My classes proceeded at an exhausting pace. I was both exhausted and feeling like I was barely moving forward as winter came. Each had it's ups and downs and each felt as if it was getting harder.

My General Spellcasting was straightforward. At this point we were mostly still covering the basic techniques. General Bard was much the same. We had another field trip to learn about ink, a process which didn't smell bad at all. My non-magical classes were what I considered my rest periods. They were not held as high in regard by most students and were fairly straightforward. Atali Language and Dance were at least fun, and I even felt like I was starting to enjoy them. I was even enjoying Combat Spellcasting, not the least because we weren't having anymore fights for a bit. Professor Endel had decided to run us through some basic shields. I had learned a really simple one that deflected physical projectiles, it was painfully slow to get up, but was really something.

My Magical Items classes and Magical Materials were the outliers. Hern seemed to think that I was purposely dragging my feet so that I wouldn't have to decide if I would explain my trick in speeding up learning about the core. The truth was that I'd had to slow down as I hit the parts that looked to be dedicated to memory within it, as they were a bit different in structure. I was still going fast though. I was also starting to see something about the command sequences for the runes that was really nagging at me. I felt like it was staring me right in the face but I just couldn't place it.

I sat happily in Rooke's theory class, ruminating on all of this. He was going over another basic sequence that allowed an item to change color based on temperature in a given spot. It was useful in that it functioned as a thermometer, and also brought in the commands for temperature. We'd had to learn the structure for 'observe' a rather useful one that came up in many diagnostic items. It could be repeated multiple times to give information on several variables. Professor Rooke seemed to think he'd covered enough on the subject for the day though and invited questions.

"Professor, how will we know when our cores are ready?" Pinea asked when called upon.

"Oh, has Hern not told you? I suppose he might be keeping it as a surprise, but... The last bit is fairly obvious, it is considered the piece that really makes the core function for making items and allowing you to remake cores yourself. You'll also receive a message."

"What sort of message?" Another student asked, perking up.

"That's the thing, nobody knows what it is. Everyone has some theory, ranging from a simple confirmation that it's active to some profound secret about the core itself. They're all just theories though. I'm interested to hear if any of you have ideas when you get to see it. It'll only happen the once, so pay attention."

Well, that was cool. Some mystery announcement that you were ready to go and make items sounded like somebody's idea of a prank. There was a very good chance that it was some in-joke, or had no meaning at all and the ancient elven king who put it there just decided to screw with people millennia in the future.

As I packed up my things I had to start thinking about other items though. First was that we had reached a point in our Etiquette class that the professor decided we needed some actual real world experience. She'd therefore arranged for the school to put on a small ball of sorts. That was apparently not ideal by anyone's reckoning, but most parties for nobility were still nixed as the rebels that were still alive made moves in other provinces. The capital was quiet on that front though, I'd been told after the mana-eater incident His Majesty had gone nuclear on all those involved.

The school dance, because I really couldn't think of it as anything else had therefore been declared. Some had escorts and dates already, but a lot were scrambling to come up with someone to go with them. It was considered good form in this circumstance for a young man to ask his intended date by letter to join him for breakfast that morning five days prior to the event. The idea was to woo her there, then allow her to stew through the day until the event, or something like that.

I was unconvinced about the whole breakfast idea, but that wasn't my main problem. My main problem was that apparently word had gotten around that I could summon pure white, high quality paper. This meant that literally half the male students were requesting it because they wanted to make the best impression possible. There had been a number of incidents from young men already, and it was becoming a real pain.

The smart ones were grouping together with each other and finding someone's sister, or cousin, or whatever who could ask me for an order in the girl's dorms. Some were also sending notes, which I then had to sort out for what, how much, and to whom. A few were asking me between classes as well, these made up the bottom rung, as that was considered both rude by the nobles, and annoying by me.

The good news was that after consulting with the other girls in our dorms I'd come up with a price that had shocked my sensibilities. I think some of the girls were telling me to set it so high just so they knew the boys were spending a lot of money on them. The male half of the student body didn't seem bothered though. I myself couldn't complain too much because I was making an absurd sum.

