of the living area, behind the couch, was a set of doors. They were the nicest thing in the room by far, sturdy hardwood, with a brushed brass handle sitting next to a mail slot.

    Above the slot was a plaque embossed with a name. Mine was third from the left, Emrys of White Sands, and Jackson Uyer¡¯s to the right of it. The door on the left side of my room read ¡®Salem Alderson¡¯, and the furthest from me said ¡®Wesley Illinor¡¯.

    I had a moment of surprise that Yushin wasn¡¯t there, until I remembered that her mother had an ally in the city who was going to shelter Yushin.

    ¡°Pretty crappy, but they change,¡± Jackson said. ¡°Have you met the other two?¡±

    ¡°I just got back from the tailors, this is the first time I¡¯ve even seen the rooms,¡± I admitted.

    ¡°Well, alright then!¡± Jackson said. ¡°Mysteries upon mysteries. For right now, though? Here!¡±

    He maneuvered through the furniture, back to his room, then stepped in. Opening the door didn¡¯t reveal anything on the other side, just more of the spinning silver mist that made up the cloud.

    A privacy feature? Or something else?

    I spun a bit of ether out, waved my hand in a delicate, spider-like fashion, then mumbled a short string of words of power. An instant later, the room glowed. Everything in the room except the papers that Jackson had left on the couch, was an etheric construct, conjuration magic.

    Well, that certainly explained a few things.

    Jackson stepped out of his room, and around him I could see the glow of his ether, augmented by twisting etheric gifts from his god, completely unsuppressed, blasting out into the world. That just felt sloppy ¨C I was certain ethersight wouldn¡¯t show anything at all about Yushin.

    Ethersight wasn¡¯t a potent enough divination to tell me more than that he had a bit of divinity and magecraft, though, and even if he wasn¡¯t hiding, it was still rude to look, so I cut the flow of ether off.

    Jackson picked his way through the furniture slowly, so his muscles didn¡¯t crash into anything, then passed me the paper he¡¯d gone into his room to retrieve.

    ¡°Team sign up sheet for Applied Mage Combat,¡± he said, ¡°Yushin already signed up.¡±

    I glanced it over, noting that this sheet had you create a team of four, since many classes would require default groups. The groups would be swapped around for some excercises, of course, but mages often worked in tight knit groups, or even established formal magical covens. If four people didn¡¯t sign it, the rest would be placed randomly, until everyone was in a group.

    Sure enough, Yushin and Jackson had both signed the sheet, and I took a moment to think it over.

    I hadn¡¯t seen Jackson¡¯s combat skills in person, but as a fire affinity mage with a divine boon empowering his flame, he should be powerful on offense, so long as he wasn¡¯t completely incompetent. His brawn also couldn¡¯t be entirely for show.

    That would combine well with Yushin¡¯s demonic serpent bloodline, and her interest in stealth spells.

    Frankly, I likely brought the least to the team. Oh, sure, in theory I was probably able to outspeed Yushin and outmuscle Jackson, but that would rely on tapping into my bloodline. Magically, I was a grab bag of random spells with no distinct focus.

    Well, if they were willing to bet on me, I¡¯d bet on them. I signed my name.

    ¡°Awesome!¡± Jackson said. ¡°I¡¯m going to¨C¡±

    He was interrupted by the door opening and someone striding into the room.

    The man who strode in was already in one of the basic uniform options, a navy blue overcoat, white button down shirt, and tan slacks. His coat had the seal of the university on it, the pure yellow color marking him as being truly a third circle spellcaster.

    He was handsome, in his way, with the kind of polished-yet-rough look that reminded me of a soldier. His skin was darker than mine, but lighter than Jackson¡¯s, and his brown eyes looked like he was used to scowling. He was clean shaven, and had his silver hair was shorn short, revealing his slightly pointed half-elven ears.

    His smell was¡­ Strange. I¡¯d met half-elves before, of course, and they tended to be less odious than a full human, but less floral than a full elf, resulting in their default stench almost being like a perfumed human. This man smelled like salt and sand and sea, though, more like a selkie or a merfolk. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    The moment he strode in, he glanced over the two of us, then spoke. His voice was stern, but quiet, as if he expected anyone who heard him to listen well.

    ¡°I am Wesley Illnor. You will not knock on my door unless it is dire. You will keep the common space clean. I will extend these courtesies to you in exchange.¡±

    Then he strode past both of us and into his room.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Jackson said. ¡°He reminds me of Yushin.¡±

    I stared at him.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°He does!¡± Jackson protested.

    ¡°He¡¯s a bit rude, Yushin is polite,¡± I pointed out.

    ¡°Yushin is not polite,¡± he argued. ¡°I like her well enough, but she is anything but polite.¡±

    Jackson put the sign up sheet down in the stack with the rest of his and shrugged.

    ¡°I guess,¡± he said. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ll let you get settled in. Effervesce¡¯s light walk with you.¡±

    ¡°And also with you?¡± I guessed. It must have been close enough, because Jackson settled down onto the couch, and I headed to my room. The moment I touched the door, I felt it scan my ether, matching it to the sample I¡¯d injected into my student card, then it opened. I stepped through the mists, and appeared in another gray stone room. There was a slender cot on one side of the room, a small chest of drawers, and a curtain that headed off into a bathroom.

    On the top of the dresser there was a cream envelope with my name on it, and I eyed it as I tossed my bags down. It didn¡¯t take me long to unpack, and then I opened my mail.

    Inside was a letter from the headmaster with a copy of my scholarship contract, another map of the school and surrounding grounds, and a copy of the course selection roster.

    I pulled that out and spread it over my bed. As a first year, I was required to take Fundamental Magecraft, Ethics of Magic, and Core Studies, but I also had three electives, as was outlined in my scholarship. With one of them having to be Applied Mage Combat, that left me two spaces to learn magic.

    I unfolded the course list, and was staggered by the number of options available. There were well over a hundred electives I could choose from. There were the courses for the schools of magic, of course, but there were plenty of entirely non-magical options as well: archeology, poetry, economics, mathematics, natural philosophy, and more.

    I eliminated those without hesitation. If I had all the time in the world, I¡¯d have loved to take every course possible, but for right now, I needed to make practical, stable choices.

    Then there were courses on other sources of power: divinities, bloodlines, life enforcement, songcalling, psykika, and destinies. I had barely even heard of that last one, but I knew a bit about the others, especially bloodlines.

    It was hotly debated if other sources of power were all different, hyper-specialized types of spellcraft, or if they were their own manifestations of Etherius within the spirit and body.

    My bloodline didn¡¯t directly affect my ether pool, but I knew there were bloodlines that could, like that of a succubus. At the same time, there were spells that could improve a person¡¯s raw physical abilities, and rituals to permanently enhance a person¡¯s strength. Was a bloodline just an inborn ability and completion of these, with a touch of flexibility?

    Psychics ¨C or psykika, as the sheet called it, though I wasn¡¯t sure why there was a distinction ¨C were mostly charlatans as far as I knew, but there were those who I¡¯d met that seemed to have a truly terrifying ability to read what I was thinking and feeling. But enchantment magic could read minds, emotions, alter emotions, and more. Were psychics just learning to innately use those spells?

    The others I knew less or nothing about, but I doubted they lacked the same question, and I certainly didn¡¯t have the answer,

    I sighed and looked over the sheet as I waffled back and forth on taking the course related to bloodlines. On one hand, I couldn¡¯t imagine my family expecting me to take a bloodline course, so I might be able to use a bit of subterfuge to hide myself better. On the other, if any course was going to accidentally reveal me to everyone, it would be that one.

    I dismissed it, and then considered the others. I had no hate for the gods, but I also had no special love for them. Life enforcement could potentially be worth the time, though its tendency to empower and activate any bloodline, even latent ones, was well documented. I was certain that was why Yushin wasn¡¯t a practitioner.

    I wasn¡¯t a good singer, though there was the comment that the orcish Erudite had made, about me being a minstrel. Still, while having a power that didn¡¯t rely on my ether pool or bloodline was good, I wasn¡¯t sure branching out into a third branch of power was worth it right now. I was at a spellcasting college, after all, not a life enforcement sect.

    That made me look at the supplementary classes: Alchemy, Artifice, Construct Creation, Ether Manipulation, Weaponry, and Runes.

    Alchemy was right out. While I was sure that there were plenty of uses for it, I was on such a tight budget that even if the potions we made in class had components provided for us, I¡¯d not be able to replicate them outside of class. Considering potions were one use items, that made it an immediate no.

    I dismissed the weapons class for the same reason that I dismissed bloodlines ¨C I could make a good swordsman in theory, but it wasn¡¯t the path I wanted. Even if I learned a way to use my bloodline without any risk, I wasn¡¯t going to become a blademage. Not that I¡¯d ignore my bloodline if I learned a way to use it safely. I just didn¡¯t think a blademage was the route for me. Not when my small form and natural proclivity to speed could make me an incredibly mobile mage.

    I wasn¡¯t entirely clear on the difference between Artifice and Runes, so I flicked over to the paper that had a more detailed description of both.

    Introduction to Artifice: The creation of magical items using parts from monsters, demons, extraplanar creations, and naturally forming magical minerals like ether crystal. While this course will begin with one use items, by the end of the first year, you will have crafted several important magic items that are bought and sold across the planet. An artificer affinity is strongly recommended for this class.

    I sighed. Unless I had an artificer affinity, I¡¯d leave that one out. I flipped to the rune entry.

    Rune Magic Basics: Learn to imbue the etheric constructs formed within an ether pool into physical matter, creating natural channels for ether to flow through, much like the staff, wand, or amulet you will create in Fundamental Magecraft. While runic items can only ever replicate spells with very little flexibility, it is open to anyone, unlike artifice, which stretches the boundaries of what a spell can manage.

    I put that class down as a maybe. I could see uses for having spells already worked into items for sure ¨C adding a precharged arcane armor spell into a shirt, for example ¨C but I didn¡¯t want to have to rely on items for fighting, since that felt like it was begging to have the item break or be stolen. Besides, I didn¡¯t carry much with me anyways.

    Construct creation, like creating moving scarecrows, animated armor, golems, and more was interesting, but it ran into all of the problems of artifice, alchemy, and runes wrapped into one. I didn¡¯t have access to a bucket of miracles that would let me animate a powerful golem for essentially free.

    All that was left was ether manipulation, the art of shaping the ether. Jackson had argued against it in favor of raw power, but I stood by my thoughts that learning fine and delicate control was worth it in the long term.

    Still, I was a decent ether manipulator already. If I had four or five courses to choose from, it would absolutely make it on the list, but I wasn¡¯t entirely sure that working on expanding my control even further was necessarily the best use of my time.

    I sighed and put it in the maybe pile, alongside the rune course. I was about to flip to the more spell-heavy courses when I heard a knock at my door.

 Chapter Eleven: Meeting the Roommates

    I leapt up and headed over to the door, opening it and stepping through. Jackson was on the other side, and he grinned.

    ¡°Our last roommate is here!¡± he said, then gestured over to where someone was standing in the entrance to the common area. I looked over at our fourth roommate, whose door indicated was named Salem Alderson.

    He was short, and although he was taller than I was, there was no chance he stood taller than five foot six. His eyes burned such a bright, almost glowing green that it simply could not be human.

    His hair was black, and he¡¯d dyed half of it white. He wore black slacks, a white button down, thin silver necklace, and a black jacket, where the sigil of the school was embossed in orange with yellow accents, marking him as a comfortable second circle caster who could stretch to cast third circle spells.

    Around his wrists, where they emerged from the sleeves of his jacket and shirt, I could see the lines of what had to be tattoos against his pale skin, and his ears were covered in an assortment of silver jewelry, joined by a piercing in one of his eyebrows. I thought there were enchantments on some of the jewelry, but I couldn¡¯t tell without using ethersight.

    His scent was that of mist and old leather bound books and ink. No distinct bloodline I could smell. Maybe the eyes were all that was left of one that was now dormant?

    Flawless skin. Immaculate hair. Stunning eyes. And an all too pretty face.

    My heart started beating faster.

    Was he from the Isle of Dreki? It was one of the few places so far north as to have many pale people, unless you counted the demon wastes, which were inhospitable, or Hydref, which was unlikely, given how far away it was from Panath hold.

    If he was, he was pretty enough that one of my siblings might have taken him. And if that was the case, he would immediately recognize me, and everything would fall apart.

    When he spoke, my heart started slamming even faster as I prepared to lie, to fight, to run, to do something.

    ¡°I might as well let it get out in the open now,¡± Salem said, his accent somewhat Hydref, leaving a slight hint of sing-song in his voice. ¡°I¡¯m a psychic. I can¡¯t read your thoughts, but I can technically dreamwalk, comfortably use psychometry, and do a little bit of retrocognition.¡±

    I let out a sigh of sheer relief. I didn¡¯t even care that he was a psychic right now ¨C the mere fact he wasn¡¯t in the pocket of my family was enough to relieve me.

    ¡°If that disturbs you, I cannae, er, cannot blame you,¡± Salem continued. ¡°I won¡¯t be offended if you want to move out. It¡¯s happened plenty.¡±

    The scent of salt caught my nose.

    ¡°How very droll,¡± Wesley said. ¡°As if a proper wizard would have anything to fear from a psychic.¡±

    He said the last word with such scorn and venom that he practically spat it. Salem raised his eyebrows, and I realized he had a glimmering silver piercing over one of his eyebrows.

    Then Wesley turned and stepped back into his room, the door rattling shut behind him.

    I immediately put Wesley on my mental list of people who I would happily hold an umbrella over if they caught fire and it looked like it might rain. Jackson had been touchy and preachy, but this was just cruel.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Power is all about how it¡¯s used, not what it is. If you had a demon as a father, that¡¯s not your fault,¡± I said firmly. ¡°What matters is that you don¡¯t use the demonic bloodline to hurt innocent people.¡±

    A smile flitted across Salem¡¯s face for a second.

    ¡°Effervesce decrees equality for all people, regardless of heritage or power,¡± Jackson declared, hands on his hips. ¡°I agree with Emrys. So long as you use your psychic abilities for good, I¡¯m happy to share a space with you.¡±

    I had not said power needed to be used for good, I had said it needed to not be used to hurt people. I didn¡¯t care if Salem never used his abilities at all, or if he only sold his dreamwalking as a part of a messaging service, or used psychometry just to evaluate items at a secondhand store.

    Those might not be using the power for good, but that was fine.

    I started to say something, but Jackson plowed on.

    ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve never met anyone from another country before!¡±

    ¡°Jackson, my parents are from Dreki,¡± I said, then realized that since that was already out there, I might as well lean into the lie, and also establish my stance for my roommates.

    ¡°I might have grown up in White Sands, and consider Cendel my home, and I¡¯m incredibly disappointed in the Isle for the invasion, and don¡¯t support it. But that doesn¡¯t change the fact I was technically born there. Also, Yushin is from the entire other side of the planet. She¡¯s as far from being born in Cendel as is geographically possible.¡±

    I thought that might have come out a little clunky, but it should at least entrench a grain of mostly-truth in Salem¡¯s head, and probably in Wesley¡¯s. I¡¯d have bet a good amount of money he was still listening to us.

    ¡°I suppose she is,¡± Jackson said, blinking. ¡°Well I¡¯ve never met anyone from where Salem¡¯s from.¡±

    ¡°Hydref,¡± Salem said, a hint of a laugh in his voice. ¡°I¡¯m from Hydref.¡±

    His face grew more serious as he looked at me.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about the war, though, that¡¯s not an easy thing to deal with. I¡¯m sure some people would go after you if they learned you were from there, so I appreciate showing me some trust too.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    A worm of guilt twisted in my guts, but I just nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you get settled in,¡± I said. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±

    Salem nodded, and I headed back into my room. After taking a moment to clear my head, I took a breath and walked back over to the papers strewn about on my bed and started trying to organize my schedule.

    I really only had two categories of classes left to choose from, but unfortunately, they were the categories that were the most tempting: the classes all about spells.

    They were organized into two broad categories, each with their own section in the packet. The first one ¨C classes based around a specific spell school, as ordained by Magyk ¨C was the one I¡¯d put aside earlier, but I pulled it back to me now.

    There were ten schools of magic, or nine, if you didn¡¯t count the universal spells like Wish or cantrips. Considering how few and far between universal spells were, there wasn¡¯t a class on them offered at the school, but each of the other nine had their own courses.

    Abjuration was tempting immediately. Sealing threats away, countering magic, and defensive spells like arcane armor and shield had endless uses. It was the sort of thing that just couldn¡¯t be understated in how useful it was, even if it wasn¡¯t exactly the flashiest magic out there.

    I put it in the maybe pile.

    Conjuration spells, like my summon gadhar, were interesting too. Why waste ether a fireball when you can summon a fire elemental that was practically a living fireball? Why learn a charm spell when you can summon up a succubus to charm someone. More than that, it also covered a lot of teleportation spells, and those had extreme utility. What kind of powerful wizard couldn¡¯t teleport, after all?

    Conjuration joined runes, ether manipulation, and abjuration on the maybe pile.

    Divination, or magic related to the gathering of information, locating specific things or creatures or places had its uses. Plenty of bounty hunter teams used diviners to look for their prey. But for all that it was useful, it was also sharply limited. Being able to tell a threat was coming was nice, but it didn¡¯t help stop the threat at all. It might help me hide from my family, but it also might set off someone else¡¯s defenses and cause them to come hunt me down even harder.

    I set it into the no pile and moved on.

    Enchantment¡­

    No. I wasn¡¯t interested in mind control spells, nor was I willing to take the extra ethics and safety course that was required to be taken alongside enchantment.

    Illusion magic was an interesting field for sure, and I knew Yushin was planning to take an illusion course. False face had certainly shown its use when I¡¯d pretended to be Alastor Sinclair, and I could actually use it to hide from my family. More potent illusions could even have a degree of substance to them.

    It went into the maybe pile.

    Necromancy swiftly joined it. Like I¡¯d said to Salem, power was about use, and even the class description on the paper called it ¡®wrongfully vilified¡¯. I agreed with that, but at the same time, I¡¯d seen how people in White Sands could react to blood magic or necromancy. It was entirely too easy to rile up people who were ignorant about magic. It might have been worth it if I had a strong desire to become a necromancer, but I really didn''t.

    Obliteration magic made me hesitate. Throwing around fireballs, bolts of lightning, and entire swarms of arcane missiles was impressive, and I was sure that some of the spells in the school could even injure members of my family.

    But that was the trouble.

    Some of the spells could. But when I¡¯d been a child I¡¯d watched Claire, a member of the second generation, fight an exhibition match against a fifth circle spellcaster. She¡¯d waded into a river of arcane missiles, walked through a whirling storm of spheres of fire, shattered a wall of ice with a single punch, and then snapped his neck. The only spell that had even scratched her was a spear of sonic energy that caused her left ear to bleed a single drop of blood.

    It was enough to convince me that overwhelming firepower could only go so far. I thought I could probably look into a few of the spells in the school in my own time. Plus, there was a chance that the Applied Mage Combat class might cover some offensive spells.

    But the final nail in the coffin was that it also required an extra set of ethics courses, like enchantment magic did. That was absolutely not worth it.

    I put it in the no pile and moved on to restoration, which also went into the no category. I already healed much quicker than a normal person, even without using my bloodline, and while learning a healing spell was a good idea, they were also incredibly complex and on the slower side. There was a reason that in-combat healing frequently came from the divines, and magecraft was plied outside of combat.

    That just left transmutation. Much like with conjuration, it was a flexible and powerful field that covered everything from empowering the body, transforming into animals, adding properties of certain things, and altering one substance into another. It might not have the raw offensive power, but it had massive amounts of utility.

    That left me putting it in the maybe pile, then I turned to the assorted spellcraft courses. Most of these were easy for me to write off ¨C I had no interest in specializing in focusing on force or metal or plant spells, or any of the other categories that were listed. Those made for amazing affinities, able to shuck some of the limitations of normal spellcrafting and freely manipulate the element, but in my opinion, dedicating an entire class to learning something like fire magic was just a worse version of learning broad obliteration magic.

    But that didn¡¯t mean that there weren¡¯t spells in assorted spellcraft that were worth looking into. Domestic Magic sounded fascinating, but unfortunately fell into the same category as the art classes ¨C I¡¯d love to take them if I had time, but I needed more practical magic.

    The course on ritual magic stood out to me. The more passive and impactful abilities that a ritual spell could bestow were certainly practical, but cost was a concern, just like it was with construct creation. While my blood mark ritual had been cheap, the naiad¡¯s kiss ritual was quite expensive, and I¡¯d heard rumors of rituals only getting more and more expensive as they grew in circle.

    Thinking of my blood mark ritual made me glance at the blood magic course. It described itself as a ¡®path to utility and power that branches through every school of magic¡¯, and though it didn¡¯t require a paired ethics course, the later description did mention that ethical use of blood magic was going to be a part of the course. That was enough for me to put it in the maybe category, though I leaned towards no, for the same reason I was iffy on necromancy.

    The course on body enhancement spells was interesting, but fell into the same trap as the elemental ones, and it wasn¡¯t something I was overly passionate about anyhow. I didn¡¯t need to be even stronger than I naturally was, after all.

    A cantrips course caught my eye, for the simple reason that its description promised the ability to improve on affinity magic through the use of improving ether manipulation without relying on the rigid boundaries of a spell circle, but I was admittedly worried that my affinity would be useless. Banking too much on that was a fool¡¯s errand.

    Which left me circling back to a short list of courses: abjuration, conjuration, illusion, transmutation, runes, ether manipulation, and blood magic.

    I eliminated illusions. Yushin was already going to be learning illusions, after all, and if I wanted to learn a specific illusion spell, I could ask her about it.

    The rest were harder for me to mull over, but I removed ether manipulation next. Fine control could be practiced through spellcraft, and while improving it was never a bad thing, I only had two free slots, as opposed to the usual three.

    With a bit of reluctance, I removed runes. It might be more available than artifice, but it relied on imbuing spells into items. I wasn¡¯t going to have many spells to imbue if I only ever took a single spell course.

    Conjuration, abjuration, and transmutation, then¡­

    I considered each of them carefully. Would abjuration complement my Applied Mage Combat course? Or would there be too much overlap?

    One of the most important tools in any mage¡¯s kit was versatility. With that in mind, it really only left one option.

    I signed off on Conjuration One and Rudimentary Transmutation, then set the papers aside¡­ to look at more papers.

    Ah, well.

 Chapter Twelve: Spacebent School

    With my class selection done, I didn¡¯t have many papers left, so I figured I may as well look at them before I headed back to the administrative hall to turn in my classes. There were a couple of coupons for local bars, taverns, and restaurants that catered to incoming freshman, some for various tailoring and cleaning services around the city, and some people hiring for part time or full time jobs.

    I discarded most of them, though I kept a few restaurant coupons, and¡­

    I almost tossed away one of them from a shop called Charm and Fable, thinking it was another part time job offer. That was still there, but there was also a coupon attached, stating that it would give students a ten percent discount for the first material purchased for the construction of a wand, staff, or amulet.

    I didn¡¯t know much about wands, staffs, or amulets, but the fact that it was specifically for that made me keep it. I¡¯d check out the shop, at least, and maybe see if I could pick out some components for my spells. Now that we were here, Yushin and I could sell some of the stuff I¡¯d picked up as Alastor, and I¡¯d see if I could get my hands on diamond dust for the enshroud spell.

    I bit my lip. Was there any way that I could replace that? A hundred and fifty silver a day was going to add up incredibly quickly. I should check it out, and also look at the library.

    I finished shuffling the papers aside, then picked up the map of the school, and immediately felt my eyebrows shoot up.

    There were the brass towers, where I was now ¨C it had dorms, it was where many classes were held, work rooms could be rented, and all that good stuff, but I¡¯d clearly been right when I¡¯d thought someone had carved a chunk of the landscape out and plopped it on the cloud. There might even have been some space warping magic at play, because the things listed on the map were seemingly impossible, like the crystalline caverns ¨C a full set of caves just shouldn¡¯t be possible on a floating cloud.

    And it wasn¡¯t just that. There was the mirror chamber, spidershade forest, healing pools, snapping gardens, pixie ballroom, seer¡¯s bonfire, and more. There was a spot in the brass towers marked as a student market ¨C open weekends only, a cabinet that was ominously labeled ¡®that one cabinet¡¯, vault of wonders, and the grand observatory.

    Even as I watched the map, a few things changed. I couldn¡¯t quite figure out what, but it was almost like minor bits of the cloud were shifting slowly, too slow for my eyes to make out.

    With such a strange map it took me a while, but I did eventually find the library, and I frowned as I read the seemingly nonsensical directions.

    It started normal enough, directing me out of the brass towers and to the central hall where administration and the dining room were, then¡­

    ¡°What does ¡®step headfirst into the left side of the doorframe while on only your right foot¡¯ even mean?¡± I muttered to myself.

    I shifted over to look at the rules for the dining room. It was similar, but getting to the dining hall apparently required going through the right side on your left foot.

    I blinked. Maybe they meant there was a door to the left and right? I didn¡¯t remember it, but it was definitely possible.

    I shrugged, tucked the map away with my slate, and then headed to the hall. After turning in the sheet to an attendant, I asked him for directions to the library. He grinned at me.

    ¡°First year, huh? You guys will get used to it in time, but¡­ Let¡¯s just say this entire citadel is riddled with spatial warping dating all the way back to the age of wilds. The door to this hall is accessed by going through it. Follow the directions on your sheet, and you might end up where you want to go. Just be careful, and don¡¯t stay in one place too long, okay?¡±

    He winked, which I might have interpreted as flirtatious, if not for the fact he was four times my age, with a massive white beard.

    ¡°Alright¡­¡±

    He paused and flicked his eyes over the papers I¡¯d turned in, then had me wait while he retrieved a copy of my schedule and passed it over to me. I flicked my eyes over it. Monday would have my core class ¨C mathematics, history, language, all that stuff ¨C as well as my ethics class. Tuesday was completely empty, as was Thursday. Wednesday had Fundamental Magecraft and Applied Mage Combat, while Friday had Rudimentary Transmutation and Conjuration One.

    At the top of the paper there was a large note, stating that two days from now, anyone who hadn¡¯t summoned their grimoire would need to meet in the dining hall for the ritual, while others could visit the flytespear stadium for the normal intro. I felt a pulse of excitement at that, and again I thought of how useful water or wind manipulation could be.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    I thanked the man, then asked one more time if he was serious about how to enter the library. When he assured me that he was, I walked to the door. Feeling a bit silly, I held up my leg, turned, and fell into the doorframe.

    There was a flicker of magic around me, the flows of ether so strange, so potent, so¡­ wild¡­ that I didn¡¯t even know how to describe it.

    Then I stumbled into the library.

    A pair of dark, hollow, empty shelves stood on either side of me, like the maw of a dragon. I slowly stepped forwards, my footsteps echoing strangely through the space. It was far vaster than it had any right to be, just these two shelves. It was watching me. And I knew it.

    At the edge of my hearing, almost just out of range, I could hear something moving, a clicking almost like the endless feet of a millipede resonating against a steel drum.

    I shivered as I passed through the pair of empty shelves and to the library itself.

    An old, battered wooden table sat in the center, with a dim, flickering weirlight overhead the only source of light. The table was empty, but I could see long, thin gouges in the wood, and splatters of ink and blood stained the old grain.

    All around me, I could feel the shelves moving, but all I could see was thirteen shelves creating passages.

    I was suddenly overcome with the feeling that I was in the maw of some vast being, something far bigger, older, wiser, and more dangerous than even the eldest of dragons.

    I took a deep breath, scenting the air as best I could. It smelled of musk and paper and dust, yes, but there was a sour note, buried deep down beneath the scent of books.

    Necrosis.

    Meat that was beginning to rot, but was still a part of something vast, and alive.

    The faint chittering of a vast swarm of beetles hummed in the distance and then was gone.

    At this point, I spun and turned to leave, but the shelves that I had entered through was gone entirely. Instead, there was a small, warmly lit sitting room, with a crackling fire and a couple of people milling about in academy uniforms ¨C most embossed with yellow thread and green accented symbols. One of them, an older dwarf student, had a green symbol and blue accents though. That marked her as a fourth circle mage who could stretch to cast a fifth circle spell or two.

    I was immediately on edge. A cheerful, well lit room in the middle of a creepy, vast, empty expanse? That screamed that the students were demons or doppelgangers or something.

    The fire didn¡¯t smell like fire, which made it worse.

    But the people inside did smell normal. Gross, slightly sweaty, with a hint of fire and metal around the dwarf, and an all-too-strong herbal scent around an elf.

    That made me pause. Most illusions didn¡¯t match scents, or if they did, they missed fine details.

    As I was contemplating, one of the students glanced up and called out.

    ¡°First time?¡± she asked, her voice echoing strangely.

    I shifted my weight slightly and nodded, and she hopped out of her chair, through the reading room, and out into the dark library. I spun my ether pool into an arcane missile spell, prepared to rapidly chant the words of power and flick my fingers if she made any sort of wrong motion.

    ¡°Good instincts,¡± she said, then held out her hand. ¡°I¡¯m Anna of Endless Fields.¡±

    I shook her hand.

    ¡°Emrys of White Sands,¡± I said. She gave me a questioning look, but nodded.

    ¡°Nice to meet you. You¡¯re right to be wary in the library. It¡¯s¡­¡±

    She trailed off, then shrugged.

    ¡°Well, as far as I know, even the Erudite isn¡¯t sure about the true nature of the library.¡±

    I glanced around at her words. The shelves had changed again, and the book on the old, battered table was opened to its first page.

    I frowned.

    I was certain there hadn¡¯t been a book on the table a moment ago. Anna¡¯s eyes went wide and she frantically gestured to me.

    ¡°Grab it!¡±

    I moved without thinking, snatching the volume off the table and clutching it to my chest before spinning to look back at Anna. She let out a sigh of relief.

    ¡°What was that?!¡± I demanded.

    ¡°The library gave you a book. For free! You don¡¯t ignore that kind of offer,¡± Anna informed me. ¡°Normally, you have to work for a spell guide or spellbook, but the library tends to go easy on first years, especially in the first week. Still, we shouldn¡¯t linger, let¡¯s head back to the reading room.¡±

    I hesitated and Anna smiled reassuringly.

    ¡°Trust me. The reading room is about the only safe place in the library.¡±

    Though the tone of her words indicated they were meant to put me at ease, the content had the opposite effect.

    Without waiting for him, Anna turned and began to hurry over to the reading room, which was the only part of the library that hadn¡¯t seemed to have moved at all, apart from covering the entrance that I¡¯d come in from, of course.

    I weighed the pros and cons of following her for a long, long moment, then hastened to follow. If this was a trap, I couldn¡¯t figure out what or why ¨C there had to be other ways to trap me than an elaborate spatial warp.

    When I stepped into the reading room, the sounds faded slightly. They were still there, at the very edge of my hearing, but they were less frequent, less important, and sunk into my brain less.

    Anna let out a soft breath and smiled at me.

    ¡°What¡¯d you get?¡± she asked.

    It took me a moment to realize that she was talking about the book, and I looked down at it. The guide was written in Hua-Long, and it was called ¡®A practical spell guide to the blood price spell¡¯.

    ¡°Ah, curses,¡± Anna said. ¡°Are you going to need a translator? Sometimes they¡¯ll come in a language you only sort of know, but don¡¯t speak or read.¡±

    ¡°No, I can read Hua-Long,¡± I said, then looked up at her. ¡°It¡¯s a spell guide to the blood price spell. What¡­?¡±

    Her eyebrows shot up, and she whistled.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a good one. You might be able to trade it, if you can get the spell down before the return is due and find someone else fluent in Hua-Long.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean trade it? What is going on with this place? It¡¯s¡­ Creepy.¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s back up a little bit,¡± Anna said. ¡°What do you know about the library already? Sorry, I haven¡¯t helped many firsties with the library ¨C I¡¯m only a second year myself.¡±

    ¡°I know nothing at all,¡± I said.

    Anna laughed, and nodded, then glanced around and pointed to a pair of reading chairs that hadn¡¯t been claimed by people studying.

    ¡°Take a seat,¡± Anna began. ¡°And we¡¯ll take it entirely from the top.¡±

 Chapter Thirteen: Rules of Engagement

    ¡°So,¡± Anna began as we plopped ourselves down into the chairs. ¡°This is the library. It''s connected directly to Etherius, though nobody is entirely sure where. You can find any book in the endless planes, as near as we can tell.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s amazing,¡± I said, and Anna made a so-so gesture.

    ¡°You don¡¯t exactly get to choose what it shows you. If there¡¯s a book it wants to show you, it will appear on the table ¨C don¡¯t try to move the table by the way, it¡¯s a really, really bad idea. But it usually only shows people a book for free when they¡¯re on their first visit or two. Otherwise you¡¯ve got to earn it.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± I said, not even really questioning it at this point.

    ¡°If you¡¯re looking for a book any other way, you¡¯ve got three options: do something big, make a sacrifice, or delve into the shelves.¡±

    ¡°Do something big?¡±

    ¡°Sure, and that¡¯s the most nebulous one. Sometimes it means big stuff for everyone. Like, after the Erudite slew a kraken that was raging up and down the coast, he supposedly walked in and found a spell guide for a new ninth circle spell sitting on the table. Other times¡­¡±

    Anna screwed up her face.

    ¡°Well, I got one after standing up to someone I really had¡­ issues¡­ with. Long story short, and keeping details sparse, I finally kicked a terrible person to the curb, and I immediately found a guide with an ether shaping excercise that helped me with a spell I¡¯d been struggling with for ages, on the second shelf I checked. By the way, you should pay attention to the books on the shelf ¨C most of them will be seemingly a bunch of gibberish that isn¡¯t Ceyish or Hua-Long or any language at all, but the library likes to hide useful and relevant books in with the nonsense.¡±

    Was that the reason it tended to give a free book to first time visitors? Joining the college would likely be a big moment for many people, after all.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you did that,¡± I said with a small smile. ¡°How about the other methods?¡±

    She gave me a grateful look, happy to move on.

    ¡°Sacrifice is simple. If you have something valuable, like a rare spell component, ether candies, or something you cherish dearly, and leave it on the table, the library will take it and reward you with making it easier to find useful stuff. Oddly enough, it seems more to focus on the last bit ¨C your personal connections. Rich kids have gotten pretty mad when throwing silver at it just doesn¡¯t work.

    I arched an eyebrow, but couldn¡¯t stop myself from laughing a bit.

    ¡°And I assume that delving the shelves is what it sounds like? Wandering, looking through the nonsense, until you find a book that¡¯s actually readable?¡±

    ¡°Pretty much! Just be on alert. Living shadows, insect monsters, demons, and monsters from Etherius will often pop out and try to kill you. Some of the books have warding glyphs on them, or are covered in a contact poison, or are cursed, or something like that. Ethersight, levitation cantrips, gloves, and being alert will keep you alive in the library.¡±

    ¡°Okay, hold on. I¡¯ve been to other libraries with a spell guide or two, and there have to be others on the citadel,¡± I said. ¡°This cannot be worth it. Sorting through nonsense in a creepy area is one thing. But fighting demons?!¡±

    A smirk spread across her face.

    ¡°Oh, but it is. ¡°Like I said, any book can appear. And I meant it,¡± Anna grinned, then swept her hands in the direction of the doorway to the library. ¡°A secret spell, discovered after the rain of stars and kept locked away by a hunter¡¯s guild? We can find their records, with enough searching. Books that had every copy burned or lost? Even books from ancient eras¡­ And that¡¯s not to speak of the grimoire benefits.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± I asked, leaning in. ¡°Can it steal other people¡¯s grimoires and let you use their affinity magic?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and no. You can find other people¡¯s grimoires there, but usually only dead people. I¡¯ve found a few. Won¡¯t let you use their affinity magic, but it can shed light on your own. But that¡¯s not what I meant. What I meant was that spells from the library, inscribed into the blank pages of your grimoire, cost about ten percent less ether to cast on average. Numbers are never exact, but most people agree it¡¯s around ten percent or so.¡±

    She paused for a moment and sighed.

    ¡°Plus, entry is included with your tuition. Most of the mundane libraries in the citadel are free, by order of the high king, but the ones that contain spells usually charge for access to the spell wing. If you¡¯re rich, that¡¯s not as much of a problem, but I¡¯m here on scholarship, and I need all of my spare coin for spell, wand, and amulet components. It can even be a good way to earn a bit of extra coin ¨C I financed the upgrade of including a runic array for arcane armor into a bracelet by delving into the library for books that other people wanted, but couldn¡¯t find in the city, or trading a book you found that still has time left before it needs to be returned.¡±

    That was good to know¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m on scholarship too, so I can see some appeal for some people,¡± I said. ¡°But to go back a bit ¨C how does it strengthen spells? How does that work with trading?¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    She spread her hands.

    ¡°We¡¯re not sure exactly why, but our best guess is that it¡¯s supplementing your casting with its pre-stars era magic. But we can¡¯t be sure.¡±

    ¡°I get the sense that¡¯s a theme here,¡± I said dryly.

    ¡°Now you¡¯re getting it!¡± Anna said, then laughed. ¡°As for trading, it drops by half with each extra person who copies it. If you¡¯re the first one, it¡¯s ten percent. Second person is about five percent, third is about two and a half, though that¡¯s basically so small as to be barely noticeable. Alright, what else¡­?¡±

    ¡°Reading room rules and returns?¡± I suggested. She snapped and pointed at me.

    ¡°Yes. So after you get a book from the library, you can keep it for a week, sometimes more if the book has a different return time stamp on its interior cover. Put it back on a shelf in about the same condition it was in when you got it before a week is over, and no problem! Don¡¯t, and the library gets¡­ angry.¡±

    ¡°Seeing as it¡¯s a terrifying death library, I¡¯d rather not piss it off,¡± I said.

    ¡°Wise policy,¡± Anna agreed. ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s see. Don¡¯t damage the books or tip over the bookshelves. If you fall asleep anywhere in the library, you¡¯re liable to vanish the moment someone¡¯s not looking for you, and wake up deeper in, possibly with a monster standing over you. Sleeping in the reading room won¡¯t do that, but it¡¯s liable for whatever book you were reading to be reshelved instead.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be sleeping in the library,¡± I said, ¡°What about the other reading room¡¯s rules?¡±

    ¡°When it comes to the reading room, it¡¯s pretty much the only place monsters, traps, or poisons won¡¯t appear, unless you lure them in here. Other than that, someone has to be in the reading room, always.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because, if the room doesn¡¯t have someone in it, the reading room will vanish.¡±

    Anna winced.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t here for it, obviously, but apparently a decade or so ago, someone left the reading room empty, and it vanished. The Erudite had to delve into the library for three months straight in order to bring it back, and he was quite angry. He fixed this room here somehow to try and keep us safe ¨C I think he fought the library until it agreed to keep it.¡±

    ¡°Wow,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°Noted.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s general policy to grab someone else if you¡¯re the second to last person in the room, so you don¡¯t run into a situation where one person is trapped here, but yeah,¡± Anna said. ¡°I think that¡¯s most of it. Any other questions?¡±

    ¡°Do classes require us to delve into the library to get the spells for it?¡± I asked warily.

    ¡°Oh gods no,¡± Anna said with a laugh. ¡°You¡¯ll have normal spell guides for those. Though, if you do cast the spell a lot, it might be worth seeking out a copy of it for yourself down here.¡±

    I nodded my reluctant agreement. Though there was obviously no such thing as perfect measurement when it came to ether, being able to fire off an extra arcane missile might be a literal lifesaver.

    ¡°Well then, I think that¡¯s all I can remember,¡± Anna said.

    ¡°Wait! How do we get out?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Oh, that one¡¯s easy. There¡¯s a basic blood spell cantrip, unique to every student¡¯s blood and ether signature, that allows you to get out. Yours was probably with your papers, in big red ink. Just cast that.¡±

    Panic rushed through me, and Anna stared at me.

    ¡°You do have it, right?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I, uh¡­¡±

    ¡°It had huge, bright red letters!¡±

    ¡°Uh.¡±

    Then Anna broke into laughter.

    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m just messing with you. To get out, turn left into the door frame of the reading room, or right if you want to get to the mess hall.¡±

    I let out a sigh of relief, then glared at her.

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t funny.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it was,¡± Anna cackled. ¡°The panic on your face? It was priceless.¡±

    I let out a slow sigh, then looked down at the guide to the blood price spell.

    ¡°Would translating this let you copy it and get its effects?¡± I asked.

    ¡°No, but that reminds me,¡± she said, then pointed to the end of the room, where a board had been put up, and was covered in slips of paper.

    ¡°Once you get it cast and copied into your grimoire, put a notice on here with the book¡¯s info, your room, when you got the book, as well as what sort of things you¡¯ll take in trade. People will seek you out for trades. You can also check and see if anyone is asking for a copy of blood price and speaks Hua-Long.¡±

    I nodded, then gave her a smile.

    ¡°I really can¡¯t thank you enough,¡± I said. ¡°I know I¡¯m only a first year, but if there¡¯s anything I can do to help you, just say the word.¡±

    She nodded seriously, then glanced around and picked up a book on a table.

    ¡°Thanks, Emmy,¡±

    I flinched.

    ¡°Please, call me Emrys,¡± I said.

    ¡°Thanks, Emrys,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve got to get back to finishing my work now, but it was nice to meet you.¡±

    ¡°You too, Anna,¡± I said with a smile, cracking open the book the library had given me and taking a peek.

    The spell guide was well written, moreso than many of the ones I¡¯d seen shoved in libraries back home. It described the ether flows, a couple of basic techniques to help shape the exact flow, the words of power and their caedence, and the proper hand motions, complete with specific sketches for each of the hand motions.

    When I skimmed the spell¡¯s reported effects, I understood why the library had chosen this to be my spell.

    Blood price was a first circle spell that allowed the caster to use fresh blood in the place of material components, like the diamond dust I used in the enshroud spell.

    There were limits ¨C it had to be my blood, collected less than a minute ago, and the more expensive the component that it needed to replace was, the more blood the spell drained. Furthermore, the false components that the blood formed lasted only a short time, so I couldn¡¯t stock up before hand.

    It was the kind of spell that, on a human, might have been a dangerous risk. The amount demanded for the blood price of casting enshroud three times a day would slowly sap a human dry of the vitality within blood, killing them in a few days or weeks as they couldn¡¯t replenish that vital essence quite as fast as the spell drained it. I wasn¡¯t a doctor, but I had to imagine it would be a month at most.

    But I wasn¡¯t human. Even keeping my bloodline enshrouded, disjointed, and compressed, I was still going to heal much faster than a human would.

    I might need a burst of Jackson¡¯s divine healing boon every once in a while, but I certainly wouldn¡¯t die from keeping up my enshroud.

    I suddenly wondered if it might have been a good idea to take the blood magic class, then disregarded it. Enshroud was already eating up a huge chunk of my ether pool each day, and now it would come at a literal blood price. Having more spells that also taxed my body would be rough, even with my bloodline.

    I spent most of the rest of the time leading up to the grimoire summoning practicing the blood price spell in between the thrice daily bowls of oatmeal and salted pork at the cafeteria ¨C I couldn¡¯t wait for classes to start, if for no other reason than but to have a chance to improve my food ¨C and occasionally speaking to Jackson and Yushin.

    I did offer to let Yushin copy the blood price spell, but she said her relative could handle it.

    And before I knew it, the day arrived.

    It was time for a grimoire.

 Chapter Fourteen: Grimoire Summoning

    I shuffled into the dining hall with Yushin and over a thousand other first year students waiting for their grimoire.

    For all that the basic food was terrible, the dining hall was beautiful, with a ceiling mural that depicted mages across the Age of Stars, high arched windows that overlooked the greenery on the campus lawn, as well as the ocean in the distance.

    At the far end of the room, a large stage had been set up, with an elaborate ritual circle drawn atop it. The elven woman with her hair tied in a top knot who had been at my testing, as well as the bland looking man who was ranked as the headmaster of the third best mage academy on the planet stood atop the stage.

    As we finished shuffling in, the elven woman spoke up.

    ¡°My name is professor Alydia, and this is our headmaster. Together, we will be facilitating the ritual to summon a grimoire. I am sure that most of you are excited, as you should be. But before we can begin, I will explain some critical information, and the headmaster has some words to share.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, professor,¡± the headmaster said. ¡°For some of you, this will be the last time you see me. For others, you will see me at the end of your three year tenure here, when I hand you your official graduation seal.¡±

    He looked around the room.

    ¡°Try to prove me wrong. Surpass the baseline competency, in order to join me in my advanced magic courses, or else push yourself to your limits in the most dangerous course on campus. Any of you can succeed. But only a few of you ever will. Alydia, why is this ritual so important to a mage?¡±

    ¡°Each person can only ever have the one grimoire, and each grimoire is entirely unique, bestowing its own affinity magic to the user,¡± professor Alydia said, picking up as the headmaster had requested. ¡°If it is destroyed, it must be resummoned, at which point it will return intact as if it had never been destroyed.¡±

    ¡°Which we will not be fronting the cost for,¡± the headmaster interjected.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± professor Alydia continued. ¡°So take care of it, as the summoning ritual is complex, and costs roughly ten thousand silver to complete.¡±

    The headmaster raised his hand, and ether swirled around it, then materialized into a skinny book, one that looked more like a toddler¡¯s picture book than a grimoire.

    ¡°This is my grimoire. It contains a single spell, and no others. My core affinity spell allows me a minor degree of command over tomatoes. I can move them at the same rate I could carry them, dice or slice them at the same rate as my knife skills, ripen them slightly faster, and keep them from spoiling for slightly longer¡­ And little else. I tried for a time to ply unique solutions, such as relying on the acidity of a tomato to create acidic attacks, but even the innate flexibility afforded to affinity magic did not allow me. Magyk decreed that I was to start with as close to nothing as any mage can.¡±

    He fixed us all with a serious gaze, and I shifted, paying more attention.

