《Manifold Mirror Mage》 Chapter 1 - Working for the Weekend "Gio, how is that remake for table three coming along? Oh, and the bald guy at the counter wants another order of gyoza," said the hostess as she finished unloaded dishes into the rolling tray. it should have been too early for the dinner rush but the building was nearly full of customers. The sun wasn''t due to set for about an hour and a half, so the warm summer afternoon was still in full-swing, and the cooling systems in the building were probably due for an upgrade. The hostess deftly maneuvered through the busy kitchen over to the beverage station, summoning a small mote of ice to chill the glasses before filling them with the finest chilled barley tea found in the Ringed City for less than one Bit. The cheap tea was occasionally as much of a draw on a hot summer evening as the dinner special, and nearly everyone in the seating area had a cup of it in front of them. The silvered carafe that the woman poured the tea from glimmered slightly, the barest signs of an extremely economical space enchantment in an easy-to-miss cartouche embedded into the base. The hostess visibly struggled to lift the vessel over the set of frosty glasses. A voice sounded from behind the wall dividing the kitchen from the dining area. "It will be ready in a sec, Hatra!" Behind the counter stood Giorgio deGloria. During his employment as a part-time line cook at King''s Garden, he wore a white long-sleeved shirt and black work pants. The silver hair he inherited from his mother was currently tucked under a black chef''s cap, and a bead of sweat was racing from his forehead towards his left eye at full speed. He wiped his brow skillfully with the crook of his sauce-covered shirt, ensuring he didn¡¯t cross-contaminate his hands. He grimaced as he smeared hot chili oil on his cheek. "I only need to hold on until Sam gets back from his break. I don¡¯t have time to wash my face right now. I would sell all of my worldly possessions for a cleansing spell." He thought to himself Aside from the torrents of sweat that were running down his face, neck and back, Gio tried to focus on three warming basins full of noodles, two saucepans, four full deep fryers, and a steamer holding what he was almost certain might contain the last order of gyoza currently in the building. Taking a measured breath, Gio waved his non-dominant hand in slow circles, as if conducting an invisible orchestra. Simultaneously the broth, sauces, and even the water in the steamer''s base all began to form little whirlpools. With his dominant hand, he portioned out equally sized portions onto seven plates of spicy chicken udon, the nightly special. The sizzling heat of the chili oil wafted towards Gio''s eyes, threatening to make him tear up, but he dispelled it with a quick breath. Bursting through the swinging kitchen doors, an older man carrying several large bags of frozen gyoza heaved forth, maneuvering open the standing freezer with a knee in the way only experienced food-service workers could as he wrestled the bags into the cramped space. "Sam! You were supposed to be on break! but thank the spirits that you found more gyoza, I''m sending out the last order right now." Before Gio could even ring the bell to summon her, Hatra skillfully spirited away the three plates that had just gone up on the order stand. "I grabbed a few bites before I ran to the storehouse. I had a feeling tonight was gonna get busy, and I didn''t want to leave you stranded here. It''s the Friday before the system ceremony, which is always a big day for deliveries." Sam said. The middle-aged man swiftly tied a blue and yellow fish-patterned bandana atop his buzz-cut head, his bushy eyebrows instantly matting with sweat upon entering the busy kitchen. Sam eyed the swirling broth and chuckled to himself. The head chef and owner of King''s Garden incorporated himself into the flow of the kitchen, and the night progressed from there. Just before peak hours, the rest of the staff working that night had clocked in and manned their stations, preparing for a busy evening. Hatra was an invincible fortress of politeness and cleanliness manning the hostess station. Gio and Sam became cyclones in perfect harmony, a single unit churning out order after order in the kitchen. "Quinn! MORE DUMPLINGS!" Sam yelled. "ON IT!" yelled back a young man from the prep table behind the cooler. Quinn could make even a dull knife cut like a razor. He was a thin and athletic young man, and his shoulder-length silver hair was tied back into a ponytail. He ran from cooler to prep-table, carrying load after load of raw ingredients. He made dumplings, cut up chicken breasts, and refilled sauces for the line. Wait staff bustled in and out of the back area, and several times a cleaning cart was sent out to the front of the house. The entire building seemed to hum with a sense of anticipation. Sam looked over at Gio and Quinn with a twinkle in his eye. "It''s coming, I can feel it!" he whispered, a manic grin trying to peek out of his tired features. Sprinting into the kitchen, Hatra ran to Sam, clasping his hands into hers. "Sam! Can we please break out the complimentary desserts?! You guys got the message too, right? I could REALLY use the minor boon. My [Lesser Telekinetic Assistance] has been on the cusp of the next grade for weeks now, and I know this will push me over the edge!" Sam looked around and then into the eager eyes of his part-timers. he nodded, "Do it, but don''t mention the challenge. Just say that it''s a treat celebrating System Day for you kids. Make sure you save some for the party, though." If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. By the time Sam had finished speaking, the only thing that could be seen of the hostess was the waving of her long black ponytail hitting the door as she ran out into the back street to go into the storehouse, accompanied by Quinn for a second set of hands. Gio couldn''t hide the smile that had come over him. It was certainly hard work, but there was something about working with a good team that fulfilled him. In some ways, he was going to miss this place. He tightened his apron, washed his hands, rolled up his sleeves, changed his gloves, and prepared for a busy night. _____ Wiping down the grill, Gio summoned the notification from earlier, unable to help himself. With the doors locked and the delivery drivers all waiting to be cashed out at the front register, there was officially no way for the rating to suddenly plummet like it did just before closing. If Hatra had not swooped in to offer the bald gyoza man a coupon, the night might have ended differently. <98% Satisfaction rating. Time until close: 2 minutes, 37 seconds.. >. What sort of inhuman class does that guy have to pack away twenty-six orders of gyoza in a single night? And why would you get upset at the restaurant for not stocking twice the gyoza we typically go through in a week? But it''s no big deal. We did it. My first challenge. I imagined it would be a bit more glamorous, but a boon is a boon. Status. Name: Giorgio deGloria Race: Human Class- [LOCKED] - seal pending Occupation: Part-time assistant chef, Full-time student General Skills: -Inferior Multitask -Mana Shaper -Quick Study Would it be too much to hope this could count towards [Quick Study]? A title change to that skill would be massive for the start of the semester. Knocking at the front door summoned Gio out of his system-induced daze, the letters fading into the background of his mind. Walking into the dining room, a bundle of balloons and small holograms had completely engulfed Gio''s mother and his aunt. Trailing behind the balloons and illusion magic cloud were a few people engaged in an animated discussion, some holding bags full of tissue paper and others carrying boxes. Gio came out from the kitchen and walked up to the group. "Hey Mom, anything I can do to help?" "NO," resounded the entire group. "Go sit with your cousins sweetie, you kids are done working for the day." Emerging from the pile of decor, Gio''s mother and aunt quickly hugged him and began rapid fire setting up decorations. Gio recognized his mother''s signature lavender sparks as the banners affixed themselves to the walls. Aunt Dola swept up her daughter Hatra in a tight hug, then began fluttering around the space on a small pair of conjured fabric wings, effortlessly hi-jacking and completing any cleaning-related tasks from the shop workers. Quinn''s fathers seemed to be talking to Gio''s dad about work while they moved tables. Multitask> Gio couldn''t bring himself to be disappointed in the result. had been pulling its weight recently, and he was sure he could use the upgraded form for similar results. Pulling up a chair to Hatra and Quinn, he poured himself a glass of Barley tea from the now much less heavy carafe. "One day, Sam might actually get a spatial item that reduces the item''s weight instead of just making it bigger on the inside," Gio said. "Unlikely. The store might have to get a challenge specifically for buying nicer appliances for that to happen," Quinn replied. The three teenagers giggled and slumped into their chairs. "," Gio said. "I can''t believe Sam was right about the challenge. I figured he was practicing positive thinking." Hatra had both of her hands in her hair, rescuing her long, shiny, and freshly dyed black hair from the ponytail. Last week, her silver roots had started to show up, but she still seemed hellbent on her futile attempt to try and cover up the signature silver hair that their family, and by extension the nation of Ataraxia as a whole, was known for. "Well, it makes sense. commerce spirits are supposed to be very in tune with high sales periods, and we''ve been getting a lot of business in the neighborhood recently. I''ve been sending out fliers with deliveries for the past month, and I think it''s been working well. Oh, I got the upgrade I was looking for! . Wait, did you say that you got multitask? like... did you jump from inferior grade straight to no prefix? That''s huge!" She said. A large man with dark skin and golden tattoos approached the three. He put one of his hands onto his son Quinn''s shoulder and interjected: "[Multitask] is a lower grade of general skill than your telekinetic insight, Hatra. Smaller boosts to something like a multitasking skill won''t parcel themselves out into multiple subdivisions like inferior and lesser. Still, if something provides a large enough spectrum of bonuses, I''ve seen skills that will have four or five different prefixes before getting to no prefix." Paulo said Gio looked up at Paulo, his uncle''s partner of decades. As one of the only true mages that Gio knew in person, Gio filed the information he had just given away in a special place. Oh great, now I can feel quick study working for me... Multitask, I hope you''re worth it. This upcoming school year is going to be... something else. "Oh, Quinn, what did you get?" Hatra asked. "I didn''t get a skill upgrade from the boon. I think the spirits picked up on the fact that I am kind of happy with my pre-class skills for now, so I got an upgrade token for my first-class skill!" Gio perked up at that. "That''s awesome Quinn!" It had been a long and tiring summer, but the three cousins had made quite the impression upon the staff of King''s Garden. The noodle shop stuck out like a sore thumb, being the only brightly lit neon sign on a relatively bleak street in the mercantile district of the copper ring. Green chelated walls wedged the rest of the street away from the busier parts of the mercantile district, but realistically, the close distance from the main thoroughfare to the shop made for some pretty decent business. If not for Sam being old trade school buddies with Gio''s dad, he probably wouldn''t have given three inexperienced kids a shot at being part-timers in an up-and-coming noodle shop in a busy part of town. Still, he took a chance, and the three kids became absolute powerhouses. in the last month, Sam could be heard frequently reminding himself under his breath not to get too used to having such reliable help around, much to the dismay of some of the other staff. By the time those who wouldn''t be staying for the after-party left, the front of King''s Garden was transformed into a banquet hall. What was once a dull wooden veneer and tacky mass-produced decoration was now bursting forth with streamers, holographic glitter, and balloons, some of which appeared to contain motes of sparkling silver and blue fire. Draped across the center of the room was a banner that said "Celebration" in a generic font. The smile that had been plastered on Gio only widened. "Alright everyone, it''s getting late, let''s eat so we can get these kids their presents!" Sam declared. Chapter 2 - Passing the Wand Divina Divina deGloria watched as her oldest child, niece, and nephew all ravenously demolished several servings of a particularly well-appointed glossy yellow sheet cake. It is easy at times to forget the power of a fully appointed [Professional Chef] occupation, especially one who owns his own restaurant. Divina was solely responsible for Gio, Hatra, and Quinn¡¯s love of lemon-poppyseed cakes, muffins, and even ice cream, all because the little pre-made mixes of the stuff were on sale for a truly outrageous price a couple of years back. It was a gamble at the time to see if three young children would like the more subdued flavor of lemon as opposed to strawberry, vanilla, or chocolate, but every year the kids still begged for lemon poppy seed everything. Her three little warriors had truly impressed everyone this year. Divina scooped up her two younger children as they ran by, one under each arm as she walked over to the table where her husband was somehow still talking to her brother and brother-in-law about work. As she walked the short distance across the dining room, she felt the telltale sign of her shoulder acting up. The physical feedback response of [Pristine Stationary Mastery] was very manageable when working with files and mail at the insurance company where she worked, but the skill bristled like an ornery housecat when used to affix decorations like she had done this evening. She brushed the discomfort aside as she nailed her eyes to the side of her handsome husband¡¯s swarthy profile as he gesticulated wildly to his table. Max. well. Maxwell. Max. Darling husband of mine. Love of my life. Father of my children. She sent through their telepathic bond. His shoulders bunched at the crisp tone of her message. Our baby boy is heading off to school in less than 48 hours. Perhaps since you feel the need to talk about your rocks so much, I should find you a great big boulder to sleep next to tonight? Her silver-haired brother glanced a knowing smile and nodded in her direction, putting his hand in his partner¡¯s as Maxwell rubbed the back of his own head, issuing an apology to the table, and walking in Divina¡¯s direction. He expertly approached, taking one of their twins from her in a practiced motion. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, honey?¡± said Max, his dulcet voice already working to dull the needles in her gaze. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± she exhaled. ¡°I just can¡¯t shake the feeling that we haven¡¯t done enough for him. First thing Monday morning, we have to drop him off at that¡­ that giant crystal deathtrap. I know it¡¯s what he wants, but those baby nobles are going to eat him alive, max. Maybe we sh-¡± Maxwell grasped her free hand with his, each of them swaying slightly as their 7-year-old hostages slowly lost the fight with unconsciousness. ¡°Our baby is seventeen, and on track to being taller than I was at his age. Our boy is a tough cookie, div. He gets it. We¡¯ve all spent the entire summer subtly trying to pepper in how tough this is going to be for him, and for better or for worse, he¡¯s got the deGloria Wit from your side, and he¡¯s even more stubborn than my father was.¡± Maxwell was whispering by the time he finished, noticing his daughter nodding off into the crook of his neck. They walked over to the recliners in the corner of the dining area, setting down their children next to the already passed out form of Sam. Nudging the man, Divina whispered into his ear. ¡°C''mon, Sammy, let¡¯s do presents so we can wrap this up; it¡¯s getting late.¡± Sam groggily shuffled out of his chair and nodded. The trio walked over to the dwindling number of people at the main tables, friends already beginning to parcel out leftovers with parchment paper. Three very full, and very tired teenagers were chatting amicably. Sam pulled up a chair, handing each of them a small parcel. A few other people approached with small bags as well, signaling Sam to start. ¡°You three really surprised all of us this year. I¡¯ve known you since you were only old enough to try sticking your hands into my aquarium display, but I can say earnestly that you all have grown into fine young people. When you rocked up to me, during a lunch rush of all times to ask to work part time, I didn¡¯t think any of you were going to take this as seriously as you did. For the past five months, you have all earned every bit you¡¯ve made and then some. I am going to miss you kids, so you better come back here when you¡¯re all rich and famous and remember old Sam.¡± One after the other, Quinn, Gio, and Hatra all hugged Sam first, then opened their gifts. In each parcel was a small square container with rounded edges, glistening with the sheen of an enchantment. Small glassy beads adorned the front edges. Gio was the first to open his, gasping at the contents. ¡°Its¡­ Hot! Sam, is this a spatial lunchbox?¡± said Quinn, clearly sticking his hand into the broth. Laughing, Sam replied, ¡°Well, don¡¯t burn yourself on it, lad!¡± Waving his hand, he summoned an interface for the three of them. [Stasis Bento] < A small spatially and temporally enhanced storage device that will store a single meal in near perfect condition, (less than one cubic foot of edible material). No other substances may be stored, and the device requires manual charging for long periods of storage. Manufactured by Starling and Co. Stolen story; please report. ¡°Sam¡­¡± Gio threatened. ¡°This is¡­ You didn¡¯t-¡± ¡°I know damn well that you kids keep shaming me into buying a new spatial vessel for the tea that nobody besides you three complains about. And now that I got you one, it¡¯s too lavish? Pish posh.¡± Sam chuckled. ¡°As a [Professional Chef] It is my sacred duty to ensure that my tribe is well fed, no matter how far from my hearth they venture.¡± As he spoke, his words felt like they resonated with something deep in the wood and cement of the building surrounding them. ¡°May you three never go hungry on your travels.¡± Short for words, they each nodded, issuing Sam a grateful look. One by one, they each received small parcels from their family. Most of them were practical and inexpensive objects, most of them tailored to the recipient. From his fathers, Quinn received whetstones, arm guards, balms, and just about everything except a blade, which he would be issued when he reported to the Huntsman Agency on Monday, where he had arranged to be taking the class [Apprentice Hunter: Bladesman]. Paulo and Heath drew him into a tight hug as they made way for Dola. Hatra received a few cheap tool sets, reference guides, and a dazzling pink set of goggles from her mother, for when she eventually managed to land an engineering apprenticeship in the essence distillery. Hatra and Quinn looked at each other conspiratorially, bedecked out in their new gear. Divina eyed Maxwell, wondering what her niece and nephew were up to. Gio Giorgio deGloria sat awkwardly as the last to receive his presents. He understood that this was supposed to be a big ceremony, and he couldn''t help but chafe under the attention. In the Copper Ring, where they all lived, nobody truly had any legacies to pass down for the start of the next cycle. ¡°Passing the Wand¡± was what the nobles in the upper tiers called the ceremony in which a young person received either restricted information, some sort of relic, bloodline inheritance, or other bestowal before they were allowed to unseal their class. The ceremony was supposed to be symbolic of the passing of responsibility of leadership from one generation to the next, as the new era of guardians rose to prominence to protect the civilians of the realm from the multitude of dangers outside of the walls of civilization. Gio knew that there wasn¡¯t going to be anything that his family could provide him to compete with his peers at Crystal Ring, and he didn¡¯t care. He looked down at the bento box that Sam had been gracious enough to give him, and he felt good. He looked around the room, seeing warm smiles and his people, and he swore to himself. I will be grateful for whatever it is that they give me. This whole party is enough of a drain. Some of these people are struggling to afford their taxes, or medical bills. I will not be an entitled brat. Fix your face! His cousins approached him, and Gio cocked his head in confusion. As they drew closer and he saw what Hatra was holding, he felt a rising heat of frustration within him that was reaching his ears. Hatra and Quinn both looked him dead in the face, features set in determination. Hatra held out a small frog-shaped pouch, and clasped Gio¡¯s hands around it. Gio¡¯s voice was cracking as he whispered to his cousins, drops forming at the corners of his eyes. ¡°We¡¯re not supposed to get gifts for each other. I didn''t get you guys anything.¡± Gio did not see his aunt and uncles wiping at their faces. The room was quiet. ¡°Gio, you are the hardest worker I know. You deserve this.¡± said Hatra. Her pale features clashed against her dyed black hair. The young woman who was insecure about how light her natural silver hair made her features look was nowhere to be found. Gio could not bring himself to question the determination of the girl he grew up with. Quinn stepped up, putting his hand over Gio¡¯s and Hatra¡¯s. ¡°I know you know this, Gio - but Hatra and I aren¡¯t going to slack off just because you¡¯re not around. We have to try and look out for each other. You decided to go off and become a true mage, and I think that¡¯s awesome! You need to go to that fancy wizard school and show them how we do it down in the copper ring!¡± The three teens were solidly crying, and hugging. Gio bowed his head towards his cousins, and accepted the small green bag. Gio instantly knew what was in the bag, having seen Hatra saving up her Bits all summer in that bag, and seeing how it seemed to bulge out twice as much as the day before. ¡°I don''t know how much spell transcriptions go for these days, but we were hoping that you could get your hands on something real shiny with that.¡± said Hatra, wiping tears from her eyes. ¡°We¡¯re gonna miss you, Gio. Stay in touch!¡± After Quinn and Hatra took a step back, Gio¡¯s parents stepped forward, unwrapping a rectangular book from neat parchment. ¡°Your father and I want you to know-¡± Divina began, stammering through her words as she began to shake with tears. ¡°We¡¯re real proud of you, champ.¡± finished his father. ¡°Getting a full scholarship to Crystal Ring is a real rarity from the Industry Rings. Your grandfather would have been very proud of you, too. This was his. Your mother and I took the liberty of filling the first few pages for you, alongside what we were able to recover from my father¡¯s notes.¡± Maxwell handed Gio a sturdy, worn looking spellbook. The clasp and edge protectors were made from silver that Gio¡¯s father had clearly recently polished, having been tarnished the last time Gio saw the book in the attic of their home. Gio knew the smeared, magicless pages of the old book by heart. He received the book with great care and opened it. His mother had clearly rebound sections with new paper, and to his great surprise there were three spells and one nearly complete spell from his grandfather¡¯s notes. Gio knew that the incomplete spell was some sort of minor water-based incantation, but it wouldn''t respond to mana input. He was glad that his parents left it in. One day I want to restore that spell. I don¡¯t care if it purifies a small amount of drinking water or just makes a puddle. Gio tried not to turn the pages too eagerly towards the three new spells. His father spared him the agony of trying not to be too excited. ¡°The first two are duplicates that your mother and I got from our jobs. It¡¯s not very common to have paper magic around integrated system mages, but thankfully we both managed to find something¡ªit¡¯s not much. The last one was something that we¡¯ve been saving for. Go ahead and look at them.¡± Divina and Maxwell held each other in a loose embrace, enjoying the enraptured look on their son¡¯s face. [Hairline Fracture] [Detect Magic] [Prismatic Shape] Chapter 3 - Send-offs After the party had dwindled and goodbyes had been said, Gio had followed his parents and his two younger siblings back to their townhouse in a dreamy fugue state. Unable to put down the rugged tome, his mind wandered to its previous holder. By all accounts, Francisco Benicio Cromwell was supposed to have been a good adventurer. He was apparently somewhat well-known in certain circles, but Gio had only ever heard of him through his father. ¡°He was a Stubborn old fool.¡± Maxwell would say. But Grandpa wasn¡¯t a topic of frequent discussion in their household, having been officially declared dead by the time Gio¡¯s dad was 15 years old- More than 30 years ago. [Telchine¡¯s Garden] became Francisco¡¯s grave. The small dungeon was the reason Francisco dragged his sick wife and infant son to The City of Rings, and because it was located 10 miles outside of the sprawling city¡¯s borders, it was officially an unclaimed dungeon. Francisco spent years of his life researching the dungeon and became madly obsessed with the spirit spring that he believed was at the center of it. On the 20th anniversary of his death, Gio and his family visited the dungeon. Gio remembered it clearly. _____ It was a warm, sunny day outside near the coast. Gio was 5 years old and held tightly by his mother. She had a carefully planned expression on her face. The family of three stood at an unassuming, overgrown mouth of a freshwater stream. A small marbled archway shimmered in the middle of a knee-deep water basin. A school of dull-looking fish darted through the gateway and disappeared. ¡°Are you certain that this is safe, Max? I know you¡¯ve said it a hundred times¡­ but this is a dungeon. A real¡­ wild dungeon. Besides the servant dungeons at work, I¡¯ve never seen one this close before.¡± Divina said. Gio, ever the quiet child, drank in the scenery. His big oversized rain boots threatened to slip off because his parents wanted him to grow into them. Maxwell replied; ¡°Dad used to take me here to gather the flowers. They make cheap ink for spellforms. It¡¯s clear of any hazard for about 10 miles, and even then you need some sort of special skill to get to anything besides water and flowers. I just want to see inside it, one last time. Just to ¡­ let him meet his grandson.¡± The young miner was carrying a small wooden box in his hands as he led his wife and child through the shimmering gateway. Gio started crying, unused to seeing system prompts and not yet being educated in the language of the land. ¡°It¡¯s okay sweetie, it¡¯s just the system,¡± Divina cooed, rocking her son slightly. Gio sniffled but stopped crying as he looked outwards from his mother¡¯s chest. Slanting outwards at an unclimbable angle were sheer cliff faces covered in thousands upon thousands of shining white flowers. The crystalline surface of the water didn¡¯t ripple as the family trotted through it, and the air was fresh and slightly floral. Small motes of soft blue light danced across the surface of the water. ¡°Do you want to get down? Be careful, there¡¯s rocks under the water, watch your step!¡± Divina warned. Gio splashed around, chasing the motes of water mana, enjoying as they seemed to respond to his hands, circling around him. The family didn¡¯t get far before the shallow waters began to drop off into a deeper incline and the walls began to narrow. Maxwell stopped, taking a small wooden boat from the box, and placing it on the surface of the water, in the vessel, he placed a picture of the three of them and plucked a few of the shining white flowers from the high walls. After a short silence, the man spoke. ¡°Dad¡­ I have thought long and hard about what I would say to you if I ever saw you again. For a while, I believed in your dream¡­ that you would come out of this place and make us filthy rich. That the adventurer¡¯s guild was wrong, and that you had just lost your signet ring, and that you were too good of a wayfinder to die. But as the years went on¡­ I made peace. I want to thank you for having the mind to set aside enough money for me to finish school.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Maxwell looked into the eyes of his son, and his wife. ¡°And I want to thank you for showing me that it hurts to be abandoned. I would have rather had a poor father than a dead one. I will never leave my family the way you left me. Maybe it was how you dealt with losing mom¡­ or maybe it was just blind obsession. Either way¡­ I miss you. I wish you were here to meet your grandson. Goodbye, Dad. I¡¯m sorry it took so long for me to come say that¡­ Goodbye.¡± _____ Gio never really had much desire to go back to the dungeon where his grandfather died. He had, of course, been endlessly fascinated with the worn spellbook that he left behind. His father had told him that the spellbook was really just a piece of garbage, that his grandfather had gotten a new one just before his final dive, but that he couldn''t bring himself to part with it. The notes that were previously inside of it were written in ink from the white flowers that grew inside the dungeon. The spindly white flowers that grew on the walls were called [Freshwater Asphodel] and could be reduced to ash to make a water attuned mana sensitive ink that was, rather ironically very prone to smearing, being that without any additives the ink wasn¡¯t waterproof. The first page in his spellbook was a mess, but a pretty mess. A shimmering, blotted-out mess of concentric circles and symbols that wouldn¡¯t hold any mana was all that was left of what was presumably the most useful spell that Francisco couldn¡¯t access through his class skills, or perhaps his class had some sort of bonus for using paper magic? Gio¡¯s father didn¡¯t know too many details about the old wayfinder¡¯s class. Gio turned the page, admiring the first three actual spells available to him. [Hairline Fracture] (Tier:Upper Common/ Sub Uncommon) (Schools: Force, Earth, Alteration) Cause small hairline fractures to occur in a hard substance upon touch by bringing out microscopic imperfections in uniform lattices. Brittle materials are more susceptible. [Detect Magic] (Tier:Lower Common) (Schools: Arcane, Divination) Sense magic in a small area surrounding the user. [Prismatic Shape](Tier:Lower Uncommon)(Schools:Light, Conjuration, Evocation)(Precursor) Summon a light-aspected mana construct with either a defined form or a vector of force. May apply a small amount of radiant damage. I can¡¯t believe they did this for me. Hairline Fracture is a bit of a niche spell, but I¡¯m going to treasure these three. The rest of the weekend before the opening ceremony was full of love and warmth. Gio spent every moment possible with his family, aside from packing up the few belongings he was allowed to bring with him. After a mostly restless night, Gio woke up early on Monday morning to make breakfast, as the whole family had an early day ahead of them. ¡°Lieutenants, at arms!¡± commanded Gio. ¡°Swir wes swir!¡± replied Emma and Sam, cleaning supplies in hand. The three deGloria children patrolled the common areas of the house, annihilating any detritus from the morning meal as their parents nursed their morning coffee. Reading some sort of highly technical report on his company-issued scrying plane, Maxwell finished his coffee and prepared to leave for his shift. ¡°Alright my little soldiers, I love you. Gio, we¡¯re gonna miss you- and remember to write!¡± giving his son a peck on the top of the head (which was becoming harder and harder as the years went by) and saying his goodbyes to the others, Maxwell was the first out the door. Followed shortly by Emma and Sam, who had just proven themselves capable enough to walk together to the levi-bus station for primary school without adult supervision when classes started three weeks ago. Lastly, Divina and Gio were carrying Gio¡¯s luggage to the train station. Copper Ring Station tended to be quiet early in the mornings, as there were not many commuters from the Copper Ring to other rings. The imposing inter-ring train was fueling in its port, visible even from far away. Gio had only been to the Silver Ring for a few events in the entertainment district with his parents, and only been to the Gold Ring one other time for testing to gain a scholarship to the eponymous Crystal Ring Academy. Gio had never been to the other rings at all, especially since some of them were off-limits to pedestrian traffic. ¡°My darling boy. You are going to do such great things.