A small cough stirred me from my reverie. As I looked up to meet the eyes of Professor Rooke I froze for a second. He looked oddly pleased.

"Yes professor?"

"Professor Hern informs me that you're nearing completion of your core. He said you'll be done with the apprentice level sometime in the next few days if you continue at your going pace. Even if you've slowed down as of late. I wanted to congratulate you."

"Oh... thank you."

"Once you have, you'll be able to make your first item. Have you thought about what you want that to be? I normally consult with my students much later, but you're rather early in your education for making something and your first item should be something special. Many like to make something that they can keep as a memento, or use daily. I myself made a small lamp of which I'm rather fond."

"I haven't actually put much thought into it. Something small and useful would be nice though, maybe something I could wear? I'll have to think a bit on it, but maybe a light source would be nice. For a second there I thought you might be coming to ask me about my growth like Professor Hern has." By this point we were alone in the classroom, all other students having headed off for their break.

He nodded. "Is Hern pestering you often then?"

"About every three days or so he asks if I've learned enough to decide," I admitted

"I will tell him to cease. Alana, in the future kindly come to me with things like this. I am your guardian after all." He saw my confused look at that and raised an eyebrow of his own. "What is that look about?"

"I'm just surprised. I thought you'd be pressuring me to tell you too. You seem to... almost not be bothered though."

"I am patient. While I greatly desire for you to let me in on your little secret I am willing to wait. Professor Hern's approach is more likely to drive you away. If you need to see what it could do before you tell me, I shall show you, and that will take time. I'm willing to invest that time Alana, because that investment is one I believe will pay off well."

My real concern at this point was the idea of hacking a core, particularly one that was inside of someone. I was still learning about all of the inputs and outputs and I didn't think that was possible, but I was still trying to figure it out. The core was in the brain after all and seemed to have some form of interaction with it, that meant that messing with it could be insanely dangerous. My question was though, could someone else force that interaction from outside?

"Well, thank you for that professor. I am trying to figure it out."

"I'm glad. Now, best not be late for anything, off you go."

I sat in the core building room in my circle, working away. I dreaded the idea of going back to my dorm and resting because tomorrow was when all of the date invites would be sent out. I had no idea how many, if any, I was going to get.

For that reason I was on my second session, and I saw the last piece. The final bit that needed to go in to finish this project off. I could feel it and even understand it. The rest of the core had been methodical, built block by block. The rest of the core felt like it was fashioned by the hands of a wizard, but this, this was bardic, it couldn't be anything else.

There was a ball of intention right at the center of the core, all the rest of the pieces had been build around it, leaving only this bit of magic. It was so different it was nearly jarring, and so beautiful. I understood it as I looked at it. I understood it as it showed me how to make it because that's part of what it did.

As I formed it I felt it flowing through my core. The bits that had been little paths of light flared to life, lighting the whole thing up as it flowed. It was astoundingly beautiful to watch, a work of art and science all in one, all coming together. The light of the last piece worked it's way out methodically, flowing through all the paths I'd made like a lightning bolt.

This bit of magic had only a few functions, but they all melded wonderfully together. First, it allowed the mind to interact for some very limited purposes, this was only able to show how to build/grow it, and to work on the final function. This was where the little light that had shown me the way to build my core had come from, where the magic that let me float in my own mind originated.

Second, it detected faults. The core knew what it was supposed to look like and how it was supposed to function, and it showed me that it's advancements were nothing but that, no addition of function, only addition of speed and ability. It also knew when things were wrong, and if they were wrong and tried to work wrong it would retaliate, breaking itself. This magic protected the core and assured that if it were transferred, it was transferred correctly.

Thirdly, it could read the runes on an object if they were connected to the core properly. I understood that because the spell was becoming part of me. I even understood how to link them, it was a surreal experience. Someone had managed to learn to do this manually, and shoved that knowledge into this magic.

The final function appeared before me now. Now it was ready as it was finally complete and able to function itself. Within my mindspace a small board appeared. I knew that I could make symbols on it, but not what for. I suspected it could also display information. A suspicion that was quickly confirmed as words in a language I'd not seen written in years appeared upon it. Two simple words in my first native tongue that sent me into instant shock.

"Hello World"