    ¡°Affinity magic is often a convenient, easy, and fast path to power, but it is not the end or beginning of you. Some of you may find an affinity magic that is lackluster. Perhaps one that you hate or fear. But it is only a single method, and not the best.¡±

    He raised his hand, and a staff made of a rich, ruddy red wood banded with gold, topped with blue ether crystal easily the size of a grapefruit. In the center of the ether crystal was a pulsing, pure white heart. Rather than blood, the heart seemed to pump copper and brass colored sparks of magic into the wood and crystal, then back out again.

    ¡°Because with an affinity spell that could only be used for cooking, I rose to become the second most powerful combat mage in the world, capable of battling with dragons, trading blows with titans, and standing toe to toe with lesser gods. I run the third best school of magic in the world, set in the ninth most ether rich location on the planet, and crafted the single greatest staff in all of known history. Do not allow your affinity to blind you to other forms of power, nor to discourage you if it is not a viable route. An affinity is the start of spellcraft, not the end.¡±

    The headmaster relaxed and patted professor Alydia on her shoulder.

    ¡°Shall we?¡±

    ¡°Of course, sir. Aaber, Melissa!¡±

    I settled back to wait. Given that White Sands was what I used, I was going to be last, or close to it.

    While I waited, my mind wandered to what sort of affinity magic I hoped for, and I recalled my conversation with Jackson and Yushin.

    Water was still my number one choice, but after talking with Yushin and Jackson on the boat ride, I thought I had a few more interesting options.

    A unique sort, like abyssal water, which could crush people with pressure, darkness, and water, would be even better than plain water. So would healing springs water, which could be used for offense, or to heal, as the affinity user wished. Or maybe¨C

    ¡°Sh¨¦, Yushin!¡±

    I glanced over at Yushin, who took a deep breath, nodded, and then headed up on stage. I watched as she was handed something, then pressed her hand down. A moment later, light erupted from the ritual, and a book materialized.

    Across a sea of people, even I had a hard time making out the exact details, but that wasn¡¯t a problem when Yushin quickly returned to my side, flipping through the pages, her eyes alight with intensity.

    ¡°What did you get?¡± I whispered to her, and she flipped it back to its first page, where her name was written in the script of Hua-Long, followed by a string of characters.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    Assassin Magic Affinity.

    I sucked in a deep breath. Depending on how complex that was to wield, and how exactly she could develop it, that would give her everything that she had wanted for stealth magic, while also granting her impressive offensive skill. I suspected that it would pair excellently with her bloodline too, regardless of if it was venom, poison, or water as she¡¯d claimed.

    She continued to flip through the spellbook, and I let her have a bit of privacy to examine it while I let my own thoughts to return to hypothetical water affinity variants that I could use.

    There was one recorded instance of a water affinity that called on several water gods, allowing the person near complete general water manipulation, while also granting her the ability to freely call upon the servitors of ocean deities.

    I was pretty neutral on the idea of deities, but I wasn¡¯t against them, and something that strong would be more than worth it.

    I shifted back and forth, until¡­

    ¡°White Sands, Emrys!¡±

    I sucked in a breath as I walked up the platform and stepped into the complex ritual circle. Professor Alydia opened a small leather pouch, and poured a glimmering substance into one section.

    I felt my eyes widen as the smell touched my nose, and I realized what it was. Powdered ether crystal. She was using ether crystal dust.

    A tincture of myrrh was dotted around the circle, a mixture of threads of saffron that had been soaking in ether-infused water was poured into a silver chalice, and a brown liqour that smelled strong, sweet, and expensive was dripped onto a pile of kindling before being set alight.

    Finally, I was handed a sharp, sterilized needle.

    ¡°Add a drop of blood into the blank space,¡± professor Alydia told me. I took a moment to relax, then pricked the pad of my thumb and squeezed out a drop. As I did, I begged Magyk and Etherius for a water affinity.

    The moment the crimson drop touched the open space in the circle, it twisted into a runic shape ¨C the same one that I used for my bloodmark spell, actually ¨C and began to glow with ether.

    There was a flash of light as the components for the spell were consumed, leaving an empty chalice, inscribed circle, and a book.

    The book was decently thick, like a good-sized novel, and was bound in hardened leather, dyed the same cobalt blue as my ether pool. Gold ran over the surface, embossed into strange designs and a clasping lock, and it swirled into a spell circle surrounding a cloudy polished piece of moonstone the size of my palm. A silk band that served as a bookmark dangled down, with a golden key loosely tied to it.

    I picked it up reverently, and both the headmaster and professor smiled. I unlocked the book, and opened its cover. The book creaked, its spine stiff and new.

    On the inside cover, ¡®Emrys of White Sands¡¯ was printed in neat, blocky Ceyish lettering. Under my name was three words: Curse Magic Affinity.

    I paused as, for a second, disappointment washed through me, then was replaced by excitement.

    More esoteric affinities like curse magic were rare and tricky to deal with. While it might not have been as offensively or defensively powerful as water, it was still a good affinity.

    More importantly, there was no way my family would see this coming. Why would they care about curse magic?

    Normally, curses were just a handful of spells in the school of necromancy. Any priest with a good amount of power from a healing or cleansing god was enough to get rid of them, at least from the stories I¡¯d read.

    But with a curse affinity, I could cast far more flexibly and uniquely. I may be able to tap into deeper curses that weren¡¯t so easy to cure, like the infamous lycanthropy.

    Maybe I could even learn to curse any attempts they made to track me, throwing them off the scent.

    I came back to reality as I heard professor Alydia asking me to step off stage. I did, then hurried to flip through the grimoire, checking over the chapter list. When I saw that the final three chapters before the blank pages for me to add spells began were labeled as ¡®non-affinity spellcraft¡¯, I had to suppress a triumphant laugh as I hurried back to Yushin and showed her.

    ¡°Interesting,¡± she said. ¡°It seems we will have quite the team. Flame magic, assassin magic, and curse magic. I wonder who our fourth will be?¡±

    I groaned at the mental reminder that we would have a fourth member of our group. Jackson was already hard to deal with when he got too preachy. Maybe they¡¯d be like Yushin and be fairly relaxed? One could only hope.

    ¡°My hope is an earth or defense mage,¡± Yushin commented, and I paused, then nodded.

    ¡°That would round us out well.¡±

    As soon as she lapsed into silence, I wasn''t able to stop myself any longer.

    I dove into the book, looking over its contents quickly, just to get an idea of what they held, rather than understand the magic itself.

    The main spell, one they had called the core affinity spell, was complex. It bore the most resemblance to a cantrip, given it had no bounding circle, and yet, it was infinitely more complex, easily larger and more nuanced than any third circle spell I¡¯d seen.

    And it was flexible.

    I could see four distinct applications for the spell, but I could also see how they could be interwoven. I didn¡¯t know those four applications, given I was just skimming, but that seemed promising.

    But the book went on, going over ways to extend the spell, make it stronger, make it more limited, and break it.

    I paused when I saw that, and read a bit deeper. Limits and breaks were, apparently, two of the most important parts of my curse affinity.

    Every curse needed a way it could be broken, with a simple timer being common, but more complex conditions being possible, though reading further started to go into the details of the spellforms and runes my affinity used.

    But limits were equally important. The more limited the curse, the less ether it took, and the more I could pour into other parts of the spell. The text in my grimoire used the example of misfortune. By limiting the spell to only have misfortune related to dancing, you freed up a massive amount of power, which could be applied towards extending the curse¡¯s duration.

    There were a handful of example applications of the affinity spell formulae as well, but having only skimmed the book thus far, I couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of them.

    I kept flipping and skimming until I came into the other spells chapters. These were written out like a spell guide, detailing the exact magic that belonged to spellcraft, with precise ether flows, gestures, and words of power.

    The spell array this chapter focused on had three concentric circles, which gave me a spark of excitement. I could add a new third circle spell to my repertoire!

    Then I saw the name of the spell, and my heart plummeted into my stomach.

    The spell would interact with my bloodline, which was the exact opposite of what I needed. I had to keep that suppressed, so my family couldn¡¯t track me down. I¡¯d kept it contained for so long that I wasn¡¯t sure I could tap into it again.

    I flipped to the next chapter in the grimoire. It was fourth circle, and another bloodline interacting. Same with the last chapter, which contained a fifth circle spell.

    After that was a sea of blank pages for me to fill in with my own spells and notations.

    I snapped the book shut and tamped down on my temper. I was not a spoiled child who would have a strop due to not getting everything I wanted. I was not going to act like the rest of my family.

    Today was still amazing, even if the extra spells were more risk than help. I had a grimoire with a useful affinity, and was beginning classes in one of the greatest mage schools in the world in a scant few days. Like the headmaster had said, affinities weren¡¯t everything, and the same was true of bloodlines. Once I was stronger, I could delve for new spells in the library.

    I opened the book and dove back into reading.

 Chapter Fifteen: The Creep

    ¡°Welcome to core class. I am professor Sandroot, and I will be your lecturer for the year, ¡± a tall, slender, almost palm-tree-esque treefolk said from where she was rooted down in the front of the class. Her tree-skirt had an indigo seal with violet accents, indicating she was a sixth circle caster who could stretch to cast seventh circle.

    The class, myself included, was packed into a large auditorium, with close to a hundred seats that were largely filled.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure some of you are wondering what the purpose of a core class is, and why it is required for at least two years in a wizidrical college.¡±

    There was a smattering of nods and mumbled agreements from the students, and professor Sandroot smiled sharply, her wooden face looking almost like a theater mask.

    ¡°This class is about more than polishing your skill in reading, arithmetic, and history,¡± she said. ¡°Politics. Economics. Law to an extent, though that is more for your ethics course.¡±

    ¡°Why should I care about politics or economics?¡± a young woman called out.

    ¡°Because wizards have power, and that makes all of them a tool of economics and politics alike,¡± professor Sandroot said. ¡°If you graduate, you will be a solid and true fifth circle caster. In most holds ¨C or states or provinces or whatever your home nation uses ¨C that will place you among the top few dozen of the most powerful people in that hold. Even if you don¡¯t want to join in, establishing that apolitical stance in and of itself requires political acumen.¡±

    I started to snort, then paused.

    While a fifth circle mage might not be able to kill my mother or most of her older children, like Gerhard or Claire, they¡¯d be more than strong enough to take on many of the lesser children. Someone like Greta wouldn¡¯t even stand a chance.

    In the eastern province, where my family¡¯s palace was, they might not rank so high. But in the western province, where our farming was done? Few enough powers lived there.

    ¡°What about somewhere like the Golden City?¡± a man from Shen-Long with a mediocre solar bear bloodline asked.

    ¡°I did say most for a reason,¡± professor Sandroot said, though her voice was delighted to have a question. ¡°The Golden City of Shen-Long, the Coral Island of Nasie, the Elden Court of Hydref, and the very Panath Hold we¡¯re in now are some, but not all, of the exceptions.¡±

    The bark of her face transformed to look at us seriously.

    ¡°If you are to live in any of these places, you will have to deal with the political and economic impacts. In Red Earth, there might be one or two other wizards who are your equal, and who need components imported. Even the lauded apoliticals will influence the importation of trade goods. If you live here, your words will suddenly lack weight, and you will have to accept being far down on the list of those who get rare resources, as your economic and political pull vanishes.¡±

    She shifted back onto her roots.

    ¡°That is why the core class is so important as to be required. Now, my teacher aides will start passing out a syllabus to each of you¡­¡±

    In contrast to core class, ethics was a small class of only ten people, set in an old room near the top of one of the brass towers. Out its windows I could see the spires and the vast ocean stretching out, seemingly endlessly. Four tables that could each hold four people were scattered around the room.

    Jackson, Salem, and Wesley were in the classroom, as was Yushin, a pink haired elven woman, a blue haired elf who looked to be her twin brother, a minotaur, bonsai treefolk, and a naiad.

    I sat with Salem, Jackson, and Yushin, while Wesley dominated a table to himself. The elven twins took the third table, and the naiad, minotaur, and treefolk took the final table.

    We glanced around, waiting for our professor, and a moment later he strode in.

    He was a tall man with a bit of giant¡¯s blood, enough to stand at almost eight feet, and was covered in corded muscle. Dark hair, skin, and eyes all burned with an intensity that reminded me of Jackson.

    ¡°Nine tenths of you will have to repeat your first year, and even more repeat the second. Why?¡±

    He didn¡¯t even introduce himself, just asked the question. He didn¡¯t shout it, but his calm tone carried more weight than a roar. I glanced at the seal on his uniform. It was a bright blue, with indigo accents, but more interestingly, there was the High King¡¯s medal of combat valor included in the design.

    ¡°Because of the spellcasting barriers?¡± the naiad asked. ¡°To get into second year, you need to be able to cast a fourth circle spell. To get into third year, you need to be able to stretch to cast a fifth circle spell.¡±

    I hadn¡¯t known that, and I quickly jotted that into my notes.

    ¡°That is part of it. Many can¡¯t master the more advanced spells. Others simply came to learn a single thing for their guild or hall or clan or sect. Others can¡¯t handle it after their first delve in the library, or take an injury in applied mage combat and give up, or blow themselves up with their own potions,¡± the professor said, sweeping his eyes over the room. ¡°But when it comes to falling behind because of grades? More people fail this course and are held back than any other course, including applied mage combat. Can anyone guess why?¡±

    ¡°The Creep,¡± Wesley said. ¡°This course is mandatory, and if we fall victim to the Creep, we¡¯ll have to retake it. Even early onset of it can be dangerous.¡±

    A smile twitched at the corner of the professor¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Correct. Combating the Creep is something that this class works very hard to ensure you have the skills to do. How many of you have heard of the Creep?¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Salem put his hand up, as did the bonsai and Wesley, but nobody else. At least I wasn¡¯t alone.

    ¡°Before we begin¡­¡±

    The giant man turned and wrote his name on the board ¨C Emir Blackflame.

    ¡°You can call me Emir, professor Emir, or professor Blackflame. And I fell to the Creep during my time in the north, fighting the demons. I was only pulled back because of my husband, sir Jekoska.¡±

    The minotaur let out a puff of amazement at the name.

    ¡°When you say that, do you mean THE sir Jekoska? The Seven Sword Knight?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Emir said. ¡°As I was saying. I have fallen to the creep, which makes me uniquely suited to teaching you lot about ethics. What is the Creep?¡±

    ¡°The Creep is a kind of sickness that infects the soul,¡± Wesley said, somehow managing to sound both bored and arrogant. ¡°Much like regular sickness hurts the body, the Creep hurts the spirit. It makes you more irrational, more prone to abuse of power, less able to think about other people as people and instead only as tools.¡±

    ¡°It can also cut off your long term thinking,¡± Emir said, nodding his agreement. ¡°Now the interesting thing about the Creep is that unlike a physical illness, strength makes you more prone to fall victim, not less.¡±

    He flicked out a wand and muttered a word of power, and a spinning ball of void-black fire appeared in the air.

    ¡°Power of any sort ¨C psychic, spellcraft, life enforcement, bloodline, and more¡­ Hells, even money! They all make it easier for the Creep to get into your head. My affinity for blackflame lets me conjure flames enhanced with the magic of Etherius¡¯ infinite shadow planes. It burns the mind and body, and can cut through other types of attack with ease. It allowed me to become a powerful warrior in the demon wastes. It also was what led to me becoming infected with the Creep.¡±

    Most of the class had leaned forwards to get a better look at the blackflame, myself included. Only Salem, Jackson, and Wesley seemed unaffected.

    ¡°There are generally considered to be five stages to the Creep, though these are hardly firm categories. Much like any disease, the Creep¡¯s symptoms vary from person to person. I knew one woman, Arianna Castilia, who showed only a few minor signs, until one day, she snapped and killed a dozen soldiers.¡±

    He held up his hand.

    ¡°I say this, not to tell you that the stages are meaningless, but that they are not absolute. The first stage is known as indulgence. At this stage, you¡¯re safe enough, though you can still be stupid. You overindulge in your power without a meaning or reason.¡±

    ¡°I use magic to do my laundry,¡± the naiad said nervously. ¡°Is that stage one of the Creep?¡±

    ¡°No, probably not,¡± Emir said. ¡°Making your life easier and better is rarely due to infection. No, the Creep happens when it begins to become wasteful or hurt others. For me, I began abusing my position of power to go out and hunt the demons, even when I had no hunts scheduled. For others, they push their status as a powerful mage to demand service first at a tavern or other preferential treatment. It slowly becomes a habit, then a lifestyle. Lifestyle is stage two.¡±

    I narrowed my eyes. That sounded a lot like my family.

    ¡°In the lifestyle stage, overindulgence becomes the new normal, and then it keeps growing. It¡¯s not enough to fight the demons more than you should, or to be the first on the tailor¡¯s list. You have to be the best demon killer in the squad. The platoon. The entire army. You have to have the tailor¡¯s best work. The best tailor. You need to drape yourself in the exotic imported fur of the rare spatial minx.¡±

    ¡°Meaning no disrespect, professor, but this just sounds like what rich and powerful people are like,¡± Salem said, raising his hand despite the fact he had already spoken.

    ¡°Indeed. That¡¯s a part of what makes the Creep so dangerous. It¡¯s very similar to plain old power addiction, especially in the first two or three stages.¡±

    That seemed to settle Salem, so Emir continued.

    ¡°Once you stop regarding others in favor of getting what you want, you¡¯ve moved on to the third stage: disregard. This, too, starts easy. Of course stealing that lightstar-gem from some rude merchant who tried to scam you was worth it. Adding it to your staff will improve your skill and do more for the world than having it sitting around in a merchant¡¯s house would. Of course killing the corrupt noble and his guards is worth it, it¡¯s cleansing corruption. Of course challenging that woman who has a better wand than you to a duel and killing her for it was worth it. You can do more than she could.¡±

    He looked over all of us seriously.

    ¡°Of course killing the man who disrespected you at a bar was justified. Didn¡¯t he know who you were? Of course conquering a kingdom is worth it. The means justify the ends. That becomes the danger of the Creep at this stage. The end you want will eventually always become justifiable, until you become mindless.¡±

    ¡°Is that the fourth stage?¡± Jackson asked. ¡°Mindlessness?¡±

    ¡°It is indeed,¡± Emir said. ¡°You start losing memories. Emotions. You stop thinking. But your power grows faster than ever before. You kill and take and do whatever you want. This is the last stage anyone has ever been pulled back from. They were like a beast, and it took years of being jailed and undergoing intense rehabilitative therapy to help return their sapiance and humanity.¡±

    His voice was dark and sad then.

    ¡°But if you don¡¯t get pulled back, then you snap. That¡¯s the final stage. The aberrant transformation. The Creep hits the core of your soul and twists and warps your powers and body. Your affinity becomes a parody of what it was, and the rules of magic fall away. Beings from the darkest corners of Etherius begin to slip into the world around you without conscious thought. You even physically change. Sometimes only a little, sometimes a lot. You become nearly impossible to kill, and your power jumps by an incredible amount.¡±

    I sucked in a slow breath.

    ¡°The demons that wander the wastes?¡± Emir continued. ¡°Most often, they¡¯re being conjured accidentally by an aberrant. Cleansing all the demons in the area without killing the aberrant that called them only means that more demons will come. This is one reason that the war against the demon wastes seems so endless.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean there are people out there, in the wastes?¡± the bonsai asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Yushin said. Emir nodded, then explained.

    ¡°The one mercy of an aberrant is that they fear and hate humanity. They will kill, yes, but they will also run away to the wilds. That is how the demon wastes began, supposedly, though they¡¯ve existed for at least three thousand years, during the age of sunder. Pre-sundering records are rare, but they do mention demon wastes and aberrants.¡±

    ¡°My people tell of the demon wastes existing during the age of wilds, when Etherius returned to the world, and the first elf, dwarf, human, and other races were born,¡± the blue haired elf said. ¡°The first demon was the first elf, who turned to sorrow after his first child died by the hand of his second, and became the demon lord Zkarai.¡±

    ¡°Again, I¡¯m meaning no disrespect, but that¡¯s just not true,¡± Salem said. ¡°Aye, sure, an elf can live to be two hundred, even three hundred. You¡¯ve got longer memories than most of the mortal races.¡±

    The way he said three was almost like the word tree, and it was kind of adorable.

    ¡°But Etherius existed before even the age of the wilds. Before even the age of the dark or the age of fire. And t¡¯ere are a few demons, fae, angelus, and more who remember that time. Demons are just beings from the worse planes of Etherius, nothin¡¯ more.¡±

    ¡°Why you,¡± the elf spluttered, and the pink haired twin began spitting words of power. I tensed, starting to shape a shield within my spirit.

    Emir coughed, and the twin stopped.

    ¡°The elvish religion is a delicate subject for many who study here,¡± Emir said. ¡°And it isn¡¯t the purpose of this class. It doesn¡¯t matter HOW the first demon wastes appeared. The aberrants can summon them just fine. Now, let¡¯s get down to brass tacks: this class doesn¡¯t have any required reading, but I have a list of recommendations for some books about combating the Creep you can find in the free sections of most of the libraries in the city, or in ours if you¡¯re brave enough¡­¡±

 Chapter Sixteen: Salems Library Visit

    ¡°Oh, by the way,¡± Salem asked as we filed out of class. ¡°I dinnae ken what he was talkin¡¯ about when he said to brave the the library here. Isn¡¯t it just a place of books? I only got here a few days ago, haven¡¯t been able to find the place yet. Or the mess hall, for that matter.¡±

    ¡°I can show you,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Creepy. Let me see if I can remember all of the rules and benefits.¡±

    ¡°Creepy?¡± Yushin asked, her hair fringe shifting as she looked at us. ¡°I do not see how a library can be creepy.¡±

    ¡°Is it haunted?¡± Jackson asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to get to either place yet either ¨C I¡¯ve been getting my food from one of the campus stalls.¡±

    I hadn¡¯t noticed any campus stalls, so I noted it down, then launched into the tale of my own visit to the library. I edited out the bits about my bloodline and heightened senses, but left in everything else. When I finished, Salem¡¯s eyes were wide, and he leaned forwards.

    ¡°Have you copied the spell into your spellbook yet?¡± Salem asked. ¡°I¡¯d love a spell like that. I very nearly took blood magic, but I just couldn¡¯t fit it in alongside psykika, combat, and divination.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re in applied mage combat as well?¡± I asked, and Salem nodded.

    ¡°Aye, it was a requirement for my scholarship. Can¡¯t say I¡¯m happy about taking it, given it¡¯s the only course on the entire guide to come with a warning about potentially dyin¡¯ and all, but still, failing means you¡¯re playing at least.¡±

    ¡°The headmaster wanted it to be a required class,¡± Yushin said softly. ¡°He was overridden. Too many of the school¡¯s donors do not wish to risk their children¡¯s lives by accepting that we live in a world of violence and chaos.¡±

    ¡°Does he teach it then?¡± I asked. He had said something about teaching advanced courses and the most dangerous course in the university.

    Salem and Jackson both looked interested, leaning in.

    ¡°Not entirely until the third and final course. The first year is taught by a rotation of people with different skills, including him. The second has more of him. The third is only him.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯d¡¯ya know this?¡± Salem asked.

    ¡°I have a relative in the city who is a powerful life enforcement practitioner,¡± Yushin said. ¡°His lover is a mage, and she took the course.¡±

    ¡°As well she should!¡± Jackson said. ¡°I believe the headmaster is right. Everyone should learn to fight for justice, truth, and honor.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no honor in fighting. You either survive or you lose,¡± I muttered, but Jackson didn¡¯t seem to hear me. Salem, Yushin, and I all exchanged glances, and then Salem turned back to me.

    ¡°Your book for blood price. It¡¯s in what language?¡±

    ¡°Hua-Long,¡± I said, and his face fell.

    ¡°Shame, I can¡¯t speak a lick of that language, only Ceyish, Hydrefol, and a bit of Duexia,¡± he said. ¡°Still, would you mind letting me copy the spell from your grimoire when I finish, till I can delve for a copy of my own? If you also escort me to the library and keep an eye out, I¡¯ll let you copy from mine second in exchange.¡±

    ¡°Sure! Jackson, Yushin, would you care to accompany me?¡±

    ¡°No, not today,¡± Jackson said. ¡°I¡¯m working on refining my fireball and incorporating my affinity magic. And you did tell us how to get into the cafeteria, so I can stop paying for food now. Thanks!¡±

    He clapped me on the shoulder with enough force to stagger a bear.

    ¡°I do not believe it would be wise,¡± Yushin said, shaking her head. ¡°A ten percent bonus to efficiency and a loss of cost is worthwhile, but only once I am certain I can contest the threats of the library. I can collect my free book and others in a single delve.¡±

    I didn¡¯t think the library was that threatening if you were just heading in to grab a book off the table and leave, but I could see her point. I certainly wouldn¡¯t be delving into the shelves anytime soon.

    ¡°Not a problem,¡± Salem said with a smile, then extended his arm in a very courtly fashion, one that was out of style in Dreki or Cendel unless one was in very high company, or was courting. To be fair, entering a courtship, rather than simply dating, likely precluded the idea of being in low company at all, so it was probably just a friendly gesture.

    Besides, the Elden Court of Hydref, much like the Divine King¡¯s Palace, tended to be old fashioned in its mannerisms. Salem might just be from there, perhaps he¡¯d worked as a servant, and picked up some of the mannerisms. It would explain his odd scent and eyes. No man should smell of ink and leather and mist, instead of sweat. The Elder Fae¡¯s Etherius-native magic could rub off on people they interacted with frequently.

    ¡°Ah, thas¡¯right, forgot, sorry,¡± Salem apologized with an easygoing smile. ¡°Well, shall we?¡±

    I let out a sigh as he explained he forgot the meaning was different on the other side of the sea. What the meaning of the sigh was, though, even I wasn¡¯t sure.

    We said our goodbyes to Yushin and Jackson, and began making our way down the tower.

    ¡°What¡¯s Dreki like, Emrys?¡± Salem asked. ¡°Or do you remember it? You said you were born there.¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°I was, but only for a few years before moving,¡± I said. ¡°White sands is more my home than the island. But¡­¡±

    I took a breath as I launched back into my old memories.

    ¡°The island is made of three provinces, but really it¡¯s only two. The inhabitable parts¡­ One looks blackened and burnt, from where the Dreki Matriarch burned it all in a great fight, and volcanos coated the ground in ash. It¡¯s still black now, four hundred years later, but the ash has made the ground fertile enough to feed most of the island.¡±

    I paused as I frowned.

    ¡°Supposedly, at least. I don¡¯t know how it could be true. The other province is a massive, sprawling series of slums and shanty towns, before you hit the wall. Behind the wall is where the king and parliament are, as well as the entire Dreki family compound, and whoever else is rich enough to be able to have property there.¡±

    ¡°Parliament? King? Doesn¡¯t the Matriarch just control the island?¡± Salem asked, and I shook my head.

    ¡°Common misconception. She OWNS the island, and everyone on it merely rents from her, or rents from someone who rents from someone who rents from someone who rents from her and such. The King, Parliament, and Justices handle the legality of the running of the country, but they¡¯re¡­¡±

    When I trailed off, Salem spoke up.

    ¡°Completely powerless?¡± he suggested.

    ¡°A manager,¡± I said. ¡°Hired help, that can be disposed of if they get too uppity.¡±

    Salem shook his head.

    ¡°Seems faintly ridiculous, at least to me. I say it¡¯s cruel.¡±

    ¡°It is cruel. Especially in the shanties. When I was seven, and out for a walk, I witnessed two people fight until they were bleeding and had lost a tooth over a bit of bread. Stale bread.¡±

    I closed my eyes, and if my sense of internal balance hadn¡¯t been so good, I might have fallen down the stairs.

    ¡°It¡¯s not so bad on the farming province. The land means there¡¯s enough to eat, but only if you can get hired on as a farmhand or otherwise work at the farm. They¡¯re the closest thing Dreki has to a true middle class.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I asked,¡± Salem said. ¡°Truly.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t know. And there¡¯s also the third province ¨C The volcanos themselves, in a state of near perpetual lava flow. They¡¯re bound to an elemental plane of etherius, as far as I know. Lava constantly pours out, then vanishes. Only the Matriarch and the strongest of her children are able to survive more than a moment there.¡±

    ¡°How cheery,¡± Salem deadpanned. ¡°Though, bein¡¯ bound to Etherius means there¡¯s probably a lotta good materials that go unharvested.¡±

    ¡°Oh no, they¡¯re harvested,¡± I said. ¡°The Matriarch wouldn¡¯t let a fortune go untapped.¡±

    ¡°Right shame that is,¡± Salem said.

    We lapsed into silence for a second, until I asked my own question.

    ¡°What¡¯s Hydref like, if it¡¯s not painful?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no, nothin¡¯ of the sort,¡± Salem said, then took a moment to compose his thoughts.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve eight counties. Lot more than Dreki, but still less¡¯an the absolute monstrosities that are Naise, the Argent Empire, Shen-Long, or Cendel. I mean, Cendel, seriously? Seven holds, each wit¡¯ two ta¡¯ five differen¡¯ regions? S¡¯ridiculous. Middlehold an¡¯ Summerhold toget-her are bigger t¡¯an tee entire total ah Hydref, plus yeh get tree, fourteen, an¡¯ sixteen? It ain¡¯t fair.¡±

    A touch of pink touched his neck as he realized his accent had gotten incredibly thick as he¡¯d started to ramble.

    ¡°Sorry ¡®bout that. Anyways, as I was sayin¡¯. Eight counties. There¡¯s the Elden County in the center, where the Elden Court convenes, and it¡¯s where all the richest people live. It¡¯s the capital and a big, sparkling city made out of eleven colors a¡¯ glass. The ether is thick there, like here, but instead of being balanced, it¡¯s almost all faeries and spirits and dreams. There¡¯s even an erudite college there. My mam worked as a secretary for some of the Elder Court¡¯s bureaucracy, so I saw more than most who don¡¯t live there.¡±

    ¡°It sounds beautiful,¡± I said earnestly, and Salem nodded in agreement.

    ¡°It is. The city at sunset is like a miracle of all the gods. Just don¡¯t be too surprised if you fall into the faerie wilds of Etherius, and retrace your steps to get back out. The rest of the country isn¡¯t as ether rich, so no worries about slippin¡¯ out of reality. Each of the Elden Court¡¯s got their own county, so there¡¯s firelight county, moonlight county, starlight county, sunlight, thunderlight, animallight, and weirlight.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of light,¡± I commented with a laugh, and Salem grinned.

    ¡°Yeah, well. Sounds that way in Ceyish, at least. But them¡¯s the seven Elder Fae, and so the seven other counties. I grew up in Firelight County. It¡¯s a pretty place. Lotsa greenery in the spring, then summer¡¯s got purple from the blooming heather. Autumn has leaves of every shade of red and orange and yellow and brown you can think of, and then in winter, it¡¯s blustery cold and raining all the time, sometimes it turns to snow and ice, though, and when it does, it¡¯s pretty too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking forwards to actually having four seasons again,¡± I said, nodding. ¡°In White Sands, and really all of Summerhold, there¡¯s only two: Summer and Spring. It means there¡¯s twice as much crop harvesting as most places, but I won¡¯t lie, I¡¯m tired of seeing the sun every day and always being sticky with the heat and humidity.¡±

    ¡°Hah, you can¡¯t tan?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± I grimaced. My bloodline gave me enough resistance to heat that I didn¡¯t need to worry about sunburn, but it was still not pleasant to constantly be baking alive.

    ¡°Me neither. Every summer you could swear that I was as red as a boiled lobster. Meanin¡¯ no offense to our ancestors, but what were they thinking when they set the sky on fire? I can barely stand the sun, let alone worse. There¡¯s a reason I didn¡¯t accept the offer from Faline of The Burning Throne.¡±

    He seemed to realize he was rambling again, but before he could apologize, I stopped him.

    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this just the building for administration?¡± Salem asked.

    ¡°Yep. Now, step headfirst into the left side of the doorframe while on only your right foot,¡± I said, lifting my leg and falling into the doorframe to demonstrate.

    I vanished and appeared in the library again, and I was alone in the hall. Something was watching me. Eyes were on my neck, then shifting to my ear, then to my throat, just watching and waiting.

    I spun my ether into a shield spell. I would still need to make the motions and speak the words of power, but I felt better having it prepared, and this place was creepy. There was the sound of footfalls behind me, and I glanced, but saw nothing.

    Then Salem stepped into the hall, and something shifted its attention to study him as well, tracing along his slender throat up to the pierced ear, to his eyes. I suddenly had the image of someone using a rusty spoon to dig his eyes from his face, like plucking a grape out of a gelatin mold, and Salem and I shuddered in unison.

    ¡°To the table,¡± I said, quickly walking forwards. Salem nodded and followed, and we glanced around the hall. Shadows lurked in the dark of the shelves, and I could faintly make out titles¡¯ names. Most were nonsense, but one was completely legible: A Practical Guide to Casting the Wish Spell. It was on the shelf nearest me, only four books down the hall. I didn¡¯t even need to step in to get it, I could just reach out and¨C

    ¡°Got it!¡± Salem said, clutching a thick book bound in what looked like crocodile leather to his chest. Something twitched in his shadows, and I yanked him forwards, sprinting into the reading room.

    The moment we crossed over the threshold, I relaxed a little bit as the sensations faded, and Salem let out a breath.

    ¡°Creepy as all the hells,¡± he muttered under his breath.

    ¡°You¡¯ll hear no argument from me,¡± I said. ¡°What did you get?¡±

 Chapter Seventeen: A Student of Curse Magic

    As it turned out, Salem had gotten the spell guide for a ritual, called the rite of the unbroken mind.

    It was a third circle ritual, and created a permanent mental barrier around the caster, helping them resist foreign psychic influences, and could be fueled with ether to repair itself from mental assault, strengthen the defense, and even help heal some minor mental damage.

    I let out a low, slow whistle.

    ¡°Thousand hells, that¡¯s strong. You don¡¯t need to let me copy it. You could probably get a really good trade.¡±

    ¡°A promise made is a promise kept,¡± Salem said firmly. ¡°Besides, it¡¯ll be a while before either of us can cast it. Look at the components.¡±

    He gestured to the list of components needed for the spell. Half a pound of salt, four ounces of iron filings, and two ounces of sage would be easy to source.

    Five hundred silver coins was simple, as was the weight of oudh wood incense that would cost about three hundred silver and two hundred or so worth of precise, jeweler crafted lenses. None of them would be easy or cheap, but they would at least be straightforward.

    The third ring of components was where things got tricky. The tail feather of a were-raven for wisdom, three drops of blood from a dragon for power, and the horn from a powerful enough humanoid demon that the caster had personally killed for courage.

    Finally, the materials for the rite had to be placed into the rirual¡¯s designated spots by a true psychic. At least that part would be easy enough¡­

    ¡°Well,¡± Salem finally said after several long beats of silence. ¡°When people say that wizardry gets expensive the higher up in circles you go, they weren¡¯t kiddin. Don¡¯t suppose the blood price spell will make this a walk in the park?¡±

    ¡°No, unfortunately,¡± I said. ¡°The false components made by blood price last a short time, about ninety seconds. Not long enough for the ritual.¡±

    ¡°Well, it was worth a shot,¡± Salem said, then sighed. ¡°Can we get out of here? The reading room¡¯s better than the library, but it¡¯s still freaking me out a little.¡±

    We checked that the quartet of students in the reading room would be there for a while before we left, heading into the door frame to get to the mess hall, where we were both served a flavorless oat mash with dried meat. As we ate, both of us worked on scribing our spells into our grimoires.

    Salem¡¯s grimoire was bound in dark leather, soft, rather than my hardback blue book. The leather was embossed with spiky green runes, glowing the same unnaturally vibrant shade as his eyes.

    ¡°What affinity did¡¯ya get, if you don¡¯t mind too terribly much?¡± Salem asked, breaking our silence.

    Our silence, not the silence, because there were dozens of others in the mess hall eating and chatting away.

    ¡°Curse magic,¡± I said, glancing up at Salem. His eyes widened fractionally, the piercing on one of his brows catching the light and glinting. ¡°How about you?¡±

    ¡°Well, remind me never to piss you off,¡± Salem said with a dry chuckle, a second too long. The curse magic had thrown him somehow, but I wasn¡¯t entirely sure how or why. ¡°My affinity was for mind magic. I¡¯ve only just got the grimoire at the sunmonin¡¯, but it looks like it¡¯ll let me empower my psychic abilities, as well as use ether and the spell to mimic others.¡±

    ¡°Ether and the spell? Do psychic abilities not rely on ether to work?¡± I asked. I knew a bit about psychic powers, but not a whole lot.

    Salem screwed up his face at my question, before making a so-so gesture with his hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s more like a bloodline or life enforcement, to my understanding,¡± he said. ¡°All magic comes from Etherius, be it spellcraft or not. And there are interactions between all types of magic. But my psychic powers have their own node of power in my head, just like how an ether pool is in the heart, or how a bloodline is supposedly at the base of the spine.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense,¡± I said with a nod, then took a bite of the horrible porridge and a sip of water before I returned to writing in my grimoire.

    The following day was an off day, and as I was exiting my room, Jackson gave me a broad grin and clasped my shoulder.

    ¡°Hey, Emrys! I was planning on leaving campus to look at the rest of the citadel. Maybe grab some food, do some shopping¡­ Care to join me? Yushin¡¯s going to be there, though apparently her relative is going to be keeping an eye on us.¡±

    ¡°I need to practice magic,¡± I said with a shake of my head. ¡°Sorry. Maybe once I¡¯ve got a bit of a better hold on my affinity, I can join you.¡±

    ¡°Shame,¡± Jackson said, shaking his head and sighing. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t blame you. What affinity did you get?¡±

    We had a brief discussion about my affinity, and when I described the spell, Jackson let out a low whistle.

    ¡°Hundred hells, Emrys, that sounds annoyingly complex. My spell¡¯s only about as complicated as a cantrip¡­¡±

    ¡°Must be nice,¡± I said, though in all honesty, a plain, unadorned fire affinity that relied on nothing but pure power didn¡¯t appeal to me that much. Maybe if it was something like phoenix fire, but plain fire? Eh.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Jackson and I spent a bit longer talking about affinities before he left to go head to the city, and I took a seat in one of the rickety chairs and cracked open my book.

    When I¡¯d skimmed it before, I¡¯d been able to identify that there were four primary functions within the spell that could be used or interwoven, but I hadn¡¯t been able to identify just what the functions were. I could make a guess, of course, given some of the examples of the spell, but I couldn¡¯t truly say. I could also see that there were aspects of the spell for limits and break conditions, but I didn¡¯t really understand them either.

    As I read through the book more thoroughly, I thought I was able to get a bit better of an idea about my spell.

    The first application of curse affinity magic was misfortune, which was exactly what it sounded like. It directed its magic to manipulate probabilities in a way that the target of the spell wouldn¡¯t want. Limiting the curse was distinctly possible, but only up to a point.

    Everything in the world was, to an extent, random chance, and while I could nudge things, I couldn¡¯t inherently direct them ¨C my grimoire used the example of cursing a rich person. I could make their fortune around money worsen. I could even narrow it down to giving them misfortune around gambling to make them more likely to lose, or when handling money to make them more likely to drop coins, or things like that.

    What I couldn¡¯t do was curse them so that all of their money came to me. That was trying to manipulate the result, which I couldn¡¯t do.

    Furthermore, the more intense, broadly applied, harder to break, or long lasting the misfortune was, the more ether it took.

    Trying to curse someone with awful luck at everything for their entire life, with the only way to break it being something obscure and unrelated ¨C like hopping seventeen times backwards while balancing a pigeon feather on your nose on the night of a full moon ¨C would take more ether than I had, several times over. I didn¡¯t even have a good estimate for how much ether it would take. Enough to cast a seventh circle spell? Eighth? Ninth? It was so far above my current skill level that it may as well not exist.

    Reading about the breaking conditions were interesting, as they had multiple factors that went into them as well ¨C themes were surprisingly important to the process, which made some sense. Magyk loved her themes. The same breaking condition could have radically different costs, depending on why the curse was laid, what the curse was about, and more. A break condition of donating to charity might be very cheap if I was cursing a rich person because they were greedy, but if I was laying a curse on someone for arrogance, the same break condition would cost a lot more.

    I spent a while looking over the spellform, then used the silk ribbon to mark the page, and flipped to the blank section of the grimoire, then started writing out an attempt at an example spell that I could actually cast.

    I would be going into Applied Mage Combat at the end of the week, so I decided to make a combat spell. I started with the basic spellform, then defined the time of the spell to only be a couple of seconds. In a fight, that should be more than enough. I could have gone for a minute, but that would have started ballooning the cost ¨C worth figuring out how to do once I was able to more frequently cast third circle spells, but not worth it for now.

    I started with no limit, simply general misfortune, then paused and limited it to luck in combat. That reduced the cost by a good bit, enough that I almost went back and made the spell last longer, but I held off. I would figure out the break condition first.

    I spent a while thinking about a break condition, then eventually decided that the curse would break if the target stopped trying to fight me at any point. That was a very cheap condition, so long as I laid the curse on someone after they started threatening or attacking me, but it would cost a lot more if I tried to lay the curse on someone being peaceful. That was fine, though. My goal wasn¡¯t to curse a bunch of people, just to keep myself safe in a fight.

    I tinkered with the spell for a little bit, and was confident that I¡¯d created two versions. The first was very cheap and fast, cheaper and faster than an arcane missile, but it only lasted a few seconds. The second version lasted longer, about a minute, but the much longer words of power, gestures, and ether amount was more in line with a third circle spell.

    I worked on memorizing the versions of the spell, but I thought that in the long run, that would actually be a hindrance to me. I needed to get skilled enough with my affinity that I could compose curses to fit the situation, rather than relying on a selection of pre-engineered, memorized spells.

    For now, memorization would need to be enough.

    My stomach let out a low rumble of protest, and I paused. How long had I been reading and working? I wasn¡¯t sure.

    As it turned out, it was well past lunch, so I scarfed down some more of the horrible gruel, then went back to reading.

    The second variation of curse magic was called suffering, and it was significantly more complex to activate those portions of the spell than it was to cast misfortune. Even the most basic suffering spells would be as complex as something like enshroud.

    In terms of effects, though, suffering and misfortune were similar-yet-distinct concepts.

    While misfortune made things go poorly, suffering made things get worse. It was, in essence, a negativity amplifier.

    By layering on a curse to amplify pain, the sensation of stubbing a toe could become as excruciating as having a bone snapped in two. By cursing someone¡¯s injuries to fester, a papercut could turn into an infection that needed a healer. By cursing someone¡¯s negative thoughts, a bad turn in life could drive them to a mental break.

    I shuddered. That was¡­ dark. While each of those were extreme cases, they still showed where the magic of a suffering curse could go.

    Thankfully, the spells were so complex that I would struggle to cast even a basic one right now, and the basic applications were nowhere near as extreme.

    There were also some other major limits. The first was the same as with misfortune ¨C I couldn¡¯t just make their fate exactly what I wanted. Sure, I might curse someone¡¯s wounds to worsen, but I wasn¡¯t able to curse someone to die of infection next Tuesday.

    The second was that while I could amplify negativity, I couldn¡¯t make something out of nothing. If I wanted to try and kill someone with a bloodletting curse , I couldn¡¯t just wave a hand and curse them with a sword stroke to the chest. They still needed to be stabbed manually to start bleeding.

    Finally, the scale mattered in the cost. Amplifying a papercut¡¯s pain to feel as painful as a hot iron brand might be possible, but it would take an absurd amount of ether to amplify something so small into something so big.

    But even still, being able to amplify the negative parts of a person¡¯s state of being was terrifying. Could I force the progression of the Creep until they became an aberrant?

    Probably, and that was more than a little chilling.

    By the time I felt I had a thorough understanding of the suffering part of the spell, it was well past midnight, and I realized I skipped dinner.

    Even with that. And even though I still was far from understanding the spellcraft suffering cursee, just the ideas behind that part of my affinity. And even though I¡¯d need at least an hour to compose a new misfortune spell, probably more. And even though I hadn¡¯t even scratched the concepts of the final two types of curses or how to mix them.

    Even with all that.

    I was happy.

    I was in the third greatest university of magic in the world. I could enshroud myself in safety. And I had learned two new affinity spells.

    This was going to be great.

 Chapter Eighteen: Fundamental Magecraft

    ¡°Welcome to Fundamental Magecraft,¡± an elven man who appeared to be in his sixties, with long white hair down past his waist and flowy robes said. ¡°I am professor Silverbark.¡±

    Given elves could live about three times as long as humans, the hair and wrinkles probably meant the man was well over a century old, but despite that, his seal indicated he was only a fifth circle caster and unable to push that limit.

    I snorted as I realized that I¡¯d thought of him as only fifth circle. It wasn¡¯t as if fifth circle casters were common. As professor Sandroot had said, they were usually some of the most powerful people around.

    Fundamental Magecraft wasn¡¯t as small as the ethics class, but nor was it as large as the auditorium for the core class was. About thirty people were gathered in a room with a chalkboard, and I¡¯d grabbed a table with Yushin and the minotaur from our ethics course. Jackson and Salem must have had the class at a different time, but Wesley was here, dominating an entire table with his sneer.

    ¡°Fundamental Magecraft is going to be structured somewhat unusually to classes you may have had at preparatory schools,¡± professor Silverbark said as he began passing out syllabi. ¡°Our lectures will, by and large, be focused on ensuring that no student with the talent to enter, but not the coin to pay for spells, is left behind.¡±

    I took the syllabus he handed me and glanced over some of the listed lectures. A lot of them were on spells. Some I knew, like shield or arcane missile, but most of them I¡¯d never had the chance to learn, like the general dispel.

    But it wasn¡¯t just spells. Ether manipulation, expansion, and regeneration were all listed, as was creation of spellcasting apparatus, which went on for weeks.