¡± Divina squeezed her son with the sheer strength only a mother could supply for such a hard goodbye. The silver-haired woman wiped away the beginnings of a wistful tear and waved him off. Settling into the plush car, Gio once again sat in wonder at the machine. The interior of the inter-ring express was exquisite, all polished brass and shiny lacquered wood. Sipping his warm beverage and snacking on a delightful yet airy wafer-like cookie, he looked out the window at the gargantuan obelisk-like walls that divided the rings. The inter-ring express, being a feat of magical engineering was designed to operate in several modes. There were rails in the cities, flight configurations for scaling the walls, and he had even heard of centipede-like legs for traversing the subterranean rings. Thankfully, it was somewhat of a direct path from Copper, to Iron, to Silver, to Gold rings consecutively. Gio yawned, being that it was very, very early in the morning for his usual schedule. Settling in comfortably, he opened his new spellbook and began studying the spellforms inside of it in preparation for the trip. Chapter 4 - Gilded City Commerce The segmented, insectoid mass of the Inter-ring express skittered up the black, glossy wall dividing the Iron and Silver rings of the Ringed City. miles below in the Iron ring, heat from the forges of the smaller of the two industrial rings rose, naturally dissipating into the mana-filled structures of the ancient walls of the megalithic city. Gio wasn¡¯t particularly averse to heights but was still relieved to not have to look out the side of the now monstrous train, being that the portside of the train was currently flush against the smooth glassy wall. He stared into his reflection, catching faint lines of the faded enchantment of the nearly indestructible walls beyond. I wonder how powerful you would need to be to be able to use Hairline Fracture on the barrier walls. I know that there are teams dedicated to trying to establish more tunnels in between the rings, but it¡¯s hard to imagine being able to leave a scratch on the walls. The steppe-like structures of the barrier walls in the Copper Ring were much shorter in the periphery of the Ringed City. As a child, Gio and his friends would climb the formations near the shipping ports, where the sharp edges of the glassy black stone had been magically altered by the Royal Transport Authority to make the shipment of raw material out of the Copper ring mines to any place they needed to go easier. Gio had a fond memory of Quinn and himself trying to dig through the walls, and was very aware that leaving so much as a visible mark on the material was all but impossible, especially to children who didn¡¯t have access to system-empowered magic like the royal architects. After the hundredth time completing rounds of the mana shaping exercises that he could cast without any sort of preparation or alarming the train staff, he returned to the reporting instructions for his commencement day at CRA. Commuting students - students who require transport to the Golden Ring will be issued complimentary Inter-ring fare. After prompt noontime arrival at the city administrative district, report to the Bureau of Student Affairs with CRA forms 17Epsilon, A-77, and SIGNED and NOTARIZED copies of the student code of ethics. Students found to have prematurely unsealed their classes will be denied entry to the Crystal Ring Academy, with NO exceptions. The gold embossed vellum caused an involuntary spike of anxiety in Gio. His mother, the [Senior Actuary] had soundly defeated, consumed, and consequently notarized, bundled, and even duplicated the required forms, placing a copy in each of Gio¡¯s bags just in case one was misplaced. Gio¡¯s faith in his mother was absolute but did little to unwind the knot in his stomach. Gio once again looked at the map of the Golden Ring¡¯s famous Gilded City, the unofficial Capital of the Golden Ring, housing the sole public entrance to the towering spires of the Crystal Ring. Gio marked out his path from the transit station, taking full advantage of his improved [Multitasking] to make notes on his path to his sole detour to the famous spell form emporium in the nearby mercantile neighborhood. He simultaneously circulated his mana, breathing steadily as he planned out his morning. He had set aside ample time to account for the inevitable choice paralysis he would face in the storefront. He was aiming for an uncommon warding spell, or at least some sort of protective measure. He once again drew his attention towards the page on which [Prismatic Shape] was artfully scribed into his new spell book, admiring his mother''s fine work and the delicate touch of her gossamer lavender bindings, still shimmering with the touch of her stationary crafting. A fine print passage expertly placed in small, uniformly sized letters adorned the page. Giorgio Benicio Cromwell deGloria. We knew, from the moment we saw your beautiful little eyes glisten the day that we took you to that exhibit in the Silver ring that you would be a mage. We hope that when life gets tough, you remember that you have all the light you need at your fingertips, right inside you. - love, mom and dad. Gio didn''t know how his parents managed to afford a lower-uncommon spell. He knew from overhearing their weekly mini-strategy meeting on Saturday mornings that Mom took a pay cut when she accepted her new position at the insurance company, and the budget had been a bit tighter in the past few months. His parents fought tooth and nail to ensure that their children didn''t feel any of the stress that they were under, but that they were on track to be able to pay off the townhouse within the next few years anyway. Her new position would pay dividends in time as she took on new roles in the company, but to make that leap she would need to establish herself for a while first. As she had faith in Gio, he and his father had faith in her, too. Gio chuckled fondly at the fear his mother invoked in the few times he has been able to witness her fully in her element. The staff at the enrollment center in the copper ring were woefully unprepared for a full-ride student to CRA, a deficiency that Divina deGloria would not allow to go unpunished. Though she didn''t work in education, her ability to suss out incapability in office staff was astounding in its own right. Gio was pulled from his musings as the insectoid train rose above the black wall it had been climbing for several minutes, the suspension enchantments not allowing its passengers to feel any turbulence as it transitioned from climbing to gliding down. Gio looked out to see the sparkling towers and prismatic waterfalls of the famous Argentine coast of the Silver Ring spanning the miles in between the circumference of the borders of Iron and Gold rings. He could see the point of the tower of the Crystal Ring Academy glinting off in the distance. With the reducing circumference of the rings being somewhat dramatic in between tiers aside from the irregularly located sub-rings, the distance over the lush silver ring went by quickly. Still cycling through his mana-shaping exercises, Gio kept a strand of his focus on the window for the entirety of the rest of the trip, pausing only for the delicious complimentary breakfast of eggs benedict and some sort of starchy tuber in an exquisite buttery sauce. Before long, the train coasted downwards over the shorter wall. The view into the golden ring was breathtaking. The Gilded City was nearly painful to look at in the cresting sunlight, radiant in its morning glory. Tall spires hewn from gem-toned stone were capped with architectural wonders of gold, some bearing figurettes of no doubt historical significance. The many houses of nobility and their colorful manors adorned the sprawling hills outside of the city center. Rising from the center like the hub of a spoked wheel, the Crystal Ring Academy was a ring of its own. The wide and thick, diamantine walls of the dungeon glittered in fractal facets, confounding the eye as waves of enchantment roiled off the entire structure as if heat waves coming from a mirage. The concentric spires of the slightly blue crystalline megastructure had a hypnotizing dance, somewhere between chaotic and very intentional looking. Gio wondered where in the school his dorm would be. _____ The trip from the train station through the route he had preplanned was slightly dazzling but ultimately uneventful. Even in the nicest, most ruffled finery he had, he couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly under-dressed for the bustling metropolis of the Gilded city. Shopfronts alight with the beginnings of morning commerce lined the tightly packed streets. Even the paving stones underfoot appeared to glisten with flecks of gold and expediency enchantments. With no time to stop in traffic, he compelled himself onwards Being on a tight budget makes for a quick walk, but some of those cafes smell unreal. I hope the cafeteria at school holds up to the rumors. I will be extorting every ounce of my meal card. A heavily enchanted sign above a well-stated store greeted Gio, depicting a lifelike hologram of a glowing peacock, each of the quills of its plume bearing a different colored gemstone.¡±The Frill and Wattle¡± read the sign, in lavish script. Gio entered through the ruby-tone double doors, wondering if they were made from real ruby panes. A warm scent of parchment and cinnamon met him, as his eyes alighted to sparkling displays and motes of beige¡­ parchment mana? Book mana? Gio was unfamiliar with such a specific subset of energy. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Trying and hopefully succeeding to not look helpless, he descended upon one of the lower sections of the store, looking through display cases, marked ¡°bargain deals!¡±. Trying to remember his uncle¡¯s advice, he looked through the wards and abjurations section. What exactly does profligate spell-turning mean in this context? And why does a lower uncommon abjuration cost 800 Bits! A tan young woman with wide framed brassy looking spectacles, a loose bun full of sapphire hair, and a very toothy smile came over, towering over Gio even from paces away. She must have been some sort of dragonkin, based on the blue scales that covered most of her skin. ¡°Hello there sir!! Welcome to the emporium, can this one help you find anything?¡± she said, in a spritely tone not entirely matching up to her imposing frame. Gio managed a shy smile and replied ¡°Hi! Umm- yes, I was wondering if you had any defensive magic for a more tight budget.¡± Gio braced himself for the worst, steeling his resolve. In a cheerful, but measured tone, the girl spoke; ¡°what sort of budget are we working with today? We have a large selection of spell forms, but to best match you with something, it would help to know exactly what you¡¯re looking for and where about in our catalog we should be looking.¡± Okay, I can work with this. ¡°I have about 400 Bits to spend today, and I was hoping to find an uncommon defensive spell, preferably a ward or shield of some kind.¡± Gio stated. ¡°Alright! Well the section that we¡¯re currently in is more of a generalized section, but if you¡¯ll follow me, I think we might be able to find you something. Be aware that the more desirable uncommon defensive spells tend to be¡­ harder to find around this time of year. You¡¯re a new student at CRA, correct?¡± the woman asked. Rubbing the back of his head, gio replied, ¡°Is it that obvious? I¡¯m from the Copper Ring, and I was hoping to pick something up before reporting to school in a few hours.¡± ¡°From the copper ring?! I¡¯ve got some family that work in the Fulgerite mines there! Well, thank you for being forthcoming. Sometimes people can be a little cagey about finances, but we run an honest business here at Frill and Wattle.¡± Following the woman through the store, they arrived at a desk, and the clerk began setting out several glass panes containing glowing glyphs, suspended in some sort of holding enchantment. After several rounds of elimination, Gio was down to 6 options. [Bloodwall] (Tier: Uncommon)(Schools: Necromancy, Unholy, Abjuration, Force, Self-Harm)(Active Ward) Summon a shield of blood from your extremities to conjure a powerful ward against hostile magics. Supremely powerful against holy magic. - 250 Bits [Dryad¡¯s Pulse] (Tier: Uncommon)(Schools: Nature, Abjuration, Growth, Focus required)(Active Ward) Using a bonded plant, flower, nature spirit, or other sufficient focus, pulse out a field of abjuration nature mana to turn away hostile magic. Less effective against death and fire magic, more effective against water, life, and light magic- 400 Bits [Mighty Constitution] (Tier: Uncommon)(Schools: Might, Body enhancement)(Passive Ward) Your flesh becomes imbued with the power of might, causing hostile spells to either be less effective against you or not affect you at all. Relies on Strength, and Constitution stats. - 450 Bits [Reflect] (Tier: Uncommon)(Schools: Mirror, Abjuration)(Active Ward) Summon a plane of abjuration mirror mana to reflect light, magical energy and inferior constructs. Some limited capability to reflect mundane projectiles, based on user skill and limitations. Very effective against light mana. - 415 Bits [Crystalline Field] (Tier: Upper Uncommon)(Schools: Earth, Light, Abjuration, Arcane)(Passive Ward/ Active Ward) A field of crystalline mana hardens around you, protecting you from harm. Apply more mana to increase the hardness of this field and potentially grow physical crystals that will dissipate in a few moments. - 1000 SALE 500 Bits [Mana Shield] (Tier: Lower Uncommon)(Schools: Force, Arcane, Ward)(Passive Ward) A Protective Bubble of Abjurative mana surrounds you. - 345 Bits ¡°Okay, let¡¯s talk through your options here.¡± Said Nyara. The blue-scaled clerk had been incredibly patient and helpful so far. Gio was going to try and¡­ submit a survey. Or something? To relay how pleased and surprised he had been at her taking an hour out of her morning to help him select a spell. ¡°If I¡¯m being honest with myself, Bloodwall and Mana Shield are only here because they¡¯re cheap. I feel like I¡¯d be letting my friends down if I spent the money they worked for on something that I don¡¯t love just because it¡¯s cheap. Plus, bloodwall is gross and probably hurts.¡± Gio said, circling the table. Nyara examined [Crystalline Field]. ¡°This one is on the other side of the spectrum, how do we feel about it? It¡¯s rare for us to have such a sale, and although it¡¯s outside of your budget, it¡¯s a spell that could last you quite a long time.¡± Nyara postulated. Tapping his chin, Gio hummed. ¡°I really shouldn¡¯t. It looks like a stellar spell, it really does, but that extra hundred Bits bites into my budget for the rest of the school year¡­ assuming I go with that, I don¡¯t know if I''ll have enough money for an emergency ticket home. I¡¯m gonna say no. But also¡­ this is embarrassing but what is a synergy?¡± ¡°OH! You have a synergy? That¡¯s great! A synergy is when two or more spells have some sort of interaction when cast, usually affecting the way they work together. The downside is that you have to figure out what exactly that is by yourself unless you know about it beforehand. It is against store policy for me to ask for details about your spellbook, but if you have a synergy, that¡¯s usually a good sign that the spells will work together. It¡¯s a bit of a gamble because it¡¯s not technically impossible for negative synergies to occur, but¡­ I digress. Would you mind reading the first bit of your notification to me? Please leave out the spell names, if you¡¯d be so kind.¡± Nyara asked. Blushing slightly, Gio replied. ¡°Sure¡­ it says uh¡­ serendipity, synergy detected between the following spells, and then i have another one that says rare in all uppercase lett-¡± ¡°pick that one.¡± Nyara interjected. ¡°What?¡± Gio was confounded. Leaning in slightly, Nyara whispered conspiratorially ¡°Look¡­ as per store policy, we¡¯re supposed to remain entirely neutral about what our customers pick. We take the whole ¡°honest business¡± thing really seriously, and we don¡¯t specifically need to make sales. We¡¯re somewhat of a¡­ sponsored business, you could say. But I cannot go further into details about that. To the point, a rare synergy, while a bit of a gamble, can potentially increase the value of the spells associated with it by several rarity levels, depending on what it is. You know how the difference between lower uncommon and regular uncommon is a pretty big deal right? Well what if I told you that a rare synergy could reach lower epic power levels? Now¡­ that¡¯s a fringe case, but I¡¯m just gonna say that we don¡¯t have any records of a rare synergy reported with anything on this table. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve got going on in your spellbook, but I¡¯d pick that one.¡± Backing up, Nyara¡¯s demeanor shifted from the bubbly clerk to pure business. ¡°Lets make it easy, which one¡¯s the rare synergy?¡± nyara asked. ¡°Reflect¡± Gio replied. ¡°Perfect. I¡¯m authorized to give a discount under specific situations. I¡¯ll knock that one down to 400 Bits so it¡¯s within your proposed budget. The Nature spell requires a focus- usually, people looking for spells like that have the focus first. It¡¯d be a different story if you had some wand made out of flowers or something. The necromancy spell is garbage, the might spell is a spellsword spell, and unless you really like getting beat up, I¡¯d ditch that. Mana Shield almost always gets replaced by first-years who pick it, and that crystalline field spell won¡¯t sell. A prominent duelist in the Silver Circuit lost big time after his opponent managed to counter his crystalline field in a particularly brutal upset broadcast live to the whole Ringed City a year ago. If you want it, come back when you get some more Bits and I promise you we will have like fifteen copies for you. It might even be cheaper, it used to be a better seller and we haven''t sold one in months.¡± Gio was slightly taken aback but assented to the brutal onslaught of logic coming from the imposing clerk. He followed her to the checkout and she bound the spell into his spellbook, commenting about how nice the binding work on his other spells is. She sent him on his way with a lovely packet of complimentary brochures, tips, and tricks accompanying his luxury purchase. She even threw in a small case of spellbook tools like ink and replacement bindings. Overall, Gio was floored with his morning so far. Looking at the time, he briskly marched out of the store, running a little bit behind schedule, but still well within his allotted cushion to get to the Administrative district early. Chapter 5 - Matriculation Amos Arnaud There were seldom few things pleasurable about admission week at the Crystal Ring Academy. Contrary to popular belief, the ancient master of the stacks did not actually relish the suffering of children, nor did he have any specific grudge against his fellow scribes. Amos simply had little to no tolerance for simple errors. It was incredible, that at one of- if not the premier location for the celebration and decadent joy of academia in the world, bedazzled by high knowledge elementals, beings of replete intelligence, and some of the wisest individuals to have ever emblazoned their names on the face of the world- could somehow manage to try passing off simple forms with spelling mistakes. Amos himself was never one for the tall towers of high academic accomplishment, as it was all too political for his tastes. Being the 7th son of a minor noble, having bounced between the silver and gold rings for his younger years, he was more than happy to have spent the last hundred and fifty years settled neatly into his post as [High Scribe of the Files]. His occupation, being so in line with his chosen class, having long since abandoned the path of true magic, had acquired a bit of personality as he progressed through the ranks. These days, he had little need for offensive magics, so he devoted himself utterly to the art of scrivening, mastering the printing presses, inks, pictorials, esoteric numbering systems, and other such visceral crafts of the written word. His system, a perverse mirror of his own embittered psyche, forced him to find comfort in naught but crystalline perfection. Amos, having leveled his intellect and [Error Sense], could smell, taste, and feel errors. A complete form sung in perfect harmony, but a missed checkbox stunk as only spoiled meat could, a rancor note of insidious ineptitude, defiling the demesne of his desk. All day, he redirected pompous children and their misguided chaperones. I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re the mistress of the damn crown prince, or the queen herself. You can go back to the waiting area and fix your mistakes on your own time. The line is long, and we¡¯ve thousands of students waiting to waste my time today. Thank the crystals that I have competent assistants. Amos¡¯ vanguard comprised several young librarians, scribes and orderlies, all hurriedly at work filing away the completed forms that they had worked through already. As usual, the gates for matriculation opened an entire unreasonable hour early, and as usual, it did nothing to help make the process go any smoother. Swiping out his non-writing arm, a satisfying click called out as the master of the stack summoned forth the next contender. Taking a deep breath, Amos smelled¡­ nothing. An unattended, tall young man strode forth. Not confidently, but rather resigned, likely having seen the amount of people sent to the back of the line previously. Wordlessly, Amos issued forth his slender, bony hand in a grasping motion, barely looking up from his ledgers. The manilla folder that was produced was a surprise. This Parchment isn¡¯t a make I recognize from the Gilded City. I know every supplier within the next three rings over. The fiber quality leaves something to be desired, but¡­ passable. Unwrinkled, unsoiled, sturdy. A bold choice of opening moves. And what¡¯s this? A lavender tassel to seal you shut. Quaint. Three loops to the left, and a laminate sheaf undone, and he had CRA forms 17Epsilon, A-77, and a signed and notarized copy of the code of student ethics. Simple. Reasonable. Complete. Three very simple forms, less than 15 pages, not including the bulk of the code of student ethics. Laser-focused, Amos¡¯s gaze alighted towards his usual hotspots. No missing details. No missing numbers. A full-ride student? But that would mean he would nee- oh, the requisite acceptance of liability form is included as well. How didn¡¯t I see that? Is this¡­ this vellum is thinner than the rest of them. Custom vellum? How¡­ daring. And this ink¡­ it¡¯s black as per regulation, but it feels like it might have a purple sheen. In years of doing this, I don¡¯t recall the copper ring issuing the liability form without being prompted for it a single time. Someone knows how to dance! Very well. Tearing through the requirements in no time flat, he took the signatures off the pages with his skill, sending ink and pages flying separately as he performed all of the filings necessary in moments, flat. The orderlies stifled a gasp, looking up for the barest fraction of a moment upon seeing the head scribe able to complete the necessary filings without sending a student back multiple times. Delicate magics weaved in and out of several filing cabinets, producing ornate wax seals and colorful stamps. Looking up, Amos regarded a student for the first time this morning without having a correction to make. ¡°You had help filling this out.¡± he flatly stated. ¡°Yes sir, my mother is good with paperwork. I hope that¡¯s fine,¡± the boy responded. Not too much spine, respectful in tone. Not a pushover. Let us see if the dance continues. ¡°Fine it is indeed. Normally, at this point, I would send you through that door to your left to have your documents copied because it¡¯s uncommon to have someone provide multiple copies of their paperwork without being prompted to do so beforehand. What are the chances that you came here with multiple copies of your paperwork?¡± Amos inquired. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Oh! Yes, my mother insisted that I had multiple copies just in case one of them got lost. One moment please!¡± The boy, having rifled through his belongings produced not one, but three additional copies of his paperwork. Amos took two of them, opening them delicately and laying the contents side by side. Completely identical. No feathering in the signatures. Not a drop out of place, spacing equal. Artwork. ¡°Very well, come with me,¡± Amos stated, his aged form unfurling from his comfortable-looking chair with more vigor than Gio expected. This time, one of Amos¡¯ assistants did gasp. Earning her a sly arch of an eyebrow from Amos, and a barely audible chuckle from the man, notwithstanding. Gio The aged man took Gio past several rooms full of waiting students, handing off copies of his paperwork to several clerks in other chambers, earning surprised looks from the staff there, and harsh gazes from other students in those lines. How are there this many people here already?! I was nearly a whole hour early, and there was a line outside! Gio heard some mumbles from students in the lines but was entirely too nervous to look at anything except the back of the man in front of him. Gio was led to an office where he was asked to wait in a comfortable room, next to a young woman doing some sort of needlework in an embroidery hoop. ¡°Mister deGloria, what was your mother¡¯s name? Call it an old man¡¯s curiosity.¡± Said the stern-looking figure. ¡°Oh, my mother¡¯s name is Divina. Divina deGloria.¡± Gio replied. The secretary at the side of the room looked like she was about to pass out, but recovered quickly. The tall man nodded, saying ¡°She has good handwriting. Good luck this school year, young man. Study hard.¡± he walked back through the door, ducking slightly. Gio turned to regard the person sitting next to him, only to find her, bag in hand, approaching the desk of the secretary. Turning around, the secretary started ¡° Miss Chak-oh! You surprised me!, perfect timing, the Inquisitor is ready for you.¡± Inquisitor? Are we about to be interrogated or something? Maybe this is about the unsealing of our classes? Moments later, Gio was called into a comfortable room with dimmed lighting. A figure wearing a featureless golden mask sat at a stately wooden table, with an unfamiliar set of files in front of them. A somewhat nondescript, somewhat masculine tone emanated out from the figure, unmoving. ¡°Mister deGloria, please take a seat,¡± they said. Gio sat down, feeling unnerved. ¡°This won¡¯t take very long. I am going to ask you a series of yes or no questions, after which you will be sent forward to the Manse. Are you ready?¡± Gio¡¯s heart quickened. The Manse. The teleportation nexus for the Crystal Ring Academy. Gio blurted out ¡°Yes si, uh- Yes.¡± The figure chuckled, sounding mechanical. ¡°You may refer to me as inquisitor. Officially speaking, those of us who wear these masks are devoid of identity, and as you seem to have noted, gender. It¡¯s for anonymity, freedom from reprisal, that sort of thing. Let¡¯s begin. Have you unsealed your class prematurely?¡± ¡°No.¡± Gio replied. ¡°Do you practice necromancy on nonconsenting souls?¡± ¡°Uhh-no.¡± ¡°Are you currently in possession of any undisclosed artifacts, relics, or otherwise items of unusual potency?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°And lastly, have you in any way, shape or form enrolled in this academy under false pretenses?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Wonderful. Thank you for your time, and welcome to Crystal Ring Academy. Here¡¯s your badge. You won¡¯t be able to get rid of it, so don¡¯t worry about misplacing it. Good luck, and make good choices.¡± The inquisitor handed Gio a button-sized piece of crystal, round and flat. A sharp metal spike erupted from the back and went straight into Gio¡¯s thumb. ¡°Ow!¡± he exclaimed, dropping the pin. The gold-masked inquisitor chuckled as they and their desk seemed to melt away, as the chair Gio was sitting in dissolved out from under him slowly. Taking the hint, he stood up, finding that his belongings were the only thing in his surroundings not fading away into nothingness. Slightly awestruck at the theatrics, Gio looked around at the black void around him, finding that twinkling stars began appearing in the nothingness. One particular star shined brighter than the rest, growing with intensity as it appeared to approach him quickly. A shimmering set of transparent doors, carved seemingly out of some sort of ice or glass, with ghostly shapes and surreal landscapes beyond appeared in front of him. The crystalline badge shimmered into existence, affixed to his lapel. The badge shone with a pinpoint of light, toward the door. Beyond the door was a room with a plush rug, an escritoire-styled desk, a closet, and a massive bed. Slightly confused, Gio walked forward. A strange texture caressed his skin, somewhere between a pliable rubber and like emerging from underwater, as he stepped through the doorway. Looking behind him, he was greeted with his own reflection- as he stared into a floor-length mirror. Sidestepping to the bed, he looked around. ¡°This¡­ is this my room?!¡± Gio plopped down onto the bed, which engulfed him. Chapter 6 - Headmaster Gio looked up at the crown molding of his incredibly plush room. He walked over to his desk and looked out the window. A dizzying view awaited him, looking down to the tops of clouds. Through a hole in the cloud cover, he could see the Gold and Silver Rings sprawled out beneath him. He caught the edges of some of the smaller, esoteric rings interspersed throughout the panorama. His geography was top of his class but turned around as he was, he was having a hard time identifying the scattered landmasses. The only ring he could identify was the Wax Ring, flying above the clouds in the distance as it was. He had heard stories in the past of the infamous Wax Ring and its harpy denizens, largely untamed by the crown. One day, he¡¯d go there himself, but for now, he was content to explore his room. Opening the desk, he found a sheaf of clean, crisp paper and mundane ink. He also found a strange stick of what felt like some sort of pigmented¡­ gel? It looked like it would make a fine mess, but to what end, he was unsure. With no watch to check the time, he looked around the room for a wall clock. Evidently, not included in the apex of luxury was any sort of timekeeping apparatus. Or a door, for that matter. Not allowing himself to panic, Gio looked to the massive mirror he had come through. As soon as his eyes met his own in the reflection, writing appeared in the mirror. Gio looked at the interface, gently putting his hand on the mirrored surface. The screen rippled slightly at his touch. Manse Rearrange Accommodations View Schedule Attend Events Rearrange accommodations? Pressing the screen, a sub-menu appeared, and a small layout of his room appeared like a blueprint. Available options: Bathroom, Extra Closet space. Additional Furniture, Floor space, and Features may be made available at a later date, or earned through academic achievement You¡¯re telling me I can make this palace BIGGER?! This room is like¡­ three times as big as my room back home. I can actually get on the ground next to my bed, and like¡­ stretch out. And academic achievement? Interesting. I guess I should place my bathroom somewhere. Did they not place the bathroom in the room to force us to use the mirror? Clever. Placing his bathroom on the wall next to his mirror, Gio had certain questions about what people were talking about when they said ¡°modest¡± accommodations when discussing first-year campus life. The door that melted out of the wall opened up to a pristine room, with a bigger mirror than the standing mirror in his main bedroom. There was an elegant waterspout, a commode, and a combination shower/ bathtub situation. Gio couldn¡¯t remember the last time he had taken a proper bath. He was tempted to take one right now. _____ After a luxurious soak, Gio dried himself off with perhaps the most plush bath sheet he had ever experienced. In a room where he could ostensibly change where the doors appeared, somehow the fact that the towels were twice as long, was nearly as magical. Approaching the mirror, Gio was uncertain of what he should do next. An aptly timed growl from his stomach decided for him. Selecting the Manse, and then the Pearl Cafeteria options, caused the surface of the scrying plane to ripple as the door to the Manse opened. Swinging the holographic representation of a door outwards, and into the abyss, Gio looked around into the starry atmosphere. The whole of the Manse is coordinated by a lich, right? So am I in a mana construct right now? I can¡¯t perceive any changes to my internal mana structure¡­ I can¡¯t wait until I can cast Detect Magic. Stepping out of the Manse, Gio found himself looking out into a sea of clouds. The flooring beneath him was a type of polished marble, with flecks of some sort of nacre, or pearlescent substance. Looking behind him, there was a row of mirrors. As Gio watched, a student flashed his badge, opening a door to the Manse. I see. So realistically, we¡¯re not going to be doing a whole lot of wandering around the campus, I take it? Seems like a good way to keep us out of the notoriously dangerous parts. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I would almost feel reassured, but Uncle Paulo disillusioned me out of that this summer. Following the massive wall of windows to the other side, Gio came to an area with a balcony, overlooking dozens of rows of sturdy-looking wooden tables, each polished to a nearly reflective sheen. The pearl theme continued, with several spots on each table appearing to take on the pearlescent qualities of petrified wood. The lighting in the balcony area was a little bright for Gio¡¯s taste, having several skylights right underneath the now afternoon sun. Walking down the balcony, several students were eating at the tables, ordering from some sort of glassy obelisk with shifting images, and a few were standing in line to order from a counter. Instantly reminiscent of his summer job, Gio was drawn to the counter. He looked for a menu anywhere, but couldn¡¯t find one. Getting the attention of the student in front of him, Gio asked; ¡°Excuse me, Is there a menu that I don¡¯t know about?¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. The student turned around, looking slightly annoyed. ¡°Huh? Oh, Mary is a [Professional Chef].¡± and turned back around, as if that answered anything. Before Gio could ask a follow-up question, the line had advanced, and that student was now ordering calamari with cheese on it, with a side of coleslaw. Gio wondered if he even wanted to talk to that student¡­ ever again. Once it came time for Gio to order, he decided to see what the limitations of the counter were. The woman behind the counter regarded him with a radiant smile, her incredibly voluminous hay-blonde hair pulled back into a particularly fluffy ponytail. Even Gio¡¯s self-trained mana sense could tell that this person was powerful. ¡°Hello, could I please have an order of spicy chicken udon? And a small side of vegetable tempura,¡± he asked. The woman let out a boisterous belly laugh, with her hands on her hips. Swinging a white cloth over her shoulder, she bellowed out; ¡°lad, do you know how many cheeseburgers I¡¯ve made today? You may absolutely have an order of spicy chicken udon. My only question is, how spicy?¡± Gio pondered for a moment. ¡°I am tempted to say ¡°the spicier the better,¡± but we have that speech later today so I¡¯d like just enough to feel the heat for now.¡± Gio articulated. ¡°A wise choice if not a safe one. Here you go, but I hope that you return for a spicier bowl sometime soon. My name is Chef Marie Bain, you can find me here most days, all day.¡± Gio didn¡¯t even see Marie step away from the counter, but he was handed a tray with a huge bowl of spicy udon, and a heaping pile of vegetable tempura. Choosing an empty table, he dug in. Gio found that he couldn¡¯t pick between Sam and Marie¡¯s udon. Both were good, but different in their own way. Marie had a better handle on the spice, but Sam¡¯s broth had a richer character. The vegetable tempura, however, completely eclipsed Sam¡¯s with absolutely no competition. By the time Gio was done eating, he still had two hours to go until it was time for the speech. He decided to just go unpack a little. _____ Choosing to arrive a reasonable 20 minutes early to the commencement speech, Gio stepped out of the Manse and into an incredible open-air coliseum, hewn out of what looked to be a grey-blue stone that sparkled in the sunlight but was cool to the touch even in the direct sunlight. The auditorium was set up with the school colors: Silver, blue, and white. Gio filed into the auditorium, as did thousands of other students from mirrors lining the walls over the proceeding moments. At precisely the 20-minute mark from his arrival, holograms sparked to life above the air, and a rush of wind began to sweep through the stands. A magnificent fanfare of horns and percussion filled the air as a whorl of cartoonishly puffy, cushion-like clouds began swirling into form, directly at the center of the stage. The cotton-like clouds began to solidify into milky white stone, forming a great podium before the cheering students, and descending from a vortex in the middle of the sky was a figure bedecked in robes that sparkled as if blue fire at night. Her shining black and grey hair swam through the air in bewitching patterns. Lightning, fire, and great torrents of light and mana issued forth from her hands, creating a powerful show of force. The theatrics were working on Gio, and he was moved to cheer. At the pedestal beneath her, an inquisitor in a featureless black mask and non-descript black robes blinked into existence. ¡°Students of the Crystal Ring Academy, I present to you your headmaster, Eudoria Vespertine." Resounding calls of cheering and applause rang out from the very full stands. Headmaster Eudoria delicately floated down to the podium, the inquisitor having disappeared while Gio wasn¡¯t looking. ¡°Thank you, student body. Please be seated. I am your headmaster, Eudoria Vespertine. You may refer to me as Headmaster, or Professor Vespertine if you advance far enough to receive lectures from me directly. I have served as the headmaster of this college for four hundred and sixty-seven years, and I have been a member of the faculty for years more still. I have seen fire, and I have seen rain. I have seen worse days than any of you may imagine, and I have seen this school recover and bloom once more. Allow me to make one thing very clear to all of you. This proud academy is not tame. We all stand here today at the very literal vortex of some of the most powerful, the most truly legendary of magics. Students have died at this school, and more will die in the future. I say this not to strike fear into your hearts, but instead; respect. Respect for yourselves, yes. But also respect for your instructors! Respect for the school. Respect for the courses you will take, and respect for each other. Above all, I demand that you respect magic in this place of all places. This school will kill you if you let it. As you all know, the Manse is the conduit by which we move through this place safely. You can, and you will, find ways to circumvent the protection offered to you by the scrying plane network. I urge you to realize that we stand atop an infinite dungeon of magic and madness, forged by unknowable intellects in ages past. We know that gods have died upon the grounds of this school because we have killed gods to secure the little safety we have.¡± The Headmaster waved her hand, and a neat platoon of masked inquisitors appeared behind and in front of her, each wearing a featureless mask in either blue cobalt, gold, a shineless black, or silver. ¡°These are the inquisitors. You have all met with at least one already. They do not exist to harm or threaten you, but rather to protect the interests of the school at large. Masquerading as an inquisitor should be impossible, but as I have previously stated- we exist atop an endless labyrinth of magic and madness. Nothing is truly impossible here. But! If you do manage to bypass the preventative measures, masquerading as an inquisitor will always result in expulsion. Accede to all requests an inquisitor makes, with absolutely no exceptions. I promise you with the entirety of my title that the inquisitors will not seek to do you harm, so long as you do not seek to harm others.¡± The Headmaster coughed, and a bouquet of flowers shot out of her mouth, slapping one of the inquisitors loudly in the back of the head. A peal of laughter erupted from the audience, and she cracked a smile. ¡°But enough of all that dour business. We exist atop a labyrinth of magic and madness!¡± the headmaster shouted, lightning erupting from her fingers and arcing into the sky. ¡°The things you will learn within these halls will challenge you and your beliefs. You will be tasked and burdened truly, but I will challenge you thusly; LIVE! BREATHE! FIGHT FOR YOUR HAPPINESS! I have seen countless students broken upon the wheel of their own expectations. Find time this school year to figure out how you learn. Make friends. Explore magic safely. This academy is lucky to be host to an incredibly diverse student body, so challenge yourself to have new ideas! Conquer your preconceived notions! I will leave you with this little nugget of wisdom. ¡°Your time here is what you make of it¡±. It¡¯s a devilishly simple expression, but it holds a lot of hidden meaning. You are the architects of your destiny. With that being said, it¡¯s getting late and this old lady needs to go to bed, so welcome to Crystal Ring Academy!¡± Beginning to float in the air, the headmaster¡¯s eyes crackled with light as her robes once more alighted with blue flames. She spoke, rendering the power manifest into the air into a system interface in real-time. <¡±By the power vested in me, I offer the students of this fine school the opportunity to study here, by accepting the Class [True Mage Apprentice]. Accept if you dare!¡±> Chapter 7 - Owls Respite A girl two seats over from Gio fell over, hitting her head hard on the seat in front of her. Looking around the coliseum-sized auditorium, several students out of the hundreds of new first-years seemed to have not waited for the second line of text. To be fair, she did say ¡°Accept if you dare¡± after a particularly inspiring speech. I can¡¯t fault them. ¡°There¡¯s always a couple. The inquisitors will ensure our eager friends don¡¯t spend the night in the cold. For the rest of you, I recommend you visit your assigned cafeteria if you have not eaten, then tuck in for an early night. The sleep you¡¯ll get from a class advancement is some of the best you¡¯ll ever get. If one of you learns how to bottle it, or even make something that comes close- I¡¯ll make you the richest mage alive.¡± Headmaster Vespertine stated as the power from her system invocation faded from her eyes. She flicked out a green speck of light onto the ground. An emerald pulse of magic issued forth, skittering along the floor like a verdant alcohol fire, rapidly expanding outwards to the edge of the gargantuan room. Everywhere the mock fire touched was turned into a perfectly mirrored surface. The headmaster touched her necklace; a large, oblong aquamarine gemstone faceted with thin panels that looked like a crystalline sun. As she touched her necklace, the mirrored surface of the raised platform shifted to that of an ornate study, filled with strange mechanical curiosities and dark blue tapestries. Stepping down into the image, the headmaster was gone, and the vision of the room beyond faded back to a mirrored sheen. Gio touched his badge, and the floor underneath him opened up. He fell straight onto his bed, face-planting into the pillows. My landing could use work¡­ I love magic. Time to get ready for bed, and to finally get a Class! Vibrating with excitement, Gio hastily prepared himself¡­ for sleep. Odd to be quickly suiting up to settle down. If not for the guaranteed unconsciousness, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to calm myself right now. Brushing his teeth, washing and moisturizing his face, and getting changed into loose-fitting pajamas, Gio slipped under the sateen sheets and stared directly at the ceiling. Summoning the interface, Gio steeled himself. Mentally manipulating the interface to select his choice, Gio plunged into darkness, going limp. _____ Falling through infinite space, alight with motes of mana of all different sources, the figure unwound, as if made of a loosely wound cord. Identity, memory, ego, and meaning all seemed to drift apart. The endless expanse seemed to contract inwards and expand outwards, as the mana flowed through the spaces in between the parts of the figure, now reduced to the barest outline of the impulses of id, translucent and empty. Resplendent. Visions of elements and arcana trickled through the figure as if bone-white sand carried by stormwater through a river delta. Spirits and elementals danced upon the formless, flowing currents, with their unknowable agendas just out of reach. The figure looked up at the surface of the river delta, basking in the warm image of water. The figure breathed in and dissolved into sand. _____ Gio awoke, face stuck to the soft pillow, and hair matted completely to the side. The strange visions of his dream had long since faded into obscurity. The sleep was even better than advertised. The first glimpses of sunrise could be seen peeking through the curtainless window. Turning over to his back, Gio instantly felt wide awake. Name: Giorgio deGloria Race: Human Class- [Apprentice True Mage] - Unevolved Occupation: [Full-time student at Crystal Ring Academy] General Skills: -Multitask -Mana Shaper -Quick Study Class Skills: -Beginner Inferior True Magic -Beginner Mana Sense Mana Affinities: -Lesser Arcane Spellbook: This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. -Hairline Fracture -Detect Magic -Prismatic Shape -Reflect Finally. True Magic. I¡¯ve come a long way, but this feels like the real start of my journey. ¡°Your time here is what you make of it¡±, right? If that¡¯s the case, I want to start making the most of it right away. _____ The Owl''s Respite''s landing area had a mirror-lined booth designed for access to and from the Manse, and the environment was much more cozy than the other areas of the crystalline infrastructure that Gio had visited thus far, aside from his room. While expensive-looking stonework, towering enchanted crystal, and just¡­ so much precious metal was all well and good, something about unsoiled, mundane wood paneling set Gio at ease. Turning the corner from the entrance, Gio was greeted by a towering statue of a wooden owl, carved in immaculate detail, down to the individual barbs on each feather. The Owl¡¯s eyes opened, revealing pupilless orbs of white light. ¡°Uuuh, hello, Librarian? Is it acceptable for me to call you Librarian?¡± Gio asked, unsteadily, having expected a person, and not an elemental. A small brown-feathered owl appeared in a puff of smoke. ¡°If you prefer, I can also take this form to converse more casually. Please note that some information may be limited based on availability or clearance requirements.¡± The small bird spoke, in a bassy voice unsuited for its meager frame. ¡°Oh, perfect! I''d much prefer this form than a system dialogue box for every question. Okay, to start with, where are the other students? Am I the only student here?¡± Gio asked. ¡°The Owl¡¯s Respite is a private study area, so you will not encounter others unless you enter this area together with the intent to form a study group,¡± The Librarian replied, grooming his wing with his beak. ¡°Okay, thank you. I¡¯m not quite sure how this works, but I would like to acquire some sort of training guide for utilizing spells.¡± Gio stated flatly. ¡°... you do realize that according to your schedule, you¡¯ll be meeting your guidance professor tomorrow, correct?¡± the bird replied. Gio detected more snark than he thought possible from an elemental. Do I just not know what knowledge elementals are like? The stone elementals that dad works with are barely verbal. Right, abandon your preconceived notions. ¡°That¡¯s correct. I wish to get a headstart. I found Headmaster Vespertine¡¯s speech to be very inspiring, and I want to start learning now." The small bird flew over to perch on the beak of its statue, looking upwards into the stained glass skylight for a moment. The bird glanced back at Gio periodically, as if deliberating upon something. ¡°This is abnormal, but your professor has authorized the receipt of your course material a day early.¡± The statue itself moved, a gargantuan wing swooping outwards and paused for a moment. A faint shimmer of mana later and the statue returned to its wooden likeness as if it had never moved. As the wing retreated, a small table with several volumes laid upon it had materialized. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you know how to store your possessions with your student badge yet, so listen carefully. The Manse is intrinsically linked to you while you are within the subjugated floors of the academy. This link is accessed solely by using your badge as a conduit. Focus on your badge and imagine a place within your domicile where you would like to store these books, and it will be done. You may then retrieve them at your leisure. Once you have some amount of practice using the technique, you may find yourself able to use your dormitory as a spatial item of sorts, or even come and go without the use of a scrying plane. I would caution you, however, that such use of the Manse may inhibit your studies, should you wish to accomplish similar things without relying on the backbone infrastructure of the college.¡± Gio nodded and began focusing on his memory of his desk, imagining how the window looked this early in the morning. He visualized the space behind the sheaf of blank paper and the inkwell. Nothing happened. ¡°To be clear, if you accomplished that on your first try, I would be shocked. Additionally, this lesson is probably a large portion of your professor¡¯s lesson plan for tomorrow. Do with that information what you will. You are free to find a comfortable space within this library to study, should you wish. Do note that the further you go into the stacks, the less influence I will have on the space. Tread carefully, Giorgio deGloria.¡± The small bird melted into the woodwork, leaving behind a puff of purple motes. I think¡­ arcane and knowledge mana motes? Knowledge is a flavor that I don¡¯t see too often. Interesting. Turning back to the task at hand, Gio spent the better part of the morning focused on trying to store his books. It wasn¡¯t until his stomach was knotted with hunger that he started getting frustrated. Eggs benedict. Eggs florentine. Eggs royale. Croque madame. This isn¡¯t helping, Gio! Think! Circulating his mana as was second nature to him at this point, he took a measured breath inwards to calm himself. Focusing on the task at hand. Wait, why am I not using mana? This is magic. I¡¯m trying to do magic without using mana. Just because it wasn¡¯t spelled out for me, and because nothing so far has required it, I forgot why I¡¯ve spent thousands of hours doing mana-shaping exercises... I think perhaps the Librarian was right about relying too heavily on the academy¡¯s features¡­ this could be a slippery slope. The shapes that [Multitask] and [Quick study] had woven into Gio¡¯s being were churning his essence. Under the boiling intensity of his focus, he felt the first threads of connection form from his mana network towards the badge that he was now holding in his hand. Visualizing the books neatly stacked inside the desk, Gio¡¯s eyes snapped open. The books were gone. ¡°YES!¡± Gio shouted. ¡°You are the only featherless bipedal creature here, but this is still a library,¡± the statue said. _____ One Croque Madame (with a side of extra bechamel, and thick steak fries to dip in it) later, and Gio returned to the library. He was briefly interested in what the Green Expanse could offer but was certain that he would be able to visit later. He walked through the stacks, finding all sorts of peculiar tomes on lecterns, and display cases full of odd pieces of parchment. Many of them were in other languages that he did not recognize, and some of the books on the shelves looked to be nearly destroyed. Every so often, Gio would spot a desk, or some other place designed for studying- but Gio had something specific in mind, and if the library was infinite, he supposed that he could be picky. Wanting to try something, he held an image in his mind, and walked forward, circulating his mana and trying to pick out the tiny sparks of purple knowledge mana floating through the air. Following his mana sense, he found what he was looking for. In an odd clearing between shelves, Gio found a puffy recliner with a side table and a lamp. Overhead, a circular window shone down on the space at an angle. Gio had been imagining his mother¡¯s favorite chair in their living room. While the chair in front of him was far from a perfect match, it was certainly sufficient for his needs. Taking a long moment to summon the correct book from his badge, Gio sat down and prepared to dig into his copy of Mortimer¡¯s Meticulous Primer for Understanding Spellforms. Chapter 8 - New Friends Gio spent most of the day, barring meals, in the recliner he had claimed in the Owl¡¯s respite. He determined that he didn¡¯t want to burn himself out so early, so he bargained with himself that he must explore the Green Expanse after dinner. _____ Within the Manse, Gio was puzzled for the first time, looking out at the doorway beyond him. Whereas all previous doors were uniformly rectangular and very 2D, this door was a spiky half-circle, with a confusing texture of winding grooves. Uncertainly, he stepped forth. The experience of stepping through the odd texture was akin to being wiped down with several old, room-temperature rags covered in oil- but without any of the oil being able to stick to your skin. Gio emerged from the side of a bizarre sculpture. A grinning sun made of shining silver in the act of devouring a golden moon. If I¡¯m not overthinking this, is this statue political commentary of some sort? Maybe I¡¯m too far removed from the social scene here to get it. Looking around, students were coming and going through various other pieces of textured metal, in a high volume of traffic. Laughter and boisterous voices were numerous throughout the area. It¡¯s a giant playground full of mages with nothing to do for the day while they wait for classes to start. It looks like this is largely where the rest of the first-year student body has been hanging out. There are other classes, right? I wonder if we¡¯re being¡­ quarantined? Gio stepped onto a path made of glassy green stepping stones. The path traveled through a sea of bright green grasses, and off into branching paths. In the distance, Gio could see a shaded meadow, filled with vibrant flowers and picturesque sunbeams peaking through the canopy. Several students in this area could be seen frolicking while others played instruments nearby. Another path led to a babbling brook, with crystal clear water and high reeds. Several wide-brimmed hats and fishing poles dotted a bridge overlooking a small pond. Gio¡¯s eyes were drawn to the crest of a rather large windswept hill, where some people were sparring. Bounding into the sky on flaming wings, a young man with a shining spear ascended quickly. A small crowd of cheering bodies ran below, chasing him off. The figure stopped in midair, surveying the landscape below. The man¡¯s eyes flickered with white sun flares, as his black hair twinkled with ephemeral stars. The spear in the man¡¯s hands blinked out of existence, and his leftwing began shedding flaming feathers as he lost his balance, plummeting to the ground. A chorus of screams could be heard as Gio watched the figure drop three stories in a moment. Putting out his hands and summoning a warcry, the student managed to recover at the last moment, swooping past Gio and off over the meadow, laughing as he went by. And to think I was concerned with working too hard. One of my classmates can fly already. I won''t let this negatively affect my self-image¡­ probably. Others elsewhere struggled with various acts of magic. One student blasted herself in the face with an out-of-control stream of water from the pond, and another student succeeded in making only his shirt, the skin on his face, and his eyes invisible, earning a scream from his companions. Walking towards the meadow, Gio saw the same girl he had noticed in the waiting room yesterday, working on an embroidery hoop, underneath a flowering tree. Gio was walking in her direction, as the boy from earlier emerged from the meadow, and they began talking, drawing a crowd. The conversation didn¡¯t seem very amicable, from the way the young woman wordlessly picked up her belongings and headed toward the Manse. The black-haired, silver-eyed young man had a frown on his face, returning to the large hill on foot. _____ Gio didn¡¯t end up talking to anybody at the green expanse. In part, he was worried that his status as the only student from the Copper Ring he knew of would make him a target for less than favorable attention, but he was also just nervous about meeting new people who were on the same path he was. Resolving himself to meet new people in class, Gio finished his night in his new favorite chair in the Owl¡¯s Respite, having finished several chapters by bedtime. _____ After a quick breakfast, Gio arrived to class 15 minutes early. The lecture hall was not as luxurious as his favorite recliner in the library, but the half-circle room was certainly not uncomfortable. The room was relatively plain; with a teacher¡¯s podium, a large glassy black surface adorning the wall, and the rows of conical tiered seating. Gio was far from the first to arrive. In the center of the front row, the flying boy was surrounded by other students, chatting amicably with each other. The young man made quick eye contact with Gio, issuing him a diplomatic nod as he turned back to his conversation partners. Conversely, far to the right of the room and a few rows back was the young woman with the needlepoint. The young woman wore an immaculate silken hooded robe, patterned in hues of gold and green. Deftly working a spiraling design into the hoop in her lap, her hands were covered in geometric red pigments, complementing her golden rings and many bangles. In her long, glossy black hair she wore a piece of golden jewellery, with a glistening red gem in the center of it just between her eyebrows. Gio noted that the space surrounding the young woman was conspicuously empty, as if the other students had cordoned her off. Walking up to the young woman, Gio politely asked; ¡°Excuse me, is this seat taken?¡± Chandrika Chakraverti Chandrika¡¯s hands worked as they always did. Her Mother¡¯s craft, her Grandmother¡¯s craft, and the craft of many generations of Chakraverti sages were woven deep into the proud fibers of her soul. She had celebrated this day, in her way. On one hand, her attendance at the Crystal Ring Academy was commanded by her Queen Mother. She wore the yoke of diplomacy, chained to her back as it were. She longed for the silken embrace of her grandmother¡¯s Grand Loom of Bangla. Ever since she was shipped off to the Ringed City, she visited the tower of the spindle in her dreams, envisioning herself flying through the sky to weave among her sisters, instead of being condescended to by the self-proud children of the nobility here. I must not forget my manners. I am not a political prisoner, but a humble student. These people have done me no harm, and though they may be unkind, it is my duty as a representative of Ujjbala-S¨±rya to be gentle. But on the other hand, she was truly excited to be a student here, on some level. She had her sisters mark her hands and feet with the Red Atla, to pay respect to the women who had walked before her. She wore her best Tussar Silk Saree to show that she was taking this seriously. She had even worn her Tikli on her head to show that she maintained an open mind, and valued her connection to the spirits. [Sage] activated, letting her know that something auspicious was about to happen. Sage has been somewhat jumpy these past two days. I feel like every time someone looks my way, the threads of fate shift slightly in this school. I am patient. I am kind. I am understa- ¡°Excuse me, is this seat taken?¡± Said a tall, silver-haired boy. Chandrika fought with her instincts, feeling defensive after yesterday¡¯s events. She forced herself to smile. ¡°No. Please, take a seat.¡± She said. She could always move if he started bothering her. ¡°Your embroidery is stunning.¡± the boy said. He is either too proud to care about the opinions of the other students, or too stupid to notice that I am clearly being avoided. I wonder which one it is? Or perhaps he is some trader¡¯s son here to try and make business connections. Lovely. ¡°Thank you for your kind words,¡± Chandrika said, schooling her voice. Based on the ill-concealed grimace behind the boy¡¯s gentle expression, Chandrika didn¡¯t do a passable job of hiding her defensiveness. She internally shared the grimace of the boy, dreading the awkward small talk. Thankfully, the boy didn¡¯t press her to continue talking. The two sat in somewhat companionable, if not tense, silence for several moments. Chandrika¡¯s highly trained mana sense detected the boy doing some internal mana-shaping exercises. His technique was absurdly clean, and he must have been very practiced, judging by how he was doing full circulation as a nervous tick. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. I need to stop assuming that everyone here is out for blood. I am patient. I am kind. I am understanding. ¡°My name is Chandrika Chakraverti. I hail from the proud nation of Ujjbala-S¨±rya. What is your name?¡± Chandrika offered, taking the initiative for the first time. ¡°My name is Giorgio deGloria! Nice to meet you.¡± The boy returned, offering his hand. Chandrika shook his hand, internally treading over her grandmother¡¯s treatise on the odd tradition. She gripped forcefully, and looked into Giorgio¡¯s eyes, being dominant as her grandmother would. ¡°I see. It is nice to meet you as well, Giorgio deGloria,¡± she stated. She was glad that her sisters used staying pigments for her Atla, as the ceremonial pigments would likely not survive handshake culture. ¡°Oh, uh you can call me Gio.¡± the boy said, rubbing the back of his head. ¡°Gio. very well, you may call me Rika.¡± Chandrika replied, returning to her needlework. Odd to be on a nickname basis after one conversation, but that¡¯s the city of rings, I suppose. I think I should likely ask him something about himself. Why have I suddenly forgotten how to be a human? How unlike a sage to be floundering at schoolhouse friendships like this. ¡°What part of the Ringed City are you from?¡± Rika asked. She noticed several eyes peeking over towards their conversation at her question. The boy tensed up for a moment but recovered quickly. Something in his eyes seemed to firm himself, and she felt her mana sense acknowledge a pulse in his mana circulation. ¡°I am from the Copper Ring.¡± He said, eyes searching Chanrika¡¯s face for something. Chandrika perked up at this, stopping her needlework. Not a merchant¡¯s son indeed! ¡°Interesting! I haven¡¯t met anyone from the Copper ring yet!¡± Chandrika gushed.¡±Is it true that there¡¯s a whole sector devoted to processing dungeon fibers into linens?¡± ¡°O-oh, yes there is. The Fiber mill is where my Aunt Dola works, she¡¯s a pretty powerful [Seamstress of the Weave], apparently dungeon fibers provide some interesting challenges. She¡¯s taught me and my cousin Hatra a bit about embroidery and sewing, but I never took to it.¡± The tension on Gio seemed to lessen slightly, as the two of them shifted into having a more normal conversation about their interests. Chandrika wanted to try some of the interesting foods that Gio was talking about from his days as a chef. Before they got too far into their conversation, a loud clap resounded from the front of the room, startling everyone, as a tall man with a slicked-back white ponytail and a sharp-looking black vest and ruffled shirt combination stood up from a desk behind the podium. [Sage] let Chandrika know in no uncertain terms that the man had been using a concealment spell, and had been there the whole time, watching the students. As soon as he became visible, whatever magic or technique he was using to prevent her divination skill from functioning had been canceled, allowing minutes'' worth of information to slam into her consciousness. She instantly felt a headache begin to form in the middle of her forehead. Thank you, to the oh-so-valuable legacy skill of my ancestors, for letting me know something I wish I didn¡¯t. ¡°The time is now 7:05. If you are not seated, you are late.¡± the man announced. A ghostly skeletal claw slammed the door shut. ¡°You may notice that there are two students who have decided to start the semester by reaffirming that they value their time more than they value mine. Don¡¯t be like them. I¡¯ll send my two new friends a lovely written demerit later to inform them of what they missed today. Onto other business. Giorgio deGloria, please step forward to the front of the class.¡± the man commanded. Gio looked almost as surprised as Chandrika was, and her eyes were glued to her new friend as he carefully, yet quickly, stepped up to the podium. ¡°Mister deGloria, you don¡¯t have your books with you. If you would be so kind, please demonstrate where it is that your books are to the rest of your peers¡± the professor said. Waving a hand, The professor conjured a large mahogany table out of thin air, in a burst of smoky white wisps. Chandrika caught the barest scent of jasmine and myrrh from the wisps. Gio looked around nervously but faced the table. Chandrika watched, awestruck, as Gio produced a neatly stacked pile of books from thin air on command. Not an idiot. Gio Gio¡¯s heart was racing. I¡¯m not being punished for asking for my books early, right? Why hasn¡¯t he said anything, he¡¯s just looking at the room¡­ Putting his hand on Gio¡¯s shoulder, the professor let out a hearty belly laugh. ¡°Imagine my surprise, putting together a lesson plan for today at the last minute, when I get contacted by a notoriously petty high knowledge elemental, which is a subset of notoriously petty spirits already, to ask if I would allow one of my students to receive his course materials a day early. To which I replied: ¡°Damn right he can get his textbooks. If he can learn how to store them before class tomorrow, I¡¯ll give him a commendation!¡± and I am a man of my word!¡± The professor yelled. ¡°Let this be a spectacular lesson to the rest of you that there¡¯s always someone willing to put in the extra effort, even if you aren¡¯t. Giorgio, you may have a seat. Please see me after class so we may discuss your reward. Take your books with you.¡± Turning to the board, the man with the ponytail clapped again, and two ghastly apparitions appeared, spreading a silky white banner that read ¡°Welcome Students¡± in a neat script across the front podium. ¡°Welcome! I am Professor Alexander Anaximenes. You may call me Professor A, Professor Alex, or Professor Anaximenes, but I will correct your pronunciation if you shoot for the A word and miss the mark. I have learned all of your names already, and there are 257 of you. Which brings me to my next point! My time is valuable. If I could split my attention between all of you, I would! As your guidance professor, it¡¯s my job to try, but, inevitably, I will not be able to meet all of your needs all of the time. There are members of the faculty who can be in multiple places at the same time, such as a certain blonde chef who could kill us all without blinking. The closest I can come to such a thing is by employing my friends here, who are called psychopomps by the way, but we will get to my magic at a later date.¡± The man motioned to the two grinning horrors next to him. Each one was a bleached white looking skeleton, with downy white wings that spread outwards in an angelic way. They had canine-like skulls that had white and golden motes of light in the place of eyes. The man thrust his hands forward to the psychopomps, hands covered in wispy white and gold magic. The two apparitions melded into a bony white scythe with an imposing black jagged edge. With a lazy flick, Professor A sliced the banner into ribbons without damaging the podium, and the magic evaporated, eliciting cheers from the room. ¡°Back to the point I''m making, Giorgio here-¡± he motioned to Gio. ¡°has already completed the lesson I have planned for the room today as part of your syllabus. The rest of us will be spending today catching up, but where does that leave Giorgio? You see, the Crystal Ring Academy is host to an asymmetrical learning style. We are all free to lag or excel at our own pace, but as an organization, we need to look out for our highest performers. Giorgio here- Do you go by Giorgio?¡± ¡°Gio is fine sir.¡± ¡°-Gio here will be helping me teach today¡¯s class, and because he is helping me save some of my time by teaching you all, I am going to be spending some of my time tutoring him separately. That¡¯s how this-¡± he motioned in a sweeping motion around the room. ¡°All works. If you help me, I can help you. This is going to be a recurring concept, so ensure that you are all looking out for each other when possible to ensure that we can succeed as a class.¡± _____ The rest of the class was spent with Professor A summoning a stack of books on each desk, and explaining the basic theory behind the storage that Gio had learned, with Gio and Professor A making laps around the room to help each student. Professor A handed each student a copy of the class syllabus and explained a few details about some features of the course- namely that, while he would be the classes¡¯ only professor for a few weeks, they would shift to being able to attend specialized lectures after a short introductory period. _____ ¡°What I usually do is circulate my mana and-¡± ¡°What do you mean you circulate your mana?¡± the student asked Gio. Gio blinked at the student. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a mana-shaping exercise where you-¡± ¡°Mana-shaping exercise? What does that have to do with this?¡± the student scoffed. Gio fought to try not to be rude to the student. ¡°It has everything to do with what you are failing to accomplish, mister Robichard.¡± Professor A interjected. ¡°Gio, please go help mister Castallane at the front. I¡¯ll attempt to remedy this misunderstanding.¡± Looking over to the front of the class, Gio saw the boy who had the flaming wings the day prior, hand extended over his books, focusing intently. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Gio, you were awesome yesterday at the Green Expanse.¡± Gio offered, walking over to the other student. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯m Jean. You really figured this out on your own yesterday?¡± Jean returned with a focused smile. Gio looked at Jean, noticing his defined shoulders and striking silver eyes. Nobility, talented, handsome and nice? Life isn¡¯t fair. ¡°It took me a while. How familiar are you with the layout of your room?¡± Gio asked. ¡°Admittedly, I¡¯ve spent most of the past day and a half in the field, trying to get my family¡¯s signature spell down. I¡¯ve been waiting for so long to get the class unlocked that I had to get flying as soon as possible, you know?¡± Jean contemplated. Gio thought for a moment. ¡°Well, then maybe you should try imagining what your pillow felt like. It might sound silly, but the thing that made the technique click for me was remembering the weird gel marker on my desk. I spent a long time trying to figure out what it was, so imagining it next to where I wanted my books to go helped. And once you get it down the first time, it gets a lot easier after that.¡± With Gio¡¯s advice, Jean was the first in the class to manage to store his books, followed by Chandrika. Chapter 9 - DIY Chandrika Chandrika wore her long black hair back in a ponytail, and wore a set of more practical linen clothes, sitting across from Gio. The silver-haired boy was absolutely demolishing a bowl of curry that she had recommended to him. Gio had ordered her a bowl of Spicy Chicken Udon. In between bites, Chandrika pointed at Gio with a pair of chopsticks. ¡°Jean-Claude and I have known each other for years. The Castallane house is a big part of the national defense of the Ringed City and its territories, or so my grandmother tells me. My dear mother wants me to be amicable with Prince Donovan and his little troupe of followers, but he and I have never gotten along. Jean passed me a particularly unkind message from Donovan.¡± ¡­ although I don¡¯t know for certain he knew what he was saying. ¡°What was the message, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡± Gio said, looking up from his curry. After another mouthful, Chandrika replied: ¡°he walked up to me, looked me in the eyes without greeting and said ¡®Donovan sends his regards, and regrets that he won¡¯t be here to see your special saree.¡¯¡± ¡° The prince has repeatedly mocked my people¡¯s craft.¡± she continued. ¡°He has said that the saree I spent months learning to weave is a waste of time unbefitting of a princess¡­ I guess I cannot blame Jean if he truly did not know that Donovan disrespects my people¡¯s most valued heritage, but I wore that saree to greet my tutors back home. I wore it to greet my professor, and I will wear it on other special occasions in the future. It means a lot to me, and is symbolic of my journey as a sage of my people.¡± Gio was pensive for a moment. ¡°I guess I understood that I¡¯d be going to school with nobility on some level, but it¡¯s odd to me that your mother wants you to get to know someone just because of who he is,¡± he said, putting his bowl down. ¡° My mother would probably tell me to just ignore him. And did you say princess?¡± Gio asked genuinely. ¡°Well¡­ my country doesn¡¯t have the same social system that the Ringed City does. Without getting into all the details, I am technically a member of the Council of Sages. All holders of the [Sage] skill in Ujjbala S¨±rya are. There are currently 18 of us, myself included.¡± Chandrika pondered. ¡°Huh. [Sage] must be a good skill. I was very excited when I managed to get [Quick Study]. Does sage make you more¡­ wise?¡± Gio asked. ¡°Well, we think that it might do something to that effect, but it¡¯s different for everyone. My mother¡¯s [Sage] allows her to stretch one moment into a thousand, effectively stopping time for her so that she may never be caught off guard. My grandmother¡­ it¡¯s difficult to explain, but she¡¯s an incredibly powerful weaver. She sees patterns in everything. For me, I can more or less tell when important things are about to happen.¡± Chandrika said. Finishing their food, the pair headed off to the Green Expanse. _____ Gio and Chandrika sat down under a tree with vibrant pink blossoms. Chandrika worked on a large geometric swatch of fabric, while Gio was reading one of the books they had been issued. ¡°Oh yeah, what did the professor end up saying to you after class yesterday?¡± She asked ¡°He told me that I need to make my own spells.¡± Gio said, scrunching his face in disdain. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°What? I thought he said he was going to give you a commendation, whatever that means.¡± Chandrika replied. ¡°Well. he sort of did. I guess a commendation is an opportunity for specialized counseling. He basically told me that I was going to end up failing with only the spells I have available to me, and since I can¡¯t afford to buy any spellforms, I should learn how to make them.¡± Gio sighed. _____ Jean-Claude Castallane Jean was tired. He had abused his body and overdrawn his mana reserves until he had managed to activate [Astral Deva Form]. He needed to catch up on sleep, so he went straight back to his room after class, not even stopping to eat. The room was rather spartan in comparison to his bedroom at the estate, but Jean didn¡¯t really need the creature comforts. He was resolutely focused on making the most of his time at Crystal Ring Academy. After preparing himself for an early bedtime, Jean looked at his pillows, remembering that he had made the breakthrough in the storage technique by focusing on the satin covers. He picked up a lopsided stack of books, placed them on his desk, and got into bed. Giorgio deGloria. Day one and he has already caught the professor¡¯s attention. I don¡¯t think I would have thought to ask for the books a day early. Incredible that he¡¯s from the Copper Ring. And Chandrika¡­ I don¡¯t know why she hates Don so much. I feel bad that all the other students are scared of her, but I¡¯m glad that she¡¯s talking to somebody, even if it¡¯s not me. Gio Gio marched forward with a sense of purpose, huffing slightly. He rounded the corner and clicked his heels together, standing tall. ¡°I wish to use a commendation issued to me by Professor Anaximenes.¡± Gio declared, staring directly at the unmoving wooden statue of an owl. Gio withered under the gaze of the lifeless statue. Gio tried to remember the puffy small owl from the day prior. ¡°Did Professor A already inform you of what I want to use it on?¡± Gio asked. ¡°Why is it a waste for me to learn this material now, if without it I might not survive until my third year?¡± Gio demanded. "If it¡¯s so special, then why did Professor A give me one so early?" Gio asked. Gio recoiled slightly at the admission. Notoriously petty. Understood. ¡°Then how am I supposed to survive the semester? I need to either learn how to make spellforms now, or magically acquire spellforms from some other means. I don¡¯t have enough money to buy what I need, and I know that nobody else at this school is allowed to give them to me.