    ¡°You can see the days we will be spending on working to learn and master a specific spell in there, and if you already know the spell, you may demonstrate that to me the class period before, and you will be given full permission to skip the class and test with full marks,¡± the professor said, and I felt my respect for him rise a little. ¡°That brings us into scoring. There are no tests or quizzes, merely your midterm, finals, and consistent grading if you learned the spell or technique by the time we move on to the next. What this means is if you cannot figure out a specific part, you will have a chance to try again at the midterms before winter break, or the finals before summer.¡±

    He went on for a while about the details of grading, office hours, and more, before he finally started up the first lesson.

    ¡°For those of you who have already undergone the mage dedication ritual, you¡¯re welcome to leave.¡±

    At his words, nearly half of the class stood and left. Wesley scoffed, but stayed where he was, leaving me to wonder if he knew or was just pretending. It took a little bit for everyone to leave, but when the class settled down, professor Silverbark smiled.

    ¡°From the blank looks, can I assume most of you have never heard of the mage dedication ritual?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a ritual that permanently changes your ether pool,¡± Wesley said, his lazy drawl cutting through the room. ¡°It makes your ether much more effective at a certain school of magic, but at the cost of making the other schools of magic less effective. The intensity is usually reported as making the chosen school twice as effective, and making others three quarters as effective, though it varies from person to person.¡±

    ¡°Quite right,¡± professor Silverbark said, nodding along. ¡°Obviously this works well for things like restoration, enhancing it at the cost of all other schools. But what if you choose the null school, universal magic?¡±

    Wesley started to speak, only to be cut off by Silverbark¡¯s raised hand.

    ¡°Someone new please,¡± the old elf said.

    ¡°Affinity magic,¡± Yushin said after a moment. ¡°There are very few universal spells. Weirlight. Wish. Permanency. But affinity magic is usually classed as a universal magic type.¡±

    ¡°Correct!¡± Silverbark beamed. ¡°For those of you with an especially flexible or powerful affinity, it may be worth choosing to dedicate yourself to universal magic. Fire specialists who also have a fire affinity, for example, can effectively extend their bonuses into other fire related spells by incorporating their affinity. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve met Emir Blackflame yet, he¡¯s second chair for the obliteration school of magic, but his highly potent blackflame combines with other fire magic to make him a one man siege weapon.¡±

    I hesitantly raised my hand, then spoke when Silverbark pointed at me.

    ¡°Do we have to undergo the ritual and take a dedication?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m planning on working on two branches of magic, and my affinity¡­ isn¡¯t suited to being dedicated.¡±

    ¡°Oh, a generalist? Well, there is no need to dedicate yourself to a single branch of magic or to your affinity,¡± professor Silverbark said. ¡°It¡¯s completely possible to reach far without such a dedication. Why, the Erudite doesn¡¯t have such a dedication, instead learning as many spells from as many schools as he can. It¡¯s going to make your life at school more challenging, and I still recommend that you add the ritual to your grimoire, but I won¡¯t force you to undergo it.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    I nodded seriously. I might be happy with my affinity magic, but I wasn¡¯t so happy that I was going to make all of my other, more traditional magic worse, just to make my affinity stronger.

    Maybe after I got my hands on the magic for conjuration and transmutation, I would be willing to pursue one of those fields to the exclusion of the other.

    But for now, I thought it was best to keep my ether pool neutral.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t you undergo a dedication for all of the schools of magic and become better at everything?¡± someone asked, rasing a hand. The minotaur who was sitting with Yushin and I let out a soft puff of laughter.

    ¡°A ritual spell that confers a permanent ability like this only works once, I¡¯m afraid,¡± professor Silverbark said. ¡°Take, for example, the fifth circle ritual of mage¡¯s sight, which bestows a permanent version of ethersight onto the caster. Such a thing can only be done one time, it cannot be done over and over again to improve ethersight infinitely.¡±

    ¡°Could you split your ether pool, then form a binding with each one?¡± the same student asked. ¡°Or even split it into ten parts, then have a pool for each type of magic.¡±

    This time, professor Silverbark hesitated.

    ¡°It is¡­ technically¡­ possible,¡± he said. ¡°But I want to make one thing very, very clear. In all of recorded history, there have only ever been three known people to survive splitting magic within themselves of any sort. One was a life enforcement practitioner, one was a songcaller, and the final was a psychic.¡±

    The professor looked over us slowly, meeting our eyes one at a time.

    ¡°Let me repeat that. While records and artifacts from before the age of sundering are rare, we still have consistent records for close to four and a half thousand years ¨C the entire age of sunder and the age of stars up until now. In all of that time, in four. And a half. THOUSAND. Years.¡±

    He took a deep breath and continued.

    ¡°Three people have survived splitting their internal magic. You are not the exception. You are not the genius who is going to crack the code and find the way to cheat Magyk¡¯s rules and wisdom. If you try to split your ether pool, you would be better off buying some rope to hang yourself.¡±

    His voice didn¡¯t have even the faintest hint of amusement or joking in his tone.

    ¡°I know that every one of you who¡¯s made it here is talented and special. And that deserves to be celebrated. Many of you will reach fifth circle. Even those who don¡¯t will still become powerful enough to serve well in the military, or as the local power of a smaller town. But you are not so special as to do what four and a half thousand years of people cannot.¡±

    There was silence for a moment, then the student who had asked shot his hand into the air.

    ¡°Okay, but what if I had an affinity for splitting pools of magic? That would let me do it safely and I cou¨C¡±

    ¡°Do you?¡± professor Silverbark asked, sounding a little annoyed, but mostly genuinely curious.

    ¡°Well, no, but if I did, or better yet if I found someone who did, then I could become a supermage that was able to double my efficiency with all of my spells.¡±

    He was silent for a second, then added.

    ¡°And besides, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s fair to tell us we won¡¯t be the exception, when clearly there are exceptions to the rule. Kind of disingenuous of you, if you ask me.¡±

    The last bit was so unbearably smug that I glared at the student.

    ¡°What if you had an affinity for becoming Magyk herself? What if you had an affinity for the entire world? For Etherius itself and its endless planes? What if you had a destiny mark that gave you the power to kill a god with a sneeze? What if you had a bloodline that let you access magic from the age of the wilds?¡± professor Silverbark asked, clearly annoyed now. ¡°What if, what if, what if. Yes, you can construct wild hypotheticals all day long in order to try and cover every possible situation. But that isn¡¯t the world we live in. General rules exist for a reason. They are general. Every system of rules that has ever been devised by man, beast, god, or demon has had some sort of exception that can be found somewhere. But that does not mean the rule is invalid.¡±

    The student huffed.

    ¡°I was just asking questions,¡± he muttered, and professor Silverback closed his eyes and slowly counted to ten.

    ¡°There is the arc¨C¡± Wesley started, only for professor Silverbark to shoot him a stern look.

    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± the professor warned. ¡°Everyone, take some time to look over the syllabus, get some water, whatever you need to do. In ten minutes, I¡¯ll start the lecture.¡±

    I honestly felt for Silverbark, and Yushin glanced over at me.

    ¡°Which of these spells do you not know?¡± she asked. I flipped over the list, scanning and slowly reading them aloud.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know identify, sleep, and slowfall from the first circle,¡± I said. ¡°Got the rest though. From second circle¡­ Arcane seal, find object, and improve quality. Finally for third. Jeez, I don¡¯t know most of these. Etherius locker, flyte, general dispel, create tower, ward rune, or¡­¡±

    I squinted at the last bit. It said ¡®choice of: fireball, aquatic torrent, earth eruption, air expansion, or force pulse¡¯. I assumed that didn¡¯t mean we had to master all of them, only one, so I glanced at Yushin.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know any of the offensive spells for third circle, but I¡¯ll probably pick up either the torrent, force pulse, or air expansion,¡± I said. ¡°Then there¡¯s everything related to the non-spellcraft bits, like tool creation and stuff. What about you? Any you don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°I know most of the spells, but I do not know flyte, create tower, or improve quality, nor do I know tool creation. I know you do not seem to be bothered by the library, but if you would like, I could provide you with a copy of some of these, so you do not waste time.¡±

    I bit my lip.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to know all of them,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll learn them. But I would love to get a headstart on Etherius locker. That¡¯s like your spatial ring, right?¡±

    Yushin nodded.

    ¡°I can get you that spell. It is well worth the effort to learn. Besides, we need to sell off the rest of the materials that Alastor received.¡±

    I nodded, having almost forgotten about that.

    ¡°Tomorrow?¡± I asked. ¡°We can check out the town and stuff. I¡¯ll wear a false face and enshroud.¡±

    We agreed, and then settled back to listen to professor Silverbark¡¯s lecture. I couldn¡¯t get my nerves off of the idea of my next class, however.

    Because as soon as this class and lunch were over, it would be time for Applied Mage Combat.

 Chapter Nineteen: Applied Mage Combat

    Applied Mage Combat didn¡¯t meet in a classroom. Instead it met outside, on one of the sprawling lawns of campus that was in between the massive fountain that stood in front of the administrative building and the spidershade forest.

    As Yushun and I approached, I picked out a few of the people I knew.

    First was Wesley, who had somehow managed to get to the field before we could. He must have scarfed down lunch, or maybe skipped it. I had to resist a groan. Was this guy going to be in every one of my classes? He wasn¡¯t antagonistic towards me, but his smug attitude just rubbed me the wrong way.

    Salem and Jackson were in the field too, thankfully providing a backdrop of normalcy and friendship to contrast Wesley.

    There were five other people who I didn¡¯t recognize, but judging from the fact that all of them had green on their seal somewhere, I was guessing they were second year. Two of them had staves, and all of the rest had wands tucked into their belts

    The final person, I did recognize. Professor Alydia was standing a little bit away from the rest of the group, watching as Yushin and I approached. When we did, she gave us a nod.

    Two more students joined us, only one of whom didn¡¯t have the green of being a fourth circle caster on their uniforms, and when they arrived, the professor clapped to get our attention. I got my first look at her seal. Emblazoned on her teacher¡¯s stole was a solid gray seal of the school.

    She was an eighth circle caster. If she could push herself to ninth, then she might well become the eighteenth Erudite, or at the very least, be able to replace the headmaster when he died.

    ¡°Welcome everyone. I am professor Alydia, dean of divination, and assistant headmaster,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s good to see that more of you are taking an interest in this course. How many of you have taken or are taking a course in abjuration, obliteration, weapon magic, battle magic, or an elemental course?¡±

    All of the second years raised their hands, as did Wesley, Jackson, and Yushin, leaving Salem and myself as the only ones who weren¡¯t taking one of those. I glanced at Yushin in surprise. Under her breath she whispered to me.

    ¡°Weapon magic, illusion magic, and this course were my electives.¡±

    Ah, that made a bit more sense. I nodded, then turned my attention back to the professor.

    ¡°Very good,¡± the professor said, her eyes scanning the group. ¡°Those are fine courses that I recommend, but the Erudite and myself both agree that they are of limited use. Do you know what the most common mistake made by those who graduate, having taken three years of one of those courses, but never having taken this course is?¡±

    ¡°Arrogance,¡± Salem said. ¡°They think they have the power to win a fight, but they don''t know what a fight¡¯s like, so they just die.¡±

    ¡°Exactly correct, Salem,¡± professer Alydia said with a smile. ¡°I won¡¯t pretend that you or Emrys are going to have an advantage, not taking those courses. In fact, without combat skills, this course will become far harder. Those courses teach you skills.¡±

    She flipped her hand up, and a wand was in it. The air thundered with bolts of blue light as arcane missiles streaked towards each of us, freezing and dissolving back into the ether in the instant before they hit. None of us, not even the older students, managed to get a shield spell off in time, or had arcane armor activated to take the hits.

    ¡°But this course will teach you how to actually apply combat skills, thus the name. Some of you are no doubt wondering why a divination teacher is teaching this course.¡±

    She laughed, her ears twitching with amusement.

    ¡°No shame. Put your hand up.¡±

    I put my hand up, as did everyone but Salem, Wesley, and Yushin. I wondered if Wesley was just covering himself, or if he really wasn¡¯t surprised.

    ¡°I may be specialized in divination, but I am still a combat mage. I¡¯ve done tours against the demon wastes four times,¡± professor Alydia said. ¡°And if you think divination magic can¡¯t be used in combat, then you¡¯re sorely mistaken. Never assume someone isn¡¯t a combatant, just because of their affinity or magical specialization. I¡¯d rather face four combat ready obliteration mages than a single combat ready illusionist.¡±

    ¡°Is it true this course kills people?¡±

    The voice came from one of the second years, a thin wisp of a girl who¡¯s scent gave her away as half elf, half angelus.

    ¡°It has killed in the past. It will happen again.¡±

    This time, it wasn¡¯t professor Alydia who spoke. The calm tenor had become familiar, and as we turned, I wasn¡¯t surprised to see the Erudite. Standing this close, I could smell him. He smelled¡­

    Ordinary.

    No bloodline, no scent of faerie-touched psychic powers, no hint of divine light, nor of demonic taint.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Just the plain, slightly sweaty stench that all humans had, tinged with the smell of a ripe tomato.

    ¡°Erudite,¡± professor Alyida said, straightening up. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you so soon.¡±

    He nodded to her, then surveyed each of us. There was no power in his gaze, just a sort of blankness that I usually associated with a tavern worker at the end of a long shift.

    ¡°I won¡¯t be here long,¡± he said. ¡°A city in Middlehold just had a gibbering madmind from a plane of chaos slip into reality and I need to banish or kill it.¡±

    He summoned his staff. This close, I could feel the power, even without ethersight. Ozone stung my tongue, and my teeth started buzzing. The Erudite¡­ leaned on it like a walking stick.

    ¡°But Claire asked a question. Does this course kill people? Yes. In my thirty plus years as Erudite, two have died. It¡¯s rare. Alydia, Emir, or myself stands vigil to pull you out of danger. But it can happen. More common is injuries to send you to the hospital ward. We have good healers, but they can¡¯t stop the mind from remembering pain.¡±

    He let out a weary sigh, and suddenly seemed twenty years older.

    ¡°But you need it. Aberrants. Demons. Things that slip in from Etherius. Foreign nations. Even good old fashioned monsters. I may not be that old, compared to the Divine King of Shen-Long, Matriarch of Dreki, or the other ancients of the world, but I¡¯ve walked thousands of planes, and studied things mortals were not meant to know. I¡¯ve met demons and gods and many things in between. Believe me when I say that you will need this experience. Take heart. Do not give up.¡±

    At that, he raises his staff and said four words of power. The world shook, and the Erudite was gone.

    ¡°We¡¯re not entirely cruel, nor are we stupid,¡± professor Alydia said. ¡°If you want to learn a lot of battle spells, then take the battle magic course, or any of the others I mentioned. But we will teach you a few, very basic spells.¡±

    A wicked grin came over her face, and the delicate elven features gained a dark and terrible beauty to them.

    ¡°Well, I say we. I mean you. There¡¯s no syllabus for this course. Preparation is an excellent tool, but it can very easily become a crutch to lean on. But I¡¯ll tell you this much¡­ In our next class you¡¯re going to be delving into the library for arcane armor, arcane missile, and shield. Then, later in the year you¡¯ll delve for a few others.¡±

    I waited for her to go on, but she didn¡¯t.

    ¡°That is all?¡± Yushin asked in disbelief. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make you a combat mage.¡±

    ¡°Oh really?¡± Alydia asked. I could sense the jaws of a trap closing around Yushin, and nudged her to not take the bait.

    ¡°No. Mages may not be as common in Shen-Long as here, but even peasants know of spells like fireball, flamethrower, aegis, or haste.¡±

    ¡°Then if I were to, say, restrict my ether pool to an average first circle mage, toss aside my staff and wand, and only use arcane armor, missile, and shield, you could defeat me?¡±

    Yushin finally noticed this was a trap, pausing and considering. Then, she simply agreed.

    ¡°I could. I know you think I can¡¯t. But I can.¡±

    Professor Alydia smiled like a cat who¡¯d caught some prey, and took a breath.

    ¡°Begin on your mark,¡± she said.

    ¡°Begin,¡± Yushin snapped, her hands flaring out to direct etheric currents. Words of power tumbled from her lips, and it was a dazzling display of speed.

    But Alydia was faster. Long before Yushin was able to complete her spell, Alydia had flown through the words of power, flicked out the gestures, and unleashed a single arcane missile. It impacted Yushin in the throat with the force of a punch, and Alydia whipped a throwing knife from her pocket and bounded across the distance, pointing it at Yushin¡¯s throat.

    The message was clear, and Yushin held up her hands in surrender.

    ¡°I could have just thrown the knife at the begining, and killed her before she could even start,¡± professor Alydia said. ¡°I could have sharpened the missile into a point ¨C that level of flexibility is rare in non-affinity casting, but Magyk allows it with this spell. I could have overloaded the spell with more ether and crushed your throat. I could have done any number of things, and killed you with nothing but a single arcane missile.¡±

    Yushin took a step forward and bowed to professor Alydia.

    ¡°I could argue over the semantics of duels not being the same as war. But that is only sugar to coat the bitter pill of defeat. You won.¡±

    She bowed a second time, then stepped back. Professor Alydia nodded respectfully, then turned to the second year students.

    ¡°Do any of you think you could defeat me as a mere first circle mage who only knows three spells? You can use all of your tools, equipment, and power.¡±

    Somehow, even with Yushin¡¯s demonstration, two older students raised their hand.

    The first one tried to summon some sort of dark void that sucked everything into it. The pressure and power was immense, and his wand somehow reduced the entire incantation down to three words.

    It took professor Alydia a little bit longer to win. She scrambled away from the void, and her first bolt was sucked in. I almost thought she¡¯d lost then, but then there was a crack. I glanced to see the second year¡¯s arcane armor cracked, a near-invisible arcane bolt sharpened to drive into the back of his neck.

    ¡°The black hole has immense gravity, but limited by ether,¡± professor Alydia explained. ¡°I simply curved my bolt in an upward circle, adding the gravity to my power.¡±

    The next student tried to step back, but professor Alydia shook her head.

    ¡°Here¡¯s another lesson. It¡¯s easier to pick a fight than stop one.¡±

    The student sighed and nodded, then raised her wand. Instantly, with no chant or motions, arcane missiles began pouring from the wand. The professor frantically flicked her hands, and it was a near thing, but a shield took the brunt of the missiles, then vanished. The professor never stopped casting, but neither did the second year woman. The second year swished her wand a few times, then a lightning bolt exploded from the tip. In the same instant, a throwing knife flew through the air. The lightning shifted it¡¯s course slightly to strike the metal.

    It was clear the second year could force it back on track, but by the time she did so, the professor hand landed three knives into her arcane armor, and broken it with an arcane missile.

    ¡°Well done,¡± professor Alydia said, redoing her top knot. ¡°You almost had me.¡±

    She turned to address the group.

    ¡°I hope this serves to hammer in my point. Even someone with little to no magic of any sort can kill a powerful mage, if that mage doesn¡¯t know what she¡¯s doing. It¡¯s impossible to know every trick that might be used against you, but learning to adapt to the changes, to ride the flow of battle is an important skill. I know some of you are here on the Erudite¡¯s orders. And what he said earlier is true. We stop death, but not injury, and there is always risk. If any of you, even those who have it as a requirement, want to drop this class, we¡¯re required to allow you to do so without penalty, by order of the board and the high king.¡±

    She held up a finger, as if telling us to wait.

    ¡°But I hope you won¡¯t. Class dismissed.¡±

    I expected her to teleport away, like the Erudite had, but instead she just turned and walked away, long hair swishing.

 Chapter Twenty: Hex and Legend

    Thursday was another free day, but I¡¯d convinced myself to not spend the entire day training my affinity, like I had before. If nothing else, the massive leap in difficulty between the misfortune curses and suffering curses meant I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to do more than compose a single suffering spell, even if I spent the full day working on it.

    I supposed that I could have created more misfortune curses, but my two basic combat spells should be a good start, and I wanted to go back and learn the theory better, master every little aspect until I was certain I could compose the appropriate misfortune curse on the fly.

    The power of affinity magic was its flexibility, after all. Limiting myself to building the spells ahead of time would give me power in the short term, but stunt my flexibility, and thus, my long-term power.

    I might have been tempted anyways, if I could think of a way to curse my friends to find safe books, but no matter how I twisted my brain, I couldn¡¯t get the magic to work that way. First of all, it was too specifically oriented to a goal, and second, it wasn¡¯t really a curse.

    The final nail in the coffin was the fact I¡¯d already agreed to meet Yushin and sell a lot of the extra stuff I¡¯d gotten as Alastor Sinclair.

    I applied my scent tincture, used a touch of false face to add an extra few wrinkles, some off-colored hairs, and other minor imperfections that a normal human might have. Then I stuffed my grimoire in my bag, waved to Salem, who was studying in the common area, then headed out to meet Yushin at the gates of the school.

    When I arrived, I spotted her and her relative. He resembled her, but not completely, more like an uncle or great uncle than a father or older brother. His hair was still glossy black, but he¡¯d cut it shorter than her, more in the style of Cendel than Shen-Long.

    His scent was¡­

    Strange.

    I¡¯d met those who practiced life enforcement before. It was common enough in the sword schools and military academies. But I¡¯d never met one who had progressed as far as he had.

    He was still human, certainly. No bloodline touched his powers, nor was there any evidence of one on his body, like Yushin¡¯s scales.

    But he didn¡¯t smell like a human. The blood and sweat and bile scents of a true human were there only fractionally, like they¡¯d been scrubbed clean, and the scent of whipping winds, crisp and stinging, had filled in the gap.

    It was hard to tell from scent alone just how strong he was, but he was strong. Stronger than Yushin or myself, but not as strong as the Erudite or my mother.

    I was confident he was a little bit weaker than Gerhard, but not so much weaker that Gerhard would be able to dismiss him as a threat. If they came to blows, Gerhard might have the upper hand, but there was still a chance this man would win.

    It was no wonder Yushin¡¯s mother was confident in sending her daughter across the ocean and into this man¡¯s care.

    It did beg the question, though: just what had Yushin¡¯s mother done that this level of protection was both needed and available?

    I felt something, probably the man¡¯s life force senses, brush over my enshroud spell, then bounce off.

    At the same time, while I was sure my bloodline hadn¡¯t been detected, I was certain the man¡¯s advancement had let him get a sense for my overall power. It was like putting an object in a box ¨C he might not be able to see inside, but he was still able to get a sense of its weight and size.

    ¡°Emrys! This is my relative, Sh¨¦ Rui,¡± Yushin said brightly in Hua-Long, not noticing the staredown going on. Her smile was wide and genuine, more than any other smile I¡¯d seen on her face. ¡°Uncle Rui, this is Emrys of White Sands. His Hua-Long is pretty good.¡±

    Digging up long forgotten etiquette classes, I gave a formal bow to a superior.

    ¡°Honored to meet you, Sh¨¦ Rui,¡± I said as formally as I could.

    The actual translation was closer to ¡®It is the honor of this one¡¯s life to speak to the lord of light, Sh¨¦ Rui¡¯, but translation can be more art than science.

    Sh¨¦ Rui bowed back, a less formal bow to someone his lesser, then looked at Yushin.

    ¡°You will have to tell me how it is you managed to befriend someone who is as strong as you are, niece,¡± he said. ¡°Is Uyer Jackson also as strong?¡±

    ¡°Divinities are hard for ethersight to fully understand,¡± Yushin responded. ¡°But¡­ no? Then again, if his god decides he needs the power, then he might become even stronger than you.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Clergymen are frustrating like that,¡± Sh¨¦ Rui agreed. ¡°I once saw a parish priest slay a greater demon that was as strong as I am now. Then he was simply a mortal once again.¡±

    He smiled and nodded at us.

    ¡°Enjoy your day. I will not chaperone you, you are both adults, but I will stay within range of my whispering winds ability. Call my name if you need me.¡±

    Winds swirled around him and he launched himself into the air, soaring away in mere moments. Yushin and I glanced up, tracing his movements, then she removed a book from her ring.

    ¡°This is my aunt¡¯s spell guide for creating an etherius locker. If you wish to delve in the library, I understand, but I think it would be worth looking it over, so we can purchase the components while we are out.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, taking it and flipping through the pages until I arrived at the material components list. I immediately winced.

    There were the weights and measures for what would be roughly three hundred silver of ruby, emerald, diamond, and obsidian dust, but the real cost was the box.

    The box¡¯s size would determine the size of the locker, but it had to be crafted out of wood from a plane that was either neutral or positively disposed towards the caster.

    The disposition wasn¡¯t particularly hard. Demons wouldn¡¯t like me, but that was true for just about everyone. The planes were infinite, but I wouldn¡¯t have to go very far or very deep to get neutral, or even positively predisposed, wood. The elemental planes, if nothing else, didn¡¯t tend to really care about anyone at all. They were too big.

    The trouble was that I¡¯d never even seen a scrap of extraplanar wood for sale for less than an arm and a leg. I couldn¡¯t even blame price gouging greed, for once, because the collector had to be a powerful enough caster to enter Etherius, or live near a space where the ether was thick enough to form natural rifts that also happened to be near a forest.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where I¡¯ll get the wood,¡± I admitted, and Yushin shook her head.

    ¡°They will sell it at many shops in the city,¡± she said. ¡°My relative¡¯s wife recommended Hex and Legend for buying components. We can get some there. First, we should sell the trinkets you do not need.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t the sourcing of the wood that had worried me, it had been the price, but Yushin didn¡¯t seem to realize that, and I wasn¡¯t about to correct her. I passed the spell guide back to Yushin, who dutifully tucked it into her ring and then we began walking.

    I hadn¡¯t spent any time in the city yet, but Yushin apparently knew the place well enough, having studied maps of the place relentlessly. The campus took up most of the cloud, but it was in the center. The city had built itself up around it, and there were thirteen large streets, each with enough shops and people to make up the central hub of a city back in White Sands, with the side streets that branched off of the thirteen main streets each being large enough to be an entire town center and main street of a large town back home, and the branches off of those being the size of village main streets.

    Amidst the megacity, finding a pawn shop for non-magical goods wasn¡¯t hard. Yushin bartered like her life depended on it, far more fiercely than I thought something like this really deserved, and even got thrown out of one of the shops.

    But for all that her methods of bargaining were intense, they yielded results, and the entire lot sold for much more than I¡¯d estimated. I did a mental tally of my money ¨C there was this, what I¡¯d gotten on the boat, and then the thousand from my scholarship, which put me at just over twenty-one hundred silver now. That was more money than I¡¯d ever held since I¡¯d left home, several times over, and I had to shove down the sudden spike of desire to have more of it.

    Was that just greed? Or was it the early onset of the Creep? Ethics class was going to make me paranoid¡­

    ¡°To Hex and Legend?¡± I asked Yushin, and we headed back in the direction of the eleventh street, one that was mainly nonresidential, and catered to powerful people from across Cendel, and even the world.

    Strolling down the streets, we passed a dozen sights that tried to steal my attention. There was a shop selling enchanted items, and all through its windows, glowing swords and spears and axes glimmered, dripping flames and acid and sparks of electricity.

    A shop dedicated to goods for life enforcement leaked pungent herbal scents and filled the air with alchemical smells, only intensified by the potion shop next door, which had its own strange scents that were remarkably similar, and also wildly different at the same time.

    We passed by a vast blacksmith¡¯s forge that let out massive puffs of smoke, and was entirely open to the air, being manned by a massive metal construct that was twenty feet tall and had been painted bright red, and seemed to be building more constructs out of clay and metal and stone.

    On its opposite side was a storefront with no windows at all, but walls that were covered in glowing runes from the size of my pinkie nail to twice the size of my body, each one glowing with subtly different colors of ether.

    A woman in a cart was selling pies, but the meat smelled like monsters. Not simple, weak beasts that had been touched by Etherius, like a dire rat, but true monsters like basilisk and manticore.

    A man in a tiny shop, barely the size of a broom cupboard, was reading palms. Back home I would have assumed it was a scam, but I could sense the vast currents of ether that flowed in and out of the shop, even without my ethersight active.

    All this and a thousand other things caught my eye, before we finally came into view of Hex and Legend. It had a spot securely on a corner, with large glass windows that displayed stones and crystals and metals and monster bits, and other things that a mage might need as a component. It wasn¡¯t as big as the construct forge, but it was still one of the larger shops we¡¯d passed, and a glance at the windows on the other side showed items covered in runes, and a sign stating that they could imbue runes into products for a price.

    Yushin swept inside, not bothering to look at the displays, and I hastened to follow.

    The inside of the store had a slightly strange scent in the air, and had long shelves of neat glass boxes, each one labeled with components: leather strips for arcane armor, lavender for sleep, larkspur for mist cloud¡­

    While the shelves held the common enough mundane components, the more expensive items were kept very clearly behind a large glass counter, etched with glowing runes, and presumably behind the employees only sign.

    A half dozen people moved through the store, weighing components they needed or chatting with one of the attendants behind the glass counter.

    Yushin marched up to a pretty young woman with dark skin and fiery red hair made of literal fire. A flame elemental bloodline, and a strong one. I followed, and Yushin ordered several pearls, five pounds of diamond dust, a pound of ether crystal dust, and a vial of living shadows, then gestured to me.

    ¡°I, ah, need a box,¡± I said, then flushed, feeling foolish. I hastily explained. ¡°A box made of wood from another plane. As long as it¡¯s not demonic or especially evil. Oh also, dust of¡­¡±

    I glanced at Yushin, who reached out to produce the spell guide, but was cut off by the attendant.

    ¡°Ah, are you looking to make an etherius locker?¡±

    At my nod, she continued.

    ¡°I can sell you the box, but I might wait until you¡¯re in class. The first years are all provided a box from one of the planes of earth, which is about as neutral as you can get. They don¡¯t skimp on helping first year courses, unless you¡¯re doing something really pricey, like some of the rituals or making constructs. Second years get less help but still some, and third years get what they can get from their professors, which is either a lot or almost nothing. Given that you¡¯re dressed still in school clothes, unlike your friend, I think you¡¯d be better off saving your money. No offense.¡±

    ¡°None taken, I appreciate it,¡± I said brightly, and she smiled, then stuck out a hand.

    ¡°Name¡¯s Heather. Nice to meet you.¡±

    We introduced ourselves, and Yushin bought a few more things, then we left. As we did, Yushin glanced at me.

    ¡°Nothing? Did you not wish to cast the naiad¡¯s kiss ritual?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve got two rituals I¡¯d love to complete, but I don¡¯t have the money,¡± I admitted. ¡°I¡¯ll get some of the mundane components, like salt and iron.¡±

    I might have the coin for the naiad¡¯s kiss ritual, but dropping fifteen percent of my savings for a ritual that I didn¡¯t desperately need the effects of felt foolish. Dropping half for the mental defense was more tempting, but I couldn''t actually complete it without the more exotic components like demon horn.

    Yushin didn¡¯t joke, nor offer me pity money. She just nodded, and we started making our way back to campus.

 Chapter Twenty-One: Rudimentary Transmutation...?

    Financial woes or not, the following day had me excited ¨C it was finally time to start my electives!

    Sure, I¡¯d taken Applied Mage Combat, but could that really be called an elective, since I didn¡¯t elect to take it?

    I practically skipped out of my room, and slammed into Jackson¡¯s chest. He caught me around the waist and righted me, then grinned.

    ¡°Morning. I was about to knock.¡±

    I looked up at him and tilted my head.

    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Letter came for you, it was at the door,¡± he said, then let go of my waist and held it up. It was crinkled, and I took it.

    He stepped back, and I examined the writing. It was blocky, like it had come from a spell or printing press, rather than the hand written, and it had my name on it ¨C my real name, Emrys, not my birth name.

    I opened the letter and skimmed over it. It was from my conjuration professor, warning us that if we weren¡¯t able to cast a shrinking spell on ourselves, we should visit ¡®that one cabinent¡¯, and ask for a shrinking hat before class. That felt¡­ Strange, but I appreciated the heads up. I glanced up at Jackson.

    ¡°Thanks!¡±

    He nodded, then headed off to his own obliteration class. Salem, who had been on the couch watching the exchange, raised a pierced eyebrow.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have class?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Aye. Can¡¯t seem ta¡¯ find it, though. That¡¯s the frustrating thing. Divination class wants our first test to be finding the thrice-cursed place.¡±

    ¡°Good luck,¡± I said, wincing in sympathy, then headed off.

    My first course was Rudimentary Transmutation, which was located in one of the basements beneath the brass towers, not too far from the entrance to the supposed caves. The classroom had long slate tables, with two people to a table. I glanced around upon entering, but didn¡¯t spot anyone I knew, and all of the tables already were filled. Some had even crammed an extra person or two in. With nowhere to sit, I leaned against the wall and waited. Not too long later, the professor arrived.

    The professor was a dwarf, about a foot shorter than me, and stout. Even for a dwarf, he was outrageously muscular, with a bicep that looked larger than a watermelon. He bore a sword on his back, held a staff in his hand, and wore thick leather workers'' robes. He had a bright red bushy beard, and his university seal was quite strange ¨C blue, but with violet accents. Able to cast up to seventh, but only comfortably handle fifth.

    He surveyed us all, then slammed his staff on the ground.

    ¡°How many of you are here to learn to turn dirt into diamonds, lead into gold, wood into silver, or something similar? No shame ¨C that¡¯s why I started learning transmutation magic. Be honest.¡±

    I blinked. I hadn¡¯t even considered those as options. It seemed more than a little ridiculous. A spell like water to wine already took a massive amount of ether and skill. More than any other third circle spell I knew, and it wasn¡¯t even close. And that used a sacrifice of metals for the transformation. Something like lead into gold would be absolutely absurd.

    Despite my thoughts on the matter, more than three quarters of the class raised their hands.

    ¡°Quite understandable. You should all know, however, that the first spell that can let you do such a thing is seventh circle. With a week¡¯s worth of preparation, I can do it. But it truly takes a lot, even for me. You won¡¯t be able to do it unless you manage to become a postgraduate student. Even then, most of my assistants can¡¯t do it.¡±

    He sighed and stroked his beard.

    ¡°If you came here to get rich quick, I advise you to take alchemy. A good alchemist can make a lot of coin. A healing potion is a second chance to live, after all. You can drop this and change now, if you want. I won''t judge you, and there will be no punishment. It happens all the time. But if you stay, know you won¡¯t learn those skills. You¡¯ll learn simple things, like making fireworks from matches.¡±

    He started walking to the door.

    ¡°Class is three hours long. I¡¯ll be back in ten minutes, so you don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m judging you.¡±

    I watched him as he left, and I considered it. I didn¡¯t especially care about not being able to turn lead into gold, that had never been my focus for picking the course. I¡¯d been more interested in transformations, telekinesis, and the flexibility offered by the branch of magic.

    Turning a flame to a firework was fun and all, but it wasn¡¯t exactly what I¡¯d been hoping to learn. Should I swap to runes or blood magic? Either of those might provide opportunities that this wouldn¡¯t.

    Abjuration was still a strong contender, especially since it looked like I wouldn¡¯t actually be learning many, or any, new abjuration spells in Applied Mage Combat. Defensive skills were important, and paired with summoning powers,This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    At the same time, I felt like there was more going on. The professor was clearly working to get people out of the class, those that were here for fast, cheap, and easy money or power. He didn¡¯t come out hard selling what the power of transmutation could do, he came out downplaying it.

    And it was working. Around me, the class was clearing out. Not everyone was leaving, but a lot of people had left. I stood up and headed out, then looked around. The professor was at the end of the hall, turned away from everyone, smoking a pipe. The smoke was drifting up around him, spinning and sucking into a tight little ball, rather than risk leaving soot stains on the ceiling.

    I walked over to him, and he smiled at me.

    ¡°Ah, Emrys, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you knew,¡± I said. ¡°The class is so full.¡±

    ¡°We get a dossier on the more unique cases,¡± the dwarf said. ¡°I must admit, after reading into your situation, I couldn¡¯t decide if I was surprised you took the class, or not surprised at all.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ Yeah,¡± I said after a second. ¡°I wanted to talk to you. I like the idea of being able to shape stones and water, to transform items into other items, make things stronger or weaker, and I really like the idea of learning telekinesis. But I need the power to protect myself. Between runes, abjuration, and this class, do you think I should take this course?¡±

    The professor was silent for a moment, taking a long draw on his pipe and stroking his beard.

    ¡°I think that you could get some use out of this course, certainly. What¡¯s your other courses? Obliteration and battle magic? Weapons? Life enforcement?¡±

    ¡°Conjuration and Applied Mage Combat,¡± I said. The professor raised an eyebrow and scratched his beard.

    ¡°Aye, alright. I can see why you¡¯d choose the latter, but the first¡­ why?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the Dreki family wade through oceans of fire and lightning,¡± I said. ¡°They¡¯re stronger than some of the smaller giant breeds, faster than quicklings, and tougher than stone constructs. Firepower isn¡¯t the solution to beating them. But if I can bog them down with summons, I can escape. Harass them from a distance. Wear them down. For all of the power of the family, not even the strongest can fuel their bloodline forever.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ And why did you take my class?¡±

    ¡°Utility. Animate objects, throw things at them from afar with levitation, turn the air into a barrier that can slow them down, turn into a bird and hide, and all that. Plus, I mean¡­ You read about it. My bloodline might let me shift my human form some, but the allure of transformations is a lot. Then there¡¯s things like my water to wine spell, which has been immensely useful for pushing my shaping skills.¡±

    The professor took several more long puffs from his pipe, then nodded.

    ¡°Take Abjuration. Runes are useful, they essentially allow you to create items that have charges of specific spells, but there¡¯s an abjuration rune spell that you¡¯ll learn which is very similar. More limited, but still good. My class is good, I won¡¯t lie, but it won¡¯t really begin teaching you the skills you¡¯re looking for until second, maybe even third year. If you can get the skill to challenge the first year exam for my class, it will let you take the second year course.¡±

    He held out a sheet of paper from nowhere, presumably from an etherius locker.

    ¡°This is the syllabus. Actually, one moment.¡±

    A quill appeared and began making marks on the paper while he spoke.

    ¡°I¡¯m marking down the most common spells that are used to test your skill at shaping ether, which is increasingly important for high circle transmutation spells. I¡¯m removing some of the spells I teach in class for fun, and putting some that will suit your style better. If you can learn all of them, you should be in a good spot to challenge the exam at the start of next year, when you¡¯ll not need to take Fundamental Magecraft any longer, and you can join my class then.¡±

    He smiled kindly at me, and the quill stopped writing. I took the paper from midair and thanked him.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t thank me too much,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve also marked down many books on the theory and application of transmutation that you¡¯ll have to read as well. And do tell professor Caeruleum that I say hello, and explain the situation.¡±

    ¡°I can do that,¡± I agreed, nodding rapidly. ¡°Thank you, professor¡­?¡±

    ¡°Ah, right, I forgot. Professor Gemheart.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, professor Gemheart,¡± I said, then stood up a little straighter. ¡°I should probably go, but¡­ Thank you again!¡±

    ¡°Aye, go lad. Go to room one-seventeen on the eastern tower, I believe that¡¯s where Caeruleum keeps their class. Then change the registration after.¡±

    I turned and started running, not engaging my bloodline, but not intentionally keeping it overly suppressed either. With enshroud around me, it wouldn¡¯t be detected, and all the other students would see was that I was running faster than a normal human. It wouldn¡¯t be anything out of the ordinary unless I began fueling my power actively, especially not on a campus of mages. Speed spells were a dime a dozen, after all.

    As I ran, I looked over the marked up syllabus that the professor had given to me. There was indeed a massive pile of books I needed to read, ranging from books on natural philosophy, to minerals, to understanding ether-enrichment, but I focused on the spells. Reading those books was interesting, sure, but I was here for the magic above all.

    He¡¯d listed a cantrip I needed to learn, animate writing implement, which was doubtless what he¡¯d been using to mark up this syllabus with his quill. It was a bit odd that he had been using a quill, not a dip pen or even charcoal pencil, but I supposed everyone was entitled to their eccentricities.

    He¡¯d also included several first circle spells. There was a spell that would allow me to fire a coin like an arrow, one to copy or erase ink from books, and lifeberry. That was nice, at least, since it meant one less spell to master.

    For the second circle spell list, he¡¯d put a growth and shrink spell, a spell to release a telekinetic volley of debris, a spell called hidden hideaway which would do¡­ something. The description of that one was long, so I skipped it for now. And finally, an erosion spell that could damage objects severely, but didn¡¯t work on anything alive.

    Third circle had a spell to construct a wall out of rubble and loose sediment or other materials, a ritual spell called rearrange organs which sounded vaguely horrifying, a spell to animate and command plant life in an area around me, and a spell marked down as greater mending, which could restore things far than a simple repair spell and even improve some of its internal magic.

    Finally, he had the spell animal morph. It was fourth circle, and had an asterisk stating that I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to do it, but I should aim high, as that was the first spell of the second year course.

    I let out a slow breath. Between the books I needed to read, and these spells, I thought I might need to make a lot of library delves and trades this year.

    I slowed as I arrived near the abjuration class and stepped inside. The class had only been going on for fifteen or twenty minutes, but the teacher was clearly already midway through the lesson. When I entered, people turned to stare at me, and the professor looked a touch annoyed.

    ¡°Well, take a seat,¡± they said. ¡°I had just finished handing out the syllabus, and was about to start instructions on the umbrella cantrip¡­¡±

 Chapter Twenty-Two: Abjuration Class

    ¡°A unique facet of cantrips that most people don¡¯t bother to teach,¡± professor Caeruleum said, flicking their hand up into the air and forming a shimmering umbrella over their head, ¡°is that they¡¯re not just spells. Magyk was very intentional when she changed the way magic worked. Each spell is more like an exercise to teach you the general shapes and patterns of the ether¡­¡±

    Professor Caeruleum was a tall, slender elf, with blue hair and a prominent angelus bloodline. They were very pretty, but insubstantial, like they might vanish at any second. Their hair was navy blue, with streaks of silver, and their accent reminded me of Salem¡¯s, but less brusque and more sing-song. Maybe they were from a different county in Hydref?

    They wore the classical robes of a witch, complete with a thick black cloak and a hat, which surprised me. I¡¯d seen the option on the tailor¡¯s catalog, but I hadn¡¯t thought anyone would actually wear it. Still, they were strong if their seal was to be believed, as it was indigo with violet accents.

    It was still amazing to me how many powerful people were clustered in Panath hold, but I supposed it made sense. It was the capital hold, and the most ether dense area in the entire nation.

    ¡°Notably, the umbrella cantrip contains very similar arrays to the ones found in many shielding spells, from simple spells like arcane armor and shield, to more complex spells like king¡¯s armor or unyielding aegis,¡± the professor said. ¡°By mastering the spellcraft of the umbrella cantrip, you¡¯ll learn to more effectively shape the ether of all of those spells. Now if you¡¯ll turn your attention to the board¡­¡±

    This classroom was markedly different from the others I¡¯d been in. It was long and large, more than enough to be a banquet hall, and its ceilings stretched up at least fifty feet. Banners hung in the rafters, and on one end of the hall was a series of tables and a chalkboard. On the other end there were mats, like the kind sword schools used to teach combat.

    A piece of chalk floated behind professor Caeruleum, and began drawing out the spell array for the cantrip, alongside its word of power and images of its gestures.

    ¡°I will demonstrate, slowly,¡± the professor said. They began moving their hands and enunciated the word of power. I wished I¡¯d cast ethersight, so I could follow the ether manipulation more closely, but cantrips weren¡¯t too complex.

    Professor Caeruleum demonstrated twice more, then clapped.

    ¡°Everyone pick a mat and start practicing. Leave your papers and grimoires here, just take yourself.¡±

    Once we¡¯d all picked a spot, the professor fished around in their neckline, then held up an amulet. There was a flash of ether as a gentle rain began to patter down all across the half of the room with the mats.

    ¡°That should give you the right motivation to practice, aye?¡± they asked wryly.

    I wasted no time in spinning ether from my pool into the shape on the board, and spoke the word of power, moving my hands, but I messed up the gestures slightly. There was a ripple as the spell failed, and I started again.

    By the fifth attempt, I managed to form a thick blue etheric dome over my head. A solid start, but nothing compared to the professor¡¯s finger flick to form a near-transparent barrier only a millimeter thin.

    I started working to refine the flows of ether and improve my hand gestures, and after some time professor Caeruleum approached me. They watched my motions, then shook their head.

    ¡°You need more flair when you flick your wrist. You¡¯re not brushing off a fly, you¡¯re throwing a ball with your fingernails.¡±

    I restarted the cantrip, adding extra flare into my wrist when I flicked it. Sure enough, when the umbrella appeared, it was much thinner.

    ¡°Well done,¡± professor Caeruleum said. ¡°Now, I believe we need to speak. You aren¡¯t on my roster, and you came in late. Why?¡±

    ¡°I took professor Gemheart¡¯s course on Fundamental Transmutation because I wanted transformation and telekinetic spells,¡± I said, working to tighten the flow of ether through the spell structure. ¡°He read my dossier. You¡¯ll get one too, according to him you get briefings on some students, and suggested I take your course instead, and study a group of spells on my own time, then take his second year course. Oh, and he says hello, and hopes you¡¯re well.¡±

    Professor Caeruleum studied me for a long second, then a spark of amusement entered their eyes.

    ¡°The old man told you to skip registering and run right to my class, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°He did,¡± I agreed.

    ¡°Makes sense, he never had much concern for proper procedure. Even the Erudite can barely get him to wear a uniform. Though I suppose I should be flattered he sent you to me, and not to professor Samir. He has seniority.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to that, so I re-cast the spell. The professor watched, then nodded.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    ¡°Show me your arcane armor and shield spells, please.¡±

    I pulled a strip of leather from one of my pockets and tapped it to my chest with one hand, while flicking my other about and shaping ether. I muttered a quick sentence of words of power and allowed the armor to envelop me, then tucked away the leather, moved my hands in another motion, spoke a few more words of power, and cast a shield.

    Maintaining a new spell ¨C even if it was only a cantrip ¨C alongside my armor and shield put a bit of a strain on my shaping skills, and the shield and armor both had a faint blue shimmer, rather than the complete transparency they were supposed to have.