¡± Whining? Damn bird. It seems like the faculty at this school are incapable of understanding how to deal with a Copper-Ringer. I don¡¯t need to be coddled about my fiscal insufficiency. I don¡¯t want handouts. I would love for someone to actually hel- wait. Why did the librarian say chair? The recliner. Chapter 10 - Seeker Gio stared at the recliner he had found in the hidden reading space. I did a hedge mage mana divination to find this chair. Mister Guzheng would be laughing his ass off if he knew that the technique he demanded I learn might be about to save me on my first day of class. Gio remembered his tutor at Copper Ring Preparatory School fondly. The aged man was an endless font of witticisms and snark, but he cared about his students. Mr. Guzheng was content to act as a glorified babysitter to those who just wanted to ride through the school year with passing grades, but Gio saw a very different side of the bald man. Mr. G had spent many hours with Gio, forcing him to learn all sorts of banal mana-shaping exercises to a frankly unrealistic level of proficiency. ¡°Consume all that is available to you. Every scrap of ¡®useless¡¯ knowledge was written for a reason.¡± He would say. The hedge witch divination technique was an esoteric piece of ¡°vulgar magic¡± - magic traditionally looked down upon by institutions because of its non-standard format. The ¡®vulgarity¡¯ required an understanding of differing mana types through sense alone, combined with an active meditation, and a circulation technique. By channeling and focusing on a stream of the rare knowledge mana abundant in the Owl¡¯s Respite, Gio had focused on the mental image of a recliner and had found one. The technique practically never worked outside of specific circumstances, but its difficulty made for decent practice- Gio had never used it to find something more specific than a one-word description, or a simple mental image. He knew that what he was about to do was tantamount to idiocy. Breathing in a nearly intoxicating amount of the knowledge mana around him, catching some stray wisps of ¡°Book¡±, ¡°Paper¡±, and ¡°Ink¡± mana, and trying to avoid others such as ¡°Dust¡± and ¡°Decay¡±, Gio began incorporating the whirlpool of foreign mana into his reservoir. Feeling [Multitask] spark to life, he began to walk slowly, his feet hitting the ground in a trance-like, rhythmic pattern. Gradually, he introduced his will to the cycle, imagining a book that would teach him how to begin making spellforms. It''s difficult to hold a mental image of a book that you haven''t read, and don''t even know the name of. Gradually, Gio walked forwards through the stacks, and into darkness, as the light from the windows grew dimmer. _____ Frog A massive moss-covered frog statue sat half-submerged in a pristine pond, filled to the brim with lily pads. Smaller frog statues adorned the periphery of the pond, carved out of the surrounding grotto walls, each with a wide mouth gushing forth clear water. Crystalline towers illuminated the dim ground cover, underneath squat mangroves among the peaceful bog. Little jeweled dragonflies with iridescent wings flitted above vibrant lotuses. Tomes of ancient, beautiful magic rested upon vine-covered lecterns interspersed throughout the scene, some locked shut by glowing wooden chains, and others open to specific sigils, releasing rainbow-colored fountains of glittering mana in curated streams of complementary types. A small round frog sat, eyes closed, under its favorite waterfall, on a nice warm rock. The frog croaked, and ribbited, and enjoyed it¡¯s existence. A baleful hoot ruined the frog¡¯s peace. The frog sighed internally and opened one jade eye to scrutinize the interloper. ¡°Owl.¡± Said the frog, addressing their guest. A proud, fluffy, horned brown owl with white speckled feathers sat upon a dewy branch, his beak glistening in the light of a nearby crystal. ¡°Greetings, Frog. I''ve come to seek guidance.¡± Oh? ¡°And what guidance could I offer you, oh wise owl? What knowledge could possibly evade you, keeper of the stacks?¡± The frog gurgled, voice shifting to a strange tone. The owl flew down to the frog, talons clicking upon the smooth stones of the basin. Getting our feathers wet, are we? ¡°I have a matter of¡­ conscience. There is a juvenile in my house, trekking into the unmaintained eaves of my grand facade.¡± the owl said, flinching at the bluster of the waterfall. ¡°So? The Vespertine child warns them every year. We nurture the ones who will listen, and guide them as we are best able. We are not responsible for those who wander past the lovely lich¡¯s walled garden.¡± the frog bubbled. Hopping forward to spare the owl from the water, the frog bounded across the stones and onto a lilypad. After the Owl joined them, the frog produced some mice for the ornery bird in a show of gentle green light. ¡°I am curious, Owl. In eons of this farce, you¡¯ve not shown any care towards those who wander into the old halls. Why now?¡± the Frog croaked. The owl pecked apart a small white mouse. ¡°A curiosity. Twice now, the child has surprised me. Firstly, he picked up on the lich¡¯s tricks in near record time, unaided by the faculty. Then, he speaks to the mana like an old witch - to find a chair.¡± the Owl hooted. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°So¡­ when he came to me to waste a commendation, I gave him a small hint.¡± ¡°If he was any duller, he¡¯d have missed it. He cannot even cast a spell, yet he seeks to make them, and so he¡¯s wandering off into the dark to find a book that I haven¡¯t yet placed in the hospitable areas of my demesne,¡± he said. The frog paused for a moment, lazily tracing the web of enchantments through the ivy near its shrine. ¡°Your hint, even if obscured, was all that you may do for him without breaking the pacts. I praise you for finally properly aiding a student¡­ but you must let whatever happens next play out. Root for his success, if you wish, from afar. Provide no aid, nor reassurance. And if worse comes to pass, inform his instructor where his remains lay. It is harsh, but it is necessary.¡± The frog squeaked. ¡°I ¡­ see.¡± said the Owl. _____ Gio Gio¡¯s lungs ached. His feet hurt, and his head was throbbing. The localized maelstrom of mana surrounding him compelled him to keep going forward, lest he break his trance prematurely. The dim light was no longer an issue, as the mana surrounding Gio had long since grown in intensity so far as to produce glimmers of visible effects. The grain on the wooden shelves alit with foxfire, illuminating many curiosities upon the shelves of the liminal space. Several times, Gio was tempted to stop and examine something, but the momentum he had accrued in his workings propelled him towards his goal. Several times, in the dark, Gio thought he saw motion through the whirls of purple mana flying around him- or heard some noise, but his eyes were glued forwards, alighting on footprints that he had not yet tread, emblazoned in glowing marks. After an unknowable amount of time, His course shifted, down one of the long aisles of books. The featureless brown tomes ever-present up until this point began to make way, as Gio happened across hundreds of copies of the same book. After another few steps, another bookshelf was filled with hundreds of identical copies of yet another tome, clearly some kind of mass-produced textbook. Still onwards he went for an agonizing few hundred paces, before finally, the storm of light surrounding him abruptly whistled away, leaving him stranded in utter darkness, as the wooden grains of the shelving dimmed. Gio felt utterly drained, but managed to shape a small globe of mana into a dim light. Hundreds of copies of Mortimer¡¯s Meticulous Primer for Making Spellforms lined the next few bookshelves. Gio took a copy, holding the book aloft. ¡°Am I just allowed to take this? Like is there some sort of checkout procedure or something?¡± [Fledgling Knowledge Seeker] < You have demonstrated talent and drive to attain knowledge beyond your ken. Attain mid-level bonuses for memorization, comprehension, and information gathering. You shall find knowledge that you seek faster than normal. So long as your occupation remains education-based, receive additional bonuses toward knowledge and growth-related skills.> [Fledgling Knowledge Seeker?] Y/N Startled by the unexpected prompt filling his vision, Gio nearly dropped the book that he was holding. The small mana construct he was maintaining blinked out of existence, leaving Gio to stare at the blazing white words in front of him. This is¡­ unbelievable. A system achievement. I accept. <[Fledgling Knowledge Seeker] Attained.> Immediately, Gio felt a wave of refreshment as his being was integrated with the upgraded skill. The heavy book in his hands was covered in dust. Gio resummoned the light to try to read the book. As soon as he did, he screamed. ¡°OHMYGODOHMYGODOHM-¡± Gio scrambled backwards, dropping the book as he saw a mangled form, dragging itself towards him. The corpse-like being was covered in what appeared to be bandages, trailing a thick pool of black tar. Catching his breath, Gio backed away further and released a held breath as he realized that the creature wasn¡¯t fast. Gio¡¯s heart was still beating faster than normal as he saw the creature descend upon the dropped book, consuming the pages. This is okay. I¡¯ve trained for this. I think. Wow- a real dungeon monster, it¡¯s almost excit- NO, Gio! Not the time! Raising an arm, Gio summoned a mote of mana, forming and aspecting it with his [Mana Shaper] Skill. A Small lance of fire burst forth and puttered out before it reached the target. What? Oh! The library must be suppressing the fire. What else do I have on hand? Gio unclasped his spellbook, flicking towards [Prismatic Shape] with ease. Well, I¡¯ve been reading about the theory¡­ I wanted to wait to do this safely, but here goes nothing. The shambling figure stood up, with the remnants of the book now plastered to its face, rearranging themselves in unsettling patterns. I hate this. What is this thing? Gio raised his hand, pushing mana and his mind¡¯s eye toward the shape of the shimmering opalescent inks on the page. Instantly, Gio was treated to the sight of the pattern on the page sparkling to life, and the sensation of power at his fingertips. Gio attempted to make an emotional connection to how he felt seeing the magic demonstration all those years ago that had set him on his path to becoming a mage, imagining the masked magicians and their arrays of sparkling magic. A luminescent pyramid of light appeared, hovering above Gio¡¯s hand. He pointed forwards, imagining the shape rocketing towards the dripping shape. Nothing. Gio re-doubled his efforts, pushing a stream of light-aspected mana through the spell construct, and feeling it buck at his command, attempting to escape him. He remembered his training. Years of effort, all preparing for this moment. Literally all of the mana-shaping exercises I have done were for this one thing. Go! Rocketing forwards, the pyramid of light impacted the form, illusory panes of light shattering on contact. The humanoid lurched forward, enraged. Gio summoned a new shape- a cube, and threw it like a fastball, aiming for a leg. The creature toppled over like a cheap mannequin. The creature¡¯s head split down the middle, opening up into an upsetting maw of gooey black spikes, spraying forwards towards Gio, who dodged easily. The Black ooze reformed into tiny black spiders, swarming towards him. No. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Gio summoned a flat circular plane of light, sending it careening towards the creature like a sawblade. The creature¡¯s head plopped off of its body ungracefully as the spiders dis-animated into little puddles. ¡°Now that you have handled the Inkling. You should take your books and go.¡± said an owl, perched upon the top of a bookcase. ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAH¡± Chapter 11 - Consequences ¡°This section of the library connects to a highway. Dungeon creatures are drawn to the mana density, but there are wards to deter them from coming closer. Your¡­ light show attracted some attention, and you are not safe here. Take what you need, and find a scrying plane.¡± Said the Librarian. ¡°I will, but what was that thing? It almost looked like a person. It was creepy. ¡° Replied Gio, catching his breath. ¡°An Inkling. A construct of Ink that grows stronger as it eats books. That one was an infant, but there are greater versions in this sector. The denizens of this section aren¡¯t able to remove books from my collection of their own will unless someone does it for them. We will discuss your reimbursal at a later date. Take your books and go, Giorgio deGloria.¡± The small owl evaporated into the darkness. Gio quickly grabbed a replacement copy of Mortimer¡¯s Meticulous Primer for Making Spellforms, as well as copies of the conveniently co-located Mortimer¡¯s Meticulous Primer for Spellform Materials and Ink of Ages: a Material Atlas. Feeling that he had dallied enough, Gio returned his books to his room via his badge (which was notably harder this far out into the library) and ran, retreading his steps through the library. _____ ¡°You look horrendous, Gio,¡± Chandrika said, pushing the silver-haired boy a cup of coffee. ¡°Did you pull an all-nighter?¡± ¡°Something like that. I went on a bit of a long walk in the library.¡± ¡°A long walk? I thought that the deeper sections of the library were un-navigable without permission from the spirits.¡± Chandrika posited. ¡°To make a long story short, I had an eccentric teacher in prep school who made me learn this stupid mana-shaping technique to help me learn how to multitask and it has the side effect of being a divination. Rika, sorry that I¡¯m not feeling more talkative today, but I am¡­ depleted.¡± Gio said, hanging onto the warm mug like a lifeline. ¡°Remind me to tell you about it... later.¡± Chandrika frowned slightly but did her best to let Gio rest before class. _____ ¡°Gooooooooodmorning, students!¡± Professor A chirped, eliciting a quiet groan from Gio, facedown on the desk. ¡°Well, someone¡¯s grumpy. The rest of the class seems well-rested. Why, mister Castallane seems to be positively chipper this morning. Perhaps too many late night visits to the library might not be good for your health, mister deGloria.¡± Professor A chided. Gio balefully snapped one eye open at the mention of the library. Did that bird tattle on me? He¡¯s the one who gave me the tip. ¡°In any case, I hope you all found time to complete the homework, because you¡¯ll be having a short surprise quiz, and then we¡¯re off to the practice field.¡± the tall man intoned in a sing-song voice, his pure white ponytail-swinging behind his swaying body. With a lifeless expression, Gio produced an immaculate sheet for the homework, and decimated the quiz in moments. Returning his head to the desk, several students attempted to glare holes into his back. _____ ¡°Right! We¡¯re going to be attempting to have you all cast your first spells today, unless you¡¯ve been unsafely practicing without supervision. In a completely unrelated tangent, the following students should step to the front of the practice field to go first. Jean-Claude Castallane, Giorgio deGloria, Henrie Robichaud¡­¡± One by one, students stepped forward. By the end of the class period, about a quarter of the class had successfully demonstrated a spell. Only three students managed to injure themselves during the training session, But Professor Anaximenes had a healing spell on standby, and none of the injuries were worse than superficial. _____ Gio stepped into the Manse after class, relieved to be finally able to sleep after a very long day and night. After a moment, when no portal outward appeared, Gio became confused. ¡°Uuuh, hello?¡± Gio said into the starry black abyss. An imposing door of red glass floated up, from below the imaginary surface he was standing on. The door was covered in what appeared to be depictions of an embalming process. As Gio looked at the glossy red images of someone¡¯s brain matter being extracted through the nose, he felt a sense of disquiet, but also irritation. ¡°The theatrics are interesting, but I''d really like to go to bed now.¡± Gio said, having lost his patience and tact past his 24th hour of being awake. ¡°I am certain that you¡¯d like that. Mister deGloria. Please step into my private office.¡± Said Professor A, emerging from the void behind Gio. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Opening the titanic glass doors, Gio was greeted by the sight of an obsidian chamber, dimly lit by braziers of smoky white flames, being held by what appeared to be braziers carved out of ruby. Two symmetrical staircases wound around the sides of the landing area, and the center of the blackened floor was covered with a bas-relief, depicting several skeletal psychopomps grasping towards a glittering golden eye. Professor A led Gio up a staircase, and sat him down at one end of a well-lit table. On the other end of the table, a young woman was sitting cross-legged. She had a staggering amount of strawberry-blonde hair, cascading from a gorgeous face which was currently locked onto Gio with an expression of unrestrained curiosity. Her angular face rested upon a slender hand, propped up against the ivory surface of the long table. Her fingers were each adorned with a number of silver rings, and razor sharp, long ruby red fingernails. ¡°Ah, Gio, this is Gladiolus Ballantine, my Apprentice. Glady, please don¡¯t talk to Gio. He¡¯s in trouble.¡± said the man, matter-of-factly. Gio¡¯s face twisted in an expression of annoyance and indignation. Oh, that¡¯s how it is? I am being treated like a child. Understood. Gio folded his arms in front of him, looking severe. The spritely young woman giggled, and vanished into wisps of sickly green fog. Professor A sat at the other end of the table where she vanished from, facing Gio with an intense gaze. _____ Alexander Anaximenes Alexander faced his student, who was currently attempting to do his best impression of a death gaze. Great, I am certain that this will be a lovely evening. Exhaling, Alexander pinched the brow of his nose. ¡°Do you think that you¡¯re the first student to face this issue?¡± Alexander asked. ¡°That somehow, in hundreds of years, this academy has never faced a student who faces financial issues?¡± ¡°...No¡± Gio replied tersely. ¡°This year alone, approximately 175 individuals of your class of more than 3000 first year students are expected to face some amount of financial stressors. 25 of you are full-ride students, and yes- although you are our only Copper-Ring student this year, you are not the first, and will not be the last to come from a low-income zone.¡± Professor A ranted. ¡°I am not ignorant of your situation, Gio. I understand that you feel the need to progress as quickly as possible to make up for your deficiency. But you must understand that in order for you to succeed at all, you need to be alive.¡± Piercing Gio with [Soul Sight], Alexander saw Gio¡¯s status in its entirety. An invasion of privacy, perhaps- but a necessary one. I knew he¡¯d get something for it. Spirits, a [Knowledge Seeker] ?! Of all the blasted- ¡°Did you inform the Librarian that you received a skill upgrade?¡± He asked, drawing a confused look from Gio ¡°Aren¡¯t the spirits aware of system alerts that happen in their domains? I don¡¯t understand.¡± replied Gio. ¡°Answer the question.¡± Professor A demanded. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Professor A stated. ¡°Keep it to yourself for now. I refuse to congratulate you for putting yourself in undue danger, but that¡¯s a good skill.¡± ¡°I guess I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re upset. I know we were warned to stay within the protection of the Manse, But it¡¯s not against the school bylaws, and I saved a commendation by getting the books myself. I handled the Inkling easily.¡± Gio said, puffing his chest out slightly. ¡°I heard.¡± Professor A growled. ¡°Tore its head right off. Don¡¯t allow yourself to feel a single iota of pride from defeating a minor monster the way you did.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it. You don¡¯t know anything about commendations. You don¡¯t know how to use your defensive magic yet. You had never cast a spell before. You don¡¯t know anything about the structure of the school. You don¡¯t know anything about how the libraries work.¡± He continued. Finishing off his rant, Professor A summoned the corpse of the Inkling onto the table in a splatter of black ink and pages. ¡°And to top it all off, you managed to let a monster eat a book from a magical library.¡± ¡°... The owl told me that the commendation would let me get special lessons from powerful mages.¡± Gio sheepishly replied. He really does look particularly miserable. Once again pinching his nose, Professor A took a breath in, steadying himself. ¡°Look, Gio. Those old masters that the Librarian is talking about would laugh you off, or manipulate you, or put you in mortal danger if you tried to get something from them with a commendation as you are now.¡± ¡°Conversely, Using a Commendation on a [High Knowledge Elemental] like the Owl would give you permanent access to material about a certain topic. You could have filled your room with books about spellform making. It¡¯s not used more because the commendation system can lead to mentorships from some truly powerful individuals, but that¡¯s more of something for students later in their education, normally once they hit a roadblock in their studies.¡± he said. ¡°So here¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen. I am not cruel and unusual- so we¡¯re going to suffer through this together. Tonight, we¡¯re going to divide this corpse into raw materials to pay for the book, so that the Owl can¡¯t complain to the high council and have you forced to do his bidding for years.¡± Gio paled. ¡°And then, over the weekend, you¡¯re going to write me a report about Inklings, Inkwraiths, and Library Centipede Golems, all of which exist in that zone, and could have killed you easily.¡± Professor A continued. Gio paled further. ¡°C-centipede Golems?¡± ¡°Then after that, on Monday you¡¯re going to write me another report, about how you plan on safely harvesting spellform materials without going back into a dangerous area.¡± Gio looked like he was about to pass out. The only reason I''m even being this nice is because he somehow managed 100% on his homework and the quiz. But I''m not going to let him know that. I need to keep his burgeoning pride suppressed so that the lesson sticks. ¡°So, If you don¡¯t want to lose out on even more sleep, Let¡¯s get started. I suggest you roll up your sleeves, because these things are full of gross shit.¡± Chapter 12 - More Manse Exploration Despite the tone of the initial lecture, last night hadn¡¯t been as unpleasant as Professor Anaximenes had made it seem like it would be. After Gio had acquiesced to his punishment, they managed to dissect the corpse of the Inkling in a few hours. Gladiolus appeared to help Professor A arrange a series of vials, beakers, and other containers to begin portioning out the monster''s raw materials. Apparently, a being that bled high-quality ink and had lived in a zone rich with rare knowledge-type mana could be considered very useful for magical academia. Gio had the impression that though the man was displeased with his impromptu adventure, he wasn¡¯t all that angry at him overall. After Gio had helped filter out the centipedes from the paper stomach of the dead beast, Professor A didn¡¯t manage to hold onto his hard-faced demeanor, shifting to cracking jokes and teaching Gio and Gladiolus about the proper way to extract materials from monster corpses. _____ The next morning, Gio held a mug of warm coffee that had fragrant notes of cinnamon and clove while he checked over his additional homework, finding nothing wrong after several pass-throughs. Chandrika looked up from the textbook she was reading across from Gio at the cafeteria table. ¡°So, now that you¡¯ve slept, wanna tell me about the library?¡± she asked. ¡°Oh! So, basically, something weird happened with the divination technique, and I got an achievement. I¡­ uh¡­ also attracted a monster and damaged a book, which is why Professor A made me stay after class. It¡¯s all good though! I already finished the reports he asked me to do. I am not eager to repeat the experience, at least not for a while.¡± Chandrika¡¯s jaw fell open. ¡°A monster? How did you handle it? And what did you get for the achievement?!¡± ¡°The monster was a slow-moving¡­ book zombie thing. I managed to use [Prismatic Shape] to kill it, which was admittedly pretty lucky. The achievement gave me an upgrade to my knowledge skill¡­ Professor A asked me to keep the name of the new form to myself, I guess? I¡¯m not sure about that part. I still don¡¯t know how the divination technique did what it did. In the past, that technique could barely help me find my house keys... I think it might have had something to do with the library.¡± Gio replied. ¡°Well, I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re safe. It¡¯s normal for people to recommend that you don¡¯t share certain skill names. As for the divination thing, who knows? Mana-rich zones can get weird. My weaving skill gets all glowy and intense in my grandmother¡¯s tower.¡± Chandrika said. ¡°Yeah. Like I said, not eager to repeat the experience. Your grandmother¡¯s tower sounds awesome, I¡¯d love to visit someday!¡± Gio said. Chandrika grinned. ¡°Absolutely! She¡¯s a tough old lady, but she¡¯s one of my favorite people.¡± _____ Class that day went smoothly, with most of the class having managed to cast at least one spell by the end of the day. Professor A gave the class additional reading assignments based on what they needed to work on. ¡°Alright, everybody!¡± Professor Anaximenes shouted, calling discussion time to a close. ¡°Today marks the end of your first week at Crystal Ring Academy. I want to remind you that you all have a very long road ahead of you in your time here. This school is full of resources for you to use in your studies, but it is ultimately up to you to decide where you need to focus at any given time. Today, all first years will be receiving access to some of the common areas in the Manse.¡± ¡°You may have noticed that you have not yet seen any of your upperclassmen in the Green Expanse. This is because we wanted to gradually introduce you to how things work here at CRA. Some of the areas you will gain access to this weekend will be¡­ utterly fantastical ways to spend your time, get in trouble, make friends, or even find new and exciting opportunities for success. I encourage you to explore responsibly but remember that your learning should take priority. If I may make a suggestion, join a club! Many of the extracurricular activities here are run by incredible people. You may even find me in attendance if you choose to join the paleontology club!¡± Professor A chimed. ¡°With that being said, see you on Monday!¡± _____ Alexander Anaximenes Alexander briskly walked into the Owl¡¯s Respite. Abruptly, he conjured forth a table loaded with materials derived from the Inkling. ¡°Here¡¯s your pound of flesh,¡± he stated, voice dripping with ichor. A small horned owl appeared in a flurry of feathers. ¡°Alexander¡­ We need to talk.¡± Said the small bird. ¡°Talk about what, Librarian of the stacks? I don¡¯t appreciate your attempt to trick my student. You disgrace your kin. Honestly, he¡¯s barely a moment into his journey- and you send him off into the dark? I have half a mind to report you to the council.¡± The bird flinched back slightly at his words but stood proud. ¡°I did no such thing, boy.¡± he spat. The small form of the bird disappeared. It was Alexander¡¯s turn to flinch. ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t intend to collect? I¡¯ve never seen you so ¡­ understanding of a student before. What has changed?¡± For a short time, the statue stood motionless. The massive figure glowed with light, and the behemoth bird shifted. The great Librarian of the Stacks turned his head to the side, looking off into the distance, over the tops of thousands of shelves, and into the places where the light of the Manse didn¡¯t reach. The admission hung in the air, softening Alexander¡¯s features slightly. ¡°Then¡­ you truly did not mean to endanger him? This isn¡¯t some sort of petty revenge at a precocious first-year?¡± Alexander asked, looking up at the great figure. The Librarian of the stacks flapped his wings, and the great wooden owl flew off into the dark. _____ Gio Gio and Chandrika stood before the scrying plane in her room. Chandrika¡¯s dorm was covered in a variety of tapestries and had much more thought put into the layout than Gio¡¯s dorm. Gio resolved himself to work on his dorm when he felt able to do so. Chandrika selected the Manse option, and they reviewed the options together.

Manse:

  • Pearl Cafeteria
  • The Green Expanse
  • Owl¡¯s Respite Library
  • Shimmerstone Street
  • The House of Torches
  • The House of Keys
  • The House of Moons
  • Administration Store
  • Conservatory
  • Flight deck
  • Great Hall
¡°So¡­ What even are any of these places?¡± She asked. ¡°Beats me. Also, we got no explanation of what academic credits are. Should we just take a quick tour of all of our options?¡± Gio posited. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Sounds good to me. Let¡¯s hit up Marie first, I¡¯m starving.¡± Chandrika said. _____ Chandrika and Gio went on a rapid-fire tour of the new manse options. Shimmerstone Street appeared to be a bustling strip of businesses that stretched off into the distance. Each flagstone underneath emitted light in a different color, while the buildings were all painted in different eye-catching, garish colors. Shimmerstone Street had a variety of student-run affairs, ranging from game-houses to theatres, galleries, and small storefronts. The prices listed were notably in Academic credits. Chandrika and Gio stepped into a seedy-looking bar, having caught sight of the bartender. ¡°Marie!¡± Chandrika exclaimed. ¡°You work here, too?¡± ¡°Well if it isn¡¯t two of my most interesting customers! You two always order the most fun things. Also, my name is Maurice while I¡¯m wearing my fake mustache. I¡¯m leaning into the aesthetic. Can I get either of you two something to drink? I have a house menu here at the Hopping Hound. If it¡¯s your first time drinking, I¡¯d recommend the cucumber limeade spritz. It¡¯s got just enough alcohol in it to start you off for a Friday night. Pace yourselves, and all that.¡± Marie said. ¡°Well, Mister Maurice, I think I am gonna pass on anything alcoholic for tonight, but if that cucumber spritz comes in a virgin variety, I¡¯d love to try one!¡± Chandrika beamed. ¡°One for me as well please!¡± Chimed Gio. ¡°Of course!¡± Beamed the mustached bartender, blonde hair pulled into a tight bun. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s uh¡­ free right?¡± asked Gio. ¡°Of course it¡¯s free! The only time you¡¯ll pay for food in the tower is if you request something absurd or specific like monster meat, or maybe like¡­ cursed food, or something. Not really something people ask me to do often. I did just have someone over in one of the third-year common areas ask me for a diamond-encrusted omelet, the little weirdo.¡± She said. ¡°So you¡¯re really in multiple places at once? Like you¡¯re here, but also at all the cafeterias?¡± Chandrika asked. ¡°Yep! It¡¯s a pretty funky skill that I¡¯m not allowed to discuss in detail with students. I¡¯m a one-woman catering business, slash defense contractor, slash reagent wholesaler for the Crystal Ring Academy. I¡¯ve mostly plateaued at my occupation level- but I get a LOT of experience for single-handedly cooking hundreds of thousands of meals for the students of the college every day.¡± _____ After enjoying their mocktails, the duo veered off Shimmerstone Street and headed toward The House of Torches, which was an expansive underground cavern-like city, full of coliseums, arenas, and training areas. Many students there seemed to be honing their battle experience either against other students or summoned monsters. The pair caught sight of well-known faculty members patrolling the area, or supervising bouts. They didn¡¯t stay for long, as the whole cavern smelled of sweat and smoke. The House of Moons was a bit of an oddity. Once Gio and Chandrika arrived at the House of Moons, they didn¡¯t see anybody at all. There were signposts to different areas, such as ¡°healing hotsprings¡± ¡°meditation glade¡± ¡°moon-gazing cliffside¡± and other serene areas, but there weren¡¯t any signs of intelligent life to be found. The entrance area was a peaceful crossroads, where smooth stone was shaped into eye-pleasing arches, and soft light was emitted by round quartz fountains, bubbling into stone basins that dotted the walls. Gio resolved to visit the hot springs very soon. The Conservatory was, in some aspects the direct opposite of the House of Moons. As soon as the pair entered the space, they were hit with a wall of humidity, as flies buzzed in their ears and harsh, animal odors assaulted their noses. The space appeared to be a jungle, filled with students and faculty tending to a wide range of odd beasts and domesticated monsters. Chandrika was very disappointed that the area marked ¡°Dragon Roost¡± was off-limits to unauthorized students. Gio was not disappointed that said area was off-limits, having had his fill of excitement for the weekend after his trip to the dark area of the owl¡¯s respite. The pair walked across rope bridges, and looked into large pastures where hulking beasts grazed off of multicolored grasses, and then took their chance to run off to the Flight Deck once a torrential downpour of rain blanketed the observatory, with lightning bolts illuminating the whole sky. Their visit to the Flight Deck was very brief, as looking out over the edge of a very tall spire of what appeared to be the actual exterior of the Crystal Ring Academy proved to be very nauseating for both Chandrika and Gio. Gio did briefly wave to Jean, who was doing loops in the sky over a safety net, taking instruction from some of the older students. Chandrika did not return Jean¡¯s wave. The Great Hall seemed to be a massive entranceway, connecting the academy to the Gilded City beyond. Students who had day passes could go out into the city, but there was also a museum hall, detailing the progress of the conquering of the Crystal Ring Academy. Gio noticed that the museum hall didn¡¯t have a high amount of visitors, so the duo took a brief visit to walk the interior. Murals and inert artifacts dotted the halls, depicting the Goldwatch Empire¡¯s discovery and exploitation of the Crystal Ring, and the ongoing battle against the frontier of the un-tamed areas past the protection of the Manse. There was a brief biography that Gio took great interest in, detailing the deeds of Saint Baphelus, the lich who created, and still maintains the Manse, and who lives somewhere deep in the center of the school. There was a great display of the ossified head of an elder arcana dragon, a guardian of one of the famous troves that had been raided hundreds of years prior to the current day. The next stop was the Administration Store, which was a grey stone hall filled with polished black stone panels. Several students scrolled through the panels, selecting various options. Upon examining a panel together, Gio and Chandrika gasped. Hundreds of dormitory additions, ranging from laboratory equipment to waterslides were available for purchase in the store, usually costing thousands of academic credits. There were options for attaining access to specific places in the manse that had strange names, like ¡°Lizard¡¯s Gulley¡± or ¡°The Horrific Burning Sephulcher of Varda Karenina¡± (an option that cost no less than 120,000 Academic credits) Also available for sale was a commendation. A single commendation, that cost 100,000 Academic credits- and was only available for one student to purchase this semester. Gio thought back to what the Owl had said, and then Professor A. He was uncertain what the true value of a commendation was, but he was certainly going to attempt to use his wisely. Lastly, the pair visited the House of Keys. The House of Keys instantly captured the imagination of Gio, as the entire hall, from the floor to the tops of the very tall walls, was covered in doorways of all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors. Some doorways looked to be bolted shut with chains, while others were open, leading to impossible sights, such as one doorway that opened up into a grassy clearing, where a waterfall could be seen in the distance, while its neighboring door was closed but had a window that showed a storeroom full of plain looking boxes. The pair stepped up to a long corkboard full of flyers, each of which was bespelled to have little eye-catching animations, advertising a club. Gio¡¯s eyes scanned the board, looking for his quarry. Found you! Gio took a small ticket off of the gardening club advertisement. As soon as he had ripped the ticket off of the small poster, the paper repaired itself and the ticket turned into a sparkling green key in his hands. Chandrika looked like she was eyeing something. Gio followed her gaze to an advertisement for a weaving club. ¡°Are you thinking about joining?