    Professor Caeruleum watched, then delivered their verdict.

    ¡°Decently done. I don¡¯t like to waste class time on two spells practically every wizard worth their salt knows, but if you want to attend my remedial lecture for teaching shield and arcane armor, they¡¯re on the next two Tuesdays.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll consider it,¡± I said agreeably. ¡°Did I miss anything else? If you don¡¯t mind. I can go to office hours, if you prefer?¡±

    They waved their hand dismissively.

    ¡°You¡¯re fine. What affinity do you have?¡±

    ¡°Curse magic,¡± I admitted. They raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Really? What¡¯re your other two electives?¡±

    ¡°Applied Mage Combat ¨C mandatory, as a part of my scholarship ¨C and Conjuration One.¡±

    A wicked little smile spread over professor Caeruleum¡¯s face.

    ¡°Oh, you will be a nasty one to fight, yes indeed. Can you anchor curses to having your spells broken? One of our first spells we¡¯ll be looking at is called Peacecharm, and if you can weave curses in to target someone who breaks your peace?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ Maybe?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah, I think I could, but I¡¯m not sure how. I need to study my grimoire more to be sure.¡±

    ¡°See that you do,¡± the professor agreed. ¡°And you said you¡¯re going to try and take the second year transmutation course? Are you hoping to undergo the process to become an archmagus?¡±

    ¡°A what?¡± I asked.

    I¡¯d heard of archmages, but I always thought it was just another way to refer to people like the Erudites, or people like professor Alydia or Emir. Powerful mages. Not that there was a specific process for it.

    ¡°Being an archmagus is more than just a title, it¡¯s a ritual spell,¡± professor Caeruleum explained. ¡°Cheap, as far as fifth circle rituals go. But it requires you to have never undergone a mage dedication ritual, and yet still have managed to defeat at least three fifth circle dedicated mages in their own branch magic, as well as have overcome a monster or demon or something similar. One with a lot of power.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ vague,¡± I said. ¡°A lot of power?¡±

    Would having defeated Greta count? Her bloodline made her strong compared to normal humans, and she was older than I was. But she was nowhere near the power of Yushin¡¯s relative or Gerhard, who were in turn far below demon lords, my mother, or the Erudites.

    ¡°Yeah, well, non-human bloodlines don¡¯t have neat and orderly ranks like spells,¡± professor Caeruleum said. ¡°I¡¯m not an archmagus, mind you, but from what I recall of the texts I read, you¡¯ll know it when it happens.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough,¡± I conceded. They were right about bloodlines being even harder to measure than spellcraft.

    ¡°Very few of our students graduate with archmage titles, but it has been done a few times,¡± the professor continued. ¡°I figured with your hope of taking three schools of magic and a combat course, you might be aiming for it. Oh, and let go of the armor and shield, I¡¯ve seen enough.¡±

    I released my spells and looked at the professor.

    ¡°What does the ritual do?¡±

    ¡°A few things. It extends the time before your ability to accumulate power majorly slows down by three years. It effectively makes it so every spell you cast is more effective for less power. Your ether pool will recover a lot faster. Most impactfully, though, you pick a first circle spell from each of your three disciplines, and those three spells become as cheap as cantrips to cast.¡±

    ¡°Well I wasn¡¯t before, but now? Archmagus Emrys of White Sands¡­ I like the sound of that.¡±

    They grinned at me and tipped their hat, then grew more serious.

    ¡°Just watch out. Students who take an extra course in their second year flunk out or fall victim to the Creep more than students who relax and don¡¯t. And students who try to become archmages are even more likely to fail school or fall to the Creep. Spend time with friends, get a job, give yourself permission to take weekends off and have fun. That can help ground you.¡±

    I nodded seriously at them.

    ¡°I will. I might need a job anyhow, as it seems rituals will get increasingly expensive.¡±

    They winced and gave me a sympathetic nod.

    ¡°They do. I¡¯ll pass you a syllabus once we wrap this up, but before I go: do you know the shadecoat spell or waterproofing spell?¡±

    ¡°I know both¡­ Why?¡±

    ¡°You picked up the umbrella cantrip too quickly,¡± they explained, then gestured around. I glanced at my fellow students and saw what they meant.

    Only about half of them had managed to cast the umbrella spell already, and of those, a lot were worse than mine. Not all, but I was clearly in the top few.

    ¡°I also ask so you know what you¡¯re getting into,¡± professor Caeruleum explained. ¡°Out of the top eight, one already knew the cantrip and two also knew the waterproofing spell. The other four? Raw talent in abjuration magic They¡¯re the ones you¡¯re going to have to beat to become an archmage.¡±

    I watched the other students in the room carefully, then nodded. I started shaping out the umbrella cantrip again. If mastering cantrips and first tier spells could help me progress as a mage, I¡¯d master my cantrips to the best of my ability.

    It also struck a note in my memory. The old crone who had been ranked the first among the Erudites, she had told me that I would have been better served by mastering my cantrips better.

    I might not be taking the course on cantrips or on ether manipulation, but that was no reason to slack off. If I was to master conjuration, transmutation, and abjuration, I would master them.

    I plucked at the edge of my uniform until the threads began to fray, then cast the basic mend cantrip on it. I called the shadows to drape me in the shadecoat cantrip, and flicked weirlights up to circle around my head. I lit the tips of my fingers on fire, then snuffed it out, levitated the freshly mended hem of my jacket, spun up northfinding, then started all over again.

    Before I knew it, the class period had come to an end, and I went to rush down to administration. I couldn¡¯t completely maintain my cantrip exercises as I moved through the halls, but I shrunk my weirlights down to the size of sunflower seeds and kept them bobbing around my hand in a twisting pattern.

    There was a bit of fuss in the administration hall as they tried to situate me with professor Samir, instead of professor Caeruleum, but they eventually accepted that I¡¯d already been in Caeruleum¡¯s class, and switching me wouldn¡¯t make sense.

    After a lunch of flavorless porridge and salted fish, I took out the campus map and poked around, looking for instructions to get to that one cabinet.

 Chapter Twenty-Three: Exploring the School

    I really hoped the cabinet wasn¡¯t another incomprehensible horror lurking in the school¡¯s depths, hidden away and kept in check only by the Erudite¡¯s ninth circle spells.

    I followed the instructions as well as I could, weaving through the brass towers until I came to a long corridor marked with warning signs in just about every language I knew, as well as even more languages that I didn¡¯t. Glowing runes were carved into the brass floor, walls, and ceilings all around it, and sigils had been painted to form three additional ward lines encircling the door. Framed on the wall, in front of the lines of wards, were the rules of the cabinet, while the item itself sat innocently at the end of the hall.

    The cabinet looked to be hand crafted of a high quality wood heavy, solid and dark, held together with iron fastenings. Despite the good material, it was worn and old, with battered scratches marring its legs, like it had been moved and bumped countless times, or like a cat had used it as a scratching post. The iron was beginning to rust, and there were splinters where the pressured hinges had taken their toll over the centuries.

    I wondered why exactly there were rules posted for the cabinet, but not for the library. I suppose there was the expectation of anyone in the reading room to save the stupid first years who wandered in? It still seemed inconsistent, at least to me.

    I skimmed the rules of the cabinet, and felt my frown grow increasingly deeper with each line. They started off simple, just explaining the basics ¨C you knocked on the door to the cabinet and described what you needed, and what you needed it for. The cabinet would evaluate your request, and either grant it, or not. You had seventy-two hours to return whatever it gave you, or else it would start demanding tithes of ether from you. The cabinet couldn¡¯t produce raw materials or spell guides, but it could apparently produce almost any piece of artifice up to a certain degree of quality.

    Then the rules grew slightly stranger, but still fairly logical. Try to avoid damaging the magic item it granted you, or else you¡¯d need to repay the cabinet for repairs. Draw from it no more than once every seven days. If it offers you multiple items, take only one of them, unless they¡¯re clearly in a matching set together, like if it offers you a pair of pants and a shirt that are color coordinated. If it offers you gold or gemstones, don¡¯t take it. That last one seemed to run counterintuitive to the rule that it couldn¡¯t produce raw materials, but I accepted that it was probably a classic test against greed.

    From there, the rules went from strange to downright nonsensical. Don¡¯t use the cabinet on Tuesdays if that Tuesday night is also the second full moon in a month. Don¡¯t leave trash in the cabinet, unless that trash is partly eaten or even rotting fruit, in which case, please leave it inside the cabinet as an offering. Don¡¯t try to approach the cabinet if you¡¯re carrying a human leg in your left hand ¨C right hand is okay, non-human legs are okay. Don¡¯t approach it wearing shoes that are blue. Don¡¯t approach it if your glasses are upside down. Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to juggle in front of the cabinet. Even if an ancient dragon or a demon lord is threatening to kill you if you do not juggle in front of the cabinet, do not. Embrace death before juggling in front of the cabinet.

    The rules went on and on like that, several pages of utter nonsense, but I made sure to read them, then crossed the wards and stepped up to the cabinet.

    I knocked on it, then even though it felt a bit silly, I spoke aloud.

    ¡°Hello Cabinet. I was told to come here by my teacher for Conjuration One, since I can¡¯t cast a shrinking spell. They told me to get a magical item that could shrink me for the three hour class, if you don¡¯t mind? I¡¯d really prefer to not miss out on the class, but I don¡¯t want to demand that you give me an item.¡±

    I opened the cabinet, and on the inside was a battered looking witch¡¯s hat, made of purple felt. It was a little feminine for my tastes, but I took it and closed the door to the cabinet. I said my thanks, then set out to find the class.

    It was set in the Pixie Ballroom, which was outside. I wondered what the point of having so many brass towers was if half the electives were outside, but I supposed that it wasn¡¯t worth arguing with the powerful old mages about where they held their classrooms.

    I glanced at the map and back up. The map was directing me to Spidershade Forest. Not just in the direction, but in the forest itself.

    The forest was a thicket of oak and ash trees, with large redwoods scattered in among them and towering almost as high as the brass towers, and white aspen trees shivering in the wind.

    Despite the rather ominous name of the forest, a well-tended trail led in, with the normal trail warnings about sticking to it and not going off course. I checked the trail map against my campus map, noting that there was absolutely some spatial distortion going on, because there was well over two thousand acres of woods. There were a few branching marked trails heading to various sights. A short two mile loop snaked past a living stone rock formation, a five hundred foot waterfall, and the pixie ballroom, but there were other trails that headed towards a spider¡¯s den, to a serpent pond, the cave of a dragon that was the companion of the Erudite, a dryad grove tended by a powerful hamadryad, a naiad pool, and more. Each location was marked with various threat levels and warnings, but the pixie ballroom loop was the minimal danger trail.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    That was somewhat of a relief, though honestly at this point, I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised that the forest had all sorts of horrors in it. It was par for the course, honestly. I felt like there was no reason that magic had to be this dangerous, but maybe Magyk had it as a fundamental underpinning of teaching the art, similar to how people who practiced life enforcement would have to suffer immense pain.

    Hiking through the trail towards the pixie ballroom was a pleasant break from being cooped up inside, at least. White Sands hadn¡¯t had the most trees, but I¡¯d spent more than my share of time among the bamboo and palm trees while living on the road, and there was something nostalgic about this, even if the forests themselves weren¡¯t very similar.

    I wandered over to the waterfall and took a second to watch as the river cascaded down a massive cliff, the soft roar just enough to deafen some casual conversation, but not so much that you couldn¡¯t be heard if you wanted to be heard.

    I couldn¡¯t spend as much time there as I¡¯d like, since I¡¯d already burnt a lot of my break eating, getting classes rescheduled, and tracking down the cabinet, so I had to leave after only a few minutes.

    When I finally got to the bend where the Pixie Ballroom was, I immediately understood why it was called that.

    Only a short ways off the trail, mixed in among a towering oak, gnarled hawthorn tree, and broad leaved ash tree, was a castle. The castle rose up about eight feet into the air, and was made of living wood, grown together with turrets and a roof and more. A drawbridge extended out towards the trail, leading to a castle gate that was only a foot or so high. I pulled the hat on, and felt myself beginning to shrink in size, my weight reducing down, until in moments, I was only two feet tall.

    That was still very large for the castle, but as I started to walk over the drawbridge, I felt magic wash up from the earth, and I began to shrink a second time. This second spell felt looser and wilder, so I assumed it came from artifice or affinity magic, but it held onto me until I was a mere six inches in height.

    I entered the castle, and had a sudden moment of disorientation, as everything seemed¡­ Normal. Mentally, I was aware of the fact that I was only the size of a door handle, but everything in the castle was sized just perfectly for someone of my height. There were suits of armor that looked like I could climb into them, chandeliers that had been set with weirlights in the ceilings, and polished floors. The only way I could tell that this was all faerie made was the fact that everything was made of either glass or wood, grown together seamlessly. Even the armor seemed to be made of wood and glass, blended in a completely unnaturally-natural way that was dizzying to look like.

    The other dead giveaway that I was in a place where Etherius overlapped with the real world was the several small faeries wandering about, buzzing through the hall on wings that looked like they belonged to butterflies and dragonflies and moths. One of them stopped when they saw me looking around, giggling.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be a student headed for Miss Toadweather¡¯s class then? Up the stairs over there, then to the right.¡±

    I hadn¡¯t interacted much with the fae, but I knew better than to thank them, even when they were small and weak fae like pixies, so I just nodded.

    ¡°I am going to go now,¡± I said stiffly. The pixie laughed, the sound like bells.

    ¡°No need to worry dear, we¡¯re in a deal with the school. We don¡¯t make deals with students unless Miss Toadweather is there to facilitate, and debts implied through conversation made during your time as a student cannot be collected. If you thank me now, or in some other instance during your time as a student, that debt can''t be used against you. Attacks or insults can be pushed, but only so far."

    Fae couldn¡¯t lie, it was part of their bloodline limitation, just like how dragons were horribly poisoned by dragonbane. I turned her statement over in my head for a bit, but honestly, it seemed about as cut and dry as I could ever hope to get.

    ¡°That¡¯s good to know,¡± I said. ¡°Well, thank you.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± she laughed, then buzzed away.

    I walked up the stairs and into the pixie ballroom. It was a large, opulent ballroom, with four chandeliers, polished glass tiles on the floor that slotted together beautifully, and grown statues of hawthorne wood.

    The room was mostly empty, save for wooden folding chairs that had been set up on one end of the ballroom, and a blackboard on glass wheels that had been rolled in front of it. Five students had arrived so far, and a pixie ¨C professor Toadweather, I assumed ¨C flittered back and forth in front of the blackboard. She had purple hair and moth wings, with huge, glowing yellow eyes.

    Despite the fact I normally associated glowing yellow eyes with negative things like demons who wanted to skin me alive, dire owls who wanted to eat my flesh, or yellow-eye sasquatches who wanted to boil my bones, hers were surprisingly calming, like watching starlight or the first light of dawn breaking over the horizon.

    She wore a dress of shimmering rainbow fabrics with gold and silver threads, but I could still make out the seal on her chest, blue with a violet marker, just like professor Gemheart. Fifth circle, but could stretch to cast seventh circle spells.

    Standing next to her was a massive frog, easily as tall as I was. No, wait. I was tiny. This was a normal sized frog, it only seemed huge because of the magic going on in this place.

    The professor burst over to me with shocking alacrity, waving happily.

    ¡°Hi-hi! I¡¯m professor Toadweather, your conjuration teacher. Nice to meet¡¯cha!¡±

    She shook my hand vigorously.

    ¡°Pleased to meet you too,¡± I said. She nodded and buzzed back to the board.

    ¡°There are a few minutes before this class begins,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to have thirty-two, but I bet a lot of them get turned away by the forest or the spells on the castle.¡±

    I glanced over my fellow students, but didn¡¯t recognize anyone, so I took a seat in the second row from the front.

    ¡°Turned away by the castle?¡± one of the students, a tree-folk who looked faintly ridiculous with only a single belt wrapped around his trunk asked.

    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± professor Toadweather said. ¡°It¡¯s one of the faerie magics on this place. One of many, many, many, many, MANY! But yeah! It makes it so if you want to learn conjuration for a reason I deem as stupid, you¡¯ll get lost trying to find the castle. Also if you mean ill-will towards me, your fellow students, or the fae who live here.¡±

    ¡°How many people try to learn it for stupid reasons?¡± I asked, leaning forward some.

    ¡°Oh, a lot!¡± the professor said cheerily. ¡°Loads of them just want to learn it so they can summon succubi and incubi and the like. If that¡¯s all they want, I say they can just look up that spell in the library.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± the treefolk asked flatly, and I nodded, rolling my eyes. Humans were so¡­ stupid¡­ sometimes.

    ¡°Yep! Oh, someone new! She¡¯ll be the last one!¡±

 Chapter Twenty-Four: Conjuration One

    ¡°Welcome everyone!¡± professor Toadweather said brightly.  ¡°It is now¡­ time!¡±

    She threw her hands up and cheered, and the frog let out a loud croak.

    ¡°Okie dokie,¡± she said. ¡°Lets get serious. Conjuration.¡±

    She clapped, and papers appeared on all of our laps.

    ¡°That¡¯s the idea, basically,¡± she said. ¡°Conjuration. You create things from nothing, right?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°I¡¯ve only got summon gadhar, but that isn¡¯t creating a winged hound each time I cast it. It calls it from Etherius.¡±

    Professor Toadweather pointed at me.

    ¡°Exactly! Usually. But yes! Exactly. With most conjuration spells, you¡¯re not just making things. Usually, you¡¯re calling them from Etherius. Etherius is endless, but it¡¯s made of dozens of planes and sub-planes and demiplanes and connection planes.¡±

    ¡°You keep saying usually,¡± a dwarven woman said. ¡°Why is that?¡±

    ¡°Well, because¡­ It depends! Teleportation works by moving you through Etherius, until you arrive at the spell¡¯s endpoint. That isn¡¯t summoning. And there are a few spells ¨C not a lot, but a few ¨C that actually turn your ether into the item directly, effectively creating it from nothing. But usually, conjuration spells call something from Etherius. Like how I stuffed the papers into an Etherius locker, then teleported them onto your lap.¡±

    A bit of chalk started floating into the air and writing on the board. I expected a cantrip, like with professor Caeruleum, but instead a map started to take form.

    ¡°There are, generally speaking, five planar clusters that people refer to when speaking about the planes,¡± professor Toadweather explained. ¡°Now, I encourage you to remember that Etherius is infinite, and all of these clusters are also infinite. But categories are helpful, as long as you don¡¯t take them as absolutes.¡±

    The chalk tapped the sphere that was mostly overlapping the Earth.

    ¡°The faerie kingdoms. Now, there are lots of these, and most connect. A clever planeswalker could exit this castle in the faerie planes and be in Hydref in a day¡¯s walk. Assuming a beastie doesn¡¯t eat them. Which is very possible. You¡¯d be moving through a few faerie planes to get there, but they¡¯re all closely interlinked.¡±

    She tapped a second sphere, which had almost as much overlap as the faerie sphere.

    ¡°The elemental planes. These are funky. Lots of living elements live here. There are planes that are full of nothing but rocks, seemingly forever. Planes with endless swords. A lot of random junk gets classified as elementals, because boxes aren¡¯t real. But if it¡¯s full of inanimate items, or items we typically think of as inanimate that are now animate, it usually gets lumped into elemental stuff.¡±

    She tapped a sphere above the earth, then a sphere below.

    ¡°The heavenly realms, and the endless hells. Most of that yummy divine magic comes from the faith and fear we send pouring into these realms.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean demons use divinities?¡± a girl asked, raising her hand.

    ¡°Yes! Or no! Most have bloodlines ¨C innate powers given by virtue of birth or elaborate awakening rituals. But everything in Etherius uses bloodline magic. But when a being establishes a realm of their own and learns to tap into that faith magic, they become a god or dark god. They then usually dole out that power to followers or friends. Most demon lords do have divine powers, or dark divine powers if you insist there¡¯s a difference, but most weak demons have no more divine power than a weak human. But only the weakest possible demons don¡¯t have bloodline powers.¡±

    Professor Toadweather clapped, and tapped the giant circle encompassing all the others.

    ¡°Anyways! Back to the final plane: the ethereal plane. This is what teleportation spells move you through. It¡¯s where all other planes, including our own, are located. They¡¯re all different spots. Some differentiate the ethereal and the deep ethereal, with ethereal being the bits of ethereal inside a plane, and deep ethereal being what lies in between planes, but I never found that especially helpful.¡±

    ¡°What about planes like the plane of the healing springs?¡± someone asked from behind me.

    ¡°Usually classified as a divine plane, but some call it elemental,¡± professor Toadweather said. ¡°Now time for me to ask a question: why are demons such a difficult threat to deal with?¡±

    ¡°Because aberrants spawn them?¡± I guessed. The professor made a so-so gesture.

    ¡°Any liquored up conjurer with a second circle spell can summon the basest of demons,¡± she said. ¡°Aberrants¡­ Yes, they¡¯re threatening, and are one of the root causes for the demon wastes, the other being natural portals. But why can¡¯t we just kill the demons?¡±

    ¡°We do?¡± the treefolk said. ¡°A lot.¡±

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    ¡°And yet it doesn¡¯t work. Why?¡±

    There was a moment of silence, and the professor nodded.

    ¡°Good! Bluffing about your knowledge is a good skill to have, but if you actually want to learn, admitting when you don¡¯t know is twice as useful. The answer¡¯s simple enough: they can¡¯t die.¡±

    ¡°Demons aren¡¯t immortal,¡± I said, leaning in and shaking my head. ¡°Even gods can die.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯ve hit the hammer on the nail! Gods are linked to their realm. All things are. Including demons. When an outsider is summoned into our world and slain, its essence merely returns to the world it is from, and it reforms,¡± professor Toadweather explained. ¡°And for all that aberrants are strange, they are summoning demons. The turbulent ether alters animals to create monsters.¡±

    ¡°Does this apply if someone walks through a natural rift or portal?¡± the tree-folk asked.

    ¡°Astute question,¡± the professor beamed. ¡°No, it does not. This is the reason that demonic cults exist, as well as churches, though some call that blaspheming to insinuate. The deities gain power from the followers and their sacrifices. They are given some small power in exchange. But most importantly for the average demon cult, they attempt to summon whichever demon lord and minions, so the demons can conquer and take with no risk to themselves.¡±

    I was suddenly very relieved that Jackson hadn¡¯t decided to take this course in an attempt to learn to summon Effervesce¡¯s servants. I didn¡¯t think professor Toadweather¡¯s casual heresy, blaspheming, and apostasy would sit well with him.

    ¡°What about dragons?¡± the woman behind me asked.

    ¡°What about dragons?¡± the professor asked, sounding confused.

    ¡°They can die,¡± the woman said. ¡°But they¡¯ve got bloodlines.¡±

    ¡°Not everything with a bloodline is extraplanar,¡± the professor explained patiently. More patiently than I would have. ¡°A bloodline is just an innate magical power bestowed by virtue of birth. Monster abilities, like a dragon¡¯s breath or a basilisk¡¯s eyes, are bloodline powers. But so are most demons, angels, and fae, though sapients often blend in other forms of power like life enforcement, destinies, or divinities.¡±

    ¡°But dragons have bloodlines. My great aunt was a dragon, and I have her bloodline amplifying every single spell I cast. Why can they be killed by people like¡­ mortals?¡±

    I resisted the urge to smack my head against the chair as the professor tried to explain, again. The woman¡¯s scent had about as much dragon in it as a roadside pebble did. She did have a little bit of a magical bear bloodline, but even it was so tiny as to be useless for anything but a tiny bit of strength and improved sleep quality.

    After the third try, professor Toadweather apparently gave up, and erased the chalk drawing of the planes before drawing a cantrip.

    ¡°This is summon stone,¡± she announced, throwing her hands out as if it was a grand prize we¡¯d all won. ¡°The perfect cantrip to begin teaching you all how to summon. It summons a smooth river stone, sized just right for your hands, from where an elemental plane of water meets a plane of earth.¡±

    She slowly demonstrated the cantrip, and the stone appeared. She placed it atop her frog¡¯s head like a crown, then summoned a second, which she placed atop the first. She was going slow, to make the motions and words clear, but within a minute, she¡¯d stacked five stones atop his head.

    Exactly as the minute turned over, the first stone vanished, returning to Etherius, and the rest all clattered to the ground around the frog. Professor Toadweather clapped, then gestured to us.

    ¡°Okay! Now I want all of you to try. Spread out through the ballroom, and work to summon the stone¡­¡±

    I picked a spot a little bit away from the others and began practicing. Even on my very first attempt, the lesson professor Caeruleum had tried to hammer in became apparent.

    Compared to learning the umbrella cantrip, summon stone was¡­ difficult. It was vaguely like summon gadhar, but notably different as well.

    Summon stone, being a cantrip, was much more basic than the second circle summoning gadhar, but basic didn¡¯t mean easy. It was like I¡¯d memorized all of the right notes for a song, and now I had to learn my scales. I had some advantages ¨C I knew how to hold the metaphorical instrument and produce sound ¨C but not enough of an advantage to make it easy.

    Professor Toadweather flitted around the room, offering advice and suggestions on improving the cantrip, and by the end of the period, everyone had managed to cast it at least a few times.

    My first few attempts failed, but after a dozen or so, I managed to cast the spell. My attempts at that point were clunky, draining far too much ether to be worth the effect of summoning a single stone, but with the professor¡¯s instructions, I managed to refine the spell. By the end of the period, I could smoothly call a riverstone each time, with the ether cost still being a touch high, but nowhere near what it had started as.

    As the period was drawing to a close, however, the professor drew us back to our seats in front of the blackboard.

    ¡°Now, normally I won¡¯t do this,¡± she informed us, ¡°but today is something of a special occasion. From the hats and belts many of you have on, I assume you had to use the cabinet to fit in?¡±

    There was a general round of nods and mutters of agreement, and the professor nodded slowly, as if she were the wisest of sages. Then she patted her frog gently, and he opened his mouth, ribbeting.

    The inside of his mouth was a yawning chasm, a portal through Etherius itself. The scent of the void between stars filled my nose, and then¡­

    The frog spat out a bundle of books, wrapped in brown paper and twine. Professor Toadweather threw out her hand, like a street performer doing a trick.

    ¡°Tada! Books. Stolen fresh from the library¡¯s depths, just for you all, my cheerful little students, as a part of this course. Spell guides for the grow or shrink spell. You have six days before it has to be returned to the library.¡±

    My eyes widened, and I scrambled to grab one of the books from the pile. The treefolk next to me unrooted and moved forward as quickly as he could.

    Professor Toadweather giggled.

    ¡°It seems the two of you understand. Now go! Class dismissed.¡±

    The world spun wildly as a spell gripped hold of me, and then I was standing at the entrance to the woods with my fellow students, normal sized once again, clutching the book to my chest.

    ¡°Why¡¯d you two mortals go feral?¡± the girl who thought she had a dragon bloodline asked.

    I edged away, not wanting to spend ages explaining, and thanked the gods when the treefolk started to explain. I used the moment to escape and head back to my rooms, where I ran into Salem, Jackson, and Yushin.

    ¡°Hey, there you are!¡± Jackson said. ¡°We were going to go out into the city to get dinner as friends!¡±

    ¡°An¡¯ to discuss stratagy for gettin¡¯ books durin¡¯ our upcoming class, but six a¡¯ one,¡± Salem said.

    I hesitated, and Yuhsin spoke.

    ¡°We can wait for you to get ready. We will be going to a small restaurant far from the main roads, which will keep it reasonably priced.¡±

    This was the first week of school, and I¡¯d survived without an incident worse than changing one of my classes, so I relented.

    ¡°Give me a bit, and I¡¯ll be happy to join you.¡±

 Chapter Twenty-Five: Friendly Choices

    ¡°You will not use fire in the library,¡± I said, jabbing my fork in Jackson¡¯s direction.

    ¡°I won¡¯t, I won¡¯t! All I did was suggest I roast the monster¡­¡±

    ¡°An¡¯ risk damaging the library?¡± Salem demanded. ¡°Do ya have a death wish? Your god¡¯s not the self-immolation type, is he?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing like that,¡± Jackson reassured us. I squinted at him, then bit into my butternut squash.

    ¡°No fire,¡± Yushin said firmly.

    ¡°I get it!¡±

    The bell over the door jangled as someone else entered the restaurant Jackson had led us to. It was a small mom-and-pop sort of affair. It was a little expensive for my tastes, but for a place in the middle of a major city, it was comparatively quite cheap. The fact it was sandwiched amidst residential neighborhoods probably helped a lot with that.

    ¡°I think we should have two people reading the shelves,¡± I said. ¡°Yushin and I speak the most languages, but we have a lot of overlap, like Hua-Long. So I think it should either be Yushin and Salem, or Salem and me who¨C¡±

    My sentence was cut off as the faint scent of suppressed smoke hit my nostrils, and a hand landed on my shoulder.

    ¡°Hello, little sister,¡± a light, feminine, sneering voice said. ¡°Or is it little brother, now? Either way it doesn¡¯t change the fact it¡¯s time to come home.¡±

    And then everything exploded in a blur of motion.

    When the two finely dressed strangers had entered the shop, Salem hadn¡¯t really thought much of it, until he felt a headache coming on.

    Sure, they were dressed far nicer than most people in this part of town, but that didn¡¯t really mean much. They could be rich people slumming it, or normal people pretending to be rich, or a million other things.

    The fact they were so pretty didn¡¯t mean as much to Salem as it would to most. His mother had worked for an Elder Fae of Hydref, and he¡¯d spent plenty of time around very nasty people who wore very pretty faces.

    But when his head throbbed, Salem began flicking his hands under the table and shaping ether into his affinity magic.

    He wasn¡¯t a precog or an oracle, but any psychic worth their salt learned to read and trust their headaches.

    When the girl put her hand on Emrys¡¯ shoulder and said that she would be taking him home, Salem began speaking the words of power aloud.

    His affinity for mind magic was powerful, flexible, and paired so perfectly with his psychic abilities that he had almost cried in relief when he¡¯d read it.

    But it was still new. He¡¯d done a bit of training, but he¡¯d possessed the affinity for just over a week.

    As such, he barely managed to snap a shield over his own mind when the wave of smoke rushed off the girl¡¯s form, and supernatural fear washed over the restaurant. It slammed into his mind shield like a hammer, and Salem staggered.

    Emrys, on the other hand, barely flinched. He began babbling, but the girl lashed out with a punch. Emrys¡¯ small body crashed down on the table and snapped it in two, while Yushin and Jackson both staggered back.

    ¡°In our fight,¡± the girl lectured Emrys. ¡°You hid your face and scent. Hemp and tobacco. But you sweat during the fight. It didn¡¯t click, not at first.¡±

    Emrys staggered to his feet, and Salem was shocked that he wasn¡¯t dead.

    ¡°Gerhard put it together,¡± the girl monologued, plumes of smoke rushing off her body as she drove a fist into Emrys¡¯ gut.

    Emrys¡¯ body launched back and crunched into the wall, then to Salem¡¯s amazement, the wall crumbled as his body kept moving, going through the multiple inch thick plasterboard like it was paper.

    ¡°Come on out, Hailaga,¡± the girl taunted. Smoke exploded off her and the unnatural fear redoubled, interrupting Salem¡¯s whispered chant for a few moments.

    ¡°Greta,¡± the man who had entered with her said. ¡°Stop playing around. Catch them, and we can drag them back to mother. And by the divines, get a grip. You¡¯ve wasted half your power on pointless smoke.¡±

    The fear had staggered Salem, amazement had shaken him, and the redoubling of the fear had slowed him down again, but none of those had stopped him.

    The moment he¡¯d been thrown back, he¡¯d begun working on another affinity spell, and as he completed it, he reached within himself, where three cores of power lay.

    In his heart, his ether pool drained rapidly into the spell, and behind his forehead, the vibrating strings of his psychic power, bound into neat knots lay. He connected them to the affinity spell he was casting and rushed all the spare psionic power he could muster in as well.

    Drawing so much from his two primary sources of power caused the third to take notice. The murderous beast trapped at the base of his spine screamed in anger as it demanded to be let out, but the magic keeping it contained flared brightly. Salem did his best to ignore that power. Sometimes it was calm and easy to keep contained, but of course, he had to give his all on a day when the monster was trying its best to break its cage.

    He shoved it down, and spoke the last word of his affinity spell, launching a mental assault against both of the well-dressed strangers. His mind battered against theirs, to mixed success.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    His mind spike hit the younger girl ¨C Greta? ¨C like a runaway horse, snapping the artificial fear that she¡¯d struck each of them with. She slammed to the ground, writhing as her mind was pushed to the limits.

    Against the older man, though, it was as effective as a chocolate fire gaurd. It bounced off his mind, doing nothing more than drawing a flicker of the man¡¯s gaze. Salem¡¯s mental shield shattered, and his vision went fuzzy as his mind staggered with absolute fear. He struggled to do anything more than stay conscious as he was forced to watch his failure.

    While Salem was unleashing his powers against the Drekis, Yushin was beginning her own spells. Her affinity was also new and young, but she knew that now wasn¡¯t the time for subtlety, and she had a far more reliable set of powers to draw on. She would simply need to augment herself with her assassin affinity.

    Against a foe as powerful as Gerhard Dreki, there was little that Yushin could do in a pure fight. But the blood of the traitor-wyrm ran through her veins, and the pool of pungent poison throbbed, hidden just below the enshroud spell.

    She would need every drop of poison in her fangs for this.

    She finished her invisibility spell, augmented by the power of the affinity magic. Though, perhaps augmented was the wrong word ¨C expanded was a bit more accurate. She¡¯d forced the spell to mask her scent and muffle the sound of her movements. Neither were completely gone, but it was the best that she could manage.

    She couldn¡¯t overcome the frailty of the invisibility spell on her own yet. She knew that, in time, she could make this spell so much more than what it was, but as things stood, that was just wishes and dreams. The moment she cast another spell, broke her enshroud, or attacked someone, the spell would snap like a strand of glass underfoot.

    ¡°Come on out,¡± Gerhard said, his voice resonating through the room. ¡°Hiding your power and running through the back room isn¡¯t going to work, Hailaga.¡±

    He leisurely began walking toward the hole in the wall that Emrys had been punched through, and Yushin carefully shifted through the restaurant, buying time. Jackson was standing, gesturing, and chanting, but Gerhard was arrogantly ignoring him.

    That was reasonable. A Dreki of his strength would have no more need to fear fire than the Divine King would.

    Yushin gently climbed onto the counter, scurrying down it and drawing her hand back and waiting for just the right moment. As Gerhard walked by her, his throat exposed, Yushin let go.

    The enshroud around her spirit fell away, and the bloodline of the traitor-wyrm rushed to her hand. She couldn¡¯t compress her poison¡¯s potency a fraction as well as Emrys could compress his fire, but she had far more poison to draw on than he had fire, as her years with Auntie Lei had allowed her to train herself freely.

    She pushed everything she could into the strike, letting her fingers sharpen into a knife¡¯s edge, dripping with toxic green power, compressing it best she could. She was only able to funnel so much power through her toxin strike power at once, but it was still her strongest power, draining a full third of her poison at once.

    It slammed into Gerhard¡¯s exposed neck, leaving a long, thin, shallow cut that glowed green.

    Gerhard barely slowed his stroll, lifting one hand and striking her in the chest. She was thrown backwards into the wall, but this was an exterior wall of brick, and she didn¡¯t punch through it. The wind was knocked from her lungs as she tried to focus, the remainder of her bloodline draining away to stop her body from breaking¡­

    Oh. That wasn¡¯t good. She could sense her vitality rapidly draining as blood started filling her lungs, and she focused, pushing poison to the cracks at the bottom of her pool.

    Gerhard¡¯s glowing green wound did seem to give him trouble for a few seconds. He put his hand to his neck, and a bright red light leaked from beneath it as he burnt the poison away, cauterized the cut, and then healed it.

    If this had been an exhibition or sparring match, the fact she¡¯d forced him to draw on his bloodline at all was something that would have been a point of pride. But as she felt her bloodline guttering dry with her body still too weak to move, ready to die within minutes, she could only think of how she failed.

    When the fear clouding his mind had abated, Jackson had forced himself to his feet and began a chant for his greatest spell. He had been in possession of his affinity magic for longer than any of his friends, new or old, and he had a responsibility to defend them.

    The man was walking in his general direction, and Jackson sweated as he swept his arm out, trying to work all of his powers together for this attack before the man could cross the distance and cut him down.

    When Yushin appeared from nowhere and struck at the fancy man, Jackson had been surprised, though he really shouldn¡¯t have been. That was her affinity, after all.

    It bought him the precious seconds that he needed, though, and mere moments after she was slammed into the far wall, his divine boon screamed, and he completed the spell.

    The base for his ultimate attack was the standard fireball spell, but he layered his affinity magic into it to turn the heat of the fire up beyond its normal limits, then reached for his divine boon. The pair of granted magics danced over his head like a floating crown, and one of them flowed into his spell as he finished casting it.

    Effervesce was a god of light, goodness, and purity. The boon to amplify Jackson¡¯s fire had been a welcome gift, and one that Jackson was still trying to understand fully. He knew he wasn¡¯t able to draw as much out of the soulfire boon as he might one day be able to, but he had learned a few things.

    The boon gave a permanent boost to the potency of all fire magic, and he could draw on his faithful connection to the divine to increase that boost further, so Jackson threw every bit of invested prayer and faith into the attack as he could, praying to Effervesce to defend his friends.

    And that was important. Because one of the other things he¡¯d learned about the soulfire was that intention and actions made all the difference. The same amount of faith being used for his own training was much less effective than using it to help others. He assumed that if he tried to use the boon for dark purposes, it would fail entirely, or maybe even turn on him

    And using it to defend and protect his friends? To protect the innocent people who ran the restaurant from someone who was destroying their shop and might break or kill them if they tried to interfere?

    Protection was one of Effervesce¡¯s most important tenets.

    Jackson threw every drop of ether into his affinity, and every bit of faith and prayer into his boon. A spark flew from his hands, striking the fancy man in the chest.

    The red of the fireball mixed with the silver of soulfire and the golden color of his affinity magic erupted over every inch of the man, who actually staggered back a step. He let out a grunt of annoyance, then waved his hand, flames of his own exploding from his skin.

    Jackson¡¯s fire flickered, but didn¡¯t go out. That seemed to surprise the man, and he clenched his fist, taking a breath.

    All the fire snuffed out, and Jackson saw the man¡¯s skin, hair, and eyes had been singed, but he was very much alive. The man seemed even more annoyed by Jackson¡¯s fireball than the strike that Yushin had delivered, and he popped his neck as he looked at Jackson.

    ¡°I remember you. I broke your arm,¡± the man said. Jackson blinked, realizing that this was a Dreki. The girl¡­ was that the one the swordsman from Middlehold had beaten on the boat? But she¡¯d been talking about fighting Emrys?

    His eyes glanced over to her. She¡¯d staggered to her feet, and was sitting in one of the booths, watching as the older Dreki handled things.

    The Dreki sighed.

    ¡°I¡¯m putting an end to this. Come out now, Hailaga, or whatever your name is now. If you don¡¯t¡­¡±

    The world blurred, and Jackson was being held by the throat in one of the Dreki¡¯s hands. In the other hand, the man held Salem, and one of his feet was on Yushin¡¯s throat. Jackson had a terrified moment where he thought Yushin was dead, her chest caved in, but he wasn¡¯t able to think as the Dreki¡¯s hand started tightening. The last thing he could clearly hear was the man¡¯s words.

    ¡°They all die.¡±

 Chapter Twenty-Six: Familial Obligations

    Even though I hated myself for it, the moment I¡¯d been punched through the wall, I¡¯d turned and sprinted for the back door of the restaurant. I didn¡¯t dare tap into my bloodline, as that would undo the enshroud spell. If I could run, I could escape. I could get away. I could hide.

    I heard noises behind me as I pulled out a lockpick and started going at the back door¡¯s padlock.

    The entire commotion took less than ten seconds.

    There was a scream, Greta¡¯s bloodline imposed fear cut off, someone hit a wall, there was a rush of flame, and then I heard Gerhard¡¯s voice, threatening to kill my friends if I didn¡¯t come out now.

    I stopped trying to undo the lock and took in a breath.

    The sounds. My friends had tried to fight for me. I couldn¡¯t repay that by running away. What kind of man would I be if I did that?

    I stepped through the hole in the wall, and for the first time in almost a decade, let go.

    I stopped disjointing my bloodline, then stopped suppressing it. I allowed the enshroud spell to fall away, and felt as the embers, kept cold for so long, began to warm up. The foul tincture I wore was burned away, leaving the scent of crackling flame in its place.

    ¡°There you are,¡± Gerhard breathed, dropping Salem and Jackson, and stepping toward me. ¡°Are you ready to surrender and return home?¡±

    ¡°You told me to come out or you¡¯d kill them,¡± I said. ¡°You never said anything about surrender. And you should know as well as I do, brother¡­¡±

    I shoved power through my embers and allowed a bit of the growl to touch my voice.

    ¡°A dragon does not surrender.¡±

    I exploded across the distance in the time it took to blink, lashing out with a punch at Gerhard¡¯s head. My burst of speed caught him off guard, as he was doubtless mentally thinking of me as a member of a young generation, and thus, not someone who could match him.

    But while I might have far less power to draw on than him, or Greta, or even Yushin, the power I did have was far more dense than anyone my age should possess, condensed through a decade of hiding. I grabbed my power and compressed it further. I needed to make every bit of power count.

    With my bloodline scenting ability, I could smell that Gerhard¡¯s power was still much denser than mine. If I was the surface of a star, he was its molten heart.

    He also had a lot more power than me. I had compressed my fire to the size of an apple, but Gerhard¡¯s fire was the size of an entire oak barrel worth of apples.

    At that moment, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to care. I had him off guard. I might be able to kill him.

    And he¡¯d played with my friends, maybe even killed Yushin.

    I might only be able to burn my bloodline for a few moments, but for those moments, I would burn damn bright.

    My fist slammed into Gerhard¡¯s throat and he was blown back, shattering through the glass door of the restaurant.

    I launched myself forwards, but Gerhard was still a fourth generation, many times older than I was, with years more combat experience. His snapped neck and crumpled windpipe were already healed, and he was laughing like a maniac.

    I threw another punch, but Gerhard caught it and threw one of his own. I pushed off the ground, throwing myself to the left and off the ground, then up to the nearby building, where I flipped and kicked off the building, diving back down at Gerhard. He leapt off the ground at me, and our fists struck in midair. The air boomed around us as our fists collided and we were both thrown back.

    I caught myself on a street lamp, bending the metal under the force of my hands as I launched myself back at him, but he was coming at me. I struck his eye with a fist, but his knee collided with my gut, launching me upward into the air.

    He leapt, soaring up next to me, and I twisted in midair to lash out with a kick. He blocked it and managed to land an open palm strike on my back, sending me plummeting down into the ground. I just barely shifted to land on my feet, my knees buckling under the force of the impact as the cobblestones cracked beneath me. Gerhard brought an axe kick down on my head, and I dodged to the side, striking at his throat with a jab. He deflected my blow, and I tried to launch a kick at his throat¡­ only for my body to fail.

    Within my spirit, my fire was drained. I could burn bright, but I couldn¡¯t burn long, and I was burnt out.

    Gerhard flickered behind me with a speed I could barely follow anymore, let alone match. He grabbed my arm, then snapped my elbow, just like he had Jackson.

    ¡°I admit, I¡¯m pleasantly surprised!¡± Gerhard said. ¡°I thought after so many years, you¡¯d be as pathetic as your friends were. But you¡¯re better than Greta! Mother will be delighted to have you back.¡±

    I let out a whimper, but I refused to let out the scream that I knew he wanted.

    Gerhard grabbed the wrist of my non-broken hand and yanked me toward him while calling out to the restaurant.

    ¡°Come on out, Greta. We need to get you back to your little war, and bring Hailaga home.¡±

    ¡°Emrys,¡± I said. ¡°My name is Emrys of White Sands.¡±

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    ¡°No, it¡¯s Emrys Dreki,¡± Gerhard said. ¡°You lost, little brother. Come on, Greta, get out here!¡±

    He frowned, and looked at the restaurant.

    ¡°Greta?¡±

    ¡°I am not permitting Greta to hear you,¡± a voice said. It was calm, resonant, and came from someone who smelled like a fresh autumn breeze, just cool enough to sting.

    Gerhard and I both whipped our head around to see a man wearing a long black coat, standing several feet in the air behind us. His hands were in his pockets, and he was glaring at Gerhard.

    Sh¨¦ Rui, Yushin¡¯s uncle and guardian.

    He gently drifted to the ground, his long coat fluttering in the air behind him, and I felt the aura of his life enforced energy clash with Gerhard¡¯s dragonfear.

    ¡°You hurt my niece,¡± Sh¨¦ Rui said. ¡°I should kill you.¡±

    ¡°She attacked me,¡± Gerhard snarled, shoving me back toward the restaurant.

    I stumbled, but felt the wind flex, aiding my motion. Sh¨¦ Rui tossed me a glossy green pill. It had a pungent, herbal scent, one that was shockingly fresh and clean, like a forest after a rainstorm.

    ¡°Give this to Yushin,¡± he said. ¡°Then stay inside.¡±

    I nodded and dashed inside with what strength remained while keeping an eye on the powerful life enforced man and my older brother.

    When I stumbled inside, Greta seized me by my shoulders.

    ¡°Who is that?!¡± she hissed. I knocked her hands off my shoulders and walked over to Yushin¡¯s body.

    ¡°That is her uncle,¡± I said, pressing the pill between Yushin¡¯s lips and forcing her to swallow. A hand landed on my shoulder and I tensed, but saw Jackson, barely standing. Salem was leaning against the counter, breathing heavily, but they were mobile, unlike Yushin, who was barely breathing.

    Greta slammed her fist into one of the few unbroken tables left in the restaurant, shattering it in two. My eyes flicked over to her, then outside, and I strained my ears to listen to what was going on.

    ¡°It is the responsibility of the strong to show restraint,¡± Sh¨¦ Rui said firmly. ¡°Your actions were out of line.¡±

    ¡°She. Attacked. Me.¡± Gerhard growled, his fingers twitching.

    ¡°And you responded by risking her life,¡± Sh¨¦ Rui bit back. ¡°The other two were left whole, yet you crushed her ribs.¡±

    A vein on Gerhard¡¯s neck throbbed as he was forced to stare down someone he couldn¡¯t push around, and I felt a faint thrum of hope in my chest.

    Sh¨¦ Rui was weaker than Gerhard, but my friends and I had taken a bite out of Gerhard¡¯s fire. He wasn¡¯t at full strength right now, and if they came to blows, I didn¡¯t know who would win.

    Gerhard threw a punch, and Sh¨¦ Rui met it with one hand. The air between them exploded, then they were moving faster than I could track. Booms rattled through the air every fraction of a second, and I wracked my brain for anything I could do.

    I was out of dragonfire, but I still had a full ether pool.

    My eyes widened, and I raised my hands. I began to chant, spinning the ether out around me into the shape of my affinity magic, flicking my hands. As I finished my spell, I held it in place, then muttered under my breath in Hua-Long.

    ¡°Sh¨¦ Rui, hold him still for just a moment. I can help.¡±

    It took several seconds, but then the flickering motions came to a stop. Sh¨¦ Rui had grabbed both of Gerhard¡¯s arms and used them to lock him in place, just for a moment.

    I threw my magic, draining my ether pool to cast a curse.

    I was still new to my affinity magic, but I¡¯d figured out two uses of my affinity ¨C a curse that was fast and cheap, but lasted only for seconds, and a curse that took much more ether, chanting, and gestures, but lasted a minute.

    The magic snapped into place around Gerhard, then he broke Sh¨¦ Rui¡¯s grip and they flickered off again. I could only catch flashes of movement as they appeared over one of the buildings to trade blows, then were on the street, then in the air, then fifty feet to the left on the cobblestones, then back in front of the shop, then in midair half a block away to the right¡­

    My curse wasn¡¯t strong, not when compared to Gerhard, but when scales were balanced, even something as light as a feather would unbalance them. With each moment where I was able to catch a glimpse of them in battle, I could see that Sh¨¦ Rui was slowly but surely taking the upper hand.

    Finally, they appeared in front of the restaurant again. Both of them were drenched in sweat, panting, and both felt drained.

    But Gerhard¡¯s nose was broken, dripping blood onto the pavement, while Sh¨¦ Rui was unhurt. And Gerhard¡¯s nose wasn¡¯t healing itself.

    ¡°I acknowledge your strength¡­¡± Gerhard said, before trailing off as he realized he didn¡¯t even know the name of the person who he¡¯d just been fighting.

    ¡°Sh¨¦ Rui.¡±

    ¡°I acknowledge your strength, Sh¨¦ Rui,¡± Gerhard said. ¡°I did not show the restraint someone of my power should have when handling your niece. I will pay for the damages, recompense to the city, and offer you one favor from the Dreki family.¡±

    ¡°I accept,¡± Sh¨¦ Rui said, relaxing.

    ¡°What would you like?¡± Gerhard said, relaxing as well.

    ¡°The favor should go to me,¡± Yushin said. ¡°As the injured party, it is I who deserves recompense. Though, Uncle, thank you.¡±

    I jumped, not having noticed that she¡¯d climbed to her feet. The powerful pill had done its work, and while her university clothes were ripped and bloody, she was clearly alive and looked to be completely unharmed. By the hells, even her bloodline felt like it had been mostly restored.

    Just how expensive had that pill been?

    Yushin slowly knelt, giving a full kowtow to her uncle. I decided to do the same. He might not have intervened entirely for my sake, but he had still helped me.

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Sh¨¦ Rui said, once we were both back on our feet.

    Gerhard turned to look at Yushin.

    ¡°What do you want, then?¡±

    Yushin gestured to me.

    ¡°Let Emrys go. He does not wish to be a part of your family,¡± Yushin said.

    I saw Greta mouthing ¡®Emrys¡¯, and I glanced at her.

    ¡°My name,¡± I said. ¡°I am not Hailaga, not anymore.¡±

    Greta nodded her acceptance at that.

    ¡°I can¡¯t do that,¡± Gerhard said. ¡°It¡¯s the will of our mother to have him back.¡±

    ¡°Then give him a fighting chance,¡± Yushin said. ¡°We are in Cendel. There is a tradition here, Holmgang. Honor duels, fought on one of the spires kept empty for the purpose. The tradition in the sects back home is one year. One year to train and prepare yourself.¡±

    Gerhard¡¯s lips curled into a smile.

    ¡°I won¡¯t give him a full year,¡± he said. ¡°He¡¯s wasting his time with the school of wizardry, is he not?¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± I said. ¡°I will become a mage. Not just a dragon.¡±

    Gerhard flicked his fingers at me.

    ¡°One week after the end of your school year, we will meet for a Holmgang. If you really think you can learn more from your¡­ school¡­ than you can from the family, and are really insistent on removing yourself from our power? Then you have your chance.¡±

    He tapped his chest.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be dueling me. None of your friends. Just you, your blood, and your magic against me and my blood¡±

    Yushin opened her mouth to protest, but a warning glare backed by a lick of dragonfear caused her to shut her mouth. I took her hand and squeezed it appreciatively, then looked at Gerhard.

    This was the best chance I was going to get.

    Someone who had only completed a third of their magical training wouldn¡¯t have a chance against Gerhard, but I wasn¡¯t just a mage.

    Now that I didn¡¯t need to hide my bloodline with the enshroud spell, I would have more ether to train, and could also train my bloodline. I had shown already that I could trade blows with Gerhard.

    And Gerhard was old. Bloodlines grew denser with age, but much like ether pools, they struggled to grow any larger once the person was past a certain age.

    I still really didn¡¯t believe I was going to win, but truthfully, it came down to one simple fact.

    If I didn¡¯t agree, then he¡¯d take me home to mother today. If I did agree, I¡¯d get several months of freedom with my friends.

    ¡°Deal,¡± I said.

    ¡°Deal,¡± Yushin echoed.

    ¡°Deal,¡± Gerhard agreed, a note of finality in his voice.

 Chapter Twenty-Seven: Secrets of the Powerful?

    Despite the dramatic moment, Gerhard didn¡¯t leave right away, as he had to handle the constables and the restaurant owners. The sum he offered to avoid being held responsible for the damage and destruction of the small shop was more than enough to set the owners ¨C who had fled the moment the battle began ¨C up for life twice over, and the money he ¡®donated¡¯ to the city was even more absurd, well over ten million silver.

    ¡°An¡¯ here I was thinking you were poor,¡± Salem said, wrapped in one of the blankets the emergency healers had given us.

    ¡°I am poor,¡± I said, then paused. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got about two thousand silver, most of which comes from my scholarship. And compared to Gerhard¡¯s donation of five million silver to the shop owners? Two thousand doesn¡¯t seem like much now.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Jackson asked. ¡°You¡¯re a Dreki. I don¡¯t study geopolitics, but even I know the Dreki family is richer than sin. I heard a rumor that at adulthood, they¡¯re gifted fifteen million silver!¡±

    ¡°Fifty, actually, but there are strings attached,¡± I said. ¡°A lot of strings. And I didn¡¯t reach adulthood as a Dreki. I ran away when I was ten.¡±

    ¡°Why? I kept your secret, I respect you don¡¯t want to be a Dreki, but¡­ Why?¡± Yushin asked, sounding oddly distant. ¡°I know more about the Dreki family than most, and¡­ You were celebrated. The rising star of the family. The one who shattered records for bloodline control, combat training, and investment management. Your mother loved you.¡±

    Yushin was, technically speaking, mostly correct. I had done all of those things, and my mother had showered me with praise. But she hadn¡¯t loved me.

    Still, that wasn¡¯t why I¡¯d left.

    ¡°Have you been to the Dreki Island?¡± I asked. ¡°The people are slaves in all but name. Kept in squalor and poverty. Debased of basic rights.¡±

    Salem winced at that, touching his head.

    ¡°And our mother¡­¡±

    I shook my head and closed my eyes. I could still remember the night I¡¯d run away viscerally.

    ¡°When I was a child, most of the people we were exposed to were Dreki, or else important people children. Most. Not all. Because we had servants, and a lot of them. My siblings didn¡¯t talk to them, but I did. When I was around six, I struck up a friendship with a servant¡¯s daughter. My mother was always busy, only watching us at our competitions, and I always won those, but the tutors and a few of the older Dreki knew. They warned me to not befriend a peasant.¡±

    ¡°Oh no,¡± Salem said, as if he knew what was coming next. For all I knew, he did.

    ¡°When I was nine, my mother found out that her prodigal son ¨C though I guess at the time I was called the prodigal daughter, but figuring that out was an entirely other conundrum¡­ Anyways.¡±

    ¡°She was mad?¡± Jackson guessed.

    ¡°Not at first,¡± I said. ¡°Plenty of my siblings collect humans as slaves, servants, a personalized harem, or any number of things. That¡¯s what she thought I was doing. But I misunderstood. I thought my mother was fine with humans being our equals.¡±

    I cringed at the memory of what came next.

    ¡°I said most of the island¡¯s humans lived worse lives than the pigs she kept for food, and told her she must not have known, and now that she did, she could fix it. Mother thought that the servant and my friend were using me to try and stage a coup. She immolated them both in front of me, then made me¡­ There¡¯s no way to say it nicely. She made me assume my draconic form and eat the bodies.¡±

    Jackson looked like he might vomit, and even Yushin, who had otherwise remained calm, looked disturbed.

    ¡°That night, I left,¡± I said. ¡°I stayed in my draconic form and flew out over the ocean until I found a ship, then dove under the waters. I shifted back to human, and snuck aboard. After that, I started my life on the run, until I was in my early teens, when I got to White Sands. Remote, poor, with thin ether, and an entire region away from a city of over a hundred thousand. I settled down there, wandering from village to village.¡±

    ¡°Wait, okay, m¡¯ sorry, but¡­ draconic form?¡± Salem asked. ¡°Are ya¡¯ a dragon? Half dragon? Human with a lil bit of dragon blood?¡±

    ¡°Uh. Either the first or the second, depending on how you want to count it?¡± I said. ¡°Actually, come to think of it, I¡¯m not entirely sure. I might just be the first one.¡±

    ¡°How do ya¡¯ not know?¡± Salem asked. ¡°Did she never tell ya¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Mother doesn¡¯t tend to keep her consorts around very long, and often has children very, very quickly. She can lay about three or four children a year.¡±

    ¡°Is¨C¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not normal for most dragons,¡± I said. ¡°Most can do one about every seven years. Not sure how mother manages it. I¡¯d really rather not think about it, honestly? But yeah. Probably a half-dragon? Maybe a full dragon? Heck, for all I know, I might not even have a paternal half.¡±

    ¡°So which one is your true form?¡± Yushin asked. ¡°Human or dragon?¡±

    I glanced at her, pursing my lips. She should know the answer to that question. Was she acting, in order to pretend that she didn¡¯t have a demonic bloodline?

    ¡°Both? Neither? They¡¯re both equally ¡®real¡¯ for me. I¡¯m not putting on a mask, I¡¯m still just me,¡± I said. ¡°But I much prefer my human one. It took a lot of effort to shape it to match me.¡±

    I sniffed in irritation.

    ¡°By the way? The ideas that dragons can just freely shapeshift? Total nonsense. Well, not total nonsense, but it¡¯s not just as simple as snapping your fingers, and it¡¯s limited to just being able to take on a humanoid form. How human you can get depends on your skill with bloodline manipulation, and changing it is a slow process, something that takes years of methodical effort. I wish I could just shapeshift.¡±

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    ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I had no idea you were born a girl,¡± Jackson said, clasping a hand on my shoulder and smiling broadly. ¡°You hid it well.¡±

    I withered a bit on the inside when he said it that way. He didn¡¯t mean it in a degrading or demeaning way, but it still didn¡¯t feel great.

    ¡°You could try life enforcement,¡± Yushin said. ¡°It can be used to strengthen a bloodline, or purge it entirely. And its advancement makes you closer to your true self.¡±

    ¡°I do not recommend it,¡± Sh¨¦ Rui said as he picked his way through the broken furniture and glass to join us at the temporary medical station. ¡°Each type of power that you take into your soul alters and intersects with all others, but the interactions are not all built the same. Life enforcement is a bad choice for you.¡±

    ¡°Why is that a bad thing? Wouldn¡¯t empowering my bloodline be a good thing?¡± I asked curiously.

    I wasn¡¯t the biggest fan of my family, but I needed to grow my power if I wanted to beat Gerhard. The suffering life enforcement required would be worth my eventual freedom.

    ¡°Time,¡± Sh¨¦ Rui said. ¡°There is a reason that most pursue a single path to power. The ambitious might take two, perhaps three if they¡¯re especially synergistic. But attempting to split your effort between life enforcement, training your bloodline, affinity training, and standard spellcraft? That is foolish, even if the synergy between life enforcement and bloodlines is well documented.¡±

    He paused, then shook his head, apparently deciding he had more to say.

    ¡°Magyk favors the young. You have limited years to train. If you feel you absolutely must take a new system of magic into your soul, it must combine well with your spellcraft and bloodline, else your spirit will become unbalanced. If you do insist on this course, I recommend a static boost, rather than one that must be grown with its own pool. Certain sacrificial arts destroy the ability to form an energy pool to grant a boon of great, but static, power¡­ Even then, be careful. Poor synergy is worse than none at all, and you already have two very disparate elements.¡±

    I considered his words for a second, then nodded in agreement, but one thing was holding me back. I drummed my fingers on the table.

    ¡°You talked about synergies. I know there are spells that interact with bloodlines too. In my grimoire, there were a few extra spells. When I got it, I ignored them, because I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to use my bloodline. I¡¯d be keeping it wrapped in the enshroud spell, after all. But I can use one of them now. The third circle spell, bloodline spellcraft. There¡¯s also a fourth circle one I might be able to manage before the battle, I don¡¯t remember its name.¡±

    I gave Yushin a quick glance, and she subtly nodded, causing me to feel like a prick. I had gotten so caught up in annoyance when I¡¯d gotten my grimoire that I¡¯d not even thought about Yushin being able to use it.

    ¡°What does it do?¡± Jackson asked curiously.

    ¡°No clue, I didn¡¯t read through it,¡± I said. ¡°But probably either converts my dragonfire to ether, or amplifies my fire spells with dragonfire?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡¯ still cannae believe I¡¯ve been sleepin¡¯ in the same apartment as a bloody dragon,¡± Salem muttered under his breath. ¡°An¡¯ here I was thinkin¡¯ I¡¯d be the one freakin¡¯ people out.¡±

    ¡°For what it is worth, I would rather face Gerhard again than face a fully trained psychic with a mind magic affinity,¡± Sh¨¦ Rui said.

    ¡°Not exactly reassurin¡¯,¡± Salem grumbled.

    ¡°One important question I have¡­ Can I even realistically fight Gerhard with spellcraft?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯ve watched members of my family run through an entire river of arcane missiles, walk through fire, and punch through a wall of ice. There are spells to do a million or more different tasks, but in that flexibility, it loses power. Maybe I¡¯d be better off just training my affinity and bloodline.¡±

    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Yushin said. ¡°Magda, first among the Erudites, has killed many powerful beings, including the father of the Divine King, using nothing but spellcraft.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but that¡¯s¡­¡±

    I let out a frustrated sigh.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen graduates of the academy, fifth circle mages, lose a fight against Claire, who¡¯s only two generations higher than Gerhard. She¡¯s not that different in power.¡±

    ¡°Would you like to be let in on a secret of the powerful?¡± Sh¨¦ Rui said, and everyone, including Yushin, leaned in. ¡°I will exclude the Three-Corpse disease for this, but¡­¡±

    He trailed off when everyone but Yushin looked confused.

    ¡°Ah, yes. Apologies, my Ceyish is not as good as it could be. You call it the Creep, I believe.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah,¡± Jackson said, nodding. ¡°We learned about that in class.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Excluding those who fall victim to the¡­ Creep¡­ and thus compress their power through dark methods? Hmm. To use an example that will connect with each of you, take the Erudites. During their yearly contests, Magda, Fuyuko, and Henry have all swapped places between the top three. On rare occasions, Fuyuko or Henry has fallen to fourth. Yet none of the three has ever fallen below the rank of Fourth. Why? They are all ninth circle mages, are they not? Indeed, several of the lesser Erudites have powerful affinities, and ninth circle magic.¡±

    ¡°Do the top three all have absurdly massive ether pools or something?¡± I asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Yushin said. ¡°Not notably, at least.¡±

    ¡°As you advance, the amount of power you have slowly becomes less consequential than the application of power,¡± Sh¨¦ Rui said. ¡°When you are a first circle spellcaster, the gap in power between you and a third circle caster is enormous. But a sixth circle mage defeating a seventh? A seventh defeating a ninth? Or in this case, a fourth circle mage who is also possessed of a powerful bloodline defeating Gerhard? It is possible.¡±

    As I listened to Sh¨¦ Rui, I wondered if this was part of what Applied Mage Combat had been trying to teach us about. Professor Alydia had defeated fourth circle mages with powerful affinities, all while restricting her power to first circle via nothing but the proper application of power.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard somethin¡¯ similar from t¡¯ Elder Fae ma¡¯ worked for, but I was told to not worry ¡®bout it till I was fifth circle,¡± Salem said. ¡°Said somethin¡¯ boutta glass a¡¯ mediocre wine bein better than a drop of vintage.¡±

    ¡°Conventional wisdom says similar things among most power systems,¡± Sh¨¦ Rui said. ¡°I was told to not worry about compressing power until I had formed a perpetual core within myself. Many with bloodlines are not taught to compress them until they have a large quantity to work with. A poor quality sword is more deadly than a strong fingernail, but a mountain of mediocre swords is not more useful than a single, well-enchanted, spirit-awoken blade. Not when there is only one person using it.¡±

    I narrowed my eyes. I¡¯d said almost the exact same things to Yushin.

    ¡°Learning where, when, and how to apply the force of your spells and hit harder, more effectively?¡± Sh¨¦ Rui said. ¡°It is typically not bothered with among mages until and unless they take a post fighting demons in the wastes. But I insisted that Yushin take Applied Mage Combat, because that sort of lesson is important to her long term growth. The mages who your family has run exhibition matches against had not learned to master the shaping of their ether pools, to know when to pour more or less ether into a spell, or to focus and refine their spells for combat.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying Gerhard doesn¡¯t know how to compress and apply his power?¡± I asked, somewhat incredulously. ¡°If he didn¡¯t, then surely you would have been able to beat him thoroughly, instead of only barely managing it.¡±

    ¡°He knows,¡± Sh¨¦ Rui said. ¡°My intent was to not say he does not. Merely illustrate that the power gap between a high circle mage and a powerful bloodline like Gerhard¡¯s or Claire¡¯s is not so wide as you seem to think. You cannot win easily. I am not confident you can win at all. The gulf is too great. Train, but do not let it overcome you. You need to rely on the last trick of the powerful.¡±

    Everyone leaned in and Sh¨¦ Rui smiled.

    ¡°Trickery. You are a wizard, but he thinks of you as a dragon. Use your magic to surprise him. Stab him from an angle he does not expect.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± I said. I was quiet for a long moment after that, until Jackson clasped my shoulder.

    ¡°I believe in you.¡±

    Surprisingly, that did make me feel a bit better.

 Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Charm and Fable

    We spent a long time in the broken restaurant, discussing strategy ¨C both for my duel at the end of the school year, and for the upcoming Applied Mage Combat class ¨C before Salem suggested we go out to a different, not-blown-apart place for food. Sh¨¦ Rui left us then, though he said after what happened, either he or his wife would be near Yushin at all times.

    That weekend, I trained.

    Jackson¡¯s bottled explosion training method was incredibly painful, so I hadn¡¯t exactly spent a great deal of time training it, but that changed. While the raw amount of ether I had in my pool might not be the deciding factor in all fights, I did need more ¨C casting a single third circle spell wiped half my reserves, which was less than ideal.

    Effective power was good, but like Sh¨¦ Rui had said, a clipped fingernail couldn¡¯t compare to a sword, no matter how skilled the swordsman.

    I wasn¡¯t quite so bad as to have a metaphorical fingernail. Maybe I was a butter knife?

    But I did need more power to call on.

    I used the bottled spell failure technique until the pain overwhelmed my spirit, then I shifted to reading my grimoire. I focused entirely on misfortune for now ¨C I wanted to be able to use my affinity on the fly by the time I fought Gerhard.

    Once my spirit had recovered enough to use my power, so long as I didn¡¯t take any damaging steps like the bottled technique, I trained my bloodline. Right now, I had a similar problem to my ether pool, but even worse. My power was denser and better controlled than most dragons born five generations before me, but I lacked quantity.

    I didn¡¯t have any special tricks to train that, so instead I focused on releasing dragon¡¯s breath as quickly as possible to drain my bloodline dry. That wouldn¡¯t be any help against Gerhard ¨C dragons could consume fire ¨C but nothing drained my power faster.

    After my fire ran dry, I worked on arcane armor, missile, and shield to train my ether manipulation. I needed to shape them with clarity and raw focus that professor Alydia had demonstrated.

    Finally, with all my power exhausted, I read more on my affinity, but also on the bloodline spellcraft spell.

    It was a ritual, and one that was thankfully not as absurd as the mental defense or naiad¡¯s kiss rituals. It only needed my blood, copper wire, and a half-carat ether crystal. All in all, I figured it probably cost around three hundred silver? Maybe a touch less, given how close we were to a site that grew and mined ether crystal.

    The actual casting would be complex. The etheric manipulation would be more fickle than any I¡¯d ever done before, and I needed to weave together portions of my bloodline as well, releasing it into specific spots in the spell array.

    The spell diagram went on for multiple pages, with different sections for the various days of the ritual. It took seven days of casting consistently and perfectly at dawn, then again at dusk, while keeping the runes drawn in blood, copper wire, and ether crystal all in contact with the skin.

    So that Sunday left me heading out to visit a components store. The one Yushin had brought me to, Hex and Legend, had been reputable, but it was also expensive. The kind of place that made its money by selling the convenience of its main street location to the people who cared more about saving a half-hour¡¯s walk than an extra hundred silvers. Well beyond my means.

    I pulled out the advertisement and coupon from the other store, Charm and Fable, and left to track down its location.

    Funnily enough, now that my secret was exposed, I was able to walk the city without fear. My family was many things ¨C rich, arrogant, evil ¨C but their pride demanded they be good to their word. Assassins and kidnappers were too underhanded for the mighty Dreki family. They would shatter my hopes and dreams legitimately.

    I turned off of the road that had Hex and Legend, and began wandering down the side streets. First one, then another, then another, and another, until I was deep in the city. There, buried amidst roofs stained with the soot of oil lamps and candles, windows fogged over with the chill of autumn touching the sea air, and the old brickwork coated in moss and lichen, I found it.

    Charm and Fable was a low, squat building, surprisingly long, with a brick base and a wooden roof. The brick was covered in ivy, all save for the shop¡¯s large central window. It was made of sixteen slightly wavered panels of glass, each one a different color. As I looked in, I could see the shimmering of different streets, all similar to the one that I was standing in, but also, all different.

    The door was old, thick oak, but good quality and kept in good repair. Set into it were the same sixteen multicolored panes of glass, much smaller, and a worn brass handle. I opened the door and stepped inside.

    Immediately, my nose was awash with scents of all sorts: incense, herbs, stones, and more, as well as a strange tingle that I was completely unable to determine the origin of.

    The inside of the shop was slightly dusky and dim, but in a sort of cozy, homey way. The multicolored glass of the window made what light the place did have slightly ethereal, and the whole shop had an air of mystical power.

    There were a few shelves in the shop, but not many, and a low glass counter. There was also a sitting area, with two chairs, a rug that was woven in patterns and with a method I¡¯d never seen before, but was clearly nice, and a stone fireplace that crackled merrily, adding a scent of pine woodsmoke into the air.

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    I started wandering the shelves, and despite the fact there weren¡¯t that many, each seemed stuffed to the brim with all sorts of components.

    ¡°Ah, hello there,¡± a voice said. I leapt, turning to see an older man standing behind the counter. I was very certain that he hadn¡¯t been here before, and stranger still, I hadn¡¯t smelled him appear. Nor could I smell him now ¨C he seemed to smell exactly the same as the rest of the shop.

    The man looked to be around fifty, with graying hair, skin that was paler than average, but still far darker than my own, and blue eyes. Piercingly blue, the kind that seemed more like ether crystals than actual eyes on a person, even one who had a bloodline. He wore nice clothes, though not rich ones, just a well made tweed suit.

    ¡°My apologies for startling you,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve got something of a¡­ Well, you could call it a spatial magic affinity. My name is Fable.¡±

    For a moment, I wondered if I should be wary. Was he a faerie, trying to take my name? But no, he¡¯d introduced himself without asking for mine.

    ¡°My name is Emrys,¡± I said after an uncomfortably long silence. Uncomfortable for me, at least. Fable seemed to be as placid as a frozen lake, gently dusting off one of the shelves behind the counter.

    ¡°Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Emrys,¡± Fable said. ¡°What might I do for you? Are you here to buy, sell, or trade?¡±

    I hefted the miniature bundle of copper wire from the shelf.

    ¡°I need this. Also a half carat ether crystal.¡±

    Fable¡¯s eyes sparkled, almost literally.

    ¡°Well well. Building a wand? Or perhaps doing some other ritual work?¡±

    I almost told him I was making a wand. After all, that¡¯s what the coupon was for. But something pricked a warning in me, that lying to this man was a phenomenally bad idea. I decided to trust my gut.

    ¡°A ritual.¡±

    I was tempted to explain more, but held back. I could trust my gut, but spilling every detail was just foolish. Fable seemed to study me, then smiled.

    ¡°Very good then. Well, a half carat, aye? I can get that.¡±

    He moved his hands through the display case and produced a jar of ether crystals, small ones. I stared, certain that the jar hadn¡¯t been in the case before.

    Fable hummed as he extracted a few of them and began weigh each on a jeweler¡¯s scale, until he found one that was a half carat. He placed the rest back in the jar and tucked it away on the shelf.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see. That totals out to¡­ Two hundred and eleven silver.¡±

    I stared at him. I had expected the prices on ether crystal might be a bit lower than usual, since the Mesa grew them, but that was a full third less than my estimate.

    ¡°I am assuming a student discount,¡± Fable said. ¡°Might I see your slate?¡±

    I scrambled to withdraw my student ID from my pocket and passed it to him. He smiled warmly, then passed it back.

    ¡°You¡¯re close to the barrier in terms of ether pool acclimation,¡± Fable told me conversationally. ¡°I expect the completion of your bloodline spellcraft ritual will push you over.¡±

    I paused in digging around for the eleven silver coins to add to the two platinum I had out already.

    ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°The components, plus the fact that while your suppression is good, I¡¯m old. Older than I look.¡±

    He laughed and patted his slightly rounded stomach.

    ¡°And I know I don¡¯t look young. But I¡¯ve seen a thing or two, and learned the odd trick here and there. I might not know much, but I know enough to see a dragon where others see a man.¡±

    More than anything else, that sent shivers down my spine. My bloodline suppression wasn¡¯t perfect, not with me having just used it earlier in the day, and without the enshroud spell, but it hadn¡¯t been seen through in¡­ years. Even Yushin hadn¡¯t been able to do as much, only having overheard my talk.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Emrys, your secret¡¯s safe with me,¡± Fable said gently. I believed him, oddly enough. ¡°When you come for components for your wand, staff, or amulet, though, consider a barter. Plenty of alchemists, refiners, and other crafters need dragon parts. Blood, tears, shed scales. I cleanse them of their link to you, then sell them.¡±

    ¡°I know a place where you can get an adult dragon¡¯s blood,¡± I said. ¡°A fourth generation son of the Dreki Matriarch bleed on a street after having his nose broken. It was on Friday, but few enough know exactly what that blood was.¡±

    Fable leaned forward with a grin.

    ¡°Ohoho. Now that is an interesting proposition. Charm¡¯s always looking for a challenge, and getting that out of the street, constable lockup, or the dump¡­ Now he¡¯d enjoy that.¡±

    Fable drummed his hands on the table.

    ¡°Tell you what. If Charm can retrieve it, and depending on the amount, I¡¯ll give you your choice of either the gold for it, or ten percent more than that in store credit.¡±

    ¡°I hope you know that if I don¡¯t get a fair price, I¡¯ll haggle with you until I do,¡± I said. Fable put a hand to his chest, as if I¡¯d stabbed him, but his face was a grin.

    ¡°You wound me sir! I would never. If I cheated every novice, then when some of them returned as powerful archmages, immortal souls, or grand composers, they¡¯d strike me dead on the spot.¡±

    He gave me a conspiratorial wink.

    ¡°At least, they¡¯d try. Well, then, what do you say, hmm?¡±

    ¡°Sounds fair,¡± I agreed. ¡°And I¡¯ll probably take store credit ¨C I get the sense I¡¯ll need a lot of ritual components.¡±

    ¡°Marvelous! Check back next weekend, aye? And if Charm likes the look of you¡­ What do you say to a part time job?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± I asked.

    I had been thinking about a job, but to just be handed an offer like that? That didn¡¯t happen. It threw me off almost as much as him knowing I was a dragon.

    ¡°Well, we were looking at taking on a clerk,¡± Fable said. ¡°And you¡¯ve not only found the shop, but also made a good impression.¡±

    ¡°Before I agree, what would it entail?¡± I asked, not wanting to enter a fairy compact or such.

    ¡°Well, we were hoping for someone to tend to the shop two or three times a week, from six in the morning until one in the afternoon. We¡¯re flexible, but Charm hates filling in as the opener. You can quit whenever, though a two week¡¯s notice is always nice. We¡¯re closed most holidays, and as long as you help the customers and finish the store chores, you¡¯re welcome to read or work on assignments. Even practice magic, if it isn¡¯t destructive.¡±

    ¡°I have Tuesday and Thursday off,¡± I said quickly, knowing better than to let this opportunity pass. ¡°And I could do a weekend. What do you offer?¡±

    ¡°Two gold an hour base salary, a yearly bonus, plus the right to purchase components at cost for as long as you¡¯re employed here. You¡¯ll have to learn a few of the rules, though ¨C currency conversions, working the shelves, and navigating the storage, mainly. And languages. Are you any good with them?¡±

    ¡°I speak nine fluently, and have a smattering of words in a dozen more ¡± I said, a bit prideful. My wandering had given me a lot of time and met a lot of strangers, even in an ether poor area.

    ¡°I assume you know the bloodline dragontoungue, Ceyish, and other mortal tongues, but what about the other innate planar languages?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fluent in radiance,¡± I said. ¡°Otherwise I can muddle through some flamespeak, and a bit of earthspeak. Oh, and I can swear like a sailor in deviltongue.¡±

    We went back and forth for a while, with Fable suggesting I pick up a bit more deviltongue, as well as round out and sharpen my skills with the bloodline elemental languages, plus a reminder that my employment would depend partially on if Charm liked me or not.

    After that we chatted about the war, the Dreki family, and my own situation, before I left the shop with the small crystal and copper wiring.

 Chapter Twenty-Nine: Xanders Massage

    ¡°Today¡¯s class, as well as the next two, will be focused on internal ether techniques,¡± professor Silverbark said. ¡°Each one will focus on a core aspect of ether: recovery, power, and control. Who can tell me how long it takes for an ether pool to recover from total emptiness?¡±

    I shifted uncomfortably in my chair, scratching at my stomach, where I¡¯d bound the ether crystal, copper, and blood symbol. The minotaur who was in my ethics course, who I¡¯d learned was named Kybar, raised his hand.

    ¡°Twelve hours on average,¡± Kybar said. ¡°Though everyone¡¯s innate connection to Etherius is different, so some take more or less.¡±

    ¡°Very good, you¡¯ve also answered my next question of where the power comes from ¨C our spiritual connection to Etherius. Think of it as a plant, whose roots are in Etherius, and whose branches are in us. Ether recovery techniques stimulate the connection, the trunk of the tree, to allow Etherius to rush into us more effectively. There are many, many techniques out there, but this class will begin with Xander¡¯s massage. Does anyone know why?¡±

    Yushin raised her hand this time.

    ¡°My auntie began teaching me this when I came here. She said it had the most effective ratio of effort to recovery.¡±

    ¡°Ah yes, there we have it! There are easier techniques, and if you cannot perform the massage by next week, I implore you to seek them out. There are more effective techniques, like the devil¡¯s spiral, which you¡¯ll learn if you take my ether manipulation course. But the easier ones are much less effective, and the harder ones are twice as hard for only half again as much recovery as the massage. But that¡¯s half. What about the other half?¡±

    Yushin was silent, so Wesley called out.

    ¡°Depth. Some techniques provide more of a benefit with experience. This is one.¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡± professor Silverbark said. The professor waved his hand, and a bunch of small devices that looked like crystalline bonsai trees appeared on the table.

    ¡°These clever little bits of artifice are built to simulate your ether pool and connection to Etherius. You¡¯ll find pathways to flow ether through inside the trunk, as well as places where you¡¯ll need to press in order to massage. If you do it correctly, the leaves will turn from clear to green. Massage the wrong spot, yellow. Do something that would actively slow down your recovery or harm you? Red. The more leaves you¡¯re able to light, the better ¨C or worse if the light is red ¨C you¡¯re doing the technique. By next class, I want you to be able to turn three leaves green. By the end of the year, I want you to light at least ten.¡±

    As he spoke, the little crystal trees started floating out to each of the tables, and I picked it up, studying it. There were roughly fifty leaves on the device, and when I passed my ether through the internal pathways. It was vaguely like the shaping of a spell, but instead of geometric patterns, this involved pushing and pulling at the edges of an artificial ether pool inside the device. I did my best to follow the pathway built out and depress where I could feel it, but the leaf turned a light yellow color.

    Yushin tapped the trunk of hers, and after a few seconds, a single leaf lit up in green. A second leaf started to flicker between green and yellow, and she gave herself a small tilt of her head in approval.

    ¡°A reasonable start,¡± she said, then took the crystal into her lap and closed her eyes, meditating.

    Kybar touched his own device, and after a second, its leaf turned yellow as well.

    All around the room, yellow was lighting up on the trees, save for two other people who managed to turn a leaf green, and a handful of poor saps who got bright red. It gave me a smug sort of satisfaction to see that Wesley, despite his condescending attitude, lit his tree in a deep yellow, bordering on orange. Maybe the smug prick would finally hit a wall when it came to practical application.

    I spent a good amount of time working on the technique, trying to follow the pathways laid out in the device, to push and pull. I was a pretty good ether shaper ¨C water to wine was far and away the most difficult spell array I¡¯d seen outside of affinity magic, and I could consistently cast it ¨C but this was an entirely new skill. Still, by the end of class, I was in the half of people who were able to turn one of the leaves green.

    I glanced at Yushin as the hour came to a close.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got to ask the professor a question, you can go ahead. I¡¯ll meet you at the dining hall.¡±

    Yushin agreed, and I approached professor Silverbark.

    ¡°Ah, hello Emrys,¡± the professor said. ¡°Good start on your ether recovery technique so far. If you practice it either during the week, or over the weekend, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to light three leaves with ease.¡±

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    ¡°Thank you professor,¡± I said. ¡°I was wondering, though ¨C you said you taught the ether manipulation course?¡±

    ¡°I do indeed, for years one and two,¡± he said agreeably. ¡°Are you having trouble?¡±

    ¡°Something like that. I need a technique to compress my power,¡± I said. ¡°My et¨C¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not!¡± the professor said sharply, looking up seriously. ¡°Who put such an idea in your head?¡±

    ¡°Sh¨¦ Rui?¡± I said.

    ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with¡­ him?¡± professor Silverbark said. I nodded, and the teacher continued speaking. ¡°But he did you a great disservice. I advise you to forget such an idea. Leave it be.¡±

    ¡°Okay, if you really say it will be dangerous for me, I¡¯ll leave it be, but can I ask why? It doesn¡¯t seem obviously dangerous, or I wouldn¡¯t have asked.¡±

    I¡¯d compressed my bloodline to an absurd degree, after all, and that compressed power had let me keep up with Gerhard, even if only for a few seconds.

    Professor Silverbark gave me a tired, serious look, then shook his head.

    ¡°You know that Magyk favors the young and bold, correct? Well, that¡¯s a common saying, and it¡¯s true when it comes to growing your power, but not condensation. That¡¯s one reason that we don¡¯t teach it until you¡¯re over twenty-five. The low hanging fruit of expanding your power will have been plucked, so you can focus on application and condensation. Your power also undergoes a fundamental change then, where compressing it no longer shrinks the pool, making it even more important to wait. To say nothing of the fact that your ether will naturally grow to fit your spells better as you cast them.¡±

    ¡°I understand that¨C¡±

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t, because I¡¯m not done,¡± the professor said irritably. ¡°The other reason is that the denser your power, the harder it is to expand it. Seven hundred years ago, there was a kingdom to the south, the Silverbrand Empire. They thought it was a grand idea to teach the compression of power to all of their children who developed an ether pool, or had a bloodline, or anything of the sort. Do you know what happened to them?¡±

    ¡°They fell?¡±

    ¡°Exactly. They raised an entire generation on the principle of compressing their power as much as possible while young, and they were left with soldiers who, even with mandatory training to expand their pools, could barely cast first circle spells. Oh, those spells were potent, but what good is a mage who can only fire a single arcane missile, regardless of how strong it is? They tried to reverse course and hire mercenaries to defend their armies, but it was too late. Their kingdom was overrun with demons within thirty years.¡±

    I was quiet for a long moment, and professor Silverbark seemed to take that as acceptance.

    ¡°I see you¡¯re beginning to understand,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re in Applied Mage Combat, no? That course should teach you to apply your power well, and application of power is every bit as important as the amount.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± I said. ¡°I just¡­¡±

    I trailed off and started again.

    ¡°I have to enter a ¨CI don¡¯t remember what Yushin called it ¨C but basically an honor duel against my older brother, Gerhard Dreki, if I want to keep attending and not be forcibly dragged back to the isle. I was advised that I might be able to keep up with him, just a little bit, if I compressed my power.¡±

    Professor Silverbark sighed and ran a hand through his long hair.

    ¡°Well. I can understand why you¡¯d be tempted, in that case, but¡­¡±

    He seemed to waffle back and forth, so I applied a bit of pressure.

    ¡°Please, professor,¡± I said.

    ¡°Fine, fine. Do you know how to layer spell arrays?¡±

    I shook my head, and the professor let out a huff.

    ¡°It¡¯s closely linked to compression, and might even compress your pool a little, which again, is part of why, even though it¡¯s simple, we don¡¯t teach it until third year ether manipulation. Or postgraduate magical education or military mage training, if you¡¯re not in the ether manipulation courses. But it¡¯s not directly compressing your power ¨C it¡¯s compressing a spell¡¯s power.¡±

    He held out his hand and a weirlight appeared in his hand, then a second. They drifted together until they fused into a single, much brighter, weirlight.

    ¡°The basic idea is that you cast the spell twice, then layer the arrays on top of one another, and push them together before you cast. It links them and pushes more power through it than the spell could normally hold. One moment.¡±

    His hand flickered with ether, and he pulled out a pair of plates, which he passed to me.

    ¡°This is a training device for the skill. Run ether through the plates, and they¡¯ll levitate, one on top of the other, and you try to push them together.¡±

    I was kind of starting to regret not taking the ether manipulation course. And the blood magic course. And¡­

    Then again, he said this technique wasn¡¯t taught until third year, even though it was easy to learn, so students wouldn¡¯t overly compress their ether by accident.

    ¡°Thank you professor,¡± I said. ¡°When do you want this back?¡±

    ¡°Just return it once you¡¯re able to get the plates to touch consistently,¡± he said, waving me off. ¡°I keep enough of them as is. But don¡¯t only practice it. I¡¯m quite serious when I say you should master Xander¡¯s massage, erosion expansion, and the dancing waves techniques first, and get good with them. A good amount of power that recovers fast and is applied correctly has won far more wars than absurdly potent power.¡±

    I wondered what he¡¯d think of the fact that I was also practicing detonating my own ether, bottling that explosion, and forcing it back into my pool to expand my power. On one hand, he did teach ether manipulation, so he might approve of my resolve.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I repeated, then left to meet Yushin. As I walked, I thought about the implications of compressing my dragonfire so much. It had let me keep up with Gerhard, but it had burnt out quickly.

    If it was true that it would make expanding the fire harder, then that was a serious downside, and one I wasn¡¯t sure that I¡¯d be able to rectify. I¡¯d definitely stop working on compression for a bit, in order to focus on expanding it as much as I could, while I still could.

    It was frustrating. I¡¯d already felt behind people like Yushin, let alone someone who had fully embraced their bloodline, like Gerhard, and my one big advantage had turned out to come with a crippling side effect.

    But it also couldn¡¯t be too horrible, or Sh¨¦ Rui wouldn¡¯t have let Yushin practice it. He seemed to consider it to be almost as important as the others. Then again, the basic exercises I¡¯d shown off to her had been fairly entry level, nothing compared to the amount I¡¯d compressed my own fire.

    I growled to myself and shook my head. I needed to eat, and maybe talk to professor Alydia about this. By the time I got to lunch, Yushin had already left, so I ate quickly, then walked to Applied Mage Combat.

 Chapter Thirty: Into the Library

    ¡°Welcome, class,¡± professor Alydia said. ¡°Everyone, please come forward, so I can mark you, and then we will begin.¡±

    ¡°Mark us?¡± Yushin asked skeptically.

    ¡°It¡¯s a simple fifth circle contingency mark,¡± Wesley scoffed. ¡°Obviously.¡±

    ¡°Partially correct. As Wesley pointed out, it is a contingency spell, set to teleport you out if you become severely wounded,¡± professor Alydia said. ¡°But I teach three of these classes, each one with roughly ten students. Putting that many marks would deplete even my ether pool.¡±

    She produced a paintbrush from nowhere, and funneled ether into it. The tip began to glow.

    ¡°This paintbrush was made by an artificer out of the wood of a moonsoaked rowan, and further imbued with the assistance of spatial, containment, and rune affinities. I can paint the marks on you at a much reduced cost, but they¡¯ll fade after four hours and thirty-seven minutes. Come on, we haven¡¯t got all day.¡±

    One of the second year students approached, and one by one, we shuffled up to have a strange, box-swirl glyph painted on the back of our hand. That made the second symbol painted on me today, though the first had been done in my own blood on my stomach.

    Once we finished, professor Alydia clapped.

    ¡°You¡¯re free to go. You have until the end of the period to retrieve at least one complete set of arcane armor, missile, and shield. For perfect marks, all of you should have one.¡±

    ¡°Right, so, remember the plan,¡± Jackson said. ¡°Yushin and Salem will scan the shelves. Emrys and I will play defense against any beings that show up.¡±

    Yushin and Salem both withdrew leather gardening gloves, which should hopefully stop any toxins that we found so close to the entryway of the library, and Yushin muttered a spell under her breath for poison detection. At least, that¡¯s what she claimed ¨C I suspected that she was just using it as cover for her bloodline.

    All of us withdrew straps of leather and pressed them to our chests as we muttered the incantation, made the right gestures, and shaped the ether from our pool. The moment we finished, barely-visible arcane armor appeared around me in a faint blue, a hint of green around Salem, a purple shimmer around Yushin, and bright red armor around Jackson.

    I stepped through the door to the library ¨C or, rather, the doorframe ¨C first, followed by Salem, then Yushin and Jackson.

    ¡°Grab the ones from the table, fast,¡± I told our last two in a hurried whisper. Jackson launched himself forwards and snatched them up, then we retreated to the reading room to flip through the pages. Other groups were starting to move in as well, and the table was filling with random books between every blink. I turned back to the group.

    ¡°What did we get?¡±

    ¡°The Clever Investor¡¯s Guide to the Shield Spell, a Spell Guide for Clever Investors, by the Clever Investor, Elias Cleatus,¡± Jackson read aloud, then made a face. ¡°If this weren¡¯t a useful book, I¡¯d burn it.¡±

    I glared at him for even suggesting the idea. Yushin, on the other hand, unrolled a scroll in Hua-Long and shook her head.

    ¡°No luck. It is a spell for discerning familial relations.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow, and she quickly shook her head, asking me not to press it. I didn¡¯t, so she tucked both the spell guides away in her ring and we moved out to guard the shelves. I took point, watching the shadows with my well beyond human senses, while Jackson watched our flank.

    We took several long steps into the shelves, with my hair standing on end as I could feel eyes on me, more eyes than any one creature should possess. There were more eyes in this library than there were in the entire rest of the Citadel of Ether put together, and every single one of those eyes was on me. I couldn¡¯t see them, but I¨C

    I shuddered and shoved the effect out of my mind as we slowly shuffled deeper into the shelves. It was very slow going, since the shelves were about six feet high, and even a few steps held hundreds of books. Most of the books spines were utter gibberish, but we still needed to check every one of them, which meant after five minutes, we¡¯d only really cleared a single shelf.

    Just as I was starting to relax, at least as much as I could in the library, a shadow twitched beneath my feet. I stumbled, as it rose up from behind me, and heard Jackson starting to speak, but ignored it.

    Icy cold hands pressed to my skin, slipping through my arcane armor as if it wasn¡¯t even there. As they began to sink into my flesh, I felt a bloodline reach out for my strength, trying to drain me dry to enhance its own power.

    I ran my fire through the embers to enhance my strength, then punched out at its shadowy body. It was left entirely unharmed, and I grimaced. I released my bloodline to conserve its limited power, and disjointed it, slowing the draining of the strange shadow creature.