¡± he asked. ¡°Hmm? Oh, yes. I was just wondering if the weavers in the club would be¡­ I don¡¯t know. I feel foolish for thinking it, but I am wondering if I will feel like an outsider around other weavers here.¡± ¡°Wanna go get dinner and talk about it?¡± Gio offered. ¡°Sure,¡± she said. _____ Chandrika and Gio were at the table that had become familiar to them in the Pearl Cafeteria. Gio had chosen some sort of cheesy rice dish at Chandrika¡¯s recommendation, and Chandrika had a massive pizza with black olives and green peppers. ¡°So¡­ It¡¯s less about not feeling good enough for the weavers guild, but moreso just being afraid that it¡¯s not going to feel the same as weaving does back home,¡± Chandrika concluded. ¡°That makes a lot of sense. I think that it probably won¡¯t be like it is at home, but if weaving is something you really love doing, perhaps looking at it through a different lens could help you pick up some perspectives that you might not have access to in your grandmother¡¯s tower.¡± Gio replied. ¡°Huh¡­ when you put it like that¡­ I feel a lot better about it. You¡¯re a very good listener, Gio.¡± She stated. ¡°Is there anything you want to talk about? I feel like I¡¯ve pretty much dominated the conversation.¡± Chandrika said. ¡°Huh¡­ not really. I managed to get in like¡­ fake trouble during my first week, but then I don¡¯t think Professor A is really mad at me- so that was a whole ordeal for nothing. If he thinks that a few extra assignments are going to intimidate me, then he should meet Mr. Guzheng. I eat 50-page papers for dinner. But this paneer is good too.¡± they laughed. ¡°Well¡­ if there¡¯s one thing I find kind of ironic, It¡¯s that this whole school has more sideshows than a Silver Ring amusement park, but there¡¯s no Spellforms to be found anywhere. Imagine that- in a giant magic school, the hardest thing to find is magic,¡± he said, voice teetering on the edge of bitter. ¡°Huh. I guess I didn¡¯t think of it that way, because I don¡¯t really plan on buying spellforms anyways, but yeah it is kind of weird that we didn¡¯t see any spellform ships anywhere.¡± Chandrika said, holding a floppy piece of pizza. ¡°It¡¯s by design. Transfer of spellforms in the boundaries of the school can be highly political¡­ all of the nobility think that their house magics are the best- so they take extra care to make sure that nobody can get their hands on each other to see whose magic is actually the best. Which has the added issue of making sure that the trade of even common magic is restricted. All the noble houses know about it, so they send their kids to school with loaded spellbooks so that they never need to buy anything anyway. It¡¯s a pretty well-documented issue in Ringed City Culture.¡± Gio said. ¡°Ringed City Culture? Isn¡¯t that the hacky magazine that trashes the royal family? I thought that was illegal to sell in the Gilded City.¡± Chandrika questioned. ¡°Well, it makes its way around the Copper Ring. It is one of the few ways that Copper-ringers like me can have any sort of idea of what¡¯s going on in the precious metal rings. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s ¡®hacky¡¯ per se, but I do think that whoever writes it does not have the most generous viewpoint on royalty. That being said, the articles on spell-sharing culture in the city¡­ I agree with them.¡± ¡°Huh. Well, I guess that makes a bit of sense. I do wish I could just give you copies of my spells. You¡¯re a great mage already, Gio. I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re going to be fine once you figure out how to make spellforms.¡± Chandrika offered. ¡°Thanks, Rika. I appreciate the sentiment. I do wonder how the other students who are facing financial issues are managing. If I ever get to be an archmage, I¡¯m going to change this stupid policy so that spellforms are freely traded to students in the academy.¡± Gio proclaimed. Huh. That¡­ feels more like I just figured out something about myself. Am I crazy? ¡°I think that¡¯s a noble goal. I think I am gonna check out the weaving club tonight.¡± Chandrika stated. ¡°Good for you! In that case, I¡¯ll check out the gardening club!¡± Chapter 13 - Sprouts Gio and Chandrika returned to the House of Keys. Gio turned his attention to the little green key he had acquired from the bulletin board and noticed a tiny flower engraved on the eye of the key, that appeared to be facing in a particular direction and seemed to rotate itself based on where Gio was facing. Following the flower, Gio found a slender door that was covered in tiny pots, each full of miniature plants. A bright light appeared to be streaming into the dimly lit hall, emanating from a tiny square window high up on the wood-paneled door. Bidding farewell to Chandrika, Gio inserted the key into the keyhole, noting the beautiful floral motifs covering the escutcheon. Opening the door, Gio was greeted by the sight of a comfortable-looking cottage on a grassy hill, looking over many fields, tended to by students wearing gardening attire. Approaching the cottage, Gio noted a few large, glowing trees with dense roots next to the cottage, around which a few students seemed to be gathered. ¡°Mistress Blossom! My Firewatch Aeonium is thriving! Your advice is as golden as always!¡± a young girl with curly blue hair and deep olive skin beamed. A wooden woman, positively dripping with pink flowers emerged from the trunk of the largest tree. An aura of green mana emanated from the dryad, pulsing out and washing over the students. Gio breathed in some of the floral, fruity mana and instantly felt refreshed. Life and Nature. I could get used to this. ¡°How delightful! I¡¯m certain that your alchemy project will be positively splendid, my child.¡± Mistress Blossom turned towards Gio, beaming with a gentle smile. ¡°And who do we have here? You smell of stone and sun, little flower.¡± Gio blushed at her words, bowing slightly. ¡°Hello, My name is Giorgio deGloria, I would like to join the gardening club!¡± he said, cheerfully. ¡°A new addition to our crop! Wonderful! Might I ask what interests you about our gardening club?¡± ¡°Ah, well I hope it¡¯s not against the rules, but I was hoping that I might learn to grow materials for making spellforms,¡± Gio replied. ¡°Intriguing! Most students here are alchemy students, but no, there are no rules against growing materials or even food.¡± She said, pointing over to a field of corn, being tended to by a clone of Marie. ¡°Just as none can claim to own the sun or soil, we do not limit our students in what they can grow or take from their labors. Certain dangerous crops¡­ we may ask that you isolate, or we may even ask that you find a safer place to grow them. Additionally, we ask that you be mindful of your fellow students, and take care to not neglect your crops- but other than that, you are free to do with your produce what you wish. ¡°Oh, great! In which case, do I need to do anything to join?¡± Gio asked. ¡°Please hand me the key that you entered with.¡± Mistress Blossom asked, placing an open palm in front of Gio. He handed her the key and watched as the floral depictions on the key began glowing, nature magic from the dryad flowing into the key. After a moment, the metal of the key looked like molten green magma, with small tufts of moss growing rapidly to cover it. ¡°I accept your intention to join the gardening club, Giorgio deGloria. I am Mistress Blossom. I teach herbology to seniors, and I provide tutoring in the ways of nature and druidic magics to my club members upon request. As a member of our club, you are entitled to a small patch of land in these fields to start with, and we will provide you with more area once you have demonstrated the ability to care for what you are given. Please insert this key into your scrying plane this evening so that you are registered as an official club member for your school transcripts. Additionally, it will enable you to travel directly to the clubhouse rather than through the House of Keys.¡± Gio spent the rest of his time before bed greeting his new club-mates, getting a few simple tools issued to him, and becoming familiar with his small plot of land. _____ The next morning, Gio thumbed through his copy of Ink of Ages: a Material Atlas at breakfast, reviewing common materials for spellform ink that grew naturally in the Ringed City. He was pleased to find that several options were likely to be commonly available. Upsettingly, it seemed that Inkling Blood was apparently an exceedingly nice ink, especially for working with beginner spellform creation, as it could be blended with other ingredients, increasing the resultant quality of the ink even in small doses. Well, no use crying over spilled monster blood. Chandrika practically levitated over to the table, wearing her special occasion saree. ¡°GIO! You were so right about the weaving club. I had the time of my life yesterday, and they all were so nice! We all agreed to go on a club excursion to a fashion show on Shimmerstone Street today!¡± ¡°That¡¯s awesome, Rika! I¡¯m glad you are enjoying yourself. I also had a good time at the gardening club!¡± Gio replied. ¡°We should spend some time together tomorrow before class though. I was thinking about maybe getting some studying done. Maybe we could hang out under that one tree in the Green Expanse?¡± Chandrika said. ¡°That sounds great! I¡¯m gonna be setting up my plot pretty much all of today, but I¡¯ll try to be done by dinnertime. I still have to hand in my extra report to Professor A about my plan to get materials, but I think he¡¯ll appreciate my ideas.¡± Gio said, grinning vaguely maliciously. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. _____ Gio spent the rest of the day preparing his area, chatting with his new club-mates. The student from earlier, Sapphire, had offered several seeds from her collection to Gio, urging him to plant a specific crop. ¡°Well, It¡¯s somewhat of a right of passage. I can¡¯t really say much more, but I can say that if you plant these seeds to start with, it will prepare you for whatever you¡¯re planning on planting next. Additionally, it might help to pick up a few copies of some of the beginner plant mage sets- cheap stuff like [Detect Soil Conditions] and [Nurture Growth]. I once saw a guy come in here thinking he could just slap an ultra-rare [Plenty] down on a plot like it was nothing, and let me tell you, hours of weeding later and he realized that you can¡¯t just brute-force gardening.¡± Gio winced slightly at the casual mention of an ultra-rare spell. ¡°Ah- yeah the whole reason I¡¯m getting into gardening is to be able to make spells like that, to be honest with you,¡± Gio replied sheepishly. ¡°Oh, well, no worries! You can totally do it the old-fashioned way, too!¡± Sapphire said cheerfully, not missing a beat. She¡¯s so nice. A couple of hours later, Gio had finished weeding, tilling, fertilizing, and seeding his starting plot of mundane corn, beans, and squash. ¡°NOOOOOO!¡± Shouted Sapphire, a couple of plots over. Gio and a few others ran over to check on her, to find Sapphire fruitlessly kicking a big flat rock, revealed in the middle of a half-plowed field. ¡°Oh, sorry to alert everyone,¡± Sapphire said, having taken off her wide-brimmed hat and wiping sweat off her forehead. The cerulean-haired girl pointed to the rock. ¡°I ran into an issue, and I don¡¯t have any good magic on hand for removing big rocks without destroying my field. Do any of you have anything, perchance?¡± the girl asked, receiving a few huffs and many shaking heads as the others walked off. ¡°I might be able to try something,¡± Gio said. ¡°Fantastic! I will get you any seeds that you want if you help me get this thing out of here, I need to plant reagents for my upcoming alchemy project, and I really don¡¯t have the time to go find someone who can remove this.¡± Motivated, Gio opened the spellbook hanging at his waist to [Hairline Fracture]. Cycling his mana, he focused on the unused spellform, imagining his father at work in the Copper Ring mines. He was rewarded with the outline of his spellcasting hand alighting with a soft grey outline. He moved over to the rock and pressed on its face lightly, as spiderweb-like cracks erupted across the surface. Gio traced his finger over the rock, causing the cracks to spread everywhere he touched. ¡°Oooooh, cool! That¡¯s an interesting spell!¡± Sapphire crowed. The few students remaining nearby echoed similar sentiments. Letting the magic fade, Gio replied; ¡°Thanks, that¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve gotten the chance to use it, so thanks for the opportunity!¡± The other students¡¯ faces shifted from amusement to surprise. ¡°What do you mean the first time? Like the first time ever? You had like¡­ no difficulty with that, are you some kind of rock mage?¡± Sapphire said, with wide eyes. ¡°Uuuh not particularly. It¡¯s just a lower uncommon spell, We¡¯re learning about casting simple spells in class right now,¡± replied Gio, slightly uncomfortable with the attention. ¡°Yeah, sure, but I mean I don''t think I¡¯ve ever successfully cast a spell on my first time. Have any of you guys?¡± She said, motioning to the crowd, to a row of shaking heads. ¡°Closest I¡¯ve come was the third try on one of my family¡¯s support spells, which is designed to work with our primary spell.¡± said one tall boy. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I guess I just followed the instructions in the textbook. Emotional connection, Somatics, Mana flow, the basics.¡± Gio murmured. ¡°Gio, that¡¯s like¡­ pretty impressive. That¡¯s like¡­ at least third-year stuff. I still struggle with maintaining mana-flow, unless I¡¯m doing a chant or something. ¡° Sapphire noted. ¡°Well, thanks, I-uh- I¡¯m gonna get going¡­ see you guys later!¡± Gio said, running off ungracefully. _____ At the flowering tree in the Green Expanse the next day, Gio looked over to Chandrika. ¡°Hey, Rika? Is it weird to be able to cast a new spell on the first try? The gardening club was pretty¡­ surprised when I said I hadn''t cast a spell before.¡± Gio asked. Thinking for a moment, Chandrika replied; ¡°Honestly, not really. I think it would be weird if you cast every spell you¡¯ve ever cast on the first try, but good spellcasting form pays dividends. I cast my mother¡¯s signature spell on the first try the other day, because I have seen her cast it so often that my emotional connection to it is very strong.¡± Holding out one arm, Chandrika began to alight with wisps of golden energy. It collected around her hand and formed a glittering golden tiara that she placed on her head. ¡°[Crown of Sage¡¯s Insight]¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s basically a boost to my [Sage] skill, but it also really enhances my senses too. I can sort of vaguely feel the enchantments tying this place together with this spell active. It also allows me to think clearer, which apparently makes it helpful in combat. My mom¡¯s version of the spell is pretty cool to be around because she can share the effects with others due to her class and occupation combo. It feels like she¡¯s helping you think, but in like a comforting way, like a supportive hug.¡± ¡°Whoa, that sounds awesome. Your whole family seems like it¡¯s got some real powerhouses in it.¡± Gio said. ¡°Yeah, I love them a lot. It can be tough to deal with the pressure of it all sometimes, though. My dad is always out fighting monsters, and my mom and grandma are constantly meeting with political figures and all that. I don¡¯t get much time with them to just be¡­ people. My siblings are the closest I get to that, and they¡¯re all much older than me. How about you? I know your aunt works at the textile mill, but what about your mom and dad?¡± she asked. ¡°Well, my dad is a foreman for the Copper Ring mines, primarily dealing with the malachite cements that give the copper ring its name. He¡¯s probably the wisest person I know. He¡¯s incredibly well-adjusted for being the son of an adventurer. My grandfather was not the most dependable father.¡± ¡°My mom works at an insurance agency, they deal with a lot of the physical labor that happens in the Copper Ring. She¡¯s incredibly smart, and I¡¯d like to think that I take after her in a lot of ways. I¡¯ve never met my grandparents on her side, because they still live in Ataraxia, where they still live as farmers. We normally exchange letters and photos on important occasions, but it can be expensive because of the difficulties happening in the great sea.¡± Gio continued. ¡°I also have two younger siblings who are super cute, and two cousins on my mom¡¯s side who were my best friends growing up. Hatra is going to be an awesome engineer at the essence distillery, and Quinn is going to be a great swordsman, hunting beasts in the Copper Ring wilderness to keep the settlements safe.¡± he finished. Gio and Chandrika finished the weekend by swapping stories about their families. The following week of classes was uneventful, as the semester began to lapse into a comfortable rhythm. Gio overwatered his first set of crops, leaving a field full of dead sprouts. Chapter 14 - Reflect Gio stared wistfully at the dead sprouts. ¡°Well, you can¡¯t be good at everything, bud,¡± Sapphire stated, clapping him on the back. Mistress Blossom had been very helpful, detailing the different kinds of damping off, and root rot that could happen from overwatering. Gio wiped his brow and prepared to start over. _____ The weekend had come and gone in what felt like hours, as Gio balanced studying, farming, and practicing with his spells. [Reflect] had still evaded Gio, as active defense magics aren¡¯t easy to train without something to actively defend from. Gio had attempted to get to class at his pace of ¡°If you¡¯re not 15 minutes early, you¡¯re late¡± (courtesy of his father) when he was greeted in the Manse by a familiar blood-red glassy door with unsettling depictions. Entering in stride, Gio announced his presence. ¡°Hello? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve been doing any unsafe exploration recently to merit the impromptu summons, professor." ¡°Gio! Come on up.¡± Professor A called, over the bannister. Professor A was gathering his materials for class and pointed to a set of materials on the long embalming table. ¡°I got a little busy this week, and I really should have gotten these to you earlier. The Owl refused to take the materials, and by right of kill, they are yours.¡± Professor A stated, while highlighting something in a notebook. ¡°He refused them? Does that mean I still owe him for the book?¡± Gio asked. ¡°No¡­ about that. I believe that I was being rather unfair to the Librarian to assign malice to his actions instead of¡­ ineptitude.¡± Professor A said, taking off his glasses. ¡°You see, Gio, I have lost more than a couple of students to the school. It¡¯s inevitable, yes, but I refuse to be complacent about the safety of my pupils. The Owl¡­ did his job, and offered information to one of my students a few years back, and that information killed her. I don¡¯t think I''ve fully forgiven him. We weren¡¯t able to recover her corpse, and so her family still seeks closure.¡± Professor A got up from his seat and faced a curio cabinet, full of different specimens. ¡°I see a lot of her in you, Gio. She came from the Silver Ring, born to a family of middle-class entertainers. She had an incredible talent for illusion magic, and she dreamed of taking her family¡¯s shows to new heights.¡± the man said, looking back at Gio. ¡°But I digress. I think the Owl offered you the riddle, thinking that you would either approach it differently or not understand it at all. As you¡¯ve noticed, certain divinations behave differently depending on their environment. The mana-shaping technique that you used is especially powerful when it resonates with sympathetic targets. You used knowledge mana, to locate a piece of knowledge, in a place of knowledge, guarded over by a high spirit of knowledge. I do not doubt that that act was the catalyst for your skill advancement.¡± Professor A offered. ¡°I actually had a question about [Fledgling Knowledge Seeker], Professor. I can feel that the skill has been stellar for my studies, but what about it makes it so good that I have to be careful about talking about it?¡± asked Gio. ¡°It¡¯s a unique skill, and it only occurs under certain conditions. That skill is something of a key, to a specific lock. This school is a giant, space-dilated dungeon, built by incredible forces in ages long past¡­ but it has always been a school, you see. The Crystal Ring Academy was a school for spirits long before the mortal races ever stepped foot inside.¡± ¡°The [High Knowledge Elementals] of the libraries that the manse has access to have largely assented to being bound to the greater good of the school, as it is within their nature to foster learning, but there are places deep within the school that have remained hidden. [Fledgling Knowledge Seeker] while uncommon, is not unheard of. There are several knowledge seekers in the dungeon delving teams that use the skill to uncover libraries, troves, and other hidden places by resonating with the information secreted away inside.¡± Professor said, capturing the imagination of Gio. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°But! As you already know, this school is also fiendishly dangerous. Such places rarely appear unaccompanied by danger in some form. I ask that if you ever find yourself in such a place, remember what we¡¯ve taught you- back away if you are able, and notify the staff¡± Professor Anaximenes concluded. _____ The class that day consisted of mock duels, where both duelists were required to lob easy-to-dodge balls of condensed force mana at their opponents, to practice using their defensive magic. Gio was suffering. Jean was his opponent, and Jean¡¯s aim was incredible. Gio was attempting and failing to get [Reflect] to work at all. The spell summoned a shimmering mirror-like surface for all of a millisecond before the construct fell apart in motes of shimmering mirror mana, an odd mana type to begin with. Gio could not get the hang of it at all and was currently feeling very bruised by the balls of Force Mana. Professor Anaximenes shot a small bolt of white and green mana directly into Gio¡¯s arm, providing a small bit of relief to the physical symptoms of his anguish. ¡°Hey, Gio, maybe we could try having you use that spell against a slower target so that you could get the hang of what it feels like when it connects?¡± Jean offered. Gio looked at the taller student, feeling slightly humiliated, but grateful for the change in pace. ¡°Sure¡­ thanks Jean,¡± Gio said dejectedly. Jean motioned for Gio to sit on the ground, with his palms facing outwards. Jean rolled a bowling-ball-sized amount of mana toward Gio, which Gio wished felt more patronizing, but under the current scenario felt very necessary. Gio watched as the ball approached him, at a middling pace, and prepared himself. I will not miss this. I. Will. Not. Embarrass. Myself. In. Front. Of. Jean. As the ball neared, Gio sent his mana out into the familiar sigil for [Reflect] and felt the spell connect to foreign mana for the first time. Whoa! Gio felt a draw upon his mana and allowed the spell construct to strip a small amount from his reserves. The initial bowling ball rebounded against the shimmering membrane and bounced back towards Jean. After a short while, Jean snuffed out the ball of mana with a burst of satisfying white and gold flame. ¡°Great job Gio!¡± Jean replied, cheerfully. I will not be resentful. Jean and Gio fell into lockstep as their training continued, and once class was over, they even transitioned over to the House of Torches, to use the training halls there. By the end of the day, Gio could reflect about half of the projectiles that Jean launched, softball style. And so the week went by, with the addition of training with Jean added to Gio¡¯s daily schedule. _____ Gio was floored. His studies were going well, he had a beautiful seedling crop of beans, squash, and corn that would hopefully be ready for harvest in a week or so, due to the high nature and life mana concentrations of the grove, and he had come upon the unexpected windfall of receiving the materials from the Inkling that he had killed. Gio planned to celebrate by safely creating an inaugural spellform to officially launch his journey into spell crafting. Having read up on the theory for days in between his other activities, Gio was ready to try copying a well-known beginner spell, for which a blueprint existed in the text of Gio¡¯s copy of Mortimer¡¯s Meticulous Primer on Making Spellforms. The spell was a relatively simple form, consisting of a few minor sigils that connected the spellform to the plane of knowledge, where a construct of mana held instructions that could possess a writing instrument to take notes or draw perfect shapes. [Scrivener¡¯s Charm] was officially a common spell, but was very popular among certain trades. A day later, Chandrika, Sapphire, and Jean watched Gio carefully scribe his final draft of the nascent spell onto a perfectly cut piece of paper from the Inkling. Sapphire has been kind enough to loan Gio some petals from a deep purple flower known as [Amethyst Dreamlily] so that he could experiment with inkmaking. Gio also bought a set of cheap laboratory equipment for his dorm at the price of 20 Academic Credits. As the spellform dried, Gio typed and channeled knowledge mana into the paper, repeating a chant present upon the instructional material. A moment later, Gio had prepared a mundane pen, paper, and ink, and had his hand outstretched over the spellform. Everyone held their breath, as Gio channeled mana into the page. A glimmer of black and purple mana sputtered out over the pen, and it righted itself onto the tip and began scratching out a jagged line. Cheers erupted from the room. ¡°I did it! I made a spell! My first spell!" Gio cried. Chapter 15 - Saturday Night Fever ¡°You know this is insane, right?¡± Asked Jean, between ragged breaths. ¡°What? I¡¯m just trying to train my multitasking skill. It¡¯s really nothing that intense.¡± Gio replied. Gio held one arm up, effortlessly reflecting all of Jean¡¯s firebolts while reading about spellforms, while also using his revised [Scrivener¡¯s Charm] to take notes on the floor behind him. Jean abruptly stopped firing firebolts. ¡°Look, Gio. I am more than happy to have found someone who likes to train as much as I do, but admittedly, in the past week, you¡¯ve pretty much caught up to me in terms of active defense magic. I¡¯d really like to shift to training my offensive magics¡­ so I think we might need to split up for a little bit.¡± The boy said. Gio put his book down. ¡°That¡¯s a touch disappointing, but I understand. I¡¯ll need to find someone else to train with in the meantime.¡± ¡°Gio¡­ I don¡¯t think anyone is going to put up with the marathon sessions that you¡¯re used to at this point. But I have an idea if you¡¯re willing to hear it.¡± Jean replied. _____ Jean led Gio to a back area in the House of Torches, to a scuffed-looking, nondescript door that could easily be a mop closet. ¡°It¡¯s through here. Leave your spellbook on the table.¡± Jean said, pointing to an empty table to the side of the door. ¡°Just¡­ on the table? Out in the open? Is that safe?¡± Gio asked. ¡°We¡¯re in the school, and the House of Torches is under constant monitoring by Inquisitors and Professors to police the fights that go on here. If someone wants to steal spellbooks, this is like the worst place in the school that I know about to do that, besides maybe the Headmaster¡¯s private quarters.¡± Jean stated. ¡°Fair enough.¡± Walking through the door, Gio was greeted with the sight of a massive, tarnished mirror that spanned the entire length of the room, as if some sort of dance studio. The edges of the mirror looked like they had once been part of some sort of decorative frame, but all but specks of the gilding looked to have been chipped, slashed, or burnt off. ¡°So this is a trap from the dungeon that was left here on purpose. It¡¯s not very dangerous¡­ but it will still hurt you if you let it. It brings your reflections to life on the other side of the mirror and-¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a simple tier-one duplication trap?¡± Gio interjected. ¡°Wha- how do you know what a tier one duplication is?¡± Jean asked. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s in the homework for the next chapter about dungeon history. A tier-one reflection can mimic a spellcaster to a limited extent, and display some awareness of the caster¡¯s tactics and skill. Am I right?¡± Gio asked, beaming slightly at the taller boy. ¡°... Yes. Let me show you.¡± Jean said. He stepped up closer to the mirror, about 10 paces away, and began channeling a small ball of shaped force mana, like the ones he and Gio had started with. Instead of a perfect reflection, Jean¡¯s mirror image didn¡¯t move, instead waiting to catch the projectile and throw it back. ¡°Whoa, cool!¡± Gio exclaimed. ¡°I thought of this because of your reflecting spell. The reflections have access to any spells that you do, so be careful. But this sparring partner won¡¯t get tired of you.¡± Jean said, rubbing the back of his head. ¡°Out of curiosity, what happens if I break the mirror? I have a spell that specifically likes to break things like shiny mirrors.¡± Gio asked. ¡°Good luck breaking it, but even if you do, it will respawn after a few hours. To take out the trap, you¡¯d have to do this whole sealing thing that I don¡¯t even begin to understand. That¡¯s like dungeon renovation stuff.¡± he replied. ¡°Oh, cool. Well anyway, thanks for showing me this. Maybe we should still set some time aside to spar together, at least once a week?¡± Gio posited. ¡°Sure, that sounds good to me. I have a feeling that I might regret showing you this next time we spar.¡± Jean replied. _____ By the end of the week, Gio was ready to harvest his crops. Under the careful guidance of Mistress Blossom, Gio used his tools to gently shuck the corn, snip the beans, and pick the squash. ¡°Oh, nice!¡± Gio exclaimed. Status. Name: Giorgio deGloria Race: Human Class- [Apprentice True Mage] - Unevolved, Unawoken. Occupation: [Full-time student at Crystal Ring Academy] General Skills: -Multitask -Mana Shaper -Fledgling Knowledge Seeker -Gardening Class Skills: -Beginner Inferior True Magic -Mana Sense Mana Affinities: -Lesser Arcane -Lesser Knowledge Spellbook: -Hairline Fracture -Scrivener¡¯s Charm -Detect Magic -Prismatic Shape -Reflect _____ Room Inventory: -Spatial bento -Beginner¡¯s set of Laboratory glassware -Grease pen -Inkling materials -Decent quality beaker of Spellform Ink [Knowledge, inferior Dream mana aspects] -Books Repertoire of common spell blueprints Sigils in the Mana Planes, by H.S. Fleuvette Mana shaping and you, by Lumiander Argent The Secrets and Practices of Ancient Magicians, by Devine Solus Histories of the Crystal Ring Academy Grimoire Arcanica, on Spellcasting by H.S. Fleuvette. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Mortimer¡¯s Meticulous Primer for Making Spellforms Mortimer¡¯s Meticulous Primer for Spellform Materials Mortimer¡¯s Meticulous Primer for Understanding Spellforms Ink of Ages: a Material Atlas Currency: 124 Bits 80 Academic Credits When did my mana sense upgrade? I thought it was [Beginner Mana Sense] Scrolling back through his logs, Gio had missed an advancement during his jaunt into the library. Huh¡­ I should check my status more. Have I even really noticed my mana sense skill? I was always decent at it, even before it was a class skill. Sapphire clapped Gio on his back, shaking him free of his stupor. ¡°Congratulations! The skill will help you have a bit of a refined sense of your plant¡¯s needs. I brought you some seeds and cuttings for your garden as promised. Cheap stuff. There¡¯s plants of all sorts growing around the school if you know where to look!¡± The ebullient girl chirped. She handed over several satchels, each with a small label, filled with notes. [Ghost Duskwort cuttings] - Decay, Earth, Dark - requires host plant, does not produce standalone nutrients. Great for a compost pile! [Titanium Geranium seeds] - Metals, Earth. - sharp edges. Needs high mineral content in the soil. [Towering Viper¡¯s-Bugloss] - Poison, Anti-venom, Arcane. - a weird one, poisonous to eat but topical anti-venom. [Garuda¡¯s Fern seeds] - Wind, Air, Purity - probably one of my favorites. It makes its own wind! Self pollinator! Will 100% infest your whole plot if you let it! You will never, ever run out of this if you start growing it. [Spectral Milkweed seeds] - Light, Life - a favorite of the pollinators in the glade. [Arnold¡¯s Pillar shoot cutting] - Wood, Nature, Water - kind of a woody bamboo. I found this one for you specifically because it¡¯s a favorite of scriveners. Can be made into paper, ink, soap, ash, brushes, construction materials, and lye, it¡¯s like a hundred plants in one. Be careful with this as it¡¯s a nutrient hog. Probably wait until you can support it with spells. ¡°Thanks, Sapphire! Now I have to decide what to grow first¡­ the choice paralysis is gonna be bad,¡± replied Gio. _____ Gio ended up deciding to start with [Spectral Milkweed], [Titanium Geranium], and a small patch of [Garuda¡¯s Fern] for his first set of printing crops. Mistress Blossom had allotted Gio a bit of extra land after he had demonstrated that he could grow something, and was happy that Gio had decided to donate his produce to Marie. After a fruitful morning at the gardening club, Gio turned to his most recent nemesis - himself. Gio stared at his reflection in the mirror at the House of Torches, pitching a perfect ball of light at it. The image returned the ball effortlessly, with a flash of reflective magic. Seeing a reflection summon a mirror that did not exist on the other side was incredibly disorienting at first, but Gio had now clocked in at least 40 hours doing this over the week and a half since Jean had shown him the chamber. Chanting, Gio invoked the name of his spell, focusing his whole body and mind on the act of casting. ¡°[Reflect].¡± The shimmering silvery mana plane bounced the ball back towards the mirror, where it went through to the other side as if there were no glass. On and on they went, volleying the same bolt until Gio mistimed his reflection, earning a new bruise on the chest, as the ball had accrued a lot of speed in between volleys. ¡°Agh!¡± Gio exclaimed, nursing his wound. He swore that he saw the reflection smirk mischievously at him before the image shifted to display Gio rubbing his chest. Yeah, yeah. Yuc it up. I¡¯ll get you eventually. _____ Gio had dinner with Chandrika, who had recently learned how to use a soft, golden healing magic, and was kind enough to treat Gio¡¯s wound. ¡°Thanks, Rika. That guy is really, really good at using reflect. He has got me beat.¡± ¡°You do know that you¡¯re talking about yourself, right? The mirror only makes a copy of you. You¡¯re good at [Reflect].¡± She said. ¡°If that were true, then why have I never beaten him? No, the man in the mirror must be somebody else. The day that I finally beat him will be the day that I accept my reflection as my own.¡± Gio proclaimed, with mock intensity. Laughing, Rika played along; ¡°oh, to so valiantly do battle against the darkness in your soul. How poetic!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ darkness isn¡¯t the right word. I don¡¯t think I feel like he wants to hurt me, even considering the dungeon trap. I just feel like he wants to win. I might be hallucinating, but I swore he smirked at me today after the longest chain of volleys we¡¯ve ever had.¡± Gio pondered. ¡°Okay, maybe we need to get you away from that mirror, you¡¯re starting to ascribe genuine feelings to a dungeon trap.¡± She stated. ¡°Actually, that¡¯s exactly what we¡¯re gonna do. Saph, Celeste from the weaving club, and I are going to do a little bar crawl on Shimmerstone this Saturday, and you are coming with me. No arguments!¡± _____ Saturday night rolled around, and Gio was wearing a very shimmery, ruffled black blazer. He felt slightly over-dressed until he saw Celeste, waiting for the others by their agreed meeting spot near the Stupid Monkey, where Marie was dressed up like a pirate behind the bar. ¡°OH. MY. SPIRITS! GIO! I LOVE IT!¡± the tall girl said. Celeste Iris was of mixed elven descent, clearing six-foot-seven easily in heels. She had stick-straight pitch-black hair that curtained elegantly down to the back of her knees and was wearing a dazzling black slip dress that was adorned with shimmering stones in diamond-shaped patterns. ¡°Wow, I do such great work. Thank you again for agreeing to be my model!¡± the tall girl squealed. ¡°Well, you two look like you¡¯re ready for a night out on the town!¡± Sapphire said, her arm linked with Chandrika. Both girls were wearing similar dresses to Celeste, with minor differences. Chandrika¡¯s dress had a more reserved halter top cut at the top and was host to a pattern of gold flourishes, whereas Sapphire¡¯s dress looked to be tighter around the waist and was host to blue fleur-de-lis patterns, all dripping in faux jewels. The group began their night by ordering a lightly alcoholic sea spritz at the Stupid Monkey, under the guidance slash chaperoning of Marie, in full pirate garb. Feeling good, the group traipsed down the boardwalk, giggling and sharing stories about their recent classes. Celeste was a bad influence, but the fun, low-pressure kind of bad influence on the group. The tall girl seemed to know practically everyone, and everyone loved Celeste. It was after the third faux dive bar that Gio felt sufficiently tipsy and switched to water. Although the legal drinking age in Ringed City was fourteen, Gio¡¯s parents didn¡¯t drink, so Gio had no real desire to drink either. He appreciated Marie¡¯s elegantly crafted drinks- blending even the most outlandish ingredients into new and exciting flavors. Gio went outside for some fresh air, enjoying the perpetual nighttime of Shimmerstone Street. The bustling street was especially busy on Saturday nights, and it could be said that a sizable chunk of the student body would make appearances on the strip at some point. Students were sneaking off into back alleys, Climbing the pergolas, and all manner of hearty mischief as the night went on. Student body enforcers who wore high-visibility vests could be seen patrolling the area, arbitrating disputes, and banishing the rare student who was unable to comport themselves responsibly. Jean and some of his friends walked by, in matching white suits. Gio smiled and waved at his friend, as Jean perked up, and brought his friends over to greet him. ¡°Gio! Good to see you, my man! Guys, this is Gio, from my class. He¡¯s super smart!¡± Jean proclaimed. An ugly laugh erupted from a muscular red-headed boy, hanging off of one of the others in the group. ¡°So this is your charity case, Jean-ny-boy? How cute, the people¡¯s prince-ess is doing a press tour already.¡± the boy spat, slurring his words. Gio felt like throwing up. His ears heated and he felt a red mask descend upon his cheeks. ¡°Hey dude t-¡± Jean started. ¡°How utterly tacky.¡± sneered Celeste, emerging from the bar. The svelt figure stepped forward, stepping in front of Gio, handing him her drink with an irrefutable air. She raised a razor-sharp black nail to the drunken boy. ¡°How dare you pretend to know anything about charity, you ape. Your half-bit merchant family couldn¡¯t buy a heart if it was on sale. Gio is great, and you -hic- you¡­ suck!¡± Celeste shouted. The redheaded boy shoved his friend off of him, face scrunched into an expression of hatred. ¡°Oh great, now the queen herself of sticking her nose into other people¡¯s business is here to defend the latest hard-working Copper-Ringer to get sacrificed to the school. Dude, everyone knows that you¡¯re only here to remind us that the school is dangerous. You¡¯re gonna die in like¡­ three weeks tops to some scrawny mon-¡± A resounding slap silenced the street as Celeste shook her hand out, having broken a nail in the process. The form of the boy lit with crimson flames, as the pavement underneath him began to smolder. ¡°You¡¯re gonna pay for that, Celeste.¡± the enflamed figure said. ¡°Oh yeah? Says who?¡± retorted Celeste, gathering what appeared to be a miniature star of sickly green light in her palm. All noise bled out of the street, as Gio felt his pulse still. The street began to drip away, as colors faded from the scene around him. He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on its end as he was paralyzed in place. The sole figure to retain color in this place was a figure bedecked in a golden mask. The figure strode forwards, slipping between the grey forms of still students, each of whom tracked the form of the figure with eyes that weren¡¯t locked into place, faces strained against the oppressive magics. ¡°This is unbecoming behavior.¡± the figure stated. Their featureless metallic voice was quiet, yet echoed down the street. Gio could not even hear his heart beating. ¡°To those of you who witnessed this altercation and did nothing to de-escalate, you should feel ashamed. There is always another path.¡± Touching a gloved finger to the forms of Celeste and the burning boy, each of them disappeared. No motes of mana, no wisps of colored smoke, just blinked out of existence. Color returned to the world, and Gio collapsed. Chapter 16 - Victorious Grin ¡°I refuse to allow you to feel any amount of responsibility for my actions.¡± Celeste spat, nursing a cup of fragrant tea, and holding a tiny star of ice mana against her temple. The four students sat around the cafeteria table, embodying various states of ¡®worse-for-wear¡¯ Sapphire was head-down on the table, clinging to a frothy beverage of green herbal goo, and Chandrika was scarfing down a bowl of oatmeal. Gio, while not hungover, wore a face of discomfort as he addressed the elven girl. ¡°You¡¯re very kind, Celeste¡­ but you didn¡¯t have to defend me like that. I¡¯m aware of what certain people think of the working class.¡± Gio replied. ¡°Well, then consider it me taking a stand against prissy nobles. I refuse to let some uppity new-money jerk say whatever he wants after a few cocktails. I¡¯d slap him again. The Inquisitor let me off with essentially a slap on the wrist for conjuring an offensive construct in a no-sparring zone. I just have to clean the Grand Hall for a few weeks, no big deal.¡± the girl said. Chandrika finished her oatmeal and was looking better already. ¡°Jean should be ashamed, keeping company like that. Roddy Wisterleist is a first-class nob. Jean¡¯s endless desire to be loved by everybody is pathetic. And did you hear him? The guy doesn¡¯t even seem to like Jean all that much. They deserve each other,¡± she chimed. ¡°Charity case¡± resounded in Gio¡¯s head endlessly, depriving him of the ability to even attempt to defend Jean. Gio was supposed to meet with Jean later to spar, but he wasn¡¯t sure if he could face the taller boy today. ¡°I think I might bury myself in some books today,¡± Gio stated, receiving knowing nods from the others, spare Sapphire, who may or may not have been asleep. _____ Hours later, Gio looked up from his notes, having covered a large table in the Owl¡¯s Respite. I think I am ready to try crafting my next spellform. Having received permission from the Librarian, Gio laid out his materials. He still had a plentiful amount of ink from his test batch and had even invested the time to gather some [Garuda¡¯s Fern]. The plant was a weed, but even weeds have their uses. The small plot he had planted a few days prior had now required extensive pruning every day, so Gio had more than enough material to burn. Having calcinated some of the lamina (the leafy bits) of the bunch he had, Gio was left with a glittery powder, dense with a few types of mana. Gio processed the dust further, maximizing the purity aspect to the detriment of air and wind. He was left with a gleaming product that emitted a small amount of white light, and would happily waft through the air if given any chance to do so. [Scrivener¡¯s Charm] danced out a clean sigil in swooping, bold lines, as Gio triple-checked each of the references he had in front of him. Chanting, he imbued the ink with mana at practiced points, feeling the lines absorb the varying types of mana in sequence, forming a bridge to something beyond space and time. Gio had a special stencil he had prepared before and had placed it over the sigil. Happy to see that everything lined up perfectly, he re-wet some areas with a bit of ink and dusted them with the shimmering white powder. As the powder set, Gio imbued the spellform as a whole with more mana, in well-researched pulses. Once the spellform had set, he waited for a breath and channeled mana through it. ¡°[Cleanse]¡± he intoned. Feeling the construct flare to life with a sheen of milky-white magic, the spellform responded. Dust that Gio was unaware of began to shake loose from the table, swooping itself into a tiny pyramid. Grease from his pores evaporated, and he felt almost as if he had just taken a shower. A stray marking on the table that Gio hadn¡¯t noticed lifted itself off, in a tiny line of white sparks. ¡°Oh, I love you already. We¡¯re gonna be best friends.¡± Gio stated lovingly to his new spell. Examining the tiny pile of dust, Gio raised an eyebrow. Now why are you the only thing that the spell didn¡¯t destroy? You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Gio cast [Detect Magic], feeling his perception shift slightly and feeling the aspects of the space come to life. Combined with his [Mana Sense] skill, Gio felt that he was combing through a multitude of different aspects in a small zone around him. He focused on the small pyramid, looking deeper. The pile appeared to shimmer under his refined gaze, eliciting a small gasp from Gio. Refined knowledge mana! It¡¯s¡­ very, very weak. [Cleanse] must have recognized the dust as a reagent! Sweeping the tiny dust pile into a little rubberized satchel, Gio spoke to the air. ¡°Excuse me, Librarian? I feel silly even asking this¡­ but would you mind if I¡­ dusted the library?¡± After a short trip around the neighboring shelves, Gio had a pouch full of library dust. There were a couple of centipede corpses that were, unfortunately, also identified as reagents, carrying a small amount of disease and insect mana, which Gio was very displeased with. Gio, not having an incredible amount of resources to work with, decided to take the pragmatic approach and store the desiccated bugs in an oversized beaker so that he didn¡¯t have to touch them. Insect and disease mana can both be reduced down to nature mana¡­ I think. I will convince myself that this is a good thing for when I make the plant magic spells, I hope. Please, spirits, I hope. _____ Hours later, Gio stood in front of a now-familiar mirror. ¡°[Cleanse]¡± Gio chirped, feeling the grime of a long practice session against his mirror image melt away into the ether. I¡¯m glad apprentice mage detritus isn¡¯t considered a reagent. I¡¯d have to figure out how to change the spell. Cleanse, you are my beloved. Letting the magic sweep over him, Gio allowed his magic to expand outwards, toward the tarnished mirror. He watched as spots of decay shimmered away. He watched as his reflection did the same, but noted a peculiar disparity. The hand of his reflection was not holding the magic in the same way that Gio was. Gio was holding his palm facing outwards as if propelling the white light of the cleansing spell forward- similarly to what one would do with a sustained damage spell like a flamethrower. Gio¡¯s reflection was holding the light aloft, the way one might hold a light-producing spell like [Lantern]. Gio shifted the positioning of his hand and instantly felt the difference. [Cleanse] was not a flamethrower. The soft light intensified, bubbling forth over the room everywhere it touched. The effort that Gio was expending on the spell previously to try and direct the spell was instead restricting the amount of surface area being affected. You¡­ taught me how to use my spell better? But¡­ our game is over, so what¡­ oh, you devil. You¡¯re winning at cleaning right now. Gio did see a smirk on his reflection¡¯s face. He wasn¡¯t certain if the smirk started with him or the reflection, but he returned it anyway. Gio had a particularly intrusive thought. He thought back to the rare synergy that Nyara had talked about months ago at the Frill and Wattle. Gio had tried on several occasions outside of the mirrored chamber, to no great result. Every time, the mirrored plane would shatter, causing a bit of uncomfortable feedback where Gio winced as his spell construct fell apart. ¡°Okay, then. If you¡¯re in a teaching mood today, let¡¯s see what you¡¯ve got for me.¡± Gio proclaimed, watching his double mouth the words along with him. Gio focused on three entries in the spellbook at his side, straining against his [Multitask]. Firstly, the dull grey outline of [Hairline Fracture] lined his non-dominant hand. Gio watched as his double¡¯s hand did the same. Secondly, Gio summoned a ball of light with [Prismatic Shape], lobbing it easily at the mirror. Thirdly, he readied [Reflect], waiting for the ball to be returned to him. His double returned the ball, not using [Hairline Fracture] at all. Alright, Let¡¯s try this. Gio waited for the ball to reach him, and then tried casting both [Hairline Fracture] and [Reflect] at the same time. The spells fell apart in spectacular form. Gio hit the floor, earning a small scrape as fragments of illusory mirror cascaded over him. The resultant feedback rang up his arm like a brass bell, stinging his reservoir. The failed spellcast left Gio out of breath and sore. Somehow, Gio¡¯s improving sense of timing did manage to return the ball, albeit at a bad angle. Gio watched from the floor as his double ran across the room, meeting the ball that had veered from its course. Pivoting his body, Mirror Gio put his hand forth, centering his aim at Gio. The mirrored surface shimmered as the familiar feedback of the reflecting spell took place, but a grey flash issued out as Gio watched the image of the ball in the double¡¯s [Reflect] shatter, the shards of the plane each glowing with a bright light. The resultant burst caused sunspots in Gio¡¯s eyesight. A scattershot of at least ten balls issued forth from the reflection, peppering a prone Gio with bruises. Chapter 17 - Shattered Reflections Jean-Claude Castallane Jean was nervous. Besides class, he hadn¡¯t seen much of Gio at all for three weeks, the silver-haired boy having had flimsy excuses for why he couldn¡¯t make their weekly sparring sessions. Jean didn¡¯t begrudge Gio the space, as he understood that Roddy had said some really hurtful things, and Jean hadn¡¯t had much of a chance to defend him before Celeste jumped in. So when Gio, manic and excited, challenged Jean to a duel, he was nervous. I hope¡­ this isn¡¯t some way of him trying to prove himself or- you know what? I don¡¯t want to put words in his mouth. Let him process things his way. If I get the chance, I¡¯ll clear the air. Jean spent a lot of time in the House of Torches and had noted Gio using the mirror room frequently over the past three weeks. He wished that he was on speaking terms with Chandrika or Celeste so he could ask someone if Gio was okay, but every time they saw him, they glared at him and walked off. I can¡¯t help but feel like this whole thing would be resolved if someone would just talk to me! Why do I always get dragged into these unfavorable narratives¡­ you know what? I am definitely having words with Gio after the spar. Jean took his place at one side of the arena. There was a small crowd of onlookers hanging out in the stands, or waiting for refreshments. Jean focused himself as he felt the familiar hum of the safety enchantments wash over him. He looked over at Gio, some of the mania of the last time Jean had seen him still present on his face, but the boy looked mostly¡­ excited. I¡¯m not going easy on him. He deserves better than that. ¡°Ready¡­ Start!¡± Proclaimed the referee. Jean flew up into the air on wings of sparkling starlight, activating [Astral Deva Form] to a crowd of ¡®oohs¡¯ and ¡®aahs¡¯. The Castallane family''s signature magic had become part of Jean, already this far into his first semester. He looked to Gio, who looked to be under the effects of some sort of novel enchantment. The silver-haired boy¡¯s eyes were glowing with some sort of swirling silver and violet halo. Gio is more of a defensive mage. If I give him a chance to establish his defenses, this might become a battle of attrition. ¡°[Starlight Spear]¡± Jean said, summoning a blazing shaft of light mana. His family¡¯s companion magic to [Astral Deva Form] had some powerful synergies with the embodiment magic. Lining himself up, he shot forth his spear, readying himself for the inevitable reflection. The light spear whizzed through the air, creating a screeching noise as it sped toward Gio. Gio braced himself, summoning the magic he had become known for. Once the spear impacted, Gio shouted, and a wave of grey sparks flew out of the mirror. ¡°[Shattered Reflections]!¡± Gio shouted. Jean gaped and braced himself as easily twenty-something copies of his spear were shot back, no less fast than the original copy. A field of shouts erupted from the audience. Unable to dodge all of them, Jean was forced to take a few hits, parrying several others, while the bulk of the shots went wide. What is going on?! That¡¯s got to be a new spell or something! Adapting quickly, Jean surveyed his opponent, and it became clear that Gio¡¯s new power didn¡¯t come for free. Already, the boy was breathing hard but was otherwise unharmed. Jean, on the other hand, was bleeding in several places. But, the match had just started. Jean prepared to switch his strategy. ¡°[Angelfire]¡± Jean spoke, Summoning a helix of white and yellow flames from above. Gio received the attack, shocking Jean when he summoned multiple split panes of reflection, splitting the returned fire into a shower of flames. Jean had to dive low to avoid being roasted by his own flames, taking damage from the dive through the flames anyway. It works with continuous attacks too? What even is this magic?! Jean prepared himself to cast a spell he had been trying to train recently, inspired by the intensity of the battle. He centered himself, drawing upon the astral flames acting as his mantle. Inhaling deep, he imagined the tapestries of Castallane manor and the images of those who came before him. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°[Astral Drift]!¡± Jean yelled, drawing upon the reserves of his magic. He felt the force of the spell drawing him into a slipstream of astral mana, as he sped into a charge at ramming speed. Jean sped forth, turning into a human comet. Jean dove straight into Gio¡¯s mirror, shattering it, and tackling him into the ground. ¡°Winner- Jean-Claude Castallane!¡± shouted the referee, to a chorus of cheers from the stands, which had flooded with people since the start of the match. _____ Gio Gio sat across from Jean at a refreshment stand in the House of Torches, grinning from ear to ear. Marie served them refreshing drinks, allegedly some sort of sports beverage that tasted like cherries and¡­ salt. It was surprisingly not bad. Both boys had received the full complement of healing magic but were very tired nonetheless. ¡°Gio¡­ I just wanted to say that I''m sorry for not defending you-¡± ¡°Jean, I don¡¯t blame you for your friend. He¡¯s a dick, but I¡¯m not clueless. I get it. Fish out of water and all that. It did bruise my ego to be called a charity case, so I resolved to work on myself for a bit until I felt like I could put up a fight against you. I¡¯m sorry for shutting you out for a bit¡­ but I am proud of what I¡¯ve accomplished.¡± Gio said, smile drooping slightly. Jean shifted uncomfortably in his seat, deliberating on what to say. ¡°Well¡­ I can¡¯t say that I call Roddy my friend after what he pulled. Obviously, I don¡¯t agree with anything he said. That being said, you definitely did put up a hell of a fight- frankly speaking, fighting against you has become a real challenge.¡± Jean offered. ¡°Thanks! I take that as a compliment coming from the highest-ranked freshman in the House of Torches!¡± Gio beamed. ¡°So what was that? That had to have been some kind of ultra-rare spell or something, right? How did you duplicate my projectiles? And what was that buff?¡± Jean asked. Gio used [Scrivener¡¯s Charm] to plot out a copy of the status message he had received last week after hundreds of hours trying to learn the technique from his reflection in the mirror room. ¡°I want to stress that it is very, very hard to aspect any amount of mirror mana to try and steer the reflections. A large portion of last week was purely just me and Rio working out how to-¡± ¡°Who is Rio?¡± Jean interrupted. ¡°Please tell me that you haven¡¯t named your reflection.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­ Rio is¡­ okay yes mirror me is Reflection Gio. In my defense, he totally has a personality, and I was very tired when I named him.¡± Gio also shared his most recent spellform, [Eyes of the Abjurist]. ¡°The new spell allows me to track projectiles a bit better. After a couple hundred hours of trying to see what my reflection was doing, I decided that I needed to be able to see better. It¡¯s a common spell, but it was pretty tricky to make. ¡° Gio shared. ¡°A rare synergy? That¡¯s pretty incredible.¡± Jean said, eyes wide. ¡°Well, you better be ready for a bit more attention there, Mister mirror master. Our duel caught some viewers after you flung twenty spears back at me.¡± They laughed and discussed the fight for some time. After they had made arrangements to resume their weekly sparring sessions, Jean grew pensive for a moment. ¡°Hey, Gio¡­ I was wondering if you could ask Rika if she¡¯d be willing to talk with me. I want to clear up some stuff. I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s told you¡­ but we used to be closer a couple of years back.¡± Jean said, in a slightly measured tone. ¡°Yes¡­ she has mentioned that she¡¯s not fond of Prince Donovan and that you tend to spend a lot of time with him¡­ but I should stop talking, as that¡¯s Chandrika¡¯s story to tell. I¡¯ll see what she thinks about meeting you.¡± Gio stated. _____ ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Chandrika stated. "I¡¯ve been getting headaches every time I see him in class. It¡¯s torture.¡± ¡°Rika, it¡¯s not my place to tell you what to do at all. But I think he¡¯s a great guy and maybe you might find that he-¡± ¡°No, Gio¡­ I mean that I¡¯ve been getting actual headaches. At first, yes, I thought that it might have something to do with my distaste for Jean. but I am currently of the opinion that he¡¯s got some sort of fate nonsense going on that is bothering my [Sage].¡± Chandrika said. ¡°Oh. well, that¡¯s weird. Have you seen the nurses about it?¡± Gio asked. ¡°Yep. The only thing that they recommend is talking to the other sages. I don¡¯t have any way of contacting them unless I get the school involved and I¡¯d like to not do that. The school might get all jumpy if ¡®one of the greatest diviners¡¯ or whatever complains about needing to call home over a headache.¡± She concluded. _____ The week progressed smoothly after the duel, with Gio prioritizing his plot. He had been doing the bare minimum in between visits to the mirror room and homework, and it had shown in the amount of [Garuda¡¯s Fern] that had escaped containment. Gio now had so much of the Fern that he had been burning it to produce a low-quality ink base, and then subsequently distilling that base to make a higher-quality ink by process of re-concentration. The process was very inefficient, but with the amount of raw material that he had, Gio wasn¡¯t worried about waste. He had enough ink to start working on a different type of spellform: glyph patterns. Chapter 18 - Once More Gio prepared to work on a new spellform. Of the many different methodologies for spellcraft, the most prevalent styles are; sigilic spellforms (which lead the pack by miles), followed by Glyphic-pattern spellforms. Glyph pattern spellforms differ from sigil spellforms in that sigils are like links to an established ¡°intent¡± of magic, somewhere out in the many planes of existence, forged and empowered by a mage some time ago. Glyphic patterns, on the other hand, are like direct instructions. According to Mortimer (of the meticulous primer series), the most efficient way to build sigils was to empower a special mark at some matrix of incredible power, therefore burning it into existence across the planes of mana. Gio imagined an old, bearded man being struck by lightning on some dramatic mountaintop, holding aloft a magic symbol, glowing with power. Since Gio didn¡¯t have access to any endless fonts of incredible raw magic, he borrowed the sigils that were freely available to him, given by generous authors of the many textbooks who wished to share the craft of spellmaking. Glyphic patterns differed in that; because they didn¡¯t rely on sigils, they required a lot more symbols. Glyphic-pattern spellforms tend to be less powerful than sigil-based spellforms because they are very limited by space. Gio instead had to inscribe his intent onto each of hundreds if not more tiny symbols. The book posits that certain spells that were made with sigils could have only been made by utilizing hundreds of pages, requiring liters of ink and rare materials. Paradoxically, there are ways in which these two competing standards of spellcraft may outperform each other. In sigilic spellforms, the rarity of the spellform is often based on the exclusivity and power of the primary Sigil(s), whereas in Glyphic pattern spellforms, the materials often play a more important role in the power level and subsequent rarity of the spell. Gio currently found himself in a position where the sigils he had access to were all very specific, commonplace symbols, however the materials he had access to were constantly improving. And so, when Gio sat down to craft his first glyphic pattern spellform, he did so with a lot of ink and paper, expecting to need a few tries. _____ Chandrika sat across from Gio, both of them nursing a cup of coffee. ¡°How¡¯s your headaches?¡± Gio asked, looking miserable. ¡°Really, really bad. I feel like I have Jean radar. I can tell he¡¯s somewhere nearby and to the left of us right now. And I¡¯m sorry to say that I think you¡¯re now pinging it too, but to a lesser extent.¡± She replied. ¡°That¡¯s not good. We¡¯ve got class later, how are you gonna make it?¡± Gio asked, concerned. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I feel like I¡¯m gonna lock eyes with him and explode or something.¡± Chandrika replied. ¡°Well anyways, How did your experiments go?¡± Chandrika asked. ¡°Bad, but let¡¯s focus on you for now. We need to figure out what¡¯s going on with your skill.¡± Gio shot back. ¡°How would I even do that? I think [Crown of Sage¡¯s Insight] might make me pass out right now. The healers can¡¯t really do anything for me¡­ I hate to say it, Gio, but I¡¯m stumped. I¡¯m gonna go camp out in my room before class and try and get some sleep¡± Chandrika groaned, withdrawn. _____ Gio and Chandrika sat in the classroom, explaining the situation to Professor Anaximenes. ¡°Rika, I¡¯m not certain that you should be ignoring your skill like this.¡± Professor A said, face dour and trying to provide reassurance to Chandrika. His healing magic thus far had provided almost no comfort to the girl. ¡°Professor A, I¡¯m really not trying to-¡± This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Jean walked through the door from the Manse, and Chandrika fainted. Gio and Professor A lunged forward to catch her. ¡°Mister Jean-Claude, if you wouldn¡¯t mind, it appears that I need you to remove yourself from the cla-¡± Professor A started. ¡°NO¡± Chandrika screamed, eyes snapping open. A trickle of blood escaped her nose. ¡°He needs to stay.¡± Jean ran forward, his features painted with concern. ¡°What is going on?!¡± Jean asked. ¡°Something is weird with Rika¡¯s skill. You¡¯ve been pinging her for a few weeks now.¡± Gio explained. Chandrika¡¯s eyes alit in beams of golden radiance, as she screamed, arching backwards. ¡°[Phantasmigorical Radiance]¡± intoned Professor Anaximenes. Chandrika was ripped from the air, as the frozen image of her bathed in golden light was separated out from her corporeal form. The version of Chandrika held in Professor A¡¯s arms spoke; ¡°Whatever you just did, I can feel that it is temporary. I¡­ can¡¯t explain how I know this, because I¡¯m not sure myself but I think the three of us need to go to the Owl¡¯s Library. Professor A, you need to go talk to Headmaster Vespertine.¡± Chandrika commanded. ¡°O-okay. What should I say¡­ to Headmaster Vespertine?¡± Professor A asked. ¡°I don''t know. Start by explaining the situation, then come find us, maybe?¡± Chandrika said. The image of her suspended in the air slammed into the ghostly form that Professor A was holding, and she collapsed once more, losing consciousness ¡°Gio, let¡¯s take her to the library,¡± Jean said, picking her up with ease. ¡°On it.¡± Professor A put a hand on both of the boys¡¯ shoulders. ¡°Please, be safe¡­ all of you.¡± The white-haired man snapped his fingers, marking the words ¡°Class is canceled for today¡± across the board at the front of the class. A few other students were staring wide-eyed where they had trickled in from the Manse. Professor Anaximenes shouted. ¡°All of you, please go back to your rooms and self-study! Nothing to be concerned about here!¡± He motioned in a shooing motion to Gio and Jean. _____ Running into the library, Gio shouted to the giant statue of the Owl. ¡°Librarian! Something is going on with Chandrika!¡± A small owl appeared, in a flurry of feathers. ¡°Oh dear. I wish I could be of more assistance, but the local spirit field has been rather nonresponsive recently. I fear this may be connected.¡± ¡°What does that mean, the local spirit field?¡± Gio asked. ¡°The higher-plane spirits that make up the collective conscious that weaves the system. Something in the Academy has become unbalanced gradually over the past few weeks. Headmaster Vespertine has been made aware, and the Inquisitors have been rallied.¡± the owl replied. ¡°What does that have to do with the library? Chandrika¡¯s skill told her to take us here, but she¡¯s been in and out of consciousness. It¡¯s hurting her.¡± Jean said, looking down at the girl in his arms. She was shaking, but ultimately unresponsive. ¡°I have a feeling that I know what we might be supposed to do¡­ but I don¡¯t think that It¡¯s going to be fun. Owl, would you be able to carry her? We might need Jean to be empty-handed.¡± Gio said. ¡°I am patently unable to aid in certain- you know what? Place her on my head, and so long as she doesn¡¯t move, there¡¯s nothing that states explicitly that she can¡¯t be on top of me while I move through my domain.¡± the bird said, awakening the statue. Jean placed Chandrika¡¯s curled-up form onto the apex of the great wooden owl. ¡°What are you planning on doing, Gio?¡± Jean asked. ¡°I¡¯m going to try the divination technique I used last time. I¡­ I have a skill called [Fledgling Knowledge Seeker] that might let me find something in the stacks. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m looking for, but this seems like¡­ no, I know that it¡¯s what I¡¯m supposed to do right now.¡± The great Owl''s head turned toward Gio, it''s features unreadable. ¡°I just need you to defend me from the monsters in the dark parts. It¡¯s probably going to be a long walk, so prepare yourself. Get anything you might need from your dorm while we¡¯re in range of the Manse.¡± Gio stated, matter-of-factly. _____ After they suited up, taking a few things with them in their traveling bags, Gio began channeling and circulating his mana. ¡°[Detect Magic], [Eyes of the Abjurist]... [Cleanse]¡± Gio said, invoking each spell in turn. Detect magic and Eyes of the Abjurist instantaneously sank him into the right headspace for what he was about to attempt. The Cleansing spell was more just to deal with the accumulated sweat from the stress, but everything helped. Gio began breathing in the abundant knowledge mana of the space, incorporating it into his internal reservoir. He began circulating his mana, already straining [Multitask]. Okay. Mana, spirits, whatever¡­ please help me find something to help my friend. Feeling a slight call to begin moving, Gio fell into a heartbeat-like walking rhythm and walked off into the dark, followed by his friends. Chapter 19 - Occultation Jean Jean slashed downwards with a construct of astral mana, bisecting a writhing mass of centipedes vaguely shaped like a person. Jean had trained for years in the precursor techniques for [Starlight Spear]. While his family¡¯s spell was predominantly useful as a rather explosive piercing projectile, it also could be used for prolonged combat, in case of a battle of attrition. What was currently going on was beyond a battle of attrition for Jean. It had been hours, and the trek was beginning to wear on him, but he kept going without complaint. Chandrika was still completely unconscious, and Gio was locked into a trance of some kind, so his only company was the Librarian. Jean admittedly was unfamiliar with the giant owl. He always scored fairly well on his coursework, but he didn¡¯t consider himself particularly bookish, so he didn''t have much reason to spend time in the Owl¡¯s respite. ¡°Why are there so many centipedes in the library? I know that they prefer dark, damp environments, but these seem¡­ magical.¡± Jean asked of his only conversational partner. He cleared the corpse of the unsettling humanoid mass out of Gio¡¯s footpath, having observed that Gio was unable to deviate from his course currently. ¡°That is a long and unfortunate story. The short version is that they spring from what you might have heard referred to as one of the ¡°bosses¡± of the dungeon. That boss was once a knowledge elemental like me, and its offspring attempt to gain access to areas rich in knowledge mana. As for the golems¡­ we have no clue. Some quirk of the¡­ situation, perhaps.¡± said the owl, using his smaller avatar to scout ahead. Jean stopped for a moment, allowing a moment for Gio to reach him. Jean regarded his silver-haired classmate, at the center of a whorl of purple mana. The wood of the bookshelves nearest Gio seemed to alight from within with a soft green glow, and the dust from their shelves stirred, as glittery purple motes joined Gio¡¯s gentle maelstrom as he walked by, footfalls strangely hypnotic, almost soothing. ¡°Quite a sight, is it not? The first time the boy did this, it took me off guard.¡± The owl said, landing on Jean¡¯s shoulder gently. ¡°When he described it to me¡­ he said it was a useless technique that could hardly find a cup in a cupboard. I think I imagined some sort of low-powered divination, like the kind that hacks use in the silver circus after they charge you a handful of bits. This¡­ I couldn¡¯t do this. He¡¯s been circulating mana for over three hours without pause.¡± Jean said. ¡°Yes, indeed. It¡¯s a relic of the times before magic was studied like it is today. I was unaware that it was still being taught anywhere, even as a training tool. I would be interested to know where he learned it.¡± The bird noted. This deep into the library, the shelves and their contents had become strange. Several times, Jean had noted curio cases, some empty, some full of odd specimens. There were antique swords, half consumed by rust, and incredible tomes, sealed by glowing glyphs. Jean could see why coming out here was alluring, if not for the danger. ¡°What even is any of this? You¡¯re the keeper of the stacks, right? So you collected it?¡± Jean asked. ¡°In ancient times, before I became what I am now, I was dispersed in this place¡­ I remember some of it. In the places where the light of the Manse touches, I know every single page. Out here¡­ I feel remnants of my previous form, but I am not largely in control of these areas. I do some light housekeeping, ensure that the inkwraiths are culled periodically, and the like.¡± The Librarian said. Jean heard a gurgling noise, and both he and the owl turned to the noise to find a black shape, it''s silhouette barely visible against the backdrop of dimly lit bookshelves, cast in a purple glow by Gio. ¡°Speaking of inkwraiths, here¡¯s one. Mister Castallane, let¡¯s try something. Lure the inkwraith to the perimeter of Giorgio¡¯s manifestation, but be prepared to intervene in case this doesn¡¯t work.¡± The bird said. ¡°Should we be gambling with this process this far into it? I don¡¯t know if I feel comfortable risking Gio¡¯s safety like this.¡± Jean responded, quizzically. ¡°Inkwraiths are notoriously difficult to harm through conventional means and can escape by entering books in a¡­ confusing manner. I do not believe that you will be able to harm one, and I am currently unable to do so either. I have a theory that¡­ well, you¡¯ll see. I promise to intervene before it reaches Mister deGloria.¡± Jean reluctantly assented, luring the perturbing shadow closer and closer to Gio gradually. The ghostlike shade began to screech as it entered the vortex of purple mana surrounding Gio. Jean, who was also in the radius, was shocked at how the ink construct appeared to be caught in some sort of turbulent field, ripped apart by the currents of mana. To Jean, the purple field felt odd, but otherwise like still air. The purple field seemed to intensify as the inkwraith was reduced to piles of damp black dust. Gio stepped in a pile, drawing a wince from Jean, and then a shocked expression when the black material slid right off of him in a shower of white sparks. ¡°Mister deGloria appears to be unconsciously channeling a cleansing spell amidst this maelstrom. A bizzarity. Inkwraiths are mostly comprised of knowledge mana, and it appears that I was correct in assuming that this field would rip away that mana from its corporeal form. If you are able, that residue is valuable. I would recommend you collect it for Giorgio.