    I began chanting, but Jackson¡¯s voice rose as he completed his incantation. He raised his hand, and an orb of light the size of my head appeared, like a weirlight, but somehow both brighter and calmer, more intense and more natural. When its light fell upon the shadow-things, they shot backward, moving like a liquid across the floor.

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    I conjured a few weirlights and flicked them out at the shadows, sending them scurrying, and Jackson gave a goofy grin.

    ¡°Lesser sunlight. Pretty useful spell,¡± he said in a slightly-too-loud whisper.

    We started moving again, and Salem clicked his tongue.

    ¡°Gotcha,¡± he said, pulling a thick book from the shelf. It was in Hydref, which I didn''t speak much of, but I was able to make out the word for force.

    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked in hushed tones.

    ¡°Sokolov¡¯s Comprehensive Guide ta Firs¡¯ Circle Force Combat Spells,¡± he said, flipping it open to scan the table of contents. ¡°S¡¯ got all three we need, an¡¯ a couple a¡¯ others, like force hand.¡±

    He said three like tree, and I felt myself grin, then turned my attention back to the library again.

    We started moving again, with shadows occasionally dancing at the edge of Jackson¡¯s lesser sunlight spell. Yushin held up a hand for us to pause, though, and we came to a stop. She crept forward, then ran a gloved finger through a fine layer of dust on the ground. It was slightly thicker than the dust that covered the rest of the library, but not enough that I¡¯d taken note of it.

    ¡°Contact poison,¡± she said. ¡°Fairly weak, but if we¡¯d kicked it up while we walked, we would be covered in rashes.¡±

    She used her gloves to slowly and carefully push it to one side and the other, forming a clear walkway for us to file through. We did, and continued slowly deeper.

    Salem¡¯s eyes went wide after we¡¯d made it a little bit further, and picked up one more spell guide.

    ¡°Brain-rats¡¯re watchin¡¯ us, an¡¯ already trynna¡¯ worm into my brain,¡± he said. ¡°Someone drive ¡®em off, I¡¯ll amplify the fear tah get through their mental shieldin¡¯.¡±

    I raised my hand and began casting the spook animals spell, while Salem muttered his own spell. After a few moments, there was a scampering sound as rats fled from us, and we pressed on.

    I was the first to hear the buzzing of the next attack, and I began flicking my hands and chanting a spell, reaching into my pocket and removing a handful of sand.

    The shelves began to crawl with scarabs and centipedes, earwigs and worms, horseflies and roaches, and more besides, and I cast the spell, flinging the sand out into the air. It started to multiply and transform, filling the space with glimmering silver-rainbow light and particulates.

    The glimmersand spell, against a human opponent, was more of a distraction than a proper attack. The rapidly shifting lights, the grit in their eyes, and abrasive sting on their skin making it hellishly difficult to concentrate on casting a spell or fine manipulation of power.

    Against a bunch of bugs?

    The bright lights and scouring sands sent them scurrying back into the shelves, and when the spell ended a few seconds later, they were nowhere to be found.

    We continued our slow, trudging advancement, working through the shelves one by one. Though the books didn¡¯t come frequently, they did slowly continue to show up, often in Ceyish, but sometimes in other languages. We even grabbed a book that was in a tongue that Salem recognized as the intrinsic language spoken by beings on one of the planes of plants, though he couldn¡¯t read it. Maybe we could trade it?

    The attacks kept up as well, as did the traps. Yushin pulled a thin spell guide off the shelf, only to reveal a glowing rune beneath it, which released a tendril of electricity at her. I knocked her out of the way and let it run through my body, burning through a bit of my bloodline to enforce my body against the external power.

    It was strange: the library itself seemed to be responding to what we were looking for. Stranger still, we most often encountered it after running into a trap. I was really beginning to wonder if the library itself might be intelligent, and perhaps less malicious than it felt. This felt more like a test, or the trials that I knew some of Shen-Long¡¯s sects made their participants undergo, than it did something trying to kill us full stop.

    By the time that one and a half hours had passed, we¡¯d collected four copies of the shield spell, two copies of arcane missile, the one copy of arcane armor from the compendium, plus whatever the unknown book was. A copy of the flamethrower spell had also fallen on top of Jackson¡¯s head once, dislodging a bunch of itching powder, but doing no actual harm.

    ¡°Do we turn around?¡± I asked. ¡°This class is three hours, and we should make it back. We¡¯ve definitely passed, if nothing else.¡±

    ¡°Push on,¡± Yushin said, shaking her head. ¡°We need to ensure that we get more copies. Simply passing is not satisfactory.¡±

    ¡°A¡¯ get where¡¯re comin¡¯ from,¡± Salem said. ¡°But nah. We can go back slow-like, just like gettin¡¯ here, an¡¯ pick up some more on the way.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Jackson said with a shrug. ¡°Even without using fire, most of what¡¯s shown up so far hasn¡¯t been too dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Turn back,¡± I said. ¡°Taking a lightning bolt to the face burnt a lot of what I have left of my bloodline, I¡¯m down to about a third. If I have to do something like that again from pressing forward, I¡¯m not sure I can act as guard on our way back.¡±

    Yushin¡¯s jaw worked for a second, then she nodded, and we turned around. I was able to relax a little bit, with Jackson now effectively working as the front guard, but I still wasn¡¯t able to entirely relax.

    The traps were less on our way back, but the books we ran into were slower to show up as well. Most of them weren¡¯t any major problems, but one gave us a lot of trouble.

    ¡°Stop,¡± I hissed, and our group came to a stop. I pointed to the ceiling, where I could faintly see and smell magical runes lining it. They formed a neat, orderly line, completely covering the narrow hall.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Jackson said. ¡°What do we do?¡±

    I scrabbled in my pockets until I found a smooth river stone, then cast the levitation cantrip on it and sent it floating over the line of wards.

    When nothing happened, I floated it back and pulled out one of the dried berries I used for the lifeberries spell. I began swirling ether around them, and after a short wait, it turned to the glowing green lifeberry.

    I flicked it over, hoping the runes were tuned for life, and sure enough, magic discharged down on it, a rain of four arcane missiles that tore the berry apart.

    The runes winked out, and we kept pressing forwards.

    By the time we got back to the central wooden table, we¡¯d managed to pick up two more copies of arcane armor and one more arcane missile, and stopped in the reading room. I paused when I recognized someone.

    ¡°Anna of Endless Fields!¡± I said, waving her over. The second year looked up and walked over.

    I held up the copy of the book.

    ¡°Don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re good with planar languages?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Oh, a bit. This is¡­ that¡¯s¡­ Movement about eight legged builders? Oh! Spider climb. That¡¯s a good one, you can probably trade it for something.¡±

    We glanced at one another.

    ¡°We do need another copy of both arcane armor and missile,¡± I said, ¡°but if any of you really want it, then I won¡¯t stop you.¡±

    We glanced at one another for a moment, then moved to the board and started writing the entry for trade.

    ¡°And that¡¯s time,¡± professor Alydia said, appearing from seemingly nowhere. ¡°Finish writing, then we¡¯ll head out for our debrief.¡±

 Chapter Thirty-One: Improving the Odds

    ¡°Well,¡± professor Alydia began. ¡°First, I should congratulate everyone for passing. In my Monday class, I had to fail a group who were panicked by the first group of bugs they came across. I¡¯ll begin with our second years, though.¡±

    She turned to the group and shook her head.

    ¡°You collected only seven books. You are all capable of casting at least one fourth circle spell, and reliably casting third circle and below. You have taken battle magic courses. Yet you preformed barely above the threshold to pass. Why?¡±

    ¡°We were restricted,¡± the man who had the void that pulled everything in said. ¡°We¡¯re all battlemages. But the library doesn¡¯t like its books being damaged. We were limited to using our defensive magic to protect ourselves and use highly targeted spells like arcane missile.¡±

    ¡°And this perfectly illustrates why this course is different from battle magic courses,¡± professor Alydia said. ¡°You learned a half dozen ways to burn, freeze, and shock your enemies, as well as a myriad of defenses. But there are times in life where simply throwing our your most powerful spells or leaning on a potent affinity is not enough.¡±

    ¡°Professor, with all due respect¡­ Outside of the library, when is that true? It¡¯s not like demons care.¡±

    ¡°Off the top of my head? Perhaps the demons have kidnapped a group of hostages or wounded allies, and you cannot simply blast them all. Perhaps you have been forced to shelter in a narrow ravine or cave where lighting the scrub around you would mean your death. Perha¨C¡±

    ¡°I get it,¡± the man sulked.

    ¡°Good. Next is Wesley. You chose to go in alone, which allowed you to collect all your books, as well as a few extras, and leave quite quickly. In this instance, you did quite well, but going alone also has disadvantages, no?¡±

    ¡°As I had nobody to watch my back, I was almost caught in an ambush,¡± Wesley stated calmly. ¡°But I noticed it fast enough to get a shield up against the animated knife. I maintain it was the correct choice.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± professor Alydia said. ¡°And that brings us to our next and final team. You may have missed two, or your trade may come through and round it out to a perfect score. Time will tell. As individuals, I¡¯ll begin with the best member of the group: Jackson. Despite not being able to use your affinity or fire magic, you were quick to act with solutions against the shadows, were readying your own solutions to every trap in case your group had no counter, and were prepared to heal Emrys after the trap struck him with remarkable alacrity.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow. I hadn¡¯t realized that, but before I could inquire more, the professor turned to Salem.

    ¡°You used your psychic senses well, and successfully stopped a dangerous attack. When delving for first circle spell guides, psychic rats are among the most dangerous possible encounters, as their stealth and psychic powers can easily stun someone, leaving them vulnerable. Well done, but I warn you to not over-rely on those powers. If the library sent an animated construct at you, like the paperswarms or flying daggers, you would not sense them.¡±

    She turned to me.

    ¡°You did very well, tied for second. Your trick with the lifeberry spell in particular was excellent. I must warn you against leaping in front of teammates to take blows, however. If your defenses run dry, the habit can kill you.¡±

    I nodded my agreement, relieved to have done well.

    ¡°And lastly¡­ Yushin. You relied on your spell to sense toxins. It did help your team, quite a bit, but as a shelf comber, you failed to look for any magical traps. A simple ethersight spell upon seeing the volume would have avoided straining your teammate. You performed well, but worst of your group.¡±

    Yushin pressed her lips together, then bowed.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Professor Alydia clapped.

    ¡°Next week, we will be pitting your teams against a haunted house, possessed by either a poltergeist, infested with a group of ghouls, or the remains of a necromancer¡¯s attempts. Be prepared.¡±

    Then she muttered a few words and vanished.

    ¡°Here,¡± Yushin said, thrusting the compendium of force spells at Salem. She then pushed three spell guides to me, and four to Jackson ¨C the arcane armor, missile, and shield spells, plus flamethrower. ¡°I will wait for the trade, or go without.¡±

    ¡°Nah,¡± Jackson said, pushing two of his to her. ¡°I already have flamethrower. It and arcane armor are good for me. I¡¯ll wait.¡±

    Yushin blushed, opened her mouth, closed it again, and nodded.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    I spent much of the rest of the day, as well as the entirety of Thursday, cramming in every bit of practice I could. I trained with Xander¡¯s massage until I could reliably light two of the leaves, I read from my grimoire to work on developing my understanding of misfortune, and I focused on learning the shrinking spell I¡¯d need in order to get into the pixie castle¡¯s ballroom for Conjuration One.

    The shrink or grow spell had been on my list of ¡®things to do¡¯, but that list had gotten significantly more complicated when Gerhard had come calling, leaving me a bit hung out to dry. I didn¡¯t want to rely on that one cabinet again, so cramming would have to do, especially since I needed to return the book before midnight on Thursday.

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    I ¨C just barely ¨C managed it, shoving the book back on the shelf at eleven forty-nine at night, having managed to cast and transcribe it into my book, then turned to practicing casting it, since having it transcribed was far from being the same as being able to reliably cast the spell without a reference. When I was low on ether, I read about my affinity, then practiced the massage.

    When I finally turned in at four in the morning, I promised myself I wouldn¡¯t pull all nighters to cram spellwork in again¡­ but I had an idea I wouldn¡¯t be able to keep that promise.

    Getting up at sunrise to continue the ritual spell was annoying, but with my fire able to rest in the embers, rather than needing to be forcibly disjointed, at least I was able to keep myself awake, and as I went to get the flavorless porridge the school served each morning, I had a pleasant surprise.

    In addition to the porridge, which had been dosed with a little bit of cinnamon and sugar, there was a cup of black coffee and two boiled eggs sitting next to it. I stared at it dumbly for a moment, unsure what to make of it, before it clicked.

    I¡¯d started to get grades, and I¡¯d done well in professor Alydia¡¯s assessment of our performances when delving the library. Under my scholarship, I was given adaptive conditions, including food.

    I devoured the eggs and spiced porridge happily, then drained the coffee. It didn¡¯t have much effect ¨C even in my human form, most poisons weren¡¯t as potent for me as they were for others, which included things like coffee and alcohol ¨C but the warm liquid at least woke me up a little bit.

    My first class in the morning was with professor Caeruleum, and they gave me a look as I entered. I couldn¡¯t decipher it, so I just let it go for now. The classroom had been changed ¨C though there was still a board for them to write on, there were no more seats, just a spot for people to put their bags. I didn¡¯t have any, just the pouches I wore under the school uniform, so I instead strolled out to the mats where we had practiced the umbrella cantrip.

    Each of the mats had a floating glass machine hovering near the edge, and I gave it a curious look.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I asked. The glass turned red.

    ¡°You shall see,¡± the professor said with a slight smile.

    Once everyone was there, professor Caeruleum clapped to draw attention.

    ¡°Welcome, class. Over the next two weeks, we will be covering three basic, but endlessly useful abjuration spells, for both combat and noncombat uses: hidden conversation, peacecharm, and allies¡¯ sigil.¡±

    They gestured to the glass machines.

    ¡°You have no doubt wondered what these are. They are unique bits of artifice, meant to respond when they hear Ceyish, turning red. They can also release a weak stunning spell when turned upside down, and glow green when an etheric sigil is placed upon them. They will be excellent training tools for these three spells.¡±

    They gestured to the board, where a spell began to draw itself out.

    ¡°Hidden conversation,¡± professor Caeruleum said by way of explanation. ¡°Quite a useful spell. It creates an intangible barrier around you and up to five others that muffles and distorts sound to anyone not within your spell. If I were to cast it on myself, my lecture would sound like an utterly mundane, slightly quiet, conversation. Perhaps about how a bakery had switched the brand of flour.¡±

    Another spell began to draw itself out on the board.

    ¡°Peacecharm¡­ Perhaps the most useful spell you¡¯ll ever learn, at least in my opinion. So long as your intentions remain peaceful, this will act as a powerful ward against nearly any kind of attack directly targeting you. It won¡¯t prevent accidents or being caught up incidentally, nor will it protect you more than once per casting. But for anyone simply wishing to live a peaceful life, it is powerful indeed.¡±

    A third spell drew itself out on the board.

    ¡°Allies¡¯ sigil. When you cast this spell, you magically place a mark upon yourself and up to three others, shielding you from the damage of one another¡¯s spellcraft until the mark fades. It¡¯s not perfect ¨C it won¡¯t stop intentionally aiming to strike an ally ¨C but it will prevent you from roasting an ally with your own fireball or lightning bolt. Alas, it lasts only for a minute before it needs more ether. Still, very useful.¡±

    They then began to slowly demonstrate the motions and words of power for the spell, going through each one five times, before they began walking around the room, occasionally demonstrating again for those who needed it.

    I looked at the spells, considering which to do first.

    It wasn¡¯t much of a choice. Allies¡¯ sigil could protect from getting caught in a fireball, and Jackson was a fire mage. Its short duration was a problem, but most fights weren¡¯t incredibly long. A five minute fight could easily strain someone to their limits.

    I started practicing the spell, and was surprised with how easily it came to me. Learning a spell after seeing it cast a few times was possible, but I was no prodigy, and yet, it only took me a few dozen attempts before the spell array formed, and my orb started to glow.

    It was sloppy, wasteful, and the rune shed so much light as to almost be blinding, but it had worked. It was almost like the spell had wanted to be completed.

    I focused on that as I worked to refine my casting of the spell and felt¡­ Something. It tickled at my ether pool, and when the professor came by to check on me, I asked a question.

    ¡°Professor, I hope this isn¡¯t impolite, but¡­ What¡¯s your affinity?¡±

    ¡°It can be considered rude in some places,¡± professor Caeruleum said, a small smile on their face. ¡°But I happen to have an abjuration affinity. Rare, but not unheard of.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re using it to enhance our spells, are you?¡± I asked. The professor gave me a sly wink.

    ¡°You would be surprised what a bit of confidence does,¡± they said. ¡°By ensuring everyone¡¯s cast each spell at least a few times, their practice at home will improve dramatically. You must have an especially astute sense for ether shaping.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve practiced disjointing, compressing, and shaping my bloodline a lot,¡± I said. ¡°Much of the skills carry over.¡±

    ¡°I do hope you¡¯re not compressing your ether pool?¡± Caeruleum asked with a note of concern.

    ¡°No,¡± I said. ¡°Never had a reason to hide it, so I didn¡¯t try. Professor Silverbark chewed me out for even asking.¡±

    ¡°Good, good,¡± they said, then raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re speaking more openly about your blood.¡±

    ¡°Did you not hear what happened?¡± I asked. They shook their head, and I grimaced, filling them in. A considering look came across their face.

    ¡°I see,¡± they said, then smiled.

    I frowned. I¡¯d expected¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure. They were very amenable, but this was an odd reaction.

    ¡°Towards the latter half of second semester, you will learn a neat little bit of magic called spellglyph,¡± they said. ¡°A lower circle, more limited version of the contingency spell. I think it would behoove you to find a copy of it early, and then visit the empty spire reserved for Holmgang challenges.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ okay?¡± I said, confused.

    ¡°Though if anyone asks, don¡¯t tell them I said that. But you really ought to do it. Oh, and¡­ While you might not be under placebo when you leave the class, my spell is helping you learn and improve. I want to see just how much power you can draw out from me to improve yourself.¡±

    I nodded and focused on the sensation of their magic, pulling into my own as I worked to refine my casting.

 Chapter Thirty-Two: The Nature of Conjuration

    With the power of the professor¡¯s abjuration affinity to supplement my own, I made record progress. Every mistake I made, I was nudged in the right direction to build my skills for the next attempt, and it was almost as easy as learning three new cantrips, instead of three first circle spells.

    I suspected that dropping the challenge by roughly a circle would likely be the limit of the affinity¡¯s help, though. Everything had its limits, and based on my sense for Caeruleum¡¯s power, I thought doing more would strain even their angelus-bloodline empowered reserves.

    I spent lunch ¨C which was an actual sandwich and fruit ¨C practicing with Xander¡¯s massage, as well as copying the arcane armor, missile, and shield spells into my grimoire, since I was already quite familiar with their spell arrays and casting. I wasn¡¯t able to get all three copied in, not with only two hours, but I got the armor spell and part of the missile spell in.

    After that, it was a short hike to the pixie castle, where I took several minutes to cast my shrinking spell ¨C pulling an all nighter to cram the spell in hadn¡¯t given me the firmest grasp on it. Still, I got there in the end, shrinking down until the magic of the castle gripped me and relieved my ether of the ongoing spell cost.

    After making my way to the ballroom, I saw three blackboards spread out, with a spell on each one. Professor Toadweather waved cheerfully to me.

    ¡°Good, good, you used your own shrinking spell this time! Or maybe you hid the device. Either is good, yes indeed!¡±

    ¡°Thanks professor,¡± I said. She beamed at me and flitted around the room, before finally landing when the last person arrived.

    ¡°Welcome class, welcome! Over the next several classes, we will be going over three incredibly important spells for conjuration as a whole, as they represent the three of the four primary types of conjuration magic ¨C summoning stuff, summoning beings, and compacts.¡±

    ¡°What is the fourth?¡± the tall treefolk beside me asked. ¡°Why is it not there?¡±

    ¡°Teleportation,¡± the professor said cheerily. ¡°But that¡¯s¡­ complicated. Even the simplest spell to transport you across space is a second circle spell, Etherius step, and it needs some components.¡±

    She tapped the first spell, then whipped a wand out. A blackish-green glob erupted from its tip and splashed against the wall, where it erupted and stuck.

    ¡°Summon goo!¡± professor Toadweather announced cheerfully. ¡°It summons goo! You can use it as you wish. Tie up your friends and prank your enemies.¡±

    I opened my mouth to ask if she¡¯d gotten it the wrong way around, but then closed it.

    She then slowed, moving her hands precisely and chanting, showing us the spell repeatedly, before moving on to the next spell. It was much more complex than summon goo, but I saw some parts similar, while others resembled summon gadhar.

    ¡°Summon rat swarm,¡± professor Toadweather said. ¡°This is where the fun part starts. Can anyone tell me why this spell is more complex?¡±

    ¡°Is it because you¡¯re summoning more things? A whole swarm, not just a ball of goo?¡± the treefolk next to me asked.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s because life is more complicated,¡± the girl who thought she was descended from a dragon said. ¡°Duh.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, perhaps, perhaps. And yet¡­¡±

    She pulled out a different color chalk and circled parts of the spell.

    ¡°These parts are what do the summoning. As you can see, it is more complex than just summon goo, but not immensely. Mass and magic make summoning things harder, and a rat swarm is not much more of either. So¡­ What do the rest do?¡±

    ¡°Are they what stops the summoned creatures from eating you?¡± I suggested, then frowned. Some of those spell parts looked awfully similar to the ones in the ritual I was working on. ¡°Or maybe¡­ Determine the bloodline of what you¡¯re calling?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. Close, but not quite. Let me rephrase. Is conjuring a creature slavery?¡±

    ¡°No, they have to choose to answer the call,¡± I said.

    Even I knew that one, the woman who¡¯d taught me how to summon gadhar had impressed the importance of treating the gadhar well for that very reason.

    ¡°Right, right. Why would they do that?¡±

    ¡°The magic helps stre¡­¡±

    It clicked into place.

    ¡°Those parts of the spell convert our ether in the spell into power that strengthens their bloodlines,¡± I said excitedly. ¡°And like you said last time, summoned beings don¡¯t die outside of their home plane. They might feel pain and get annoyed if they¡¯re killed, but they reform unhurt and able to use the power to improve themselves.¡±

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    Professor Toadweather pointed at me excitedly.

    ¡°Yes! Yes! Very good. This is the basic foundation for summoning. It¡¯s also ¨C thank Magyk ¨C a safety measure. With most conjuration spells that summon a creature, they have to agree to the rules and restrictions in here. They can¡¯t attack you, and they¡¯ll listen to your orders as long as they¡¯re summoned. But those are orders, which is why you should remember to treat them with care.¡±

    She grew very serious then, giving us a worn, tired smile.

    ¡°When I was very young, I was summoned by a very bad man. Very bad indeed. He had me do things I would prefer to not speak of, then tried to summon me again. I could have refused, but we fae do so love revenge. I accepted, and waited. Many things you will summon ¨C fae, demons, celestials, elementals ¨C are very long lived. For four years, I served as a summoned sprite in service to this man, waiting for my chance. Then when he gave me a set of orders I could use to my advantage? I slit his throat.¡±

    She met each of our eyes, one by one.

    ¡°This is why you should remember to treat your summoned beings with dignity and respect. The planes are endless, and if you treat them poorly and they refuse to answer, then there¡¯s always another being willing to take a short few minutes or hours out of their immortal life. But¡­ They may not forget. They may even ask their next summoner for your death, in exchange for extra help.¡±

    She pointed to the third and final spell. It was massive and complicated, obviously a ritual.

    ¡°And that brings us to the next important bit of magic. Binding spells, which provide a creature the power to stay on this plane even after the initial summoning spell¡¯s magic has faded. There are many types, but this course will cover the first circle familiar spell, and the third circle planar contract. The planar contract spell alone has allowed empires to rise and fall¡­¡±

    Professor Toadweather let out a dreamy little sigh of contentment, before snapping back to normal.

    ¡°But the familiar compact is important as well!¡±

    She patted her toad.

    ¡°It semi-permanently lops off a chunk of your ether pool, in exchange for allowing a summoned being to remain on this plane with you. They get safety, experience in another plane, and a bond that gradually but continually strengthens them. They can even discorporate and store themselves in your ether pool! Some¡­ wizards¡­ though I hesitate to call them that, actually devote their entire ether pool to keeping an extraordinarily powerful being as their familiar.¡±

    She rolled her eyes.

    ¡°Bah. Only a two bit hack relies on that method. It can make someone dangerous, but it won¡¯t match the versatility or power of a true conjurer.¡±

    ¡°Then why do it at all, professor?¡± dragon-girl asked. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s bad. You said so.¡±

    ¡°Overusing it is bad. On its own, it¡¯s a great way to have a consistent ally or two. A familiar bond allows you to cast spells through them, as well as see through their eyes. I would advise you to keep a familiar of second circle, and maybe one of first, if you¡¯ve got the ether pool for it. Second circle summoning spells are crucial to the development of a budding summoner, as they¡¯re where beings with the potential to become powerful begin to appear.¡±

    I sat up a little straighter and paid more attention.

    ¡°Young demons, angelus, elementals, and fae can be summoned with second circle spells,¡± professor Toadweather explained. ¡°As such, they make for a perfect familiar and summon. They¡¯re weak, but growing, meaning that the compact you form will empower both of you. More than one wizard has formed a familiar bond, treated them well, helped them grow until they became a vast power of their own. Even if they amicably split the bond later, the wizard had the favor of a power far beyond themselves.¡±

    She sighed dreamily, and I could have sworn that there were sparkling images of a massive fire elemental ripping through a castle flickering in the air behind her.

    ¡°Anyhow!¡± she said. ¡°Some professors prefer a practical approach, allowing each student to discover what the spells do and how they do it via casting. I espouse a deeper view. We are going to break each spell down into bits, then teach you why each part works, and what, if any, parts will show up frequently in future spells, as well as why. If you¡¯ll look here¡­¡±

    She proceeded to spend the remaining two and a half hours of class going over each spell in exacting detail.

    It was¡­ strange..

    Until coming here, spells had been few and far between for me. I practiced daily, but I only learned a new one perhaps two or three times a year. It had instilled a certain innate understanding of spellcraft in me, and helped me master my ether shaping. When all you can do is practice the same ten spells all day, you can become very proficient with those ten spells.

    This felt like the scientific version of those instincts. I knew a lot of things already, but I didn¡¯t know how I knew, only that I did.

    In a way, I felt like professor Caeruleum and professor Toadweather were both working to instill a deep understanding of the spells, just in radically different ways. I thought that I personally connected with the practical application born understanding that professor Caeruleum used, but I could see the value in this method as well.

    As class time wound down, professor Toadweather¡¯s wings buzzed in excitement.

    ¡°Very good, very good. I want you to study and apply this skill to summon stone, as well as at least one other conjuration spell you already know. Write up a report by next class, and if you succeed, you¡¯ll spend the next class working on actually casting the spells!¡±

    I made a mental note to report on summon stone and summon gadhar over the weekend. Between it, practicing Xander¡¯s massage, spell compression, training my bloodline, the spells professor Caeruleum had taught, studying misfortune magic, visiting the Charm and Fable, and everything else on my list, I was starting to see why pursuing archmage status was generally seen as ill-advised¡­

    I was mentally working to sort everything out, when Jackson interrupted me. He was leaving the brass tower our rooms were in, and his face lit up upon spotting me.

    ¡°Hey, Emrys! I was looking for you.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked, a touch annoyed that my mental scheduling was being thrown off.

    ¡°Listen. I know you don¡¯t share the same passion for the divine that I do. That¡¯s fine. But I think you should join me on my visit to Effervesce¡¯s church. I was thinking about what Sh¨¦ Rui had to say, and¡­ Divine boons are often static and passive, like he was saying you should get if you got a new system of power. Just try. Two hours is all I¡¯m asking for.¡±

    For a moment, I felt a flare of annoyance. I had lot to do, and it wasn¡¯t like any deity had helped me. Why should I waste my time groveling?

    I clamped down on that immediately. That wasn¡¯t true or fair, but it was a surge of draconic pride. It crippled several members of my family. I wouldn¡¯t let it do the same to me.

    I nodded and put on as real of a smile as I could right then.

    ¡°Sure, why not?¡±

 Chapter Thirty-Three: Meetings and Progress

    ¡°I must say, I¡¯ve never had a dragon come to me for help before,¡± a calm yet strong voice said. I stiffened and whirled around.

    I was standing in a garden, with the scent of fresh sunlight, flowers, and wheat filling my nose. But that didn¡¯t make any sense. I¡¯d gone with Jackson to his church, and then.

    My eyes settled on the being I could only assume was a god. I couldn¡¯t sense his power, but he seemed to be exactly the same as the rest of his realm, fresh and bright. He looked to be in his early thirties, younger than some of the paintings the church had held, but unmistakably the same man.

    ¡°Effervesce, I presume?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Indeed. And you would be Emrys of White Sands, sometimes called Anders Velcer, Emrys Dreki, Alastor Sinclair, and several other names.¡±

    I stepped forward and felt¡­ Strange. Unnaturally balanced and surefooted, which was really saying something.

    ¡°I am. Why did you give me an audience?¡±

    ¡°Because Jackson Uyer wished for me to, and because I am no ally to the family you wish to be unchained from,¡± the god said. ¡°Shall we go in for tea? I had put the kettle on before you came.¡±

    I nodded and followed the deity into the cottage. It was small, wooden, and homey. Cozy and cute, and nothing like the divine domain I would have expected most gods to have crafted.

    ¡°Do you like it?¡± Effervesce asked, opening a cabinet and removing a small box of tea bags, then two cups. ¡°I modeled it after the home I grew up in, when I was alive.¡±

    He poured water over the tea bags, then used the rest to douse the small fire in the oven.

    ¡°Sit, sit,¡± he said, gesturing to the small wooden table. I only then realized I¡¯d been standing there, staring at him.

    I sat and took the cup of tea from him.

    ¡°I suppose this is the part where you offer me phenomenal power if I just devote my life to your clergy, instead of my family?¡± I asked.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think that arrangement would suit either of us,¡± Effervesce said, laughing ever so slightly. ¡°For one, you have almost no faith at all.¡±

    ¡°I believe you exist. That you¡¯re strong, much stronger than I am. After all, you managed to meld your soul with Etherius itself.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Effervesce said gently. ¡°You respect my power, but you don¡¯t have faith in me or my creed. You would not trust me to catch you if you fell. It is a trait that many who wield power of their own possess.¡±

    He began tracing the rim of his mug with a finger.

    ¡°You likely agree with many of the rules of my creed, in truth. Standing up for what is right, protecting the innocent, and being that which leads others to redemption are my three tenants. But could you devote your life to those ideals? To trust me to have your back in good times, as well as bad, and to trust that if I¡¯m not giving you the divine power you need, there is a reason? I want you to be honest. If I have misjudged you, and you can do this, then I would gladly accept you into my clergy.¡±

    I swallowed thickly, then took a sip of the tea.

    ¡°No,¡± I admitted. ¡°I think, in my heart, I would still rely on myself. And I don¡¯t think if my mother asked for redemption, that I could give it to her.¡±

    The deity gave me a sad, gentle smile.

    ¡°That is about what I expected. But I had to try, for both your sake and for Jackson¡¯s.¡±

    He took a long sip of tea, then put it down.

    ¡°Let¡¯s discuss what I can do for you, then. I¡¯m limited by my own rules, my creed, and the rules of the gods as laid down by Magyk, but I can still do some things.

    I noted that the rules of the gods were apparently a thing. It wasn¡¯t too shocking, but it was nice to hear at least.

    ¡°I have three possible routes, but I can only truly give you one of them, as per the rules. The first is the weakest, but it has no strings attached. I can grant you a small boon to make your spells related to light magic a bit stronger. It won¡¯t be much, but it will be there. One or two, perhaps three, percent more effective if the boon takes well.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the hidden cost?¡± I asked skeptically.

    ¡°For you, none. Jackson¡¯s grown enough for me to expand his own powers, but he has asked me to intercede on your behalf, so instead of strengthening him, I will create a weak, permanent boon for you. The conversion to one with no faith is what makes this so weak. More than a full order of magnitude worth of strength is lost.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the second option?¡±

    I would feel pretty bad taking power Jackson had earned away, but I did need it. I would at least hear the other options out, though.

    ¡°I have some command over fire. As an action taken to oppose the desecration of Jackson¡¯s home temple, I can give you a single use blessing that will restore your fire to full. It can only be used against the Dreki family, you must abide by my creed while you use the extra power, and you would need to sacrifice a swan feather as a component.¡±

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    I nodded slowly. That was considerable, and could be a good ace up my sleeve. Sh¨¦ Rui¡¯s words about trickery being a useful tool came back to me.

    ¡°The last option is¡­ extreme, but I value honesty, so I will offer it. You don¡¯t have faith to offer. But you do have a bloodline. I could consume it, leaving you with nothing but the embers, and use it to bestow several divine boons and blessings. I could do the same with your ether pool too, if you wished.¡±

    He sighed.

    ¡°I could give you a great deal of power. If you were to have blessings meant for combat against Gerhard specifically, you would be all but guaranteed victory. The leftover boons would give you some abilities to heal and conjure fire, but¡­ I tell you this option only as a part of my creed. I do not recommend you sacrifice the future for a momentary advantage.¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± I said. ¡°A point of clarity. The second is due to their desecration of a temple, so Jackson would still gain the power you intended to award him?¡±

    ¡°Some was already lost to arrange this meeting, but yes. He could use it as he saw fit ¨C improve his soulfire, his healing, or accept it as a light magic bolstering boon.¡±

    ¡°Let him have what he¡¯s earned,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll act as your conduit for revenge on the material plane.¡±

    ¡°Not revenge. Balancing. The second option, then?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    I felt power rush into me and it took an active effort to not push it away. I understood on a soul deep level that this wasn¡¯t my power, and that the being granting it to me was far too great and terrible.

    It formed loops around my fire, stretching all the way up to the top of my head, where it glowed like a crown before fading.

    Then the might and power retracted, leaving only the viscerally wrong feeling of having a part of someone, no, something else inside of me. And not in the fun way, either.

    I shuddered, then drained my teacup dry.

    ¡°Thank you for the tea, and the help you could offer,¡± I said.

    ¡°I am only sorry I cannot do more.¡±

    Then I woke up. Jackson had his hand on my shoulder, and he smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad it went well.¡±

    I nodded stupidly, then looked around. The church was mostly empty.

    ¡°It¡¯s only been a few minutes,¡± Jackson said. ¡°How do you feel?¡±

    ¡°Terrible. I¡­ How do you deal with it, Jackson? The feeling of a boot hovering over an ant, only it¡¯s inside of you, like those demonic fungi that possess people.¡±

    I shuddered and Jackson squeezed my shoulder.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see it that way. I see it as more like hiking a mountain range. The mountains are far vaster than I, and they only let me see a tiny sliver of more. But it¡¯s a beautiful thing. To know that I¡¯m surrounded by the vastness of Effervesce, and that the hiking trail continues on. That even if I am to die, I will nourish the plants and become one with the mountains, rather than simply dying alone and empty.¡±

    On a purely intellectual level, I understood what he was saying. I could see how that might be reassuring and stable.

    But on an emotional level? It simply didn¡¯t make sense.

    ¡°Thank you for your help,¡± I said instead, not voicing the worry and fear inside of me. I bowed to Jackson, then to the shrine, and left. It was rude, but for the life of me, I couldn¡¯t figure out what else to do. Even though it was a waste of precious time, I collapsed into bed and slept, only waking up in the evening to continue my ritual.

    By the following morning, the sensation of something else in my spirit was starting to fade, though I wasn¡¯t sure that was exactly correct. Perhaps I was simply learning to live with it. I¡¯d lived with being trapped in the wrong flesh before, and this was different, but not so different that I couldn¡¯t learn to cope with it.

    I let a bit of excitement run through me as I stepped out of bed. I only had one day left until my ritual was completed. I also needed to swing by the Charm and Fable to meet with Charm, work on the massage technique, practice the three spells for Abjuration, write a report, and more.

    I let out a groan as I waffled back and forth, deciding what to do, then set off towards the Charm and Fable, only to find Charm was out.

    ¡°He should be in tomorrow morning,¡± Fable told me.

    ¡°I thought you said he hated opening?¡±

    ¡°He does. That¡¯s why we¡¯re hiring.¡±

    Fable and I made a bit of small talk before I headed back to the university to work.

    First came the massage. Getting three leaves was due by Tuesday, after all, so I needed to work on getting that done most of all. Plus, if I actually learned the technique to improve my ether pool¡¯s recovery rate, it would help everything else.

    I sent my ether into the little tree, over and over again, following the paths that had been laid out within it. I pressed firmly in some places, softly in others, and medium in yet others.

    One light lit up. I continued to follow the path, pressing and folding and turning.

    A second light lit up.

    I pushed my ether forwards, massaging the pathways within the device. A third light flickered on and off, before I pressed too hard.

    I let go and started again, and to my surprise, found that this was¡­ Fun.

    With each repetition, I was able to get the third light to hold longer. Before I knew it, I¡¯d lit it firmly and was working on a fourth. A part of me suggested I give up now, since I¡¯d met the assignment, but¡­

    My stomach rumbled.

    I was hungry. I wanted good food.

    A fourth light. Then a fifth, and a sixth.

    I hit a wall at the sixth, unable to get the seventh light to turn green at all. I didn¡¯t turn it red, but it was slippery, eluding my current ability.

    My stomach rumbled again, and I looked up. I was hungry ¨C I¡¯d skipped lunch. It wasn¡¯t just a metaphorical hunger.

    Whoops.

    I slipped out towards the cafeteria, conjuring tiny weirlights to work on improving my shaping skills as I walked, while mentally going over the summon gadhar spell, as well as the summon stone cantrip. I could see how many of the parts of each were similar, and different, and I started to mentally compose my essay for class about it.

    I ate a late lunch then went back to my room. I drained my fire dry with a lick of dragon¡¯s breath, then exploded the ether in my pool until I couldn¡¯t any more. With that done, I worked on my essay until I was able to work on casting, spent my ether on that, and read through my grimoire while I worked on dinner.

    The following morning, I rose and excitedly flipped through my grimoire to the right page. I began to trace my fingers in the air, making the delicate gestures that the book demonstrated. I began a low, rumbling chant of words of power, and unwrapped the old bandages that I¡¯d used to hold the blood symbol, copper, and ether crystal in place.

    Moving carefully, I washed the blood symbol off with a small amount of water, collecting the bloody water in a bowl that I¡¯d pilfered from the cafeteria¡¯s porridge. Then, I unwound the copper wire from its shape and lowered it inch by inch into the bowl. The bowl transformed from a ruddy liquid to a shimmering green. Lastly, I dropped the ether crystal in, along with a spike of my fire and ether.

    ¡°Cordis. Radix. Canalis!¡±

    Power rippled down my spirit, sinking from my ether pool and into my dragonfire. It touched, and I felt it rush up.

    A channel between them had opened, but a strange one. I tapped into my dragonfire and shot across the room with a burst of speed. Nothing seemed different, and trying to fuel my bloodline with ether did nothing.

    I raised my hands and chanted out an arcane missile spell, and.

    Yes.

    This time, I felt it. As my ether pool drained into the spell array and formed it, I felt my spirit open the channel and allow me to pour dragonfire into the spell.

    Though I was tempted, I stopped and let the ether slide back into my spirit. I picked up the map, glancing it over, then made my way off to an outdoor arena where combat spell practice was held.

    How annoying.

 Chapter Thirty-Four: Meeting with Charm

    I bounced back and forth on the balls of my feet, eyeing the spell-crafted practice dummy on the other side of the mat. I began gesturing and speaking words of power, formed the array.

    Again, the channel opened, and this time, I poured dragonfire into the arcane missile spell. It drained a good bit of my fire, roughly a fifth, before it completed, and I pointed at the target.

    Magic exploded out of me.

    An arcane missile the size of a balista bolt, glowing a bright purple that was the exact mix of my blue ether and red-white fire, shot across the distance faster than I could track.

    It ripped through the dummy, which practically exploded under the force of the impact. It kept going and smashed into the wall of the arena, which was covered in protective runes.

    I staggered back.

    ¡°By all the hells, what was that?!¡± a student next to me demanded.

    ¡°Arcane missile?¡± I said, though it came out more like a question.

    ¡°Like hells. What, you got some kind of force affinity or something?¡± the student asked, her voice pitching up at the end as if worried I might say no.

    ¡°Something of that sort. It burnt through a fifth of my power to cast, though.¡±

    Not technically a lie. It had eaten up a fifth of my bloodline, even if it had only cost as much ether as a normal arcane missile spell. The student seemed to relax at my words, though, nodding as she went back to her own spell practice.

    I laughed and raised my hands, preparing another spell. What to cast, what to cast?

    I began putting together the spell array for summon gadhar, moved my hands, and spoke several long lines. As the channel between ether and fire opened, two fifths of my fire rushed in. It ran through the spell array, settling into the part where my ether would enhance the gadhar¡¯s bloodline.

    The gadhar appeared in a flash, but to all my senses it seemed normal. Using the innate celestial, I asked it to attack the dummy ¨C or what was left of it ¨C then dismissed it early, letting the extra ether funnel into its bloodline. The gadhar had seemed a little stronger than usual, but not absurdly so. I was guessing it was an investment, like professor Toadweather had talked about. I would be able to pass a portion of my strength to my summon.

    I didn¡¯t have much fire left, so I contemplated my last test carefully, before casting arcane armor. When it formed, its plates were thicker and sturdier looking, but not as drastic as the improvement to the missile.

    That made some sense. The armor spell lasted for hours, so infusing extra power was good, but not as dramatic as a quick offensive spell.

    Still, I was quite pleased with the components I¡¯d purchased. A good use of two hundred silver.

    Speaking of components¡­

    I started heading out towards the Charm and Fable, and when I entered the shop, I found someone new behind the counter.

    The man looked to be in his early forties, but he had the kind of absurdly well-honed physique that made him look like he could fight a man half his age. He had dark skin, short cropped hair, a neatly trimmed beard, and intense brown eyes. He wore a sleeveless shirt and cargo shorts, with a plain looking sword at one hip, and a glowing mark on his right bicep, shaped like a flute and sword crossing over a cornucopia. He glanced up and nodded to me. I nodded back and walked up to him, then held out a hand.

    ¡°Emrys of White Sands,¡± I said. ¡°You must be Charm. Fable told me to come and meet you today.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re the student he told me about!¡± Charm said, stroking his beard. His voice was odd. Foreign, but not an accent I recognized.

    ¡°Yes sir, plea¨C¡±

    There was a surge of movement as a song hung in the air. Charm had leapt over the counter and was swinging his sword down at me. The blade, despite the fact it was ugly and pitted, as if made from pig iron, hummed a melody that warped the air around it.

    I yelped and dove to the side, starting to shape a spell, but Charm flicked his sword out. The shimmering around his blade condensed at the tip, and a wave of unrelenting force exploded out at me with a shouting sound. I kicked off the ground, using the tiniest pulse of my bloodline as I did. The force struck the wall, causing the whole building to shudder.

    Charm flicked his blade in three quick slashes, his tattoo glowing silver as he did, and lines of what looked like silver force magic shot from its tip. I hit the ground, rolling, then popped up and flicked my hand out, completing the last word of power.

    I poured the remainder of my dragonfire into the spell, and a ballista bolt of force erupted across the distance. A high pitched, frenetic song rose through the air as Charm sliced out and split my arcane missile in two. It dissolved into sparkling motes of blue and red light.

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Then Charm sheathed his sword and offered me a hand.

    ¡°Not bad, kid,¡± he said with a grin.

    ¡°Why did you attack me?!¡±

    ¡°Mate, this is a component shop. We get people from all over who shop here. Some of them are strong enough that they think that they can threaten us for cheaper prices. Some are down on their luck and trying to steal something valuable. Some are three stages into the Creep. Whatever the reason, there may be a time where you gotta knock the piss out of a customer, or at least show you aren¡¯t gonna let them hurt you.¡±

    He leapt over the bar with one hand again.

    ¡°We¡¯ll got a button that can call Fable or meself, but there¡¯s no guarantee we¡¯ll get here instantly. Even with Fable¡¯s magic being good for teleportation. So I gotta test ya.¡±

    I let out a grunt of annoyance, but I could see his point. I just wished he hadn¡¯t scared me half to death with the sudden attack.

    ¡°Did I pass?¡± I asked instead.

    ¡°Eh,¡± he said. ¡°Not bad. Could be better. I think once you¡¯ve formed a wand, staff, or amulet, that¡¯ll help. You¡¯re slowed down too much by spellcraft right now.¡±

    ¡°Okay, hold on,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about wands, staves, and amulets, but I want to know what they actually do?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s wizard stuff, and I¡¯m not much of a wizard,¡± Charm said with a laugh.

    ¡°You¡¯re a songcaller, right?¡± I asked. ¡°I thought it would be a bit more relaxing, but I could hear the music in your attacks.¡±

    ¡°Hah!¡± he said. ¡°Lots of people do. But swordsong is a potent battle technique. Not my only trick, but yes, I¡¯m fairly advanced in it. I¡¯ve also got a truesilver ranked destiny mark, but that¡¯s neither here nor there.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ What are destiny marks?¡±

    ¡°Destinies aren¡¯t just marks, any more than magic¡¯s just memorizing spells, life enforcement¡¯s just spiritual, or divinities are just blessings,¡± Charm informed me. ¡°Don¡¯t have a knack for true destinies, but the mark works well enough for me.¡±

    That was less than helpful, so I glowered at him. He laughed and held up his hand.

    ¡°Alright, listen. There¡¯s a whole ritual to awaken destiny power, and then progress it. It¡¯s got its own powers¡¯n such, and requires a lot of work to progress. They¡¯ll grant you a lot of power, but they also limit you. They¡¯re common in my homeland. I got the destiny of the farmer, and had to work to develop the mark of the sword and mark of the song. Since I took up practicing the swordsong, now it gives me a continually refreshing pool of stamina, which I can also feed into my attacks or swordsong.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± I said. ¡°Is there a mage destiny?¡±

    ¡°Nah yeh,¡± he said, which I took to mean yes, even though it started with ¡®nah¡¯. ¡°It¡¯s a bit shonky, since you¡¯re not really learning the magic yourself, more learnin'' to imitate bits of spells, songs, and bloodlines.¡±

    ¡°Interesting¡­ You know a lot about power systems.¡± I said, leaning forwards.

    ¡°You can say that,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°Fable¡¯s powers might not be quite as good as mine in a fight, but he¡¯s still a ripper at moving me around. I¡¯ve visited more spots than most.¡±

    ¡°Can I have your advice, then?¡±

    ¡°Go for it.¡±

    ¡°Your partner no doubt told you about my bloodline.¡±

    ¡°He did. I can hear it too, though. It¡¯s¡­ I¡¯ve seen a lot, but I can¡¯t think of seeing many people with a bloodline so compact at your age. Only twice, actually, though they were twins, a long time ago.¡±

    ¡°How did they fix the problem?¡±

    ¡°About having done too much to be able to expand their tornados, or you your fire, much anymore?¡± he asked. I nodded.

    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t lie ¨C their solution won¡¯t exactly work for you. They used an artifact from the age of pools that had the power of an elder tempest elemental sealed within, consuming and splitting the power between themselves. The magic from that age had different rules that let them ignore a lot of the problems when expanding their tornados. But before they found that artifact, there were a few things they did.¡±

    He stroked his beard again, trying to remember.

    ¡°I remember a couple of bloodline expansion exercises that they managed to get some small gains from¡­ But are you sure that it¡¯s a problem?¡± he asked. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, in an ideal world, you¡¯d find a similar artifact, but are you a dragon or a mage?¡±

    ¡°Both? But a mage first. A dragon mage, if I could.¡±

    ¡°Right ¨C well, look at what you¡¯re doing now,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ve essentially given yourself an amplification affinity. If you keep progressing things as they are now, your fire will always remain smaller, but also a lot denser and more potent than your ether. Don¡¯t treat it like a primary source of power, treat it more like an affinity. You infuse it into spells to supercharge them, not use it as a baseline.¡±

    He tapped his tattoo again.

    ¡°Like what I did with this. I integrated it as a sub-part of my songcalling, rather than treating it as a totally separate source of power. Oh, and maybe look into some of the old information about draconic magic.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? Dragons don¡¯t have magic, or well, spellcasting. Our power is mostly physical, with a few magical ones like transformation, dragonfear, and a breath weapon.¡±

    ¡°Back in the ages of sunder, pools, and wilds, dragons had a lot more connection to magic than they do these days,¡± Charm said. ¡°It¡¯s probably not worth digging for that information right here and now, before your duel with Gerhard, but I know it didn¡¯t entirely vanish during the modern age. There was a kingdom ¨C it¡¯s deep in demon territory now ¨C but it was ruled by a dragon mage lineage. It was started during the age of sunder, but its dragon mages continued to rule for at least a millennium afterward.¡±

    ¡°What was its name?¡±

    ¡°Ketsalkuetspalaltepetl,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll write it down for you, along with the generation location.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said. ¡°How do you know this?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I went through one of their ruins, once, looking for some components for Fable,¡± he said, grinning. ¡°I¡¯m one of the major suppliers for the really unique things our store sells. Business contacts can get mundane components, but Fable¡¯s portals can get us access to a lot of planes and places for harvesting. It¡¯s my job to go get them.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like an interesting job.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it is. But speaking of jobs¡­ Sure, kid. I¡¯ll give you a shot. Don¡¯t let me down, alright?¡±

    ¡°I can promise to try,¡± I said.

    ¡°Hah. Fair enough. Get back here, I¡¯ll show you how to work the shop.¡±

    We spent the next several hours going over the shop¡¯s procedures. Like Fable had said the last time I was in there, I had to learn a lot. People came to the shop from all over, and judging by the strange glass window and Fable¡¯s spatial magic, I suspected that fact was more literal than most shops in this city. I had to master currency conversions, the spatial enchantments that hid the more valuable items, the incredibly warped space of the storage room, estimating the value of magical components, and more.

    Then there were the customers. Over the course of the day, I saw just about every mortal race under the sun, plenty of people with non-mortal bloodlines, and a few completely non-humans. There were warriors and wizards and people with powers that smelled like nothing I¡¯d ever smelled before. By the end of the shift, I was nowhere near ready, but Charm didn¡¯t seem upset.

    ¡°Working at any component shop takes a lot of knowledge, but it can open doors for you,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ll learn in time.¡±

 Chapter Thirty-Five: Summers Inversion

    The following days flew by, between my shift at Charm and Fable letting me do my homework for my ethics and core classes, as well as practice my abjuration spells, and think up strategies for Applied Mage Combat, and before I knew it, I was back in Fundamental Magecraft.

    ¡°Well done,¡± professor Silverbark complimented as I lit six lights on the tree training device a solid green color. ¡°Yes, indeed; You¡¯ve completed the first circuit in the technique. You should be ready to actually try it in the ether pool now.¡±

    ¡°The first circuit?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°Like¡­ first circle of spellcraft?¡±

    ¡°No, no, circuit in the sense of a roughly circular line, route, or movement that starts and finishes at the same place. Did you count the number of leaves?¡±

    ¡°Fifty-ish? I didn¡¯t count, but I eyeballed it.¡±

    ¡°Fifty-four! This technique can be stacked with nine levels of increasingly complex loops to improve the ether regeneration. Now that you¡¯ve completed the first one safely, you can use it to stimulate your ether pool¡¯s recovery,¡± the professor explained. ¡°As you continue to train and master it in sets of six leaves, you should be able to continually improve your ether recovery.¡±

    He moved on to the rest of my table then, and Yushin lit eight lights, while Kybar the minotaur lit five. From there he swept over to the next table, and I reached within myself. I teased out a strand of ether, and then began to loop it around my pool, pressing and massaging its edges.

    And my pool refilled.

    It wasn¡¯t a torrent or gush of ether, but there was a steady trickle of power from Etherius, speeding the recovery of my ether pool. My ether pool was already almost entirely full, though, so within moments, it pushed at the edges, gently ballooning them out. The growth was far less¡­ dramatic¡­ than the bottled explosion technique that Jackson had shown, but it also had a faintly pleasant tickle, rather than searing pain.

    Then a wash of green light rushed from the next table, interrupting the sensation and causing my head to snap over.

    Wesley had lit up forty-eight leaves. The forty-ninth flickered several times, before it went out.

    ¡°My goodness!¡± professor Silverbark said, eyes wide. ¡°Why¡­ I¡­ My goodness!¡±

    Wesley, on the other hand, frowned, glaring at the six unlit leaves.

    ¡°If I¡¯d had another day or two, I am confident I would have been able to get them all,¡± he said sourly.

    I stared at him, mouth slightly agape. When we¡¯d been in class and been given the trees, he¡¯d been worse than I¡¯d been. How had he improved so fast?

    ¡°Mister Illinor, are you disappointed? You didn¡¯t know Xander¡¯s massage before starting this class, correct?¡± The professor asked.

    ¡°I am, because I could have done better. And no, I didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never had a student manage to light this many within a week. Not without having already mastered the technique thanks to private tutors and training,¡± professor Silverbark said giddily. ¡°Have you perhaps been granted the extremely rare and powerful ether affinity, like most of the Erudite do?¡±

    That made me take notice. If most Erudites had an ether affinity, it made the one who ran the Citadel of Ether ¨C Henry, apparently ¨C having the status as the second most combat capable even more impressive.

    ¡°No,¡± Wes said flatly, but most of the class had their eyes on him, and even his confidence cracked a little, causing him to explain a little more. ¡°Mine is related to divination. Not a divination affinity, but somewhat similar.¡±

    ¡°My goodness indeed¡­ That makes your skill even more staggering! Everyone, please applaud Wesley here! Applaud, applaud!¡±

    The professor looked around, clearly expecting us to actually obey. I felt a sourness build at the bottom of my stomach, even as I joined in the applause.

    The professor continued working his way through the class until finally he had checked everyone¡¯s progress, then he took his spot back at the board and smiled.

    ¡°Today we will begin going over our next ether manipulation technique, one for pool expansion, called Summer¡¯s inversion. Just like with Xander¡¯s massage, I¡¯ll ask: why?¡±

    He surveyed the room, and Kybar raised his hand.

    ¡°I actually know this one,¡± the big minotaur said. ¡°The wizard who invented it, Archmagus Summers, came from Endless Wheat, where I¡¯m from.¡±

    ¡°Oh really?¡± professor Silverbark said. ¡°How interesting. Then please, explain why I¡¯m teaching this technique?¡±

    ¡°Well, you know how everyone¡¯s ether pool starts at a different size?¡± Kybar asked, looking around the room. ¡°Usually there¡¯s not too much variation for the starting point, but there is some. But Archmagus Summers started with a really tiny pool. Like, when she started learning, she couldn¡¯t hold a weirlight for a full second level of small.¡±

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    I winced in sympathy. My own ether pool had been pretty average when I¡¯d started, but at the time it had felt tiny. I couldn¡¯t imagine how awful it would feel to start even smaller.

    ¡°Anyways, despite her ether pool being smaller than an ant who was hit with a shrinking spell, she was determined to figure out a way to become a wizard, so she studied ether manipulation techniques for expansion. Some work great, some awful, but she¡¯s slowing in growth as she gets older. She barely breaks into fifth circle before she hits twenty-five, but her years of work in ether manipulation mean she¡¯s got truly absurd skills, enough to establish herself as an archmage.¡±

    ¡°Wait, if she managed to break into fifth circle, why did she make this technique?¡± a tall redheaded man asked. ¡°And she was already old. She couldn¡¯t expand her power for much longer, even if she was an archmagus.¡±

    Professor Silverbark snorted at the idea twenty-five was old.

    ¡°Well, she might have only had a few years left to grow, but she¡¯s worried her just-born daughter might inherit the tiny ether pool, or others might face her problem. So she spends her last bit of time focusing on this technique. It works in inverse proportion to the size of your ether pool. For a fifth circle mage like her, it was average. Not bad, but with her skill in ether shaping, she had better options. For Erudite Olivine, who was twenty-one and a ninth circle mage already, it was terrible, an entire hour of practice expanding the pool far less than even casting a single arcane missile would have.¡±

    The minotaur held up a stocky finger.

    ¡°But! When she tested it with an utter neophyte, his pool went wild, expanding faster than any other known technique. So, yeah. Inversion, cuz its effectiveness is inversely proportional to a person¡¯s ether pool size.¡±

    As his story wound down, Kybar suddenly looked sheepish.

    ¡°I. Ah. Guess that last bit was the only part that real¨C¡±

    I started applauding. It might have been petty of me, but if Silverbark was going to insist that I clapped for a smug prick, he¡¯d have to deal with me clapping for Kybar.

    The applause caught on, and when it died down, professor Silverbark smiled.

    ¡°An excellent summary of the technique. Indeed, depending on your ether pool¡¯s size, you will likely wish to pick up a new technique in your final year or post-graduation. But it¡¯s incredibly useful during these critical days while your ether pool is still small.¡±

    Professor Silverbark began to draw a diagram on the whiteboard.

    ¡°Now, the basics of this technique involves a similar manipulation of our internal connection to Etherius, but this time, instead of a tree drawing nutrients, think of it as carts on a road. You shape your ether into as large of a box as you can, then continuously undulate it up and down the connection. This is where the inverse proportionality comes in ¨C after all, the larger the cart traveling along a road is, the less road exists. As your ether travels along this connection, the technique involves pulling new bits in from Etherius. Fellow wagons, joining your little caravan. As the caravan fills, there is less road, and as there is less road, fewer wagons can enter the caravan. Thus, the inversion.¡±

    He waved his hand and new devices appeared on his desk, plain-looking glass dowel rods.

    ¡°These are a touch different than the trees. There are no stages to this technique, simply being able to perform it, or not. You¡¯re going to move your ether along the channel within here, and feel it begin to disperse, as it does when actually practicing the technique. If you fail, nothing will happen. If you begin losing ether, sending it into Etherius rather than building your reserve, the glass will begin to glow red. If you succeed, the rod will glow green.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow. That sounded¡­ pretty much identical to before.

    ¡°Ah, I see the confusion. Allow me to demonstrate,¡± the professor said, then picked up a rod, which glowed green, then went out.

    ¡°I executed the technique perfectly. But the light went out, because unlike the massage, this technique must be continually started from the beginning, rather than looped.¡±

    It lit up green again, then went out. The professor focused, and it flashed green again. Over and over it flashed, with the time that it was clear shrinking from a second, to half a second, to a tenth of a second, until finally, as far as I could tell, the rod was just glowing continuously.

    ¡°I¡¯m not simply maintaining the technique, like you can with the massage,¡± professor Silverbark said. ¡°Rather, every time I complete Summers¡¯ inversion, I¡¯m starting it over from the beginning.¡±

    He placed the rod back down on the table after that.

    ¡°That¡¯s not your goal, however, as that not only requires a good bit of strength, but also a lot of finesse. Simply lighting it once will be considered a perfect score. If you can light it multiple times in a day, then that¡¯s suburb! I advise you to do so ¨C these years are critical to your development.¡±

    He glanced around the room, then launched into the same lecture I¡¯d heard already about expanding power a bunch while you could, before he finally wound down.

    ¡°Regardless. If you are in my ether manipulation course, I¡¯ll be teaching you another technique, one that¡¯s well suited to long term power development. It is, in many ways, the opposite of this, better suited to developing power the more power you have. But even if you¡¯re not in that course, if you do hit the point in a year or two where this technique¡¯s luster starts to fade, seek me out, and we¡¯ll see what we can do. Now, come up and take a training device!¡±

    When I sat back down with the device, I flowed some ether into it, and immediately slammed into a wall. Despite the analogy of carts on a road, the actual application of the technique was difficult.

    The connection to Etherius was constant, and with Xander¡¯s massage, I¡¯d learned to stimulate that connection and improve my recovery, so I knew it was possible.

    But as I used this device, I could feel the technique¡¯s radical differences.

    First, instead of stimulating the connection in specific spots, I needed to stretch the connection until it was practically flat, which was both incredibly uncomfortable and rather unintuitive.

    Then, once I¡¯d flattened it, I needed to take all of my ether, down to the last drop, and catapult it down the metaphorical road and into Etherius, but before the ether left my grasp, I needed to wrench it back into my pool.

    Finally, once it was in my pool, I had to throw it all outwards with a mighty push, which reminded me of Jackson¡¯s bottled explosion technique, but was clearly far more refined, and less painful to the user.

    Kybar lit his glass dowel instantly, and I leaned forward.

    ¡°You¡¯ve used this. Do you have any tips?¡±

    Yushin also leaned in slightly at that.

    ¡°I¡¯ve used the technique, not the training tool, but yeah, it¡¯s about the same,¡± Kybar said. ¡°And hmm. No secret, but I can tell you that if you want to snap your ether back to your pool fast, leave a super tiny strand in your pool. Then use that to pull it back.¡±

    I thanked him for the tip, then went back to work. By the end of the class, I¡¯d gotten to the point I could flatten out my connection to Etherius most of the time, but not every time. I worked on it more through lunch, before finally heading off to go visit a haunted house.

    Applied Mage Combat was certainly shaping up to be an¡­ Interesting¡­ class, given I got to think things like that.

 Chapter Thirty-Six: Teleportation Gone Wrong

    As I approached the class¡¯ meeting spot on the campus green, I noted that there were more figures than usual. When I got closer, I picked out professor Emir Blackflame, as well as the Erudite himself, standing around near professor Alydia.

    By the time I arrived, professor Alydia was already drawing the temporary safety marks on the students, so I lined up for my own. After finishing, she clapped.

    ¡°Excellent! Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Professor, aren¡¯t you going to tell us which house we¡¯ll be going to?¡± a second year asked.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t tha¡¯ parta¡¯ the challenge?¡± Salem asked. ¡°Ah. I mean. Sorry professor.¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re quite right Salem. You¡¯ll have to learn through doing. Now, as we¡¯re transporting multiple people, I¡¯ve requested a little help. Erudite?¡±

    The Erudite¡¯s staff appeared, and he tapped it against the dirt gently. Blue light enveloped us, and then¡­

    I was standing in dust, the smell of baking clay under the scorching sun in my nose. Salem, Jackson, and Yushin¡¯s scents had vanished, leaving only the slightly unpleasant scent of human, and the scent of an ocean breeze, salt air, and sand. Far off in the distance, though, I could smell blood, violence, and a miasma of hate.

    I flicked my eyes around, noticing that I was in a canyon, in what had to be the southern demon lands. In the canyon with me was the Erudite¡­ and Wesley?

    But that didn¡¯t make sense. Where the hells was my team?

    ¡°Oh dear,¡± the Erudite sighed out. He didn¡¯t sound concerned in the slightest as he spoke, though.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Wesley snapped.

    ¡°It seems our teleportation spells got sent off kilter due to air currents or something,¡± the bland man said unconvincingly. ¡°And wouldn¡¯t you know it, my pool has just run entirely dry. Luckily for all of us, there¡¯s a redoubt a few miles away with enough ether restoration candles to allow me to teleport us to safety. Let¡¯s go there and fetch some.¡±

    He tossed a sheet of paper, which I snagged before it could hit the ground and looked over. It was a map of the surroundings, with the redoubt marked, but not our current location. There was enough topography that I thought I might be able to figure out a rough position but¨C

    ¡°Give me that,¡± Wesley said, snatching it from my hands and scowling. His eyes flicked over it, then he frowned.

    I spun up my northfinding cantrip, glanced around at the rocks, then back at the map and pointed.

    ¡°Here we are,¡± I said, ¡°which means we need to go¡­ that way!¡±

    Wesley¡¯s brow twitched in what looked like annoyance, but he eventually nodded.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s go. But if we encounter demons, you had best not slow me down. I am not trusting my life to someone who needs a team to feel comfortable delving the first layer of the library.¡±

    He stalked off, and I glanced at the Erudite.

    ¡°Actually¡­ Can we wait until nightfall? It¡¯s much cooler then, and it will save water, as we won¡¯t sweat from the heat. It would also let our companion restore his so horrifically empty ether pool.¡±

    The Erudite seemed to gain a spark of life and shook his head.

    ¡°In real life, holing up around this cliff until nightfall would be a very viable strategy. But while we try to simulate some real conditions for class, I can¡¯t afford to wait that long, and your protections would run dry. Good thought, but¡­¡±

    He glanced around, and inspiration struck.

    ¡°Pretend this is the, uh, sacred bloodmoon, if we wait till nightfall, the demons will grow ten times stronger.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± I said, hastening to catch up with Wesley. I began moving my hands and shaping ether, then pulled a strip of leather from my pockets and tapped my chest. As I did, I poured a portion of dragonfire into it, allowing the shimmering armor to grow far more dense and potent. As I did, Wesley glared at me, but I couldn¡¯t figure out why.

    ¡°Do you need arcane armor too?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I already had it on before I came to class,¡± he said. ¡°I was prepared.¡±

    The ¡®unlike you¡¯ hung in the air, but I chose to be the bigger man and let it slide.

    We walked through the desert for several minutes before my nostrils flared and I held my hand out.

    ¡°Wait. A demon¡¯s getting close. Lots of brimstone and fire, so probably some sort of fire aligned demon, but it could always have some other tricks. Power¡­ a bit hard to tell, but I¡¯d put it roughly in the range of a fourth circle caster?¡±

    To my surprise, Wesley didn¡¯t make a snide comment or roll his eyes at me. Instead he snapped his hands out in the gestures of arcane missile, mumbling out the words of power, but holding the last syllable.

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    Despite myself, I was a little impressed. Holding a spell was hard. You had to keep your hands in the final gesture, which for arcane missile resembled pointing at someone with two fingers. If you relaxed any of your fingers, the spell would fail. You couldn¡¯t speak another word, as that would disrupt the words of power¡¯s chant, and you had to keep your ether molded into the exact shape of the spell, which was admittedly the easiest part by far, at least for me.

    I grabbed him and the Erudite, then pulled us closer to the orange sandstone wall we were walking near, pressing us close as we continued to slink forwards, wishing that I had some way to hide us from the demon¡¯s senses.

    We kept creeping forwards, until I heard a voice ringing out in the tongue of demons. I wasn¡¯t as well versed in that bloodline tongue as I was the celestial, but I caught something about cooking, which was presumably a threat.

    After a few seconds of demonic threats, it swapped to Ceyish.

    ¡°Come out, little half sea-elf and fireborn beast! I can smell you both. If you come out and surrender, I will allow you to live with nothing but the sacrifice of some of your blood to me! But if you make me find you, I will kill you!¡±

    I glanced at Wesley. At least that explained his scent.

    Wesley, on the other hand, seemed to interpret my look as being about the demon¡¯s words, as he rolled his eyes and pressed closer to the stone cliff face.

    There was a thump in the dust and dirt then, as the demon landed about a hundred feet away. It was an ugly thing, about the size and general shape of a human, but with batlike wings, hands that looked more like the front arms of a lizard, thick legs that could have been stolen from a rhino, a monkey¡¯s tail, and the head of a goat. It surveyed the ground, and Wesley struck. He muttered ¡®doe¡¯, the final syllable, then started moving his hands, preparing another. I cursed under my breath and began casting my own spell.

    Wesley¡¯s arcane missile, completely invisible, tore through the thin membrane of the creature¡¯s right wing, leaving a gaping hole. The demon roared and whipped around, launching forwards at us with blinding speed, fire erupting from its feet to propel its movement.

    I could fix that.

    I¡¯d not had the opportunity to use this particular draconic ability, but it was a personal favorite of mine, and one of the main reasons that during my fights with Greta and Gerhard, none of us had actually released dragon¡¯s breath.

    Even as I continued my chant, I sucked in a deep breath. The flames propelling the demon forward streamed into my mouth, feeding into the very bonfire of power within my soul, strengthening and restoring it. The conversion rate wasn¡¯t particularly good ¨C so bad, in fact, that the demon¡¯s entire flame stride power wasn¡¯t even able to replenish what I¡¯d put into my arcane armor ¨C but it was still able to almost completely nullify the demon¡¯s explosive moment.

    Another arcane missile from Wesley thudded into its chin, and then another hit its cheek, and I finished my own spell. The dust and sand at the feet of the demon erupted into a cacophony of glittering lights and abrasive sand, causing the demon to stagger back.

    ¡°How dare you!¡± it snarled. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±

    It snapped its hand out, releasing a needle of black, necrotic power at us, but aiming through the sands and lights was near impossible. The bolt struck the wall of the gorge, and Wesley¡¯s next arcane missile found the target he¡¯d been aiming for.

    The invisible force gouged into the demon¡¯s eye and into its brain. The monstrous beast staggered forward before falling to its oversized knees, and dissolving into flickering fire.

    I sucked in a breath, consuming it as well. There was even less of a fiery bloodline power in this than there had been in the movement ability, but I figured that every little bit could help me restore myself faster.

    Speaking of which, I began Xander¡¯s massage. Casting a single second circle spell hadn¡¯t deplenished my reserves by much, especially now that I¡¯d had some time to work with Jackson¡¯s bottled explosion technique, but there was no sense in not restoring myself.

    Wesley dusted his hands off, even though he hadn¡¯t touched anything, and we started moving again. Wesley was silent, so I was the same, but I kept my nose on the winds. We were gradually getting closer to the smell of blood and violence, which had me concerned.

    As we grew even closer still, I held out a hand.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to walk into a battle if we keep going forward,¡± I said with a frown. ¡°The redoubt is about three miles forwards, though, so we¡¯d have to pass through it or go around.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to go around,¡± Wesley said.

    ¡°Can we?¡± I asked. ¡°We¡¯ve been sticking close to this cliff face for a while, but that works against us now. We can only go east to loop around, unless you can fly us up the cliff without drawing attention from any demons that might be flying at the battle. If we go east, though, who knows how far we¡¯ll need to go. If this battle is taking place over a wide area¡­¡±

    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t make sense for demons, they tend to operate in small packs. If this is an ongoing battle, it¡¯s likely between a squad of warriors scouting from the wall and an aberrant summoning demons, or a demon powerful enough to summon more of its kin.¡± Wesley said, turning to walk eastward. ¡°You will use your senses to scout around the battle so we don¡¯t get too close, which means we should be fine to go around. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll still be more exposed,¡± I said. ¡°We won¡¯t be able to shelter under anything.¡±

    ¡°Would you prefer we fight through the crowd of demons?¡± Wesley retorted. ¡°This isn¡¯t a good option, but it¡¯s the only real option we have.¡±

    I pressed my lips together in frustration, but didn¡¯t argue with him.

    As we made our way through the sand, though, it was clear that winged demons overhead were much more able to spot us. Over the next half an hour I was able to smell no less than five demons approaching, and we quickly fell into a rhythm, with me casting glimmersands to blind and distract the monster, while Wesley fired off arcane missiles to kill it. When one demon, a particularly skinny one that looked to be made of living bone, didn¡¯t fall to the first few missiles, I joined Wesley¡¯s assault with my own attacks. The bone spurs the demon fired were strong, but my enhanced arcane armor was able to shed the attack, and Wesley got a shield up in time.

    As we fell into the pattern, I found myself starting to think that we could actually take this challenge on without too much difficulty. I was getting great practice with using the massage to restore my ether, my dragonfire was replenishing itself at a much slower, but still steady rate, and Wesley¡­ Well admittedly, I had no clue how he was doing, but I wasn¡¯t about to ask.

    My positivity was abruptly shattered when I smelled something new, though. A reeking rot and decay, combined with the scent of brimstone.

    This demon¡¯s stench wasn¡¯t that much stronger than the others, but there was something about it that set off danger bells in my head. A moment later, I placed it.

    Though this demon didn¡¯t have much more power than the others we¡¯d faced, that power was much denser. Enough that it felt genuinely dangerous.

    I froze, and Wesley¡¯s head snapped over to me.

    ¡°What is it?¡± he whispered.

    ¡°A much stronger demon is heading our way,¡± I said.

    Then there was a soft chuckle, and a voice that was entirely too cultured and smooth for me to associate it with a rot demon came from behind me.

    ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m coming your way,¡± the voice said. ¡°After all, I¡¯m already here.¡±

 Chapter Thirty-Seven: Rotted Grades

    For all that Wesley was abrasive, arrogant, and an annoyance, I had to hand it to him. He was good under pressure.

    Both of us whipped around to see the rot demon standing a few feet behind us. A foot behind the demon was the Erudite, who the demon didn¡¯t seem to have noticed, which was at least somewhat of a relief.

    The demon was tall, roughly eight feet, and humanoid, but instead of skin, it seemed to have black mold covering every inch of its body. Its face was far and away the most humanlike of all the demons we¡¯d fought, even looking oddly handsome, and even its limbs were almost perfect. The demon¡¯s hands and feet ended in claws, and it had a tail of black mold as well, but if you took away the mold, claws, and tail, he could have fit right in as the son of a mayor from just about any small town.

    When the demon smiled, I saw its teeth looked to be made from petrified worms , which immediately destroyed whatever degree of almost-handsomeness that it had managed to cultivate.

    Wesley¡¯s chant finished, and a missile shot out, but a necrotic bolt of power leapt from the demon¡¯s fingers, crushing it in midair.

    ¡°Now, now boys,¡± he said, stepping forward, tail snapping. ¡°That¡¯s not how one behaves. Besides, if I was here to kill you? I wouldn¡¯t have broken the element of surprise.¡±

    Behind him, the Erudite raised an eyebrow, then checked the position of the sun, as if wondering how much time he had left. I focused back on the demon.

    ¡°What do you want then?¡± I asked, while Wesley continued to speak words of power next to me.

    ¡°A contract,¡± the demon said simply.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t learned to cast planar contract yet,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re out of luck.¡±

    ¡°Oh, but I¡¯m not,¡± the demon smiled. ¡°My own abilities allow me to establish a contract.¡±

    Wesley was continuing to mutter and flick his fingers about, and I had to wonder what sort of spell he was casting that it took this long.

    ¡°I¡¯m not opposed to working with a demon in theory,¡± I said carefully. ¡°What terms were you thinking about? What do you even want?¡±

    The demon¡¯s unnerving grin grew wider.

    ¡°It¡¯s simple. The half-orc summoner, a graduate of the citadel academy, known as Barnabus, son of Elijah. He summoned me some time ago, and bound me to his service. Seven mortal years I did serve, and I hated it. When I was finally freed of the enslaving magic, I fled back to Sharalyk, realm of my demon lord, and waited. When I felt a calling of an aberrant near this citadel academy I accepted.¡±

    He let out a low, angry growl.

    ¡°But the aberrant had already fled the city. Now I am stuck in a wasteland! I will pretend to be your summoned demon when we meet with your mortal watchers. This will allow you to bring me into the city so I might slay Barnabus, son of Elijah. I will only stay in the city until I kill him. In exchange, I will shield you from the demons in this wasteland, aid your path back to your city, and even grant you each a minor favor.¡±

    He held out his hand, fingers spread, as if telling us to stop, and the wasteland behind him blew, empty.

    ¡°Not much. You are smuggling me, yes, I do not deny that, but do not pretend this will require some vast sacrifice on your part, mortals. Besides, my rot bloodline and demon lord¡¯s granted blessings are limited. I would suggest this: through the contract, I can apply a particular blessing that will allow you three times to infuse my rot magic into a strike, causing disease and rot to spread through the target.¡±

    He spread his hands and smiled.

    ¡°What do you say, children?¡±

    I swallowed thickly. The demon did a great job of making his proposal sound so reasonable. It was easy to turn down an offer for your soul. It was easy to tell a demon was playing you when they offered you untold power and riches for a task.

    This was harder to deny. The words about how a cruel master had tortured professor Toadweather came to my mind.

    And nobody was here to stop me. It was just Wesley, me, and the demon out here. If Wesley agreed to keep silent, then nobody would know.

    Nobody at all.

    But there was one small thing in his phrasing. The demon said he¡¯d only stay in the city until Barnabus was dead¡­ Not that he¡¯d only kill his old summoner. It was a small gap, and if I¡¯d been in conversation with a person, I wouldn¡¯t have thought it meant anything.

    But I was still dealing with a demon.

    ¡°Let me be clear,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re going to just go into the city, take revenge on your old summoner, Barnabus, and then leave? Nothing else.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll only stay until Barnabus is dead,¡± the demon repeated. I let myself drop into a fighting stance.

    ¡°That isn¡¯t an answer.¡±

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    The demon snarled and launched itself at us, and Wesley¡¯s chanting resolved itself. Throughout the entire time that I¡¯d been talking to the demon, he¡¯d been casting arcane missiles, holding them in place, invisible. It was a truly staggering feat of ether manipulation, one that I couldn¡¯t have matched even if I was at my best.

    Now, nearly a dozen of the force spells ripped into the form of the demon, who staggered back. Instead of blood, the rot monster oozed out a blackish pus that hissed and steamed unnaturally in the air.

    But the demon was strong, old and canny. He flexed his hands out and streaks of necromantic energy erupted at us. In the middle of casting my spell, I leapt to the side, spinning out of the way of a pair that had been headed for my head and heart respectively. A pair of shield spells took the hit for Wesley, but even with his perfect casting, they cracked and shattered apart beneath the demonic rot.

    I flicked my hands out as the last syllable for arcane missile fell from my lips, and poured my fire into the spell. The ballista sized force bolt exploded across the distance in a second, and though the demon tried to whip itself out of the way, the missile still tore off one of his arms entirely.

    As the rot creature screamed in pain, Wesley completed his own spell. Fire gushed from his hands and over the demon. While the flame was nowhere as potent as Jackson¡¯s affinity-infused were, it was still cast with exacting precision.

    Unfortunately, the spell had a short range, and the demon had been close. The monster leapt through the fire, even as it burnt through his flesh, his single good hand extended for Wesley¡¯s throat.

    I snapped my fingers out again and released a second dragonfire strengthened bolt at the thing¡¯s chest. It struck and tore a massive hole through the thing¡¯s torso, giving Wesley just enough time to dodge out of the way of the gripping hands.

    But I wasn¡¯t dumb enough to think that this was over. The blackish ooze leaked out of the demon rapidly, and I smell its bloodline power rushing through it.

    ¡°Grahhh!¡± the demon bellowed as a new arm erupted and the hole in its chest healed in seconds.

    Wesley and I were both chanting, but the demon launched itself at me in an explosively fast motion. I spun out of the way, letting him slide past me, and Wesley snapped out another spell, the arcane missile drilling into the base of the rot demon¡¯s neck.

    I saw my chance then. My fire was guttering at just over half, so I had to make this count¡­

    I kicked the demon¡¯s back, throwing all of my weight into the blow. I was heavier than I looked ¨C while mass wasn¡¯t conserved between dragon and human form, our human forms were still a lot more dense than a normal person ¨C and my strength was enough to pin the demon down on the ground.

    Just long enough for me to finish another arcane missile, this one tearing through its neck.

    I had hoped that this would leave the head, so I could potentially use it as a component for the rite of centered mind, but no such luck. The demon turned to an oily black smoke as its essence was pulled back to¡­ where had it said it was from? Sharalyk, or something of that sort.

    The Erudite let out a soft clap, and I jumped back at the sound. I felt spells peeling off of my mind, as memories returned.

    I hadn¡¯t been out here with only Wesley. The Erudite had been here all along. I¡¯d noticed in the very beginning how the demon hadn¡¯t seemed to see the Erudite, and he must have pushed that magic into my mind as I¡¯d bartered with the demon.

    That felt¡­ incredibly gross and invasive, and I wiped my arms off.

    ¡°Well done,¡± the Erudite said. ¡°Apologies for altering your mind, but I needed to see how you¡¯d react without me in the mix.¡±

    His lips twitched.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve seen enough, we can end the test now. You both pass. Barely. Emrys, Toadweather will be glad to hear you bartered without falling into a trap. Both of your spells were well done, and your tag-team approach to combat worked well. Wesley, your ether manipulation was beyond perfect. ¡±

    ¡°I was considering letting him take his revenge,¡± I said, a little shell shocked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± the Erudite said. ¡°It¡¯s a risky move. Summoned beings can at times want assistance in dealing with cruel previous summoners. Had you agreed to his deal, we would be having a different conversation.¡±

    ¡°What if he had agreed to kill only Barnabus?¡±

    ¡°It depends,¡± the Erudite said. ¡°If there is evidence of abuse of power over summoned creatures, or a fully signed out contract turned in to authorities bound in such a manner as to prove Barnabus¡¯ crimes then it would have been considered aiding and abetting a suicide, and thus would have netted you a hefty fine. If he was innocent¡­ you would have aided and abetted a murder.¡±

    I felt a chill rush over me.

    ¡°Not the worst thing in the world,¡± he continued. ¡°Professor Toadweather can attest to that. But it¡¯s something to only do with much more caution than you had now. Oh, and you should make more use of your affinity. It¡¯s a strong one, and while catching demons off guard with glimmersands is good, you could have also improved it with a curse. The pair would combo excellently to keep someone off their guard.¡±

    ¡°With all due respect? I couldn¡¯t. The ether cost is too high,¡± I said.

    ¡°Then get skilled enough to design supporting spells on the fly,¡± the Erudite said. ¡°Casting a spell that works alongside glimmersands specifically would likely restrict much of the power.¡±

    I shut my mouth and nodded. The Erudite turned to Wesley.

    ¡°Your spellwork was good, but you haven¡¯t got nearly strong enough armor to get up close and personal with a demon of that caliber. If Emrys hadn¡¯t been here, or if he¡¯d been less nice of a person, you¡¯d have been dead. Or well, you¡¯d have triggered the contingency spell.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Wesley said, though he sounded pissed.

    ¡°Do you?¡± the Erudite asked. ¡°Because if so, I hope you can show a little more cooperative spirit in the future.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re intelligent Wesley, so learn to not be a fool,¡± the Erudite said, his eyes turning crystal blue again. ¡°If Emrys had been an average mercenary you had hired to protect you, and you had treated him with the rudeness you showed, he would have let you die, killed the demon, and gone through your coin purse. It would have been labeled as an unfortunate accident.¡±

    The Erudite¡¯s staff appeared in his hand, and blue light swallowed us all again. As we teleported back to the school, he continued to speak.

    ¡°Both of you have a lot of work to do. But you have a decent start.¡±

    We appeared in the lobby of the brass tower where the dorms were, and the Erudite vanished. I rolled my neck, popped my left shoulder, then was pushed into a wall.

    Wait, what?

    Wesley had pushed me into a wall and was leaning in close. His silver hair hung between us like a curtain, and he stared at me with a burning intensity. One of my hands was pinned beneath his own, pressed against the wall above my head.

    My fight or flight response rushed through me, and I stared at Wesley.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think that just because you saved me that I owe you,¡± he snapped.

    I shoved him off me, and put more power into it than I¡¯d intended, as Wesley was lifted into the air and thrown back more than four feet.

    ¡°Don¡¯t push me into a wall, prick,¡± I snapped. ¡°And I don¡¯t. I expect you to do the same thing if we have to work together again.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± Wesley said, scrambling to his feet. ¡°As long as it¡¯s clear I¡¯m not going to serve you or anyone else.¡±

    ¡°Crystal.¡±

    I turned and walked away, out onto the campus greens.

 Chapter Thirty-Eight: Friday Classes

    I spent the rest of the week working.

    While I was at work at the Charm and Fable, I practiced my abjuration spells, worked with the Summers¡¯ inversion training rod, and worked on my conjuration spells, either shaping or gesturing, but not both. I didn¡¯t want to actually practice casting those, since summon goo seemed messy, summoning a bunch of rats seemed unsanitary, and I didn¡¯t have anything to compact with. Still, I could practice the individual bits.

    During my Friday abjuration class, I worked on drawing out as much of professor Caeruleum¡¯s power as possible, steadily improving my casting speed with allies¡¯ sigil, hidden conversation, and peacecharm, until I was confident in my ability to cast all three of them completely unaided at my usual speed. From there, I set to work improving my shield spell. I¡¯d seen professor Alydia flick her hands and mutter a few words to create a shield in mere moments, and while I was good, I wasn¡¯t anywhere near that level.

    With professor Caeruleum¡¯s magic enhancing me, I made progress, but it was far too slow for my tastes. When the professor wandered over to watch me as I rapid-cast the spell, they tilted their head one way, then the other.

    ¡°You¡¯re too good,¡± they said.

    ¡°Huh?¡± I asked, blinking in confusion.

    ¡°You¡¯ve practiced making a shield spell a lot,¡± they told me. ¡°But you haven¡¯t actually had to throw one up in combat, have you?¡±

    ¡°Not a whole lot,¡± I admitted. ¡°Usually I just cast them beforehand, instead of trying to do it mid-fight.¡±

    ¡°If you make a wand, this may be a touch moot, but there¡¯s also no guarantee,¡± the professor said. ¡°But if I were you, I¡¯d let go. You¡¯re making textbook perfect shapes in your ether pool, but that¡¯s slowing you down.¡±

    ¡°Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast,¡± I said, and Caeruleum snorted.

    ¡°Yeah, sure, when you¡¯re talking about knife skills in the kitchen. But when you¡¯re talking about combat, slow is dead, and dead is dead. Now I¡¯m not saying you should ignore shaping skills, that¡¯s a limiter in the long run for sure. But you can already do slow and good. Learn to do fast and bad. Then learn to do fast and good.¡±

    They flicked their hands quickly, muttering, and a navy blue shield appeared before them. It flickered there for a moment, then vanished.

    ¡°When you¡¯ve got a hail of necrotic bolts raining down on you in an organized volley, it doesn¡¯t much matter if your shield is perfectly transparent and capable of lasting for the full minute the spell is capable of,¡± they said. ¡°Let go, and just cast fast.¡±

    I took a breath, imagined the spellform in my head, then spat out the incantation. I snapped my hands out, and shaped the ether, and¡­

    The spell fell apart.

    But it was almost there. I¡¯d been close.

    I tried again, and again, and on the fourth attempt, a flickering light blue shield appeared before me. It was thin, thinner than it should be, and it vanished a second later, but I felt vindicated.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Caeruleum said. ¡°Now do it again. When you can do it consistently, then work on getting it as thick and strong as possible while staying fast. Then work on getting it to last. Then transparent.¡±

    ¡°I understand. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s what I¡¯m here for,¡± they agreed.

    I spent the rest of the period working on speeding up the spell, and I got it to normal thickness pretty quickly. It had so many parts in common with other spells I knew, like arcane armor and the umbrella cantrip, that it was easy to make that part completely rote. Getting it to last was a little harder, but I made some progress. There was none on actually making it transparent again, but I allowed myself to be satisfied with my progress.

    During lunch I ran my way through Xander¡¯s massage, working to restore my depleted ether pool before I had professor Toadweather¡¯s class, as well as training with Summers¡¯ inversion.

    I was in the middle of eating my bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich when the rod lit green.

    I let out a laugh and did it four more times, until I was sure of what I was doing, then I reached into myself, cutting off the massage in order to practice the inversion.

    The moment I finished the technique, I felt my connection to Etherius warping, flexing, inverting, and turning in on itself. An instant later, power rushed into my ether pool. It didn¡¯t linger long, the technique not actually helping restore power, but it still slammed into the walls of my ether pool with force that far exceeded even the bottled explosion.

    Unlike the explosion, it wasn¡¯t actively painful, and my pool stretched and warped, expanding quickly to hold more ether. It left me feeling somewhat wrung out and sore, though, like how humans described the day after doing strenuous exercise.

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    The power I¡¯d gained from it was considerable. About a quarter of what I needed to fire off another arcane missile spell. From a single use of the technique.

    I sucked in a breath and tried again, only to have my entire spirit start bucking and straining. It wasn¡¯t painful, not like the bottled explosion was, but it was more like my connection to Etherius was rebelling against me. It was like trying to stay on a bucking horse without using any of my bloodline, while my legs were also tied together, and within moments, the technique fell apart.

    I sucked in a breath and started working on Xander¡¯s massage, poking and prodding at my connection to Etherius, and I felt a grin break out on my face, and a bit of admiration for professor Silverbark. The massage was definitely restoring my ether pool, but it was also undoing some of the strain from using Summers¡¯ Inversion.

    That was honestly a great way to pick out which of the students were putting in real effort. After all, if you were just skating by with the bare minimum, there would be no need to try the techniques together.

    I spent the rest of my meal using the massage, then tweaked my spirit one more time with Summers¡¯ inversion. This time, it was actually painful, with my spirit still messed up from the first use, but not much worse than the bottled explosion. Still, as I tried a third time, my spirit utterly rebelled, not in pain, but like a muscle twitch that was simply beyond conscious control.

    I grunted and started the massage technique again, heading towards my next class, where I cast the shrinking spell and headed to the ballroom. It had been set up with targets on the left end of the room, large circular bits of hay bound together with twine and painted with a red bullseye. On the left side of the room, there had been small wooden boxes with glass panels on the size and a maze built up, like the sort of thing one of my sisters had used to let her cat run through when I¡¯d been very small. And in the center, a large space had been cleared, with only her familiar placidly laying there.

    Once everyone was there, standing awkwardly due to the lack of chairs, professor Toadweather buzzed her wings and started separating us into groups. The toad opened its mouth, and again I felt the faint scent of a horrible void beyond the stars, something empty and hungry, with too many eyes and teeth.

    ¡°Alright! Everyone please turn your essays into the void of my familiar, and then¡­ You all to the left, you all to the right, and you all in the middle! Today we¡¯re going to be working on actually casting the spells that we¡¯ve spent last week learning.¡±

    I shuffled towards the frog, tossing my essay in before I headed to the targets as directed, the tree-folk standing next to me. Given what the three spells were, I raised my hand and began making the steady gestures of summon goo, shaping my ether, and speaking the words of power.

    It only took me two tries to get it right. As the last syllable fell from my lips, I felt the spell complete, reaching out to Etherius and through the planes, until it found what it needed. The spell called forth ball of blackish-green goop, which launched from my hand and struck the target, splattering out. The entire target was left covered, and I felt the channeled ether in my spirit to keep it on this plane. I cut the connection, and moments later the goop faded away as well.

    I nodded my head, forced to mentally admit that I could see the utility of learning spells the way that Toadweather taught. I¡¯d spent a few hours going over them in class, then more when writing my essay, enough to have learned it inside and out, and that made shaping them and remembering the incantation incredibly easy. I still thought I preferred professor Caeruleum¡¯s method, but this definitely had its advantages.

    The treefolk next to me conjured his own ball of goo then, and professor Toadweather flittered over to us, watching. I cast the spell again, and she corrected a few of my gestures, shaving off a bit of the initial ether cost, then she corrected the cadence of a few words in the treefolk¡¯s incantation, before nodding.

    ¡°Well done you two, well done! I¡¯m sure you did great on your essays too. Now, the next step is controlling the flight of your goo ball.¡±

    A wand appeared in her hand, and she flicked it to the side. A goo ball appeared, then curved towards the target, striking with uncanny accuracy.

    ¡°It¡¯s not as easy as an arcane missile to guide, but it can be done!¡±

    She then pinched my cheek and the treefolk¡¯s bark around his face before buzzing away in a burst of speed. We continued to practice, and I focused on aiming the spell, curving it and such. As she¡¯d said, it was less intuitive than aiming the missile spell, but it wasn¡¯t too horribly hard, nowhere near the level of ether manipulation needed to create a lifeberry.

    After a quarter of the period had gone by, she called out for us to change stations, and I was shuffled to the far side of the room, where I began practicing the spell to summon a swarm of rats. I flicked my hands about, clearly enunciated the words of power, and shaped the circuit, but I felt when I failed to flick my fingers in time, and the spell fell apart in a moment.