¡± The owl stated. After a long while, and several more encounters, Gio shifted down an aisle of curio cases. The glowing green wood and purple vortex lit up the cabinets, full of uncountable items of different sorts. One such cabinet was full of what appeared to be thousands of glass eggs, each filled with varying levels of dark fluid that responded violently to the mana, forming ropey black pseudopods along the surface of their tiny, fragile prisons. Jean recoiled, nearly knocking into the preserved head of some sort of goblinoid on the shelf opposite. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I hope that we¡¯re almost there,¡± Jean stated, unsettled. _____ Gio Gio stopped, facing an empty display of some kind. The swirl of purple mana dispersed, flowing along the floor and out into the dark hall. The green glow of the foxfire in the wood was still present, albeit fading slowly. Emerging from his trance, Gio examined the cabinet in front of him. A tall obelisk of glass, lined by tarnished silver fittings stood, pointed at the top with several rings of metal. Inside the case was what looked to be a specially designed museum stand. the holder looked to be a hemisphere of polished metal suspended in the middle of the case by sturdy metal bars, designed to hold something with a rounded base. The aisle erupted with bright light, as Chandrika awoke into a trance of her own. The petite girl jumped down from the wooden owl statue, summoning a tiara of golden light atop her head. She grabbed hold of both Gio and Jean¡¯s hands, speaking aloud. ¡°Take it, Gio.¡± ¡°Take¡­ what? It¡¯s empty Rika. There¡¯s nothing there.¡± Gio replied, clearly drained from his earlier working. ¡°Use your sight. Take it. Please.¡± she commanded, in a tense voice not entirely her own. Gio tried to see what she was talking about. He cast [Detect Magic], looking into the empty curio case. His refined senses, still active from the divination, instantly picked up on notes of sparking arcane mana¡­ with some other faint traces of¡­ death. Gio looked over to his compatriots. ¡°Uhh¡­ whatever is there is-¡± ¡°Do not say that.¡± Chandrika interrupted. ¡°What is it?¡± spat the owl. ¡°I perceive nothing.¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know.¡± Gio replied. ¡°Please, Gio. Take it.¡± Chandrika said, clearly in pain. Gio looked towards his first friend at the academy. He grasped the space, and a shimmering black oblong, with a carved face appeared. The Librarian screeched. ¡°NO! PUT THAT D-¡± The three students disappeared, in a flash of blue and black mana. _____ Eudoria Vespertine Eudoria sat across from one of her favorite faculty members. She was rather proud of her study. Baubles of all shapes and sizes tittered and tottered about, bespelled to provide the perfect amount of delightful clicking. Better than a clock, and less annoying than a man. I should visit my husband. She was surrounded on all sides but one by her ancestral color. A lovely shade of indigo. She was lucky that her family¡¯s color was her favorite color. Her drapes, curtains, table runners, banners, tapestries- all of it a lovely sheen of indigo satin that positively submerged the room in color. She surveyed the man in front of her. The privilege of age is leaving your company sitting in front of you in deeply uncomfortable silence while you think over what you want to say. Alexander Anaximenes was a younger professor, at only 65 years old- but he cared. She loved the inventive lesson plans he came up with, his scores were fantastic, and he had an immaculate sense of style- an important facet for a professor of the mystic arts. Ever since Alexander reached tenure more than 20 years ago, he had been an invaluable member of the college. His oneiromancy background had a profound effect on the way that the academy approached its decision-making. His dream-prophecy, coupled with his visionary approach to ancestral hierophany utilizing psychopomps is just such a breath of fresh air. So when he practically sprinted into her private office, she was inclined to hear him out before tearing him apart. ¡°So¡­ you said the Chakraverti girl wanted me to¡­ you said ¡°find them¡±?¡± Eudoria said, ¡°Right.¡± Alexander said, sweating. Oh, relax. I don''t make a habit of torturing my staff. Much. ¡°And did you in any way inform her of my specialty? My family¡¯s arts?¡± She asked. ¡°To my knowledge, Headmaster, she has absolutely no way of knowing. Your abilities are clandestine, even among the faculty.¡± An invisible, gauntleted hand pressing against her right shoulder let her know that he was telling the truth. ¡°Right. Well, if this turns out to be some sort of game of hide-and-seek, she¡¯ll be having words with me. A shame to hear about the headaches, for sure. But then, the sages of Ujjbala S¨±rya are all known to be a touch eccentric. Why, I should give her grandmother a call, if not just to catch up.¡± Eudoria called upon one of her ancestral magics. The Vespertine lineage was rather deviously, or perhaps insidiously infamous among certain, tight-lipped circles. A deep cerulean pool of liquid mana erupted forth on her desk, swirling and creating structures out of thin air. The undulating mass of liquid crystalline mana pulsed with intent, and Headmaster Vespertine plunged her entire head into the violent mass. Blue. Black. Crystal. Death. Undeath. Faith. Rot. Decay. Silence. Vault. Dragon. No images presented themselves to Eudoria, only vague feelings. Echoes of mana. The aged woman righted herself in her recliner, fixing her hair from the magic. She pondered for a moment. Occultation, the secret magical art of hidden things, was something that the Vespertine lineage did exceedingly well. Eudoria¡¯s long-since dead father was something of a bastard and had been murdered. Thoroughly. The machiavellian man had something of a habit of raising families to the heights of wealth with his obscure powers. and then cheating them out of every last drop of it. Eudoria was already 300 years old or so when he passed, and was unfortunate enough to have been the first to discover the sight of her father, naked on his bed, impaled by a hundred ceremonial swords of different styles. In Eudoria¡¯s opinion- style, while not always benevolent, was usually a good marker of power. She had long since resolved to live an honest life. The art of occultation is great at hiding things, and the nebulous magic is equally, if not moreso, good at revealing things. So when she didn¡¯t find her quarry, she laughed. Nowhere in the school should be warded from her gaze. Even if they were out past the Manse. Eudoria laughed a bitter, hysterical laugh, for quite some time. Drying her mirthful tears, she turned to face her paled former student. ¡°Quite right then, Alexander! We have missing students to find!¡± Chapter 20 - Rotting Chandrika The three students erupted from a burst of arcane mana, lurching forward. Chandrika loosened her grip on both of her classmates'' hands, falling to her knees onto cold tile. She felt exceedingly nauseous,her head ached, and her eyes felt like they might pop out of her skull, but she felt otherwise amazing. ¡°I¡­ can finally think straight.¡± She whispered. Getting to her feet, she hugged Gio. ¡°Thank you, thank you, thank you!!¡± she repeated, squeezing the boy. ¡°You¡¯re ¡­ welcome? I think? Where are we?¡± Gio replied, unsure. ¡°I have NO clue. For the past couple of hours, I felt like¡­ I was swimming in a sea of wrong answers. Everything felt like it led to¡­ a bad direction? If that makes any sense. All I knew was that we had to be here. This felt the least wrong.¡± Chandrika stated, nervously. Now that I''m not being crippled with sensation, I can begin to sort out the fragments of visions I''ve been having. Why is this the only correct place for the three of us to be? Where even are we? ¡°Rika, I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re feeling better, but¡­ this does not seem like a good thing.¡± Jean said, looking around. The three students found themselves in an open atrium. The tall, domed ceiling of the space opened into nothingness at its apex instead of the light of the sky, while the dingy, decaying tile of the floor was covered in puddles of indiscernible murky liquid. The musty air smelled stale and stagnant, like opening a cellar door for the first time in decades. The dim room was barely lit with sparse motes of mana that Chandrika didn¡¯t recognize, as well as a single flickering sphere opposite the chamber, casting a shadow onto the door to the sole path forward. ¡°Guys¡­ I think the air here isn¡¯t safe to breathe. I¡¯m detecting disease mana.¡± Gio said, voice tight. ¡°[Aspect of Purity]¡± Jean invoked. A shimmering, opalescent bubble surrounded the three of them, centered on Jean. The air within the space immediately smelled better to Chandrika. ¡°Can you maintain that spell for long? I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯s going to take for them to find us.¡± Chandrika said. ¡°I can maintain it for a while. More importantly, how do you know all this? How do you know that they will come find us, and what is that thing?¡± Jean said, in a stressed, but careful tone. He has every right to be upset. I¡¯ve been in a daze for hours, and I may have just doomed us all. I hope Professor A managed to convince Headmaster Vespertine to use¡­ whatever magic she has? Chandrika winced. ¡°It''s my skill. The details are all very foggy at best. [Sage] has never been so active¡­ I think I might need to call home if we get out of this. I¡¯m sorry for dragging you both into this. Jean, I know we haven¡¯t talked much recently, but I just felt¡­ I felt like you were going to get hurt if this didn¡¯t happen exactly this way.¡± She stated, sheepishly. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ okay, Rika. I¡¯m just scared. It¡¯s one thing to train for something like this, and another thing to be in the middle of a dungeon with no way out. At least Gio had the foresight to make sure that we brought supplies with us.¡± Jean offered. ¡°Professor A really drove that point home, so we can all thank him when we get out of this uh- wet room?¡± Gio said, regarding the environment. Gio regarded the black idol, trying to identify it at all. Chandrika looked as well, not entirely aware of why this object was the focal point in her headaches. The carved face on the side of the oblong, rod-like stone was just¡­ some person. A person with a completely neutral expression. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°[Identify]¡± Jean spoke. ¡°Whoa, you have identify?! That¡¯s the spell I''ve been trying to make!¡± Gio said, eyes alight with curiosity. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a very useful spell.¡± Jean replied. His features shifted to utter shock, regarding the idol. ¡°Identify says that¡¯s a relic. It is a ¡°[Torrential Reservoir Key]¡±, it doesn¡¯t say the grade, which I think means that it¡¯s above the epic tier?¡± ¡°A real relic! What does it do?¡± Gio asked. ¡°Something about linking to a supply of mana. I guess you could use it as a foci for some sort of power system? Or break it for a one time burst of mana.¡± Jean replied. ¡°Interesting. Sort of underwhelming for my first time ever seeing a relic in person, but I guess I''d rather that than it being incredibly cursed or something. Now, we should probably get a bit of strategy going.¡± Gio said. ¡°I agree.¡± chimed Chandrika. ¡°Same here,¡± agreed Jean. _____ Gio After stopping to eat some rations from Gio¡¯s [Spatial Bento Box], (having long since enjoyed the original contents, Gio primarily used it for long study sessions in the library). they had begun to discuss what they knew, and had the time to dissect Chandrika¡¯s limited knowledge of what had happened to her. ¡°Okay. So, you knew that we had to come here, but we don¡¯t know why. Jean needs to be here to not be hurt somehow, I needed to get us here. The idol or key¡­ thing was hidden and trapped to teleport people here, to some sort of what, prison? We¡¯ll get back to that later. Headmaster Vespertine has some sort of magic that is the only thing that can find us. Is that about it?¡± Gio listed out. ¡°Seems about as much as we have to work with right now.¡± Jean stated calmly. ¡°Alright. Well, we should proceed with caution. I¡¯m expecting traps, monsters, the whole song and dance. Rika, if you feel up to it, use your crown? I¡¯ll get my eyes going.¡± Gio stated, emboldened. After the team had applied their enhancement magic, they begun to move toward the sole door in the space. The walls of the decrepit atrium were lined with decayed banners, each of which looked to have once held an image of some sort of heraldry that none of the three students recognized. Gio passed the [Cleanse] spell over the puddles on the floor, somewhat dismayed when their contents did not clear. ¡°Let''s avoid the mystery fluid. It¡¯s some kind of reagent, or at the very least it contains enough mana to be useful as one. I¡¯m picking up a lot of disease and death. Not looking real great here, guys.¡± Gio said, attempting to keep a bit of levity in his voice. Crossing the threshold to the next room, the light of the cleanse spell revealed a slumped body against the wall of a small hallway dividing the previous room from the next. As the pale light hit the corpse, it began to stir. ¡°Yep, thought so. Jean.¡± Gio motioned to the taller boy. ¡°On it.¡± Jean confirmed, summoning a spear of light. The shambling, ragged looking skeleton had loose scraps of what appeared to have once been robes. The skeleton clung to the wet, lumpy remains of some sort of book. When the skeleton¡¯s outstretched hand began amassing a small amount of black-tainted fire mana, Gio stepped in front of Jean, reflecting a jagged firebolt back at the husk. The skeleton erupted in a burst of vile flames, the corrosive magics eating away at the threadbare robes, but not managing to damage the leather bound tome. After the skeleton had burned to ash, Gio stepped forwards, carefully regarding the book. ¡°Tainted with death mana, and utterly ruined.¡± Gio stated. He tried to hold the cleanse spell closer to the book, to no meaningful result. ¡°What a shame.¡± ¡°[Moth¡¯s Binding].¡± Chandrika chanted. A flurry of illusory threads wrapped themselves around the book, weaving together in delicate patterns, smothering the corrupted mana leaking out of the book. Chandrika handed the bound tome to Gio. ¡°The least I can do for getting us into this mess is help you gather some research materials.¡± She said, smiling slightly. After stowing the book, Gio led the group forwards, flanked by Jean and Chandrika in a tight formation. Each of them readied magics, prepared to meet with more undead. Gio held up a hand to stop the formation after stepping into the new room. The wide hall was littered with piles of debris, burned looking fabric, and shattered glass. Decayed gilding decorated the wooden banisters that lined the far end of the room, revealing a winding staircase going downwards. Before the way downwards, Gio saw several corpses, likely waiting to re-animate at the slightest bit of stimulus. Gio walked outside of Jean¡¯s bubble, smelling the air and activating his mana senses. ¡°I sense rot. There¡¯s something here that¡¯s leaking a high amount of aspected mana. I think we¡¯re closing in on the source,¡± Gio said. ¡°Great.¡± Echoed Chandrika and Jean in unison. Chapter 21 - Fly, you fools The way ahead was obvious, but the path was filled with corpses. The team deliberated their strategy. ¡°So, I think Jean should be our main damage dealer and maintain the area cleansing spell, Gio on defense and scouting, and I¡¯ll heal, and debuff the monsters,¡± Chandrika said softly to avoid prematurely stirring the corpses ahead. ¡°Sounds good to me. How are you doing, Jean? You¡¯ve been maintaining that aura for a while now.¡± Gio noted, examining his friend. ¡°Not too bad. It¡¯s a low mana draw, but I¡¯m not used to maintaining a spell for extended periods like this. If anything, I am grateful for the chance to put my shortcomings into perspective. My father always said that I should be able to maintain [Astral Deva Form] for hours, and that spell is harder to maintain.¡± Jean said. ¡°Well, let us know if you need a break. We can figure something out to try and ward off the air for a bit if needed.¡± Chandrika remarked. Walking forward carefully, Gio summoned a pinprick of light with [Prismatic Shape]. Carefully, he attempted to launch the tiny projectile at the nearest corpse, hoping that only one of the monsters would awaken. The strategy was a tried and tested adventuring strategy, covered in class. Many dungeons were full of inert monsters, and they would ¡°aggro¡± (adventurer shorthand for become aggressive towards) mortals when they perceived them. The corpse stirred when hit with the small radiant projectile, black miasma erupting from the skull as it lifted from the ground, chest first in a surreal manner. The sword-holding corpse began slowly walking towards Gio, empty eye sockets leaking blackened air. ¡°You know, the illusions in the Silver Circus get this part spot on. I feel like i¡¯m watching a horror movie but in real life.¡± Jean joked, attempting levity. ¡°I kinda wish they¡¯d stay in the movies. I hate how it¡¯s moving. The movements are so off, it¡¯s eerie.¡± Chandrika replied. Chandrika put out her hand, summoning an enchanting whirl of golden, red, and orange mana. The tendrils of glittering magic leaped from her hand, bespelling the shambling figure. ¡°[Witch''s Mark]¡± Chandrika intoned. The wave of magic sunk into the bones of the skeleton. The skeleton slowed to a crawling pace, and the sword it held dropped to the ground, barely being held onto by a bony hand as it dragged across the floor. The noise awoke two more skeletons, raising and emitting black smoke behind the first. ¡°Shit. My bad.¡± Chandrika winced. ¡°No big deal. One at a time, like we talked about.¡± Gio reassured. Jean stepped forward, using a spear of light to cleave the skull of the skeleton in two. The skeleton attempted to parry, but under the affects of Chandrika¡¯s curse, it was unable to move in time. A red light flowed from the corpse to Chandrika. ¡°Eww, I forgot about that part of the spell. It steals a part of the victim¡¯s mana. I guess I can work with undeath mana, but it feels gross.¡± Chandrika winced. She summoned an ethereal floating skull, emitting a halo of golden light. ¡°[Skull Lantern]¡± she intoned. Gio felt like his fatigue began to wash away slightly under the soft glow of the skull. ¡°Is that¡­ a buff that uses necromancy?¡± Gio asked, eyes alight with curiosity. ¡°Yes, but I find it to be highly distasteful to use under regular circumstances. I abhor the way it feels to aspect undeath, death, or ghost mana. I only cast it because I received some from the witch mark and I didn¡¯t want to transmute it back into something else.¡± she replied. To have a spell in your spellbook that you have and don¡¯t even like. Will I ever have that kind of problem? One day. Gio stepped forward to one of the other targets. Using [Hairline Fracture] and a well-timed strike, he crumbled the arm, then the skull of a spear-holding corpse. Jean finished off the other, while Chandrika cursed the corpses rising behind them. She spent the additional mana from the kills on the floating skull, which was aiding the group more than Gio expected it would. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Spellcaster!¡± Jean called out after bisecting another two corpses, trading places with Gio. A robed skeleton at the back of the hall began gurgling out a foul stream of mana in varying shades of black and green. The cloud of decay erupted forward, causing Gio to curse. ¡°[Reflect] doesn¡¯t work well on dispersed magic! Does anyone have an air spell?¡± Gio said, panicked. ¡°[Breath of the Wisp]¡± Chandrika chanted. A warm breeze flowed out from her, alighting the corpses with blue fire, and driving back the malignant cloud. Chandrika¡¯s spell left tiny floating balls of fire that danced about, lighting the hall in a pretty azure glow. ¡°Your magic is very alluring to the eye,¡± Jean spoke. ¡°My house magic is very¡­ showy, but not very pleasing.¡± Gio stepped in front of the formation, batting away a spike of black ice from the skeletal mage in the distance. ¡°[Shattered Reflections]¡± he uttered. Invoking his synergy, and peppering the corpse with shards of its own magic. Stepping forward carefully, the party advanced. Chandrika picked up the mage¡¯s spellbook, binding it with [Moth¡¯s Binding] and handing it to Gio. ¡°There¡¯s that ruined house mark on the spellbook too. I wonder what this place was.¡± Gio pondered. Chandrika manipulated the floating skull lantern over the edge of the spiraling stairs. The staircase, while wide, did not go very far. The next landing downwards was only a few meters wide and had a large, sturdy door in an alcove. ¡°For a spell you don¡¯t like to use, I sure love the way I feel right now. How does it work?¡± Gio asked, prompting a nod from Jean. ¡°The witches of my country are big on respect for the dead. The skull lantern takes fatigue and is symbolic of eternal rest. It also works as a ward against lesser incorporeal undead and is generally thought to be a good luck charm. We have a holiday at the end of autumn where we fill the streets with these lanterns.¡± Chandrika recounted, looking reminiscent ¡°I love that. What a cool tradition.¡± Gio spoke, smiling. ¡°We should take a moment to rest here. Whatever is on the other side of that door doesn¡¯t seem to be coming this way for now. In fact, if it¡¯s locked, we might have to figure out a way to break it down.¡± Jean stated, drawing nods from the others. _____ Alexander Anaximenes ¡°Come on, you fools! We have bones to rattle!¡± Headmaster Vespertine yelled, flying out into the open sky. Alexander rode a great skeletal beast that had, at one time, been a great whale of some kind with altogether too many eyes and limbs. The brilliant behemoth was lit with red and white magic symbols. His mount was not nearly as fast as Eudoria''s, but he was happy to be at least in front of some of the other professors, some of which were too slow for his tastes. The faculty of the Crystal Ring Academy had largely mobilized, with most staying to mind the other students and trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy at the school. The remaining twenty-something professors flying through the sky towards the Great Tower represented some of the more expeditious members of the school board, and a powerful force to proceed into the untamed dungeon outside of the purview of the Manse. Alexander had not spent much time in the heights of the great tower, but, under different circumstances, would have been happy to see the lich again. Baphelus was a magnetic personality, and always made for a wonderful conversational partner. Eudoria insisted that they fly from the Flight Deck to the great tower as a show of force, probably for some exhausting political reasons. Alexander could not fathom the need to posture to the student body, or perhaps the Gilded City beyond the walls of the school, especially while students -students of his- were endangered. I suppose there¡¯s a difference in breadth of experience. She is worried about making moves that span centuries, while I¡¯m just trying to keep my kids alive. I prefer my perspective. He tried not to be bitter. Eudoria was frightening on good days, and today was not a good day. With nearly suspiciously good timing, Eudoria slowed down perfectly to match Alexander¡¯s pace. ¡°You don¡¯t look very happy with me, Professor Anaximenes.¡± the aged woman spoke. She was gliding through the air on streams of lightning, yet her words were as if they were spoken directly to his ear. Her gaze appeared to be directed behind him. ¡° I know that this seems backward, but the students who witnessed Chandrika''s collapse have already started rumors. If we don¡¯t show them that we¡¯re here for all of them, they¡¯ll worry. And when students worry, they do stupid things. Baphelus already has the gates set up, we¡¯re going to spread out in teams to the usual highways. We¡¯re going to find your students, Alex. I promise you.¡± Alexander did not soften. Intimidated as he was by his former teacher, and as much respect he had developed for her, he still felt a familiar edge. ¡°I certainly hope so, Headmaster.¡± his voice was devoid of mirth. Eudoria grinned at her fellow instructor. Alexander was unaware that his magic had begun adapting to his emotional state. Wisps of deep red smoke roiled off of him, standing atop his great bone beast as he was. The other faculty steered clear of the trail of red that billowed across the sky, as it began manifesting legions of bloody, furious visages. Chapter 22 - Gold Gio sat propped up against the dilapidated banister, pen in hand, trying to come up with ideas. ¡°What if we tried to isolate a small area against the diseased air?¡± he asked, looking up from his paper. ¡°We would die of asphyxiation.¡± Chandrika replied, striking the idea down. ¡°Right.¡± Gio huffed, defeated. ¡°I¡¯m kind of out of ideas. Cleanse won''t work on air, and even then, it isn¡¯t really designed for long-term purification. I kind of wish I had picked up a book on simple enchantments¡­¡± ¡°Gio, that¡¯s like¡­ a specialty topic you can take as early as next year. I think you¡¯re already putting enough on your plate as it is.¡± Jean replied. ¡°There has to be something we can do, you¡¯re going to need to rest before we go in there. I can already feel the mana from this side, I think it¡¯s a high-density zone in there.¡± Gio fumed. ¡°Don''t worry about it too much. In the worst-case scenario, you two get some rest, and we hope for the best. I¡¯m not out of juice yet.¡± Jean offered. Chandrika looked up from her spellbook. ¡°What if¡­ you just gave one of us the spell? This is a life-or-death situation, certainly the academy would understand.¡± She said. ¡°I wish I could, but it¡¯s a spell keyed to Castallane blood. You won¡¯t be able to put any mana into it. It¡¯s a common preventative measure. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Jean replied grimly. ¡°Wait, can I see the spell?¡± Gio asked. ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t see why not.¡± Jean agreed. Gio spent a few moments, comparing his [Cleanse] spell and Jean¡¯s [Aspect of Purity]. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t suppose I can worsen the situation by trying. I¡¯m glad I brought some ink. Chandrika, could you help me purify some bones from one of the spellcasting skeletons? I have an idea.¡± _____ An hour later, Gio had laid out an array onto a piece of fine vellum from his pack. The work was hasty, but Gio had strained the limits of both [Multitask] and [Fledgling Knowledge Seeker] to achieve his result. Applying the purified bone dust onto the drying ink, Gio pushed forth a mixed stream of light, life, and purity mana into the borrowed sigil, solidifying his intent into the page. It had taken some time to try and parcel out what elements of the spell did what, and Gio was near certain that he hadn¡¯t perfectly managed to maintain its functionality while stripping out the protective measures. Gio¡¯s one solace is that it didn¡¯t need to be perfect, it just needed to be semi-functional so that Jean could sleep. He steadied himself after the ink had dried, hovering a hand over the freshly printed page, invoking the new magics with bated breath. A dim bubble of white light burst forth from Gio, anchored to his palm. He waved his hand around, watching as the perimeter of the bubble followed his hand. ¡°Huh, well, I consider that a success, I think. The radius is certainly not as big as yours, but I think this works, even if I messed up the target area.¡± ¡°Whoa.¡± balked Jean. ¡°Whoa, nothing. I basically just plagiarized your house spell. I think I just broke several laws, it¡¯s nothing that impressive.¡± Gio replied nonchalantly. ¡°No, it is. You¡¯re already modifying spells. We¡¯re only just about to end our first semester. You¡¯re improving quickly.¡± Chandrika stated, allowing no argument from Gio. . ¡°Oh. The system agrees, I guess. [Beginner Spellwright]¡± Gio blushed. <[Purity Aura] created.> ¡°I named it [Purity Aura]. Pretty generic, and there are probably other spells out there with the same name. I hope that throws anyone off from noticing that it¡¯s a copied spell¡­ not that I plan on using it outside of here.¡± Gio continued. ¡°Anyways, go to sleep you two, I''ll keep watch. Chandrika can take the next shift with the spellform. I''ll make a new version that isn¡¯t centered on the caster¡¯s hand.¡± After a less-than-stellar night¡¯s sleep, the group prepared to open the door. ¡°What are the chances it just opens?¡± Gio asked, turning the ornate vault door mechanism. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. A series of rattling clicks rang out, and the vault door began to open. Instantaneously, a blanket of rancid, mana-rich fog began pouring out from the door. The vapor avoided the area in a perfect sphere centered on Jean. ¡°Well, I almost wish it didn¡¯t.¡± Chandrika harrumphed. Walking forward, the trio gasped as they witnessed the interior of the room beyond. Every surface of the long room beyond was lined with an overwhelming amount of gold. There were golden shelves, golden tile on the floors, display cases that were lined with gilding, and more. There was no place to look that didn¡¯t glitter in the light of the skull lantern. Rows of glass cases lined the right side of the room, each of which was completely opaque, covered in dust. ¡°So¡­ Gold Ring nobility,¡± Gio stated, sardonically. ¡°Not any of the current houses, I¡¯d have recognized the house symbol, even with the decay¡± Jean replied. Inching forward into the glittering crypt, Gio¡¯s eyes fell upon a gaudy-looking statue of a familiar golden sun, carved with a beneficent smile. The bizarre statue had six long metal poles in the place of arms, each having a three-pronged metal grabber instead of human hands. ¡°That¡¯s a construct. I give it three seconds before it comes to life.¡± Gio stated, unamused. As if on cue, the figure began crackling. Dust shook from decorative joints, and gemstones popped out of their sockets. Thick, black fog roiled up from the ground, swirling towards the statue. The figure ripped itself off of the stand it was built onto and began teetering towards the trio. Chandrika threw out a bolt of light, wrapping the construct¡¯s legs in illusory threads of gossamer light. The creature skidded to a halt, writhing in its makeshift cocoon. ¡°Anticlimactic.¡± Gio quipped. Jean approached carefully, severing the mechanical monster into pieces. Looking around, the group examined the surrounding area. Chandrika approached a display case, glass frosted over with grime and dust. Wiping away at the layer of obscuring detritus, Chandrika recoiled as she found a pair of inhuman eyes staring back at her, following her movements. ¡°Spirits!¡± she screeched. As the trio rounded on her position, Jean spoke, voice firm: ¡°Some kind of macabre trophy cabinet.¡± Gio traced his fingers across a plaque above the metal case. ¡°The House of Antimony proudly presents the cutting edge of necromancy. By preserving the subject at the precise moment before natural death, we have succeeded in maintaining a state of perfect half-life. Reagents can be harvested with little to no decrease in potency, and the subjects are rendered completely harmless. Contact Count Beauregard Antimony for a consultation today.¡± Gio read. ¡°How¡­ vile.¡± Jean sneered. ¡°Well, it looks like whatever these enchantments used to do, they have long since failed. These things are purely animated by mana, there¡¯s no spellcraft here that I can see¡± Gio noted. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s entirely accurate. There¡¯s some sort of preservation going on, maybe it¡¯s alchemy-based, not enchantment-based.¡± Chandrika rebuttled. ¡°Wait¡­ hold on,¡± Gio muttered. He focused his mana sense on one of the severed heads submerged in fluid underneath the glass, grimacing at what he found. ¡°There are enchantments here, it¡¯s just¡­ on the inside of them. There are runes underneath the skin, and probably on the bone too. That¡¯s horrible. This process must have been incredibly painful. Whoever did this figured out how to forcibly enchant living things.¡± This is¡­ a reminder of why not all research is a good thing. You need morals to guide you. Gio walked away, needing to look at something else. Gio looked over to the edge of Jean¡¯s protective area, craning his head over to read another plaque on the destroyed column where the automaton came from. ¡°The future of automation. By embedding human remains in a preservation matrix, the next generation of crown servants might be the best parts of golemancy and necromancy at the same time. No longer will your golems be subject to regular recharges, or not understand your orders.¡± Gio read, dourly. There''s no escaping this. This whole place is a monument to hubris. ¡°So this place is some kind of showcase. They wanted to sell these things to people, I think.¡± Said Chandrika. ¡°Well, It looks like whoever put this here isn¡¯t around anymore. Let us keep moving.¡± Jean said. The next room was lined with hundreds of glass cloches, all full of small creatures in various stages of decay, fruitlessly attempting to free themselves of their confinements. Tiny, batlike creatures flapped their wings in one display, while a large insectoid corpse suspended on some sort of metal scaffolding was unable to do much besides follow the movements of the skull lantern with its mantis-like head. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad that at least these enchantments are holding. I hope I didn¡¯t just jinx us.¡± Gio joked, grimacing at the words as they came out of his mouth. Striding forward, the three students had grim expressions on their faces. The next few rooms contained lounging areas, and the illegible remains of business ledgers, the papers having deteriorated with time, exposed to such a high degree of decay mana. There were gaudy desks, filled with trophies and mantles, as well as lounging chairs that had been stained and ruined by whatever black mist filled the space. Coming to a stop before an archway, The group emitted a collective gasp at the sight beyond, illuminated by the light of Chandrika¡¯s lantern. A great mountain of gold, like the ones they had seen in picture books. Jewels glimmered in ornate necklaces, and curious idols glimmered about. All manner of chests, holding countless golden coins. The piles were practically vibrating with mana as if the whole room was a giant battery of some kind, filled to the bursting point with death mana. Wisps of black fog undulated out, coiling along the edges of jeweled crowns, and the telltale sign of old enchantment glittered on the point of a scepter sticking out from one of the piles. little stars of inky blackness floated about the pile, sucking in the light from the skull lantern, giving the entire room a murky haze, despite the soft light. A snaking path through the piles was the only trace of ground not covered in the precious metal. The trio faltered in front of the room, feeling the density of the acrid energies even through Jean''s aura. ¡°I am getting a particularly bad feeling about whatever comes next,¡± Chandrika whispered. Chapter 23 - Light Chandrika was the first to step into the thin, snaking path through the gold. After a series of small tests, the trio determined that the gold was incredibly dangerous to touch. Precious metals are known for their ability to absorb, store, and direct mana- gold especially so, second only to rare alloys, dungeon-made metals, or specific conduits like the eponymous impregnable walls of the Crystal Ring. So, the group went single-file through the narrow path, careful not to let even the barest amount of gold touch their skin, lest they be exposed to an incredible amount of hostile energies. The room was large, even more so than it appeared to be on first inspection. The narrow path opened up into a circular clearing at the center of the vast pile, where a marble statue stood, with a scepter in one hand, and a book in the other. The stone man looked to be locked into an eternal knowing smirk, surveying his treasures. ¡°Beauregard Antimony, claimant of the hoard of Axarandamaias.¡± Chandrika read. ¡°A subtle statue for a no doubt subtle man. I wonder when the House of Antimony fell?¡± Jean pontificated. Not wanting to stop for long amidst a mountain of cursed gold, The team inched forward. After another few moments of carefully placed steps, they happened upon an ornate doorway, still glittering with the remnants of illusionary enchantments. Great swooping lines in dated architectural fashion lined the golden lattice of the massive door. The right side of the gate was bent off, having rusted off its hinges, allowing just enough room for a person to squeeze into the room beyond without touching the tainted metal. A timeworn banner draped across the entranceway read: ¡°The crowning achievement of the House of Antimony¡± The room beyond the archway was pitch black, with a dense wall of fog billowing out, intertwining, and being absorbed by the golden mass. ¡°Whatever is beyond this¡­ be ready, it¡¯s where all this mana is coming from,¡± Gio stated, firming his resolve. One by one the students contorted through the opening, into the space beyond. The granite floors underneath were submerged in a layer of the same black, murky liquid. Chandrika motioned for her lantern to ascend higher into the great room. Into the room, and across a lake of black fluid, there was a massive museum-style exhibit. A great number of commemorative plaques and display cases lined the still-breathing corpse of a titanic dragon. The dragon was adorned with many carved horns, that looked to still thrum with power, despite the condition of their host. Strips of white flesh were peeled back from the dragon, illustrating devices and instrumentation plunged into its body. Two severed wings were pinned to the back wall of the massive hall. The white-scaled creature was run through by barbed spears, nailing it in place to the railings of its showy reliquary. The dragon¡¯s mouth was forced open by a series of bladed restraints, and several teeth had been set on pedestals nearby. The air rippled around the living corpse of the dragon. ¡°How¡­ barbaric.¡± Chandrika gasped. Gio and Jean were nearly unable to breathe. Suddenly, The fluid covering the floor rippled, emanating from the gruesome display. One black, dripping eye of the mangled dragon opened, surveying the room. The eye locked onto the lantern first and then alighted onto the figures of the three students. A groaning sound emanated from the scaled being. Oh, that can¡¯t be good. A series of guttural noises came from the beast, gasping and sputtering. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ saying something; ¡°Who has come to wake the dead?¡±, I think,¡± Chandrika stated, uncertain. ¡°You speak draconic?¡± Gio asked, unsettled. ¡°No¡­ I can just sort of feel what it¡¯s saying. And I¡¯m getting a lot of emotion¡­ mostly anger. I¡¯m scared.¡± She replied. A series of wet, sputtering laughs caused the students¡¯ blood to run cold. The dragon spoke again, and Chandrika translated. ¡°Larvae of the infestation that plagues these hallowed halls. May you rot here, as I have.¡± the girl repeated, shaking. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. A wave of black air emanated outward from the zombified dragon, pulsing across the floor and out in all directions. The air rippled with tendrils of potent death magic. Gio held up a hand, layering his [Purity Aura] on top of Jean¡¯s [Aspect of Purity]. The festering mana lapped against the combined bubble but was unable to penetrate. The dragon growled, and one of its horns glowed a deep bloody crimson. A spear of blackened ichor rose from the ground, shooting towards the huddled group. Gio stuck out a hand and used [Reflect], perfectly rocketing back the projectile, which found purchase straight through the bulk of the bound beast. A pained gasp, followed by deep, guttural laughter resounded throughout the largely empty hall. Gio¡¯s heart was racing, trying to think of anything. Jean shot several spears toward the giant dragon, none of which found purchase against the few remaining scales of the dragon. One spear went wide, shattering against one of the metal rods binding a claw of the dragon. Enchantments seemed to snap and sputter, as the dragon pulled against its restraint. The dragon roared, exerting itself to rip free its clawed appendage from the rod binding it, leaving a hole that gushed blackened blood out into the chamber. The dragon¡¯s newly freed hand began clawing at its restraints. ¡°It¡¯s freeing itself! We need to do something!¡± Chandrika yelled. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything that would make a dent on a dragon! I don¡¯t know what to do!¡± Gio yelled back. The dragon swatted away more spears from Jean and ripped apart webbing from Chandrika. Gio attempted to throw a [Prismatic Shape] towards the dragon that didn¡¯t even register as a threat. The dragon pulled itself free from the devices restraining its maw and other arm. With great exertion, it lifted its top half, facing the students with a jagged exhale. Blackened blood poured from its wounds, as the dragon inhaled the miasma surrounding it. White scales began to fester and slough off of the dragon, as rotten flesh underneath melted away, joining the pool of effluvia already present in the room. Black flames erupted from the very bones of the titanic creature, burning away whatever remained of the enchantments that bound it. A mostly skeletal dragon reared forward, erupting in sardonic laughter. As the dragon laughed, spiraling streams of black mana flowed forth and into the creature, feeding the black flames that smoldered deep in its bones. And then, the dragon spoke, in a voice beyond language, searing its intent onto the very souls of its enemies. ¡°Truly, thank you. For eons I have waited here, hungry, half-dead, and disgraced. Kept alive by rotten hedge magic, scrawled by the unworthy. You are my rescuers, and as such I will grant you mercy, and the peace I was denied. You will not know the horror of my revenge, as I do not blame you for my capture. I will not enslave you to unlife, for I am benevolent.¡± The three teenagers were frozen with fear. Gio tried to step forward, legs shaking, holding a hand up. The beast¡¯s empty eye sockets centered on Gio. ¡°I see that you have some middling defenses. Worry not, for Axarandamaias of the Light was once a name known for overwhelming power. In the coming centuries, I shall burn my name upon this country as Axarandamaias the Undying. I shall root out the pest from this sacred place, and reclaim it for the dead. Vitrium shall once again be held by the worthy. Rejoice, and accept the gift of death.¡± The beast spat. All of the dragon¡¯s crown of carved horns alit with a baleful light, that burned the eyes of the three students. A massive, sprawling web of symbols erupted into the air, glowing with light mana, and tainted by death. Even from this distance, Gio¡¯s head hurt trying to comprehend how much power the undead dragon was amassing. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so sorry that I brought us here.¡± Chandrika whimpered, staring directly into the blaze of amassing power. ¡°Chandrika, this isn¡¯t your fault. You were just trying to deal with your ability. I don¡¯t believe for a second you would have known this was going to happen.¡± Gio replied, smile strained with fear. Jean put his hand on Chandrika¡¯s back. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I think us coming here might be leading the instructors to the dragon lich before he can fully establish himself, so we may have saved a bunch of people. I have no regrets, besides the fact that I am not stronger.¡± The boy said, standing tall. The three students looked towards their inevitable demise. There¡¯s just no way¡­ You can¡¯t run from an endless amount of magic like this. That¡¯s probably going to melt the whole path we came through. I¡¯d need an endless amount of magic to reflect that. Wait. Gio hurriedly took off his backpack, rummaging through it. He threw an inkwell, nearly shattering it onto the ground in his haste, and his papers were everywhere. He grabbed the [Torrential Reservoir Key] from where it was neatly wrapped in a spare shirt, examining it quickly. The dragon stopped amassing power. The incredible sea of blinding, malefic light in front of the group hurt to look at. The dragon invoked his spell. ¡°[The Wicked Sun]¡± The whole world went white, as a wall of light magic exploded outwards. At the same time, Gio broke the black oblong. Feeling an endless well of power suddenly appear in the pit of his stomach, he acted. ¡°[Reflect]¡± A wall of glittering glass appeared from Gio¡¯s outstretched arm, growing like ice crystals outward into a giant construct. Gio felt drunk with power, as the arcane mana ripped through him, causing his knees to nearly buckle. He stared at his own reflection in the back of his magic, feeling the waterfall of mana being consumed by the spell. He felt the familiar hum of the way he had begun to instinctively know when the attack was about to be rebounded, and time seemed to stop. If Gio used [Hairline Fracture], he might push himself too far. He had already likely injured himself by reflecting the spell, but shattering it might kill him. On the other hand, he knew that the undead dragon had incredible defenses. If the dragon lived, his friends would die. He acted. Gio stared at his reflection¡¯s eyes, resolute. He pushed magic into the fracturing spell, allowing it to take hold, and he watched in slowed time as the cracks flit across the surface of the spell. He felt the pit in his stomach as it writhed to life, unending streams of mana raging through his body like a wildfire towards the sigils in his spellbook, and then towards his head, and hands. Gio felt a crack form, inside him. He pushed the magic into the spell. [Multitask] buckled under the weight of his awareness of countless copies of the absurd spell, all falling away from their original target. Gio steered them all back to the dragon, and away from his friends. He was burned by the intensity of the magic, feeling the raging inferno of unfamiliar magic inside of him flare up. The crack within him widened, and his vision began to falter. He felt the crack crystallize his skin, and he began to crumble. Gio let loose the unspeakable cascade of magic, targeted at the undead dragon. Gio shattered. Chapter 24 - Interlude: Upward and Onward Donovan Goldwatch Cleaving his favorite sword through the harpy matron, Donovan flourished, stepping through the air and somersaulting over to a floating platform. He sent a torrent of golden flames onto the heads of five more of the gross, bee-like pests. The dashing, golden-haired prince spun around, vivisecting several of the vespid humanoids who had flown close to try and ambush him. His heavily enchanted armor automatically reflected several strikes, and he took the opportunity to charge up a massive [Aura Slash], ending the lives of every other creature in sight. Donovan activated his most used skill. ¡°[Ruler¡¯s Domain]!¡± he shouted. Though he was several places away from being crown prince (and thankfully so) the Goldwatch family bloodline skill was an invaluable boon within the territories of the ringed city. Pulsing out, his aura didn¡¯t reveal any more of the offputting creatures in the nearby area. ¡°Alright men, rest. We¡¯re clear.¡± the young man commanded. Having been sent out for training by Javier Castallane, the captain of the crown guard, Donovan relished the ability to spread his wings and make a name for himself. Cleansing the Wax Ring of the rebelling beast-folk was admittedly not his dream training location, but he relished the adventure anyway. This view doesn¡¯t get old, though. Maybe if the harpies surrender, we can turn this into a tourist trap or something. Meh, that¡¯s probably Arty¡¯s job. Donovan was alerted to a twinkling chime in his pocket. Oh! Speak of the devil. Donovan gripped the crystalline device in his gauntleted hand, pressing down on the surface with a bit of his mana. <@PartyG1RL: yo bitches, wild situation brewing at the crystal castle. Missing kids or something. @GoldenDON don¡¯t u have ur little friends there?????> Ugh, she¡¯s so manipulative. <@GoldenDON: M, you know that I do. What¡¯s going on?> <@PartyG1RL: sheesh, no need to be so mean :< jean boy and rika are like totes lost in the dungeon or something. E.V. has it covered tho. SPEAKING OF SCHOOL I wonder if @LongHairDontCare is reading thisssss hiiiiiii brotherrrrrrrr > <@EternalSuffering4EverPlsHELP: Merlia, you know he doesn¡¯t read this chat. He¡¯s got children to punish or something stupid. @LongHairDontCare COME BACK AND TAKE YOUR SPOT BACK MOM IS KILLING ME> <@PartyG1RL: ARTY USE CODENAMES OR ILL BLOCK U> <@BEDHED: why are you guys blowing up my crystal rn> Closing the communication artifact with a click, Donovan looked off into the sky, at the towering crystal at the center of his family¡¯s territory. Jean and Rika¡­ I hope they are safe. Stupid nerds and their fancy true magic. I like being a good, old-fashioned swordsman. The system agrees with me. ¡°Sire, is everything alright? You look¡­ pensive.¡± Said Henriot, his right-hand man. ¡°What? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about the school. Maybe I¡¯ll visit sometime soon. For now, let¡¯s break out some food!¡± Donovan shouted, earning a chorus of hearty yells from his men. Eudoria Vespertine Eudoria watched gleefully as Alexander transformed into a storm of bone and blade, sending out ghastly red visions of warriors long since dead to butcher the onslaught of [Living Armor] that endlessly respawned in this part of the highway. I love it when he¡¯s scary. One of the only students I¡¯ve ever had who picked up on that particular trait of mine. Well, let¡¯s use the time he bought me! She surveyed the third member of her little party, a young enchanting professor who looked to be keeping up at a surprisingly adequate pace. The girl was a recent addition to the staff, but new blood was always good. Eudoria sank into a trance as easily as breathing. She circulated her titanic supply of crystal mana, and aspected a lion¡¯s share into darkness, then light, then air. [Vespertine Occultations] she thought, invoking the spell without verbalizing. Tendrils of blue mana emanated outwards, slipping into the little tears that hid at the edge of reality. Her magic allowed her to see and feel things beyond space, and through barriers, wards, enchantments, and the like. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. She mentally canvassed the whole of the highways, stopping just before reaching the untread depths of the frontier, so many miles below. She did take a brief moment to ascertain the status of the friendly forces at the never-ending battle at the untread depths of the school. Oh, I see my darling daughter is doing such a fine job! I should send her something nice. Just before she was about to retreat from the magic, Eudoria sensed a wild spike in light-aspected mana coming from an old part of the dungeon, many miles away, and through several different sectors of the multitude of sub-realities that the mind-bending Crystal Ring maintained. Oh? Something is happening in the old nobility district! How exciting, I¡¯d never have thought! ¡°Alexander! Kimia! Come, We FLY!¡± She screeched, cackling off into the distance. Activating a bizzare application of her specialty, Eudoria used her occultation to hide spacetime from herself and her allies, folding sub-reality into sur-reality and tesselating them across the dungeon in an instant. ¡°Oh, come now, Kimia. If you must vomit, make it quick. We¡¯re almost there!¡± _____ Eudoria faced a wall. This wall, like every other wall in the dungeon, was solid. Unlike every other wall in the dungeon, this wall had a secret. Mere moments ago, Eudoria detected a surge of light mana coming from this exact location. Eudoria activated [Vespertine Occultations] and felt. She examined every atom of the wall in front of her, searching for any telltale signs of tampering or magical interference, and nearly came up short. There! In the exact center of the wall, she ripped a thread of mana out, causing a miraculously complex knot of mana to unwind, revealing a petite keyhole, about the size of a pinhead. She deftly inserted the barest amount of her pinky nail and torqued down on it, hard. Her indestructible nail polish wouldn¡¯t chip under hellfire, so unraveling a storage enchantment was as easy as breathing. She summoned a quick ward, as a doorway appeared out of nothing, and with it a blasphemous amount of death mana began billowing out. ¡°Alexander, you¡¯re up to bat. Do something about this mana.¡± She ordered. ¡°At your command, Headmaster.¡± _____ Divina deGloria Divina stepped cautiously into a small, well-lit office at the prestigious Burgundy Company. The Burgundy Company was a legend in the scribe community. The multifaceted company touched everything from logistics, inter-ring business management, and material-source agreements. The sprawling company even worked down through some really delicious finer details like subsidiary asset management. When Divina got the call that she was invited to meet with one of their senior project managers, she actually screamed. Her husband, ever the bastion of faith and hope, talked her up enough that she felt somewhat confident today. She had all of the fine details of her portfolio and strategy for the meeting in completely pristine form. Divina notified the receptionist that she was waiting for her meeting exactly 16 minutes early. _____ ¡°Mrs. deGloria, I am so pleased that you could make it here today.¡± smiled the man sitting across from her. A smile right off the bat? A disarming technique. What have I done? She smiled back. ¡°A pleasure to be here, Mr. Candlebury. I was rather surprised to receive this meeting. I hate to cut to the chase so early, but I am ever so busy, what is this meeting about?¡± Don¡¯t take the bait. Cut to the point. Defeat his tactic before it has a chance to unfold. ¡°And that¡¯s perfectly fine! You see, I am in the business of a specific kind of talent. I recently received a tip from a rather surprising source that told me there was an actuary in the Copper Ring who had the kind of business mindset that I need in spades in my department.¡± The man said, smooth as butter. Oh, he¡¯s a master. ¡°So, what I need from you, Mrs. deGlora, is the portfolio you no doubt have prepared. Assuming it is up to my standards, we will talk about employment. Is this amenable to you?¡± _____ Maxwell deGloria popped the cork of a bottle of the finest (affordable) champagne he could find. ¡°And then he says; ¡°If you are willing to start next week, I¡¯ll cover your expenses for contract termination at the insurance company, and double your starting salary!¡± I can¡¯t believe it! I feel like I¡¯m in a fairytale, Max!¡± Divina whispered, in a voice that was somewhere between ¡°My kids are sleeping¡± and ¡°This is the best day of my life¡±. ¡°Honey, you¡¯re a hard worker. I¡¯m just glad that someone finally saw it.¡± Max chirped, massaging his wife¡¯s shoulder. ¡°But that¡¯s just it, Max. I don¡¯t know how he saw it. I¡¯ve never acted on any case related to the Burgundy Company. When I grilled him about his sources, he just said; ¡°Someone very hard to please.¡± like that means anything to me.¡± Knocking back a glass of champagne, Divina was reminded of how little she drinks. ¡°Ooh, I should take it easy on this. I want to be on my A game tomorrow to try and gently explain this situation to my boss. She¡¯s going to have a conniption.¡± she said. ¡°I wish Gio was here to celebrate. I know he thinks he¡¯s clever, eavesdropping on our strategy meetings. We should write him a letter soon.¡± Maxwell sighed. ¡°Yeah. My baby is all grown up, probably off gallivanting around that crazy dungeon. I just hope he¡¯s safe and snug there.¡± Divina sighed in agreement. Chapter 25 - Fluffy Clouds Gio awoke strapped down to the most comfortable bed he had ever imagined. Gio looked around and saw a softly lit room, covered in pristine white fur. The walls, the floors, and even the ceiling were incredibly fluffy, leaving Gio with the impression that he must be dreaming. Even more impossibly, The room was the perfect temperature despite being covered in fur. Little motes of white and pink magic flickered by. I¡¯m inside a cloud. The bed was so comfortable, and he felt so good, that he was instantaneously alarmed by whatever sedative magic he was under. The dragon! Struggling against his soft restraints, he looked down to see several crystals stuck to his skin, with gossamer strands of magic connecting him to crystalline devices filled with all sorts of colors of liquid mana. A soft chiming sound emanated from above him, as some sort of crystal alarm went out. ¡°Ah! My guest of honor awakens!¡± said an older elven woman, striding into the room. The doctor had slicked-back gray hair, a blindingly white medical robe filled with badges that Gio didn¡¯t recognize, and a pink heart-shaped pin on her lapel that glittered with a large degree of life magic. Touching Gio¡¯s forehead with her soft hand, she clicked her tongue and made a huffing noise. ¡°Welcome back to the land of the living. Firstly, do you remember who you are?¡± asked the woman in a gentle voice. ¡°My name is Giorgio deGloria, may I ask where I am?¡± Gio replied, in a measured voice. ¡°Wonderful, Mr. deGloria. You are nowhere else but the intensive care unit at the Crystal Ring Academy¡¯s life department. I am Professor March, but please, call me Lorelei.¡± Feeling his trepidation deflate instantly, he switched to a much softer tone. ¡°Profe- uh- Miss Lorelei, why am I restrained? Am I in trouble?¡± Gio asked. The aged woman giggled slightly before replying. ¡°In trouble? Oh good heavens no, you little saint. I¡¯ll leave the rest of that answer to Eudoria when she comes by. You are restrained because you arrived at my doorstep in fragments.¡± She sat down at the end of the bed, placing her palm on Gio¡¯s hand. She looked deeply into Gio¡¯s eyes, speaking softly, yet seriously. ¡°It took me and my best staff three days of non-stop work to piece you back together again and un-vitrify you. You have made a very, very good recovery from your injuries¡­ but I''m afraid that this is not without complication. Aside from being unconscious for two weeks, I am afraid that you likely won¡¯t be able to use magic for the next month, maybe more.¡± The woman said. ¡°A month?! And two weeks?!¡± Gio said, nearly shouting. ¡°Hush, dear boy. I understand that this will be troubling¡­ and it may even feel like a punishment. I need you to understand that this is not a punishment, Gio. We¡¯re going to place some items on your person to prevent mana from escaping your channels. I need you to promise me that you won¡¯t try to remove them¡­ because if you interrupt your healing process, it might permanently cripple your ability to cast magic.¡± the woman whispered. Gio couldn¡¯t find it within himself to summon any anger or outrage in front of this person. He sank back into the massive pillow beneath him, allowing it to envelop him. ¡°I¡­ okay.¡± he whispered back. ¡°Marvelous. Mister deGloria, I shall let you rest for now¡­ I am going to notify some people that you are awake, If you don¡¯t mind. There¡¯s quite a few people who want to see you.¡± she said, motioning to the bedside table, covered in mementos and get-well-soon cards. _____ Chandrika The image of Gio shattering into pieces replayed endlessly in her head. Over, and over, and over, and over, Chandrika saw the smile on his face, and the way his eyes met hers through the reflection of the wall of mirrors as he saved her life, before his head fell from his body and he burst into a pile of glittering dust. ¡°...Rika¡­ Rika!¡± snapped Celeste, waving a hand in front of her face. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay, you¡¯re okay.¡± cooed the tall elven girl. Chandrika swiped her sleeves across her eyes, wiping away the beginnings of a tear. ¡°Oh, sorry¡­ I uh..¡± A soft hug from the side took away the beginnings of whatever she was about to say. ¡°It¡¯s okay Rika. We¡¯re here.¡± whispered Sapphire. The two second-year girls had become Chandrika¡¯s rock, spending a great deal of their free time with her, especially since Jean had been summoned back to his family¡¯s compound a few days ago. Jean and Chandrika had still not spoken much about the rift that had driven them apart prior to the start of the semester, but they had been spending more time together since the events of the vault. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Besides the mandatory interviews with the inquisitors and the faculty, Headmaster Vespertine had been kind enough to issue a statement to the student body limiting the amount students could talk about the event, at least until Gio woke up- at Chandrika and Jean¡¯s behest. It had been a tense two weeks. The first three days were all but a blur for the two students, who were excused from classes to stay nearby the boy who had saved them. Professor A did come and wait with them, but he had duties to attend to regarding the ongoing investigations about the hidden vault, and the implications that it would have going forward. ¡°Students such as yourself shouldn¡¯t have had to deal with this mess. This fiasco is the sole responsibility of certain disgraced houses of the gold ring.¡± Professor A had let slip, when asked about what would happen next. Chandrika looked up at the art deco paneled ceilings of the private room in the Emperor¡¯s New Cafe. Marie¡¯s new chic caffeine speakeasy served incredible crepes, and was only accessible by knocking on a stained glass window down an unassuming alley in Shimmerstone Street. Chandrika had received the instructions to get into the exclusive club inside a fortune cookie that came with the udon she had cried into at 2AM the other night. Marie is too kind. If I didn''t know better, I¡¯d say that she set this cafe up just for me. Realistically, she probably has hundreds of restaurants squirreled away in the academy. A soft glow on her wrist alerted her to a message from Doctor Lorelei, who was kind enough to keep her updated on the status of her first friend at the academy. The temporary communication charm blinked, the small crystal displaying two words. ¡°He¡¯s awake.¡± _____ Jean Footsteps echoed through the marbled halls of the House of Castallane. Jean had been summoned back to his family¡¯s estate two days ago and besides some concerned checkups from his mentors and minders, had been unable to attain an audience with the ever-busy head captain of the royal guard corps. ¡°Honey, your father is concerned about you, which is why we called you back!¡± his mother chimed after him, clearly distressed. Isadora Castallane was an incredible force among the socialite circles that governed a large portion of the way that the house ran business, but when faced with her ornery eldest son, she found herself ill at ease. ¡°Mom, I love you, and you know that. I¡¯m just a touch frustrated that I was summoned away from the academy just to wait for an audience with my own father. I apologize if this comes across as ungrateful, but he¡¯s either going to see me today, or I am going back to school. I¡¯m not budging on this.¡± Jean huffed, stomping down the hall towards his father¡¯s office. ¡°-acceptable¡­ No! I need a memorandum posted now detailing the appearance of the Ataraxian fugitives. Yes, she looks just like the princ- NO! You will not put that detail in print! Do you want a large-scale national incident? Look, there¡¯s certain th- Excuse me for a moment.¡± Javier Castallane turned to face his son, with a pained expression on his face, dismissing the image of a meeting room upon a scrying plane. ¡°Jean¡­ I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s just now-¡± ¡°Father. I apologize for my interruption, and I understand that you are a very busy man, but If now is not a good time, then I regret to inform you that my presence is required back at the Crystal Ring Academy, on account of the man who saved my life waking up from his coma.¡± Jean uttered, his voice barely managing to contain a sea of venom from escaping. The imposing man studied his son for a moment, and turned back to his scrying plane. The image flicked back on. The muscle bound man brushed back his jet black mane and facial hair, speaking into the image. ¡°I apologize, but something urgent has come up at home. This meeting is adjourned for now.¡± Getting up from his chair, the hulking captain of the royal guard, and national defense coordinator of the Ringed City, walked over to his eldest son. ¡°Walk with me, my boy.¡± _____ Walking through the gardens, and having relayed the tale from his own point of view, Jean waited for whatever judgment his father had in store for him. Javier Castallane looked out through his wife¡¯s garden, and over the pond where his favorite egrets danced upon the surface of the water. ¡°Well, I am relieved that you are unharmed. I¡­ regret that summoning you home did not have the relaxing effect on you that I had hoped it would. I must have forgotten the restlessness that I felt at your age, always looking to improve.¡± ¡°If I had one question, this Copper-Ring boy¡­ you have spoken well enough about his character, but you trust him enough to hand him Castallane magics?¡± the man said, raising an eyebrow. Jean¡¯s face twisted with irritation, threatening to break his composure. ¡°That Copper-Ring boy is currently the top of our class in several regards. In fact, the only area I currently have the lead on him is in dueling. He is a prodigy, and I have no doubts about his intentions with a middling, proprietary, higher-uncommon level cleansing spell. The way that the nobility looks down upon commoners as if they are some kind of lesser species is idiotic! Honestly, father- you spent years hammering the ¡®Castallane family values¡¯ into me, and then when the time comes for me to embody-¡± Holding up his hands in a show of surrender, Javier chuckled at his impassioned son. ¡°I apologize for my wording, I merely meant to say that I met some of my brothers-at-arms during my time at the academy. You may recall that your godfather Vladimir isn¡¯t native to the Gilded city¡­ perhaps you should invite Giorgio to dinner here. Your mother is a fabulous entertainer, after all.¡± the bearded man said, through a jovial smile. ¡°I digress¡­ I shall summon a carriage for you. For what it is worth, Jean-Claude, I am incredibly proud of the man you''ve become. You are a credit to our name.¡± Hugging his son farewell, Javier returned to a busy day of paperwork. Chapter 26 - Unexpected Options ¡°Mister Giorgio? If you''re feeling up to it, you have guests here to see you.¡± the nurse said. The muscled nursing student had been incredibly helpful when it came time for Gio to attempt to walk for the first time. Having not been prepared for the way his own body felt foreign to him, Gio had nearly faceplanted within seconds of standing up from the comfortable bed. ¡°Thank you, Arnie, please send them in,¡± Gio replied, smiling. Gio maintained a large smile as Jean, Professor A, and Rika entered the room, carrying bags full of presents. His smile faltered briefly when Headmaster Vespertine walked in behind them but recovered quickly when she shot him a toothy grin. A small round of hugs and small talk later, and Eudoria called attention to the room. She summoned an aura of blue magic, which clung like static electricity to the fuzzy room. ¡°Well, I guess we¡¯ll get started with the elephant in the room, then.¡± The tall woman said, her black and grey hair tied neatly into a bun, allowing her elegant blue earrings to shine in the light of her spell. ¡°We¡¯ve put off this conversation until you woke up, Gio, but I¡¯ve been very eager to officially say this: Thank you all, for what you¡¯ve done for this school. Allow me to be very clear and direct- none of you are in any trouble for what happened, regardless of any rumors you may have heard. The lich-dragon you killed would have become terribly powerful if he had been able to fully absorb the mana from his cursed hoard. Miss Chakraverti¡¯s divination skill has saved countless lives, potentially on a national scale.¡± The woman stated. ¡°So the dragon is gone, then?¡± Gio asked, feeling relieved. ¡°My dear boy¡­ you annihilated the dragon. By the time we got there, the only things left were a pile of glassy slag and the famously indestructible crown horns of an elder arcane dragon.¡± She replied, chortling. ¡°Gio¡­ when your mirror spell faded, the other side of the room was gone. I didn¡¯t absorb much of the details, as I was¡­ busy trying¡­ to-¡± Chandrika¡¯s voice caught in her throat. ¡°Chandrika was trying to put you back together. Unfortunately, life magic alone couldn''t do much. Eudoria¡¯s warping ability was how we got you to the ICU in time. You¡¯re all going to be enrolled in mandatory counseling sessions, by the way.¡± Professor A spoke, voice firm. ¡°Yes, yes. We¡¯ll have all the time to discuss all of the unsavory details over Mister deGloria¡¯s lengthy recovery period. However! Today, I think it would be best if we talked about the good things, don¡¯t you agree, Alexander?¡± Headmaster Vespertine returned, warning Professor Anaximenes. ¡°Back to the subject of dragon horns.¡± she coughed. ¡°You see, arcane dragons ensorcell their horns to store their knowledge and spells. Axarandamaias the traitor was presumed missing a long time ago, but he was wanted for the theft of several high-profile relics of some allied dragons.¡± ¡°To that end, several of those horns had to be returned to their rightful owners. You may not know it yet, but you¡¯ve made some friends in the draconic community. Particularly, the ¡®Horn of Blood¡¯ was direly missed by a stout ally of the Ringed City. As for the rest of the horns, three remain, and they are rightfully yours, Giorgio. Professor Anaximenes is holding onto them until such a time when you can properly cleanse them of the taint of death mana safely.¡± she spoke. Professor A spoke up. ¡°As for the hoard¡­ the gold was so thoroughly cursed by death mana that we had no choice but to begin the process of cleansing it. Rightfully, some of that gold should go to you three, but unfortunately cleansing it is going to take a lot of time and resources. The death mana will be siphoned out in a safe manner deep within the Manse by myself and Baphelus. After the school and the crown take their pound of flesh¡­ there will still be a paltry amount left over for you three.¡± Gio blinked. ¡°We¡­ are getting a dragon¡¯s hoard?¡± he asked. A loud round of laughter resounded from the room. ¡°So to speak, yes. I should caution you not to expect too much from it though. Gold is plentiful in the Golden Ring, so the exchange rate will be murder if you attempt to exchange it for bits. We will guide you through that process when the time comes¡­ but for now, the best we can do is certain niceties¡­ such as assuring that you can visit your family, Gio.¡± Professor A continued. ¡°Would it be possible for me to give Gio my share?¡± Jean asked. Gio balked at his classmate Wincing, Professor A responded. ¡°Well¡­ in theory, yes. It is your prerogative to do with your wealth what you wish¡­ but it must be done so through the official gifting process¡­¡± Stolen story; please report. ¡°...And the official gifting process is heavily regulated to prevent the transfer of wealth among students. So, red tape.¡± Chandrika finished. ¡°Correct. Bureaucracy is¡­ the beating, bleeding heart of our institution, and it routinely wounds me to have to adhere to so much of it.¡± Eudora commented. ¡°Lastly, before we turn you three loose to explore the no-doubt blinking system notifications that have likely been burning a hole in your eyes, there is one final matter. The three of you will be receiving Commendations from yours truly.¡± The three students gasped at the news. ¡°My one stipulation is that I am not in the habit of allowing students to hoard commendations. Giorgio, I demand that you find a suitable use for your preexisting commendation from Alexander during your recovery period. I promise you that there is no such thing as a wasted commendation- so don¡¯t worry too much about choosing wisely. If whoever or whatever you spend it on tries to cheat you out of well-earned rewards, I¡¯ll have a chat with them.¡± Gio nodded his understanding, feeling overwhelmed. ¡°Well, with this lovely chat being over, I¡¯d like to once again thank the three of you for uncovering a massive, ancient conspiracy festering beneath my nose for centuries. I have a lot of work to do. Oh, I almost forgot- Chandrika, your grandmother and I are old bitter rivals, but we¡¯ve learned to love each other over the years. She sent you this.¡± Headmaster Vespertine shoved a small package into Chandrika¡¯s hands. ¡°You know, after years of envying the sages of your country, I think I could rather grow to enjoy having one under my roof! Let¡¯s be off, Alexander. Let these young ones review the rest of their spoils.¡± The aged woman said, cackling out of the room followed by Professor A. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I am glad that you¡¯re all safe. I¡¯ll see you in class,¡± he said. _____ The three students splayed out on the exceedingly comfortable floor, resting against several pillows in the room. ¡°I wonder how many Academic Credits it would take to make my room just like this.¡± Gio joked, eliciting a laugh from the other two. After the laughter died, a silence came over the room. ¡°What a whirlwind,¡± Gio said, sitting propped up against a fuzzy pillar. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s been¡­ a lot. I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re okay, Gio. A month is going to fly by before you know it.¡± Chandrika said, smiling at Gio. ¡°Agreed¡­ so, on the count of three, we open our notifications?¡± Jean asked, prompting eager nods from the others. ¡°One¡­ two¡­ three!¡± they counted in unison. _____ Beginner True Magic> _____ _____