    I let out a sigh and started again. This spell was much more complex than the summon goo spell, requiring me to cup my hands in a circle, flick out my pinkies, and index fingers, before I raised my left ring finger and right middle finger at the same time. After that, I had to do a quick series of sharp motions in a shape that almost resembled a backwards ¡®z¡¯ motion.

    The cracks in professor Toadweather¡¯s method started to show here. While I¡¯d practiced the finger and hand motions at work, they were still hard enough that I was struggling to get it together, even with the chant and shaping parts completely mastered.

    By the middle of the training block, I managed to get the motions right. Once again, I felt my ether pool reach deep into Etherius, and a moment later, three rats appeared. They were slightly larger than normal rats, almost the size of a younger cat, and they had blue fur speckled with red and green dots.

    Unlike with my summon gadhar or summon stone spells, the ether cost for summoning these was completely static, but they would fade upon either being dismissed, or after an hour. That was a good amount of time, so I put down some of the peanuts and walnuts that professor Toadweather had laid out, let them run the course, then dismissed them to start the summoning process again.

    ¡°Good! Do it again. Get used to letting them move about, but not puppeting them. Just use gentle suggestions and allow them to do it,¡± professor Toadweather said, whispering into my ear.

    ¡°Gah!¡± I said, not having heard her come up behind me. I could forgive not smelling her ¨C we were in a faerie castle, of course I couldn¡¯t smell one specific fae ¨C but I thought I should have heard her. She was normally so loud!

    She giggled and zoomed away, and I practiced summoning the rat pack back and forth, feeding them nuts and stroking their fur. Despite being rats, they smelled of moonlight and forests, and were actually quite cute and tame.

    Eventually, though, it came time for my last part of the class: creating a familiar compact.

 Chapter Thirty-Nine: Familiar Compact

    I stepped up next to the toad and began preparing. As a ritual spell, there was a little more to do than just waving my hands around and mumbling. Instead I withdrew some chalk from one of the bags that I had tied around my belt, alongside a bit of string. I tied the string around the chalk, then stepped on the loose end, holding it down, before turning with the chalk in hand.

    The resulting circle was far from perfect, but much better than I could have managed to do freehand. The gestures used in casting might have taken a degree of manual dexterity, but that didn¡¯t make me any good at doing artistic stuff.

    Across from me, the treefolk who I¡¯d been paired with had picked up a bit of chalk in one of its roots and rotated around in a circle, creating a near-perfect circle in seconds. Each of the mortal races had their advantages, and apparently for treefolk, drawing large circles on the ground was one of them.

    I laughed at my own mental joke as I slipped the chalk out of its bindings before tucking away the string, then started writing the shapes that the ether would flow along inside and outside of the circle.

    The components for a familiar binding ritual were, thankfully, quite cheap. The incense of a fir, maple, and spruce tree, alongside a blue candle and a pile of salt, so purchasing them at the Charm and Fable had been cheap. I began to place them down when the frog let out a ribbit, opening its portal-mouth, and spat up a bundle of materials.

    I paused. I should have realized that there wouldn¡¯t be a need to purchase them. Hadn¡¯t I been told about how willing they were to put in the work for first years?

    Then a new thought came to me, and professor Toadweather seemed to materialize from nothing, as if summoned by my thoughts.

    ¡°What is it?¡± she asked curiously.

    ¡°I was just thinking¡­ how many familiars can you have at any given time?¡±

    ¡°As many as you can devote your ether pool to holding,¡± she said. ¡°I already told you, though. That way lies stupidity. If you devote too much of your ether pool to forming familiar bonds, you¡¯re just going to wind up with no power of your own.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± I said, tossing my salt, incense, chalk, and candle back into my bags. ¡°I just wanted to check, especially since I¡¯ve already bought the components for another bond.¡±

    ¡°What can you summon right now?¡±

    ¡°Goo, the rat pack, a stone, and a gadhar,¡± I said. ¡°I was planning on making the gadhar my familiar. I¡¯ve worked with him for a good while now.¡±

    ¡°A good choice, if you¡¯re able to sustain the relationship with one,¡± professor Toadweather said. ¡°We¡¯re going to be learning a few more foundational spells, but the meat of the course until winter break will be on learning to summon minor elementals and faeries. If you do decide to form a second familiar bond, I recommend that it be to one of those, and that you have no more than those two. Understand?!¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± I said. ¡°Though what do you mean by ¡®if you¡¯re able to sustain a relationship¡¯? I¡¯ve never had problems summoning a gadhar before.¡±

    ¡°Well, gadhar are angelus. One of the least naturally powerful breeds of angelus, true, but it means that taking too many actions that go against the rules imposed on them by their bloodline will force them to abandon you, or even turn against you.¡±

    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s it? That¡¯s essentially the same risk as when summoning a faerie, like in your story.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s why I recommend having an elemental as your first familiar. Usually, they¡¯re less intelligent, and less able to follow and judge you based on creed. And what you do with your knowledge is your responsibility.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate the double warning,¡± I said, though truthfully I was just wondering how often people in this course were abusing their power enough that she felt the need to re-remind me.

    ¡°Now, summon, summon, summon!¡± Toadweather clapped, darting over to the treefolk, who was laying out his components in the circle.

    ¡°Not yet,¡± I grumbled, and raised my hands. I began the motions of the ritual, working through them slowly and methodically, while channeling the ether in half of the patterns on the floor. I let the incantation resonate, the words of power filling the air around me.

    This also took me a few tries, the multitude of exacting gestures turned into a series of pitfalls, but once I got it right, all of the components vanished into Etherius, consumed by the spell.

    The next part of the ritual was easy enough.

    I cast Summon Gadhar. The golden-furred hound, with dark brown feet and a brown patch on his chest, with sparrow-like wings appeared, standing within the circle. I examined it, then cleared my throat to speak. This, too, was part of the ritual. The offer wasn¡¯t made in the words of power, but rather, needed to be made in the bloodline tongue of whatever you were making the offer to.

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    ¡°I offer this compact to you, so that my magic and your blood might entwine, and for companionship.¡±

    That was all. The gadhar studied me, then pressed its nose into the chalk beneath its feet. There was a flash of blue and white light, and I felt a presence fill my ether pool, absorbing a chunk of the power I used for casting spells. It expanded to fill a considerable amount, about an eighth of my entire pool, before it finally stopped.

    I felt the connection between the gadhar and myself snap into place. A sense of genuine cheer and happiness seemed to radiate from the winged hound as it bounded forward, jumping up on me. It was strong, much stronger than a normal dog, and I let out a little ¡®omph¡¯ as it pushed me back, but scratched its head.

    ¡°Hey there. Do you have a name?¡±

    She ¨C because I was suddenly aware that she was a she ¨C sent a wave of happy impulses into my head, a sort of mix of colors and lights and sounds, alongside a word in the celestial tongue. I frowned.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that ¡®dog¡¯ is a name, so much as just your species.¡±

    There was a moment of hesitation before she suggested something else.

    ¡°Orla works,¡± I agreed, patting her head. ¡°Now, I know that you can enter my ether pool. Would you be more comfortable there, or would you rather?¡±

    Orla¡¯s jaws unhinged, and she let out a big yawn before dissolving into a stream of blue light, slipping into my ether pool, where I was struck by the sudden powerful feeling that she was curling up, tucking her head under her tail, and extending her wings to wrap them around herself, before closing her eyes and drifting off.

    Well, that was simple enough. If she could discorporate and recorporate herself at will, then I didn¡¯t have to worry about letting her in and out of my ether pool when she wanted.

    I let out a sigh as professor Toadweather buzzed back over to me, clapping.

    ¡°Well done! You can leave early, if you¡¯d like, or you can stay and watch.¡±

    I glanced around. Getting a couple more instances of casting summon goo or rat swarm wouldn¡¯t really make much of a difference, so I just nodded.

    ¡°Thanks for the class,¡± I told her, then ducked out. I used another casting of Summers¡¯ inversion, then started up Xander¡¯s massage while heading to the campus greens near the massive animated water fountain, where I plopped down on a bench and opened my grimoire, continuing to read through the information on my curse affinity, working to compose spells in my mind while I allowed my ether to restore itself. I was about thirty minutes into my studies when I heard a voice.

    ¡°Oi, Emrys! What¡¯cha doin¡¯ here?¡± Salem asked, walking across the campus greens toward me, wavving. He¡¯d come from the opposite direction of the spidershade forest where my classes were held. Raking my memory for what lay over that way, I thought I remembered that the entry to the crystalline caverns and seer¡¯s bonfire were there?

    ¡°Got out of class early,¡± I said, jerking my thumb in the direction of the pixie castle inside the forest. ¡°How about you?¡±

    ¡°I just got out¡¯a my oracle class, an¡¯ I was ¡®bout¡¯a head into the library. Want to come along?¡±

    I snapped my grimoire shut and tucked it into my bag.

    ¡°Definitely,¡± I said. ¡°I have a bunch of books that I need to get. Some of them I can get from a library in the city, but the spell guides I need here.¡±

    When it came to the spells that professor Gemheart had given me, I¡¯d actually made okay progress for it being on such a backburner. The growth and shrinking spell had been needed for my conjuration course, and I¡¯d already known lifeberry going into the class.

    If I was going to keep it on roughly the same pace as my other courses, though, I¡¯d need to get the spell guide for the cantrip, coinshoot, and scribe¡¯s friend, and start working on mastering them. I could probably let it lag behind a little bit, since I would be able to catch up a bit in the summer, but that was only if I beat Gerhard in the duel.

    Then there was the spell professor Caeruleum had recommended, spellglyph. I had to get my hands on that one way or the other, but I wasn¡¯t entirely confident in delving for third circle spells.

    And on the topic of third circle spells¡­

    ¡°Before I forget,¡± I said, pulling a handkerchief from my pocket, as well as a knife. I pricked the back of my hand, squeezed it to let three drops fall onto the cloth, then passed it to Salem.

    ¡°Here. For the rite of centered mind. I know that the other components are expensive, but I¡¯m working at a component shop now. The oudh wood incense and lenses I can buy at cost, which should save us a decent bit, if you can just pay me back for your share. That leaves the were-raven feathers and humanoid demon bits. There are some humanoid demons out in the wastes, but they dissolved back into their realm.¡±

    ¡°Ya¡¯ve got ta¡¯ separate the horn firs¡¯,¡± Salem said. ¡°That¡¯ll leave it in our realm. Thas¡¯ prolly why it¡¯s for courage, given it¡¯s stupid to cut the horn off a livin¡¯ demon.¡±

    I made a ¡®tsk¡¯ sound, annoyed at the missed opportunity.

    ¡°An¡¯ I can source the feathers,¡± Salem continued. ¡°I know a¡¯ few were-folk back¡¯n Hydref, I can prolly get some tah¡¯ hand over the feathers. But I didn¡¯t want¡¯a expect ya¡¯ tah hand over your blood.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no problem,¡± I said, waving my hand. ¡°If you wanted to use it to do something nasty, I¡¯d just send a curse through the same link the instant I feel anything happening to my blood. Besides, I trust you to not to do that.

    That was half bluff, half truth. Cursing someone for abusing the tools I¡¯d given them was definitely within my wheelhouse, and if someone did try to throw nasty magic at me that way, I was confident that I could design a curse to hit them with a huge amount of bad luck ¨C It would just take a while. I¡¯d have to design the spell, since I was still far from being able to adapt to new conditions and entwine them into the spellcasting on the fly.

    But if I¡¯d learned anything in my wandering, it was that placebo was almost as good as spellcraft, and that selling placebo required confidence. A witch I¡¯d worked with for a while had sold a vast array of fake cures mixed in with her real potions, and they¡¯d worked wonders. She¡¯d laid false curses, which people had genuinely feared. And she¡¯d threatened them with magic that I now knew she couldn¡¯t perform, but had seemed all too real at the time. It was all about delivery.

    Salem, and anyone who might be eavesdropping, didn¡¯t know how skilled or unskilled I was with my curse magic, and they didn¡¯t need to. I¡¯d helped take down Gerhard with a curse, and though that had only been tilting almost even scales, nobody had to know that.

    And it worked. The thin, almost invisible, black hairs on Salem¡¯s arms burst into gooseflesh at my casual threat, and he gave a nervous smile.

    ¡°Ah, that makes sense. Thank¡¯ya for trustin¡¯ me anyhow.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± I said. ¡°So, what did you need from the library? I¡¯ve got a list of spells, but there¡¯s no pressure to get them all with me if you just need to do a quick dart in and out.¡±

 Chapter Forty: Weekend Transmutations

    I leapt out of the way, sucking in a breath and holding it as a bright red rune lit and unleashed a yellow powder into the air. Behind me, Salem took hurried backwards steps down the row of books to avoid the powder while chanting out a spell. I started my own, but Salem¡¯s spell completed first.

    A strong wind gust flowed from his hand, but only kicked up the powder even more, forcing Salem and I to retreat, when my nostrils flared.

    I whipped my hand out, putting it on Salem¡¯s shoulder to steady my aim as I launched a goo ball at a massive, mantis-shaped monster that surged up from the floor. It struck, binding the mantis, and Salem unfroze, turning and muttering an arcane missile spell. I began to do the same, and in moments, we¡¯d blown the mantis to bits.

    ¡°Bloody hell,¡± Salem complained, stepping away from me, looking ever so slightly red in the blue and green shades of our weirlights. ¡°Did¡¯e library decide it wanted ta¡¯ put us in a special sorta¡¯ hell? We¡¯re not that deep in.¡±

    It was true. We¡¯d gone deep enough that I now had the spell guide for coinshot tucked away in my bag, and Salem had picked up one for astrologist¡¯s sight, a spell to see the stars during the daytime. There were apparently certain other divination spells that required you to observe the stars, making this spell one recommended by his professor, just not recommended enough to make it mandatory in the course curriculum.

    In that time, we¡¯d suffered three monster attacks and two traps, if I included the ones we¡¯d just suffered.

    ¡°Maybe?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the library responds to us, though. If it¡¯s challenging us a lot, it¡¯s not for no reason.¡±

    Salem nodded and we continued to walk, scanning the bookshelves, trading off who was watching and who was looking at the shelves, when I smelled something. There was a powerful scent of a typhoon and warm breeze coming from a little down the tunnel, and I put my hand on Salem¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Air elemental,¡± I warned. Salem straightened and flicked his eyes around, then started casting a spell.

    I ran down my own mental list of spells, trying to find any that might be useful, then started casting orb of air. Air elementals could innately manipulate air, including pushing it out of the way. I didn¡¯t think that they could rip it from a person¡¯s lungs ¨C people¡¯s spirits innately resisted magic ¨C but they could clear it from an area and suffocate you slowly. That meant having a conjured source of air under my own magic was more than a little important.

    I cast another orb of air over Salem¡¯s head while he continued to chant. Given how long his chant was going on, he had to be working on a particularly powerful spell, maybe third circle?

    The elemental soared at us then, like an oversized sparrow made of twisting wind and shadows, and I flicked out quick wierlight spells, setting them to spin around the elemental, who raked at it with claws made of air. The weirlights winked out, and I summoned them again, then tossed a summoned stone into it, disrupting some of its form. The elemental hissed, then turned to focus on me, diving forwards, only for Salem to complete his spell.

    I didn¡¯t know if Salem was taking the air elemental magic course, or if air magic was just a hobby of his, but air swirled in from all around us, sucking in dust and loose scraps of fluttering paper, forming into a tight, compact ball half the size of his fist, before rocketing out and slamming into the air elemental.

    The air elemental extended tendrils of air into the spell, trying to suck away its power in the same way I¡¯d eaten the demonic fire, but it was too slow. If it had interrupted the spell while it was forming, it could have easily made it, but it only had a fraction of a second between the release of the spell and the impact, and I¡¯d been distracting it earlier.

    The air elemental was thrown back and left spinning in the air, and I drew my hand back, summoning another stone and preparing to throw while Salem started a new chant for another offensive spell.

    An instant before I threw, Orla burst from my spirit in a flash of blue ether and materialized in mid-air. Her teeth glowed with blue-white angelus magic and sank into the elemental. I froze, not having realized that she was even awake again, but she bore the elemental to the ground, her magic somehow holding it, even though it was made of air. A moment later, her mouth crunched down, and the elemental slipped back into its home plane. I reached out and patted her head.

    ¡°Good girl!¡±

    I turned to Salem, then nodded my head to her.

    ¡°This is Orla, my familiar. She was asleep earlier, but now she¡¯s awake.¡±

    Orla flicked her wings out, as if she was drying them or loosening her feathers, then trotted towards Salem, sniffing at him. She sent me an impulse of curiosity, as if asking why he smelled strange, and I did my best to explain that he¡¯d been raised in a place with a lot of faeries, and that had probably rubbed off on him. She seemed unconvinced, but not upset or judgemental at him, so I let it go.

    ¡°Wait, look there,¡± Salem said, pronouncing ¡®there¡¯ like ¡®tear¡¯. I followed the line of his finger and spotted a thick book lodged on the shelf, almost falling out, with an old, ragged scroll sitting next to it. The spine called the thick book ¡®Zinthazor¡¯s Guide to Home Defense¡¯, while the scroll was lacking any identifying features.

    I walked over, picked the two up, and immediately realized my mistake. A green rune that had been barely visible on the book next to the guide flashed suddenly and released a sizzling bolt of lightning at me. It struck my arcane armor, which had been reinforced by the power of my dragonfire, but even that wasn¡¯t enough to do more than buy me a few seconds. I flung the book to Salem and tried to throw myself in the opposite direction where the lightning shot up my left arm, leaving long, burning lines.

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    My body spasmed and I was thrown into the bookshelf across from me, instinctively rushing dragonfire through my body to heal. Draconic bloodlines aren¡¯t especially good at healing. It doesn¡¯t work on anyone but themselves, and most of that is just accelerating the natural process. The little bit of active healing I can do is restoring my body if it gets burnt, which was why I was able to do anything with the lightning. Even that takes lots of dragonfire for relatively weak healing.

    But I was moving too fast, on instinct, and the slightly sloppy control caused several puffs of smoke to burst from my skin as it got incredibly hot. I didn¡¯t light myself on fire ¨C even out of practice and using an ability that channeled tons of fire, I was only sloppy enough to smoke, not burst into flame.

    But I was hot enough that the wood where my body had pressed onto the bookshelf began to blacken and smoke as well. I swallowed, realizing I¡¯d just broken one of the rules: never damage the books.

    Salem¡¯s eyes went wide as he looked around. He grabbed my fresh-healed hand, and we turned.

    ¡°We¡¯ve gotta¡¯ go,¡± he said. ¡°Things are movin¡¯ for us. Fast¡±

    I nodded and we took off down the hall, Orla dissolving into a stream of light and slipping back into my spirit. I paused when I spotted a tripwire, but Salem was moving with too much momentum, and he couldn¡¯t command his body to react as fast as mine, so I started moving again, swept him off his feet, and leapt over the tripwire. Behind me, I heard several loud chittering sounds, like overgrown bugs.

    Salem¡¯s eyes went wide and he started casting a spell, even as I held him bridal style and continued to dash down the hall. I dodged under a swinging axe that could have taken the head off of someone, and then leapt around a living black cloak with gnarled humanoid hands. It tried to grab me, but Salem conjured a shield in the nick of time, glowing bright green. The shield shattered, but I was running so fast that it barely even mattered, we were gone. I leapt up into the air to dodge an oozing slime that flowed from stained carpet, ducked aside from an arrow that would have hit Salem¡¯s face, and let his wind magic knock aside potion bottles that dropped from the ceiling.

    All the while, a horde of beasts and monsters surged up behind us. We were getting near the reading room, I could see it, and they could see us. One of the older students ¨C a third year, judging by his embroidered insignia ¨C leapt out. A staff made of metal, with a head of white stone and red paint appeared in his hand, and he began chanting out a spell, long, low, slow tones. I jumped onto the battered, bloodstained wooden table, then leapt into the reading room in an enormous tumble, shielding Salem with my body. We came to a stop against one of the chairs, and I got a good look at what was going on.

    The tide of monsters rushed out into the center, and another third year emerged from the room, holding a wand. She flicked her hands back and forth, causing bursts of light and sound to push the tide of beasts back, giving the other student time to finish his incantation. It took a long time, as if he were reading pages worth of Words of Power, but when it finally completed, he slammed his metal staff on the floor.

    A wave of white light erupted from him, passing out in a ring. It washed over the monsters, and some evaporated, banished to their home planes, others were driven back into the stacks, and others simply ceased to be, as if they were nothing more than illusions.

    I wasn¡¯t casting ethersight, but I didn¡¯t need to be in order to feel the power rushing through the library as it passed over me as well.

    A larger monster, some sort of massive, gorilla-esque demon with a batlike face, wings, and a snake for a tongue ¨C not a snake tongue, but a snake for a tongue ¨C appeared, and the pair of older mages began attacking in unison.

    The woman started throwing spells like rain on the creature, conjuring illusions that the monster wasted time on, peppering it with bolts of lightning, wind, ice, and arcane missiles, while the staff user unleashing slower but far more powerful spells. His first spell was some sort of acidic beam that cut off the demon¡¯s left hand, while his second was a battering ram of force the size of a cart, and his final spell seemed to twist space, finally forcibly banishing the creature back to its home plane.

    ¡°Emrys?¡± Salem asked, and I snapped back to myself. I¡¯d grabbed onto Salem without thinking and held him tightly as we¡¯d run, then shielded him as we tumbled into the room. Which meant during the older mages fight, where I¡¯d had a great view, I¡¯d also been holding him flush against my body, his legs wrapping around my torso.

    I turned scarlett and immediately let go.

    ¡°Sorry!¡±

    ¡°Nah, don¡¯ be,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯ think I¡¯d¡¯a gotten out without you.¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have been in this mess without me,¡± I pointed out, and Salem shrugged.

    ¡°Aye, but I wouldn¡¯a gotten deep enough in ta¡¯ get my spell guide or the scroll.¡±

    The older students came back into the reading room then, cutting off my protest and glowering at us, even though both of them held thick books in their hands, which I¡¯d guessed they¡¯d plucked thanks to defeating the horde and giant demon. The woman with the wand shook her head.

    ¡°Whatever books you got, you owe us,¡± she said flatly. ¡°What are you, stupid?¡±

    ¡°My bloodline reacted withou¨C¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t control your bloodline, don¡¯t come into the library,¡± the man said flintily. ¡°We¡¯re not always going to be able to pull you out of the fire. If we hadn¡¯t been here, you could have wound up in a bad spot.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± I said, then jerked my thumb at Salem. ¡°But not him. I was the one who set it off. Don¡¯t punish him just because I was stupid.¡±

    The man¡¯s face softened and he sighed.

    ¡°Fine. What did you get?¡±

    I pulled out the spellguide for coinshot, as well as the home defense book and started flipping through it. The pair of older students stood over my shoulder, looking at the contents.

    Most of the book was more about the implementation of spellcraft in defending a home, more than about spellcraft itself, but there were a few spells there. Circle of alarm was one I already had, so losing it didn¡¯t sting too much, but parts that went over arcane seal, spellglyph, wizard¡¯s sanctum, and permanency stung. The last two were fourth and fifth circle spells respectively, and even if I couldn¡¯t cast them, I could copy them into my book for when I learned how.

    ¡°Permanency and wizard¡¯s sanctum,¡± the woman said, whistling. ¡°I call dibs on permanency.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t call dibs, I went out first,¡± the man snapped.

    They bickered back and forth before eventually settling, and I asked a question.

    ¡°What about the others? Spellglyph, arcane seal, circle of alarm, and coinshot?¡±

    The students shared a glance, then shrugged.

    ¡°I have them all,¡± the woman said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have coinshot, but I don¡¯t need it,¡± the man said. ¡°I¡¯ve got better spells in every conceivable way.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­ Can I keep them?¡± I asked, my hand inching towards coinshot.

    ¡°After we¡¯re done copying our spells,¡± the man said.

    ¡°Fine,¡± I agreed, then wandered over to Salem, who had taken a seat at a nearby table. He shook his head.

    ¡°They¡¯re a buncha¨C¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said. ¡°They did save us.¡±

    ¡°An¡¯ got their own books for it,¡± he said. ¡°This is a bloody robbery.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I repeated. ¡°I¡¯ll get some of them. What did the scroll turn out to be?¡±

    ¡°Dreamshield,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s a spell an¡¯ a psychic ability, but I haven¡¯t created the knots for the psychic, an¡¯ I need it. Protects from nightmares an¡¯ other influences in sleep.¡±

    I gave him a quizzical look and he gave me a tight lipped smile.

    ¡°I get¡¯a lot¡¯a nightmares.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that,¡± I said.

    ¡°S¡¯fine, not really a fan a¡¯ talkin¡¯ about it,¡± he said. ¡°Shall we?¡±

    I nodded and began copying my spell into my grimoire.

 Chapter Forty-One: Lessons from Many

    As it turned out, the older students knew the cantrip to animate a pen, and it didn¡¯t actually take them all that long to copy out their spells, which meant I could spend the weekend on my spells, working, and practicing the combination of Xander¡¯s massage and Summers¡¯ inversion.

    Coinshot was a fairly straightforward spell, and shared many parts in common with arcane missile, lifeberries and, surprisingly, summon stone, making it easy enough to get a handle on casting. I might not be relying on it in a fight yet, but I could at least repeatedly cast it without error. A part of that, I gave to my breadth of spellcasting knowledge now.

    When I¡¯d started out, it would have taken me weeks to learn to cast this sort of spell, but I was beginning to see the underlying logic that Magyk had used when creating spells. I didn¡¯t think it was a science, but rather, more like¡­ live art. Like performing poetry on a stage, casting a spell required me to read my situation and focus on the right parts for that situation. There wasn¡¯t an objective perfection I could seek out, but that didn¡¯t mean that there weren¡¯t things that worked better than others ¨C reading a poem in Hua-Long to a bunch of people who only spoke Flametongue would always struggle to convey the same meaning, after all.

    My increased speed was slightly noticeable when learning spellglyph, but to a far less extreme degree. I was definitely struggling less than I had when I¡¯d first learned water to wine or enshroud, but spellglyph was much more complicated, and I didn¡¯t have as much understanding of spells at that level of complexity.

    This was further bogged down by the fact that spellglyph was absurdly complex, even among third circle spells.

    The spell was slow, taking an entire hour to cast, as it required inking out the spell diagram in exacting detail, and layering the magic into each of its three circles. It only lasted for a year and a day once it had been cast, after which it faded away. And it ate up bucketfuls of ether, enough that I wasn¡¯t sure I had enough ether to be able to cast it once, especially not after taking a familiar. I¡¯d need to keep working with the inversion to expand my ether pool. And on its own, the spell did nothing, and in order to do anything, I had to dump ether crystal dust and more ether into it. Not a small amount of dust, either. Even with my ability to purchase goods at cost, it would run me about a hundred and eighty silver per cast.

    I was, however, able to determine why professor Caeruleum had recommended it to me.

    After I¡¯d written out the spell, I just had to place the ether dust into the created glyph, then cast the spell I wanted in. Instead of activating, the spell would be stored within the glyph, waiting until a trigger ¨C which I included as a part of the spell when writing it out ¨C was set, at which point the stored spell would be released.

    The possible triggers reminded me somewhat of the flexible possible conditions for laying a curse, and after all my reading on my curse affinity, grasping that part was easy. It wasn¡¯t quite as flexible as affinity magic, but there were still more than enough ways I could cast it.

    Better yet, since I provided the ether dust after inking the spell, I could use blood price to cast it, which shaved off a major downside.

    It was still far from perfect. If I dedicated myself to nothing but casting this spell day in and day out, I might be able to bury Gerhard in spells, but even if I was willing to drop out of school, I wasn¡¯t immune to blood loss, nor was I able to take out a massive loan. With no banking history, and going up against the richest family in the world, there wasn¡¯t a bank alive willing to lend me the kind of money I¡¯d need.

    No, the spell wasn¡¯t a perfect fix to all of my problems, but it was a spark of hope, a small way to help me level the playing field against an opponent I couldn¡¯t beat.

    I was able to also get a quick copy down of circle of alarm and arcane seal into my grimoire before I had to return them to the library, even if I wasn¡¯t able to cast arcane seal yet, and would be learning it later in my spellcraft courses. It was the first time in my life that I¡¯d ever reached a point where I had more spell guides than I could reasonably learn, and it was a strange feeling.

    Between all of the copying work, the shift at Charm and Fable, and practicing with my spellcraft, the weekend flew by, as did my core courses and ethics course. The ethics course was admittedly more interesting than I¡¯d expected, with a lot of meditation practice, and a frequent need to examine our actions and identify when we may have been acting under the influence of the Creep. If we claimed that there was nothing, we completely failed, and I suspected that it resulted in us getting even more observed.

    During my Tuesday shift at the Charm and Fable, Fable wound up wandering in while I was restocking the powdered iron. He smiled genially, patting at his tweed suit pocket as if feeling for something, then removed a pipe and began to fill it before lighting it with a word of power.

    ¡°My boy, I¡¯ve noticed, you tend to wear your university uniform while you¡¯re working here. There¡¯s nothing wrong with that, nothing at all, but I wanted to ask why?¡± Fable asked once he¡¯d finally finished.

    ¡°They¡¯re the best clothes I have,¡± I admitted without shame. ¡°Most of my other clothes are pretty ratty from years on the road and constant mending.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Fable said, nodding slowly. ¡°Well, I know that being a wizard is expensive, and most spend endless amounts on their wand, staff, or amulet, but if you¡¯d like to begin shopping, I can point you to a variety of proprietors, from secondhand shops that are far from the main boulevards where the wealthy live, and thus have reasonable prices, to bespoke tailoring.¡±

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    I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden surge of emotion that the offer gave me.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I finally said, then raised a hand. Fable tapped his nose.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a class, no need for that. Ask away.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about wands, staves, and amulets, but what do they actually¡­ do?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve not gotten to that part of your magic lore class yet, have you?¡± Fable asked rhetorically. ¡°Well, the short of it is that they¡¯re tools with their own connection to the ether that lets them handle some of your spellcraft for you. They can hold components for you, increase the efficiency of your spellcraft, and have their own pools of ether that merge and expand your ether pool ¨C one of the few ways in this world to do such a thing once you¡¯ve aged out of the barrier.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± I asked, resisting the urge to tell him that the class was fundamental magecraft, not magic lore.

    ¡°Indeed they do ¨C but ever heard the expression ¡®good, fast, or cheap, pick two¡¯? Well, the same is true with the magus tools ritual,¡± Fable explained. ¡°You can only create two tools, and each tool has its good and bad points. Wands, for example, are amazing at replacing the components in a spell, decent at improving your efficiency, and do very little to expand your ether pool.¡±

    ¡°That explains a lot, actually,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed that the older students with wands seem to be able to throw magic around with just a flick, while those with staves still need to chant and gesture.¡±

    ¡°Exactly! A staff gives a large boost to your efficiency and does a reasonable job with expanding the ether pool, but doesn¡¯t have the best component factor, while amulets contain vast amounts of ether and can replace a fair few components, but fall short when it comes to improving your casting efficiency.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± I said, nodding vigorously. ¡°That makes a lot of sense, but¡­ what about the others? Is there anything that has a high component factor, medium pool expansion, and low efficiency boost?¡±

    ¡°The spell to produce those is a fifth circle ritual that allows you to add one additional tool, either the one you missed out on in the standard magus tools ritual, or an athame, hat, or orb. Then there¡¯s also the seventh circle ritual that fuses all three into a single, absurdly potent tool ¨C I do believe Henry fused his old staff, wand, and athame to produce his current staff, though I won¡¯t pretend to know the details.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, and Fable gave a warm, grandfatherly smile.

    ¡°Anytime, my boy. Learning is to be encouraged. Now, I did need to pick up some ether-enriched steel from the shop for a project¡­¡±

    After Fable left, I continued my practice on Summers¡¯ inversion, the massage, and spellcraft, but found myself daydreaming about the magus tools ritual. I definitely wanted to craft a wand and staff for myself. Maybe that desire would be different if I were on the edge of turning twenty five, and needed to worry about my ether expansion slowing, but with my current pair of techniques and practice, I was already making up lost ground from my familiar ritual, and could keep expanding after that.

    No, for my current needs, it would be better to have a staff and wand. The staff could help me in my preparations for the duel against Gerhard, the spells I cast before the fight, like arcane armor and any spellglyphs I created. Then, during the fight itself, the wand could help speed my casting to a pace that actually allowed me to use magic in the fight.

    Before I knew it, Wednesday rolled around, and it was time for another Fundamental Magecraft course. I showed my ability to complete Summers¡¯ inversion, then sat with Kybar the minotaur and Yushin. When Wesley showed his ability to use the inversion, he lit the rod, as normal, but when the professor started to shuffle him off, Wesley held up a hand. It took almost fifteen seconds, but then the glass lit itself up a second time, and Wesley smirked.

    ¡°Incredible!¡± professor Silverbark said, eyes widening. ¡°To be able to get your spirit back in order so quickly¡­ My goodness.¡±

    He started clapping, with the course half-heartedly joining in. Wesley smirked and headed to his table, while I glowered at him. He met my eyes, and I was surprised that I didn¡¯t see anger or even smugness in them, just a steely determination. I glared at him, and Kybar snorted.

    ¡°If you like him so much, just go to his table,¡± the big minotaur said. I flushed and snapped my gaze over to Kybar, while Yushin put a hand over her mouth to hide her laughter.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like that!¡± I said. ¡°I just want to know how he¡¯s doing it. I¡¯m practicing non-stop, at work, at home, even in the halls between classes, but he¡¯s still beating me.¡±

    ¡°Wait, you practice in the hall?¡± Kybar asked. ¡°Lettilee¡¯s blood, man, even I don¡¯t practice that much.¡±

    I grunted and shrugged, but Yushin lowered her hand and gave me a serious look.

    ¡°Maybe he is simply better than you. It is common in life enforcement practitioners. Anyone can practice, and even reach the tip of the first stage. But beyond that, talent, luck, and money are the three greatest factors in success.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± I relented. ¡°But it¡¯s pretty galling.¡±

    ¡°I do not know that word,¡± Yushin said, but before I could explain, professor Silverbark finished with the last student and clapped to draw attention.

    ¡°Well, class, congratulations for making it this far. Today we begin our third and final ether exercise, this one designed to give fine control.¡±

    He waved his hand, conjuring a set of what looked like glass balls, filled with a maze of tiny internal pathways, each one barely large enough for a poppyseed to fit through. It seemed like there were over a hundred different possible entry and exit points, and the whole thing was somewhat mind bending to look at.

    ¡°This technique is known as Willow¡¯s path,¡± professor Silverbark said. ¡°It¡¯s often seen as the ideal technique for teaching students, but does anyone know why?¡±

    This time, the class was entirely silent, and professor Silverbark glanced around, then finally looked at Wesley and nodded.

    ¡°Growth,¡± Wesley said. ¡°The technique becomes more difficult the larger your ether pool, and increases your ability to do fine etheric control in turn. If we begin now, we can build our control alongside our ether pool expansion, allowing us to continue to reap greater and greater harvests. When I become an archmagus, the technique will help propel me through sixth, seventh, eighth, and eventually ninth circle spellcraft as I continue to expand my pool and practice manipulation.¡±

    ¡°Quite a lofty goal¡­ but a correct point!¡± professor Silverbark agreed. ¡°This is why we must start now, though. If a fifth circle mage with a massive ether pool was to try it, they¡¯d have an incredibly hard time. Practice now, and keep it up as you grow, and you¡¯ll rarely need to worry about finding spells too complex for you.¡±

    He picked up one of the glass spheres and one pathway lit up.

    ¡°Your goal will be to light two pathways by next class,¡± he said, ¡°though if you can manage a third, all the better. Same color rules as before. Now, come get a sphere!"

 Chapter Forty-Two: Unfair Affinities

    I shuffled up and took one, then sat back down at my seat and sent ether into the device. It sucked my ether in greedily, and then just¡­ held it, not glowing at all.

    I frowned and shifted, trying to stretch the ether long and thin, but quickly stopped as that lit the device in yellow shades. I frowned and sensed deeper, then realized what exactly was going on.

    My ether had filled the orb up entirely¡­ and exactly. It filled it to the very limits, and didn¡¯t compress at all, or thin at all. It was entirely uniform. I shifted the ether and tried to open a hole inside the ether itself, while keeping the ether static through the whole pool, like when I flowed ether into lines and shapes for spellcraft, but in reverse. Slowly but surely, the pathway I was focusing on lit up in green. I shifted and lit a second, and then a third, but that was where I started having trouble.

    Then my eyes narrowed. I knew this pattern. These holes, they opened at the same points where I had to apply pressure with Xander¡¯s massage, and ran through to the other side, while looping in such a manner as to emerge in the opposite area while still covering roughly a ninth of the ether pool.

    I started working on Xander¡¯s massage, and within moments, a fourth, fifth, and then sixth tube lit up. The seventh was slower, as I hadn¡¯t been practicing quite as much with the massage as I had been when it had been our task, but I managed to get it.

    I was pulled out of my focus when I heard professor Silverbark clapping again, and glanced up. With my seven lit tubes, I had rushed ahead of everyone else in the class, even Wesley, who only had two lit. Yushin had one, while Kybar and the rest of the class hadn¡¯t managed to get any green yet.

    ¡°Well done lad,¡± the professor said. ¡°Let me guess, you¡¯re a transmutation focused mage? Transmutation spells are so precise and finicky that their mages tend to make excellent fine controllers.¡±

    ¡°No, but I do know my fair share of transmutation magic,¡± I said. ¡°But it was.¡±

    I stopped when the professor twitched the wand tied to his belt and I heard his voice echo in my mind.

    ¡°Let them figure it out on their own,¡± the telepathic voice told me. ¡°But good job indeed! You should be more than ready to use it on your own pool now, if you wish.¡±

    I nodded, just barely, as to not make it obvious, then reached within. I formed the tubes within my ether pool, then began to practice the massage at the same time. As the ether rushed in from Etherius, it rushed through the tubes I¡¯d created and flowed far easier, vastly increasing the rate at which my ether restored itself. The excess flowed over my pool, expanding it ever so slightly as it rushed back into Etherius. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was a little bit.

    I tried to split my focus then, working on keeping the ether running through me while practicing, then paused. I rushed through Summers¡¯ inversion, then began practicing the combination of the massage and path.

    Sure enough, the recovery effect was also bolstered. I wasn¡¯t able to match the fifteen seconds that Wesley had shown off at the start of class, but within five minutes, I was able to perform an inversion again.

    I wasn¡¯t able to stop myself from grinning as I left the class, and Yushin looked at me like I was mad. Still, she didn¡¯t ask for the secret of how I¡¯d done it. Honestly, if she had asked, I would have told her, but I wasn¡¯t about to try and force my information on her.

    We had just sat down together when Wessley sat down on the stool next to us, staring at me.

    ¡°How?¡± he asked. ¡°Now I¡¯ve seen you cast some sort of¡­ supercharged spell¡­ and reach the perfunctory competence level with this technique so quickly.¡±

    My good mood faded a bit and I looked at him, annoyed. At least he hadn¡¯t tried to pin me to a wall this time.

    ¡°Well, how about this? I¡¯ll tell you the answer to those if you explain how you got so good at the others so quickly.¡±

    Wesley¡¯s jaw worked for a moment, then he nodded.

    ¡°Fine. Tell me how you supercharged the spell first.¡±

    ¡°I ran dragonfire through it,¡± I said.

    Wesley¡¯s entire body seemed to sag in relief at that, and I recalled his scorn about how a mage shouldn¡¯t need to worry about a psychic. He was probably something of a mage supremacist, then, much like my family were dragon supremacists.

    How annoying¡­ and useful. If I could pass any weirdness off on my bloodline, he could stop hounding me.

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    ¡°I practiced nonstop, and I do mean that,¡± he finally said. ¡°But my practice was helped somewhat by my self-improvement affinity. The primary spell I can cast with it helps me refine the things I did right while also learning from my mistakes at any given task. It¡¯s not much, but every time I cast it, I get a little better. Combine that with the fact that I only need to sleep about half an hour to an hour every day, and I spent all night practicing¡­¡±

    ¡°How do you sleep an hour?¡± Yushin asked sharply. ¡°That¡¯s unusually short for even an energy drawing stage cultivator, let alone a mage.¡±

    ¡°Well, half-elves only need about four hours,¡± I commented. ¡°That¡¯s not half an hour to an hour, but it¡¯s something.¡±

    Wesley seemed to debate with himself for a moment, then sighed.

    ¡°I improved my sleep. It was the first thing I did. It¡¯s hit a wall, though.¡±

    I stared at him, suddenly very jealous of his affinity. He could improve his sleep, his spellcraft skills, and his ether manipulation? It might not be direct combat utility, but I¡¯d swap affinities with him in a second.

    ¡°Now it¡¯s your turn,¡± Wesley said, jabbing a finger at me. ¡°How did you get so fast?¡±

    Yushin frowned, then covered her ears, apparently wanting to reach this conclusion on her own.

    ¡°It¡¯s the reverse of spellcraft, and it¡¯s aligned with the massage,¡± I said. ¡°I cleared out the area where the path was, instead of filling it, then activated the massage.¡±

    Wesley frowned at me.

    ¡°I realized that the moment I picked up the device. But how did you do it?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t follow?¡±

    ¡°How did you get that level of shaping skill so fast?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± I snapped. ¡°I practiced endlessly with lifeberry, and for over a year, water to wine was my best source of income. They¡¯re complex spells, far more than any obliteration or even most summoning spells.¡±

    Wesley glared at me, then snatched up his tray and walked away. Yushin uncovered her ears right as I rolled my eyes.

    ¡°I take it he did not like your answer?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Apparently not,¡± I said. ¡°But what kind of cheating is that affinity? Self improvement? That¡¯s utter nonsense. No wonder he¡¯s a mage supremacist.¡±

    ¡°He should practice life enforcement,¡± Yushin said begrudgingly. ¡°But I admit to some jealousy. I do not think I would want to trade mine, but I would consider it.¡±

    Yushin and I grumbled about the absolute absurdity of that was a self-improvement affinity while we finished up lunch, then headed onto class.

    Instead of professor Alydia today, professor Emir was standing there. I waved to him and smiled.

    ¡°Hello professor!¡± I called, and he nodded to me, then to Yushin.

    I plopped down onto the grass next to Salem and Jackson, while we waited for the rest of the class to get there. Once everyone was there, professor Emir coughed to gather everyone¡¯s attention.

    ¡°I know I guided some of you through last class, and have taught some of you in my ethics or obliteration magic courses, but for those of you who don¡¯t know me, I am professor Emir Blackflame, second chair of the obliteration school of magic. Today, we¡¯re going to be doing something a little bit new. Do you know what the most common cause of death for a mage is?¡±

    ¡°The Creep?¡± I guessed.

    ¡°Opposing the gods?¡± Jackson threw out.

    ¡°Arrogance,¡± Yushin said.

    ¡°Other mages,¡± Salem said sadly.

    ¡°Demons,¡± one of the second years suggested.

    Others threw out their own guesses, and Emir let everyone go before speaking.

    ¡°There is truth in all of those, but truthfully? Nobody knows. There¡¯s no one clear danger. If there was, then there would be no need for this course to exist, because we could just train you against it. But if you want me to put my money on it? I¡¯d say arrogance and other humans.¡±

    ¡°Humans? Not mages?¡± Jackson asked.

    ¡°Plenty of powerful non-mages out there,¡± Emir said with a shrug. ¡°But there¡¯s a reason that this hold, as well as most other places that have high levels of ambient ether, have strong customs of dueling. Because when powerful people clash, it can be incredibly destructive, even when they¡¯re doing the equivalent of a friendly spar.¡±

    Emir raised his hand and a staff appeared in it. It was made of blackened, almost burnt looking metal, with an orb of glowing magma in his hand. In his other hand, a thin wand made of dark wood with a red ether crystal tip appeared.

    His eyes began to blaze, turning back and red, and his feet lifted off the ground. The grass began to rustle and tear as he floated upwards. Black fire began to leak from the tip of his wand, and he started to chant words of power. More and more black fire leaked out, dripping onto the grass.

    His power smelled like raw destruction. Not like the rot demon, who smelled of decay. No, this smelled of destruction itself, in a way I couldn¡¯t explain, while also being tinged with the smokey, spicy scent of fire.

    I bolted to my feet, tensing and preparing to flee.

    ¡°Which is why, students, today is going to be an entirely different sort of lesson!¡± Emir called. His voice echoed strangely, as if he was speaking through a metal tube while also being strangely far away. ¡°Your goal for the rest of class is simple: survive.¡±

    I ran. The objective was to survive, not to beat him, after all.

    Within moments I smelled his black fire descending on me. I let out a gulp and opened my mouth. Absorbing the fire of a spell was a lot harder and less efficient than absorbing the power of another flame bloodline, but it was possible. To my surprise, the power scoured through the spiritual connection that I¡¯d created with the ritual, and more power flowed in than I¡¯d expected.

    Emir¡¯s power was dense and rich. Not quite as dense as my own, but close enough that it was a little bit startling. I burned the power and poured on the speed, clearing the top of the nearby tree with a single leap. I bounced from tree to tree, running through unfamiliar forest paths.

    Behind me, I heard Jackson bellowing out words of power, and some of the other students doing the same. I ignored them and kept running.

    Once I was confident that I¡¯d lost Emir¡¯s flames, I dropped to the ground and began muttering out a spell as I ran towards a more familiar part of the forest, towards where the faerie castle was.

    There!

    I spotted it and rushed through my spell, flicking out gestures.

    Then a swarm of arcane missiles pounded into the ground in front of me.

    Emir floated down from the sky ahead of me, wind whipping around him as he held his staff and wand out. They no longer glowed with his powerful affinity, but rather dripped with an inky blackness I assumed to be the natural color of his ether pool.

    ¡°Game over, Emrys.¡±