"Okay, now increase the flow of energy, but slowly. Let the mana settle and bind with the metal, but remember that it's a trickle, not a stream. It's a gradual process, and if you push too fast, it might-"

There was a thunderous crack that made my ears ring as the solid iron bar, as thick around as my forearm, fissured right down the middle. Aether streamed out of it, and I sighed, pulling in a deep breath and reclaiming what little energy I could.

"-do that." Master Laila finished, leaning forward across the desk and placing a hand against the metal ingot. There was a brief flash of pale gray, and when it faded, the iron was once more unblemished, as if never broken.

I hid a sigh, staring at my distorted reflection in the iron and ruminating on my failure. Two weeks had passed since I had taken a metaphorical leap and asked Amelia to the banquet. In the interim, not much had changed, not that I was surprised or distraught.

Amelia did not seem the type to make a big deal about something like this. I doubted it was the first someone had expressed interest in her. And for my part, I did not want to change anything, really. It was just a banquet, and between our differing social standings and far more pressing concerns, potential romances were a distant thought.

And, of course, I had no idea how to handle something like that. Did you treat them the same as before? Or did you act differently? Maybe there was a book I could read, or Leon could offer some advice.

To occupy my thoughts and avoid overthinking entirely hypothetical relationships, I began working more on forging. With my sensory skills improving thanks to dedicated training, it seemed a logical step. If I could get faster and more efficient with mana constructs, everything would improve. My attack spells would hit harder, my shields would grow stronger, and everything would flow smoother.

By this point, Master Laila had moved from creation into reinforcement, the second major category of forging. The first thing she taught us was relatively simple and involved pushing mana into physical material. By letting it fill the object, we could detect reverberations and gain a sense of its structure. It reminded me of bats, which I learned from another class could use sound bouncing off objects to 'see.'

But the next skill was where my element once more revealed its limitations.

Typically, after understanding the structure, a forger would remove impurities from the medium. This could be sand in metal alloys or debris in the water, but regardless, it tended to degrade the final product. Any mage could pull this off, even if the material was outside of their element, with reduced efficacy. Well, all save one.

Because I was an Aether mage, I could not directly manipulate these materials or remove impurities without literally ripping them free from an object. This was not an issue for liquids or gases, but I did not want to work with those. My original plan when I took Forging as a class was to create weapons and armor for myself.

Now, there was no use crying over something I could not change. Maybe I could find a workaround eventually, but at least it gave a chance to focus efforts on the third step in the process, binding mana to the object.

If done right, this was the key to creating impossibly strong metal alloys. A master forger could make cheap iron strong enough to cut right through solid rock. Already, I had dreams of a spear capable of piercing dragon hide or armor that could deflect spells without a scratch.

Now, all I had to do was master this damned skill without blowing up a metal ingot. Again.

Once more, I laid my palm against the cold metal and again pushed my mana inside, getting a feel for the structure. It appeared ordered in neat, uniform lines that only magic could create. Master Laila really was deserving of her title.

As my mana pushed into the metal, I kept a tight reign on it, carefully filling the entire bar. When there appeared to be enough, I focused on the idea of 'fusing' the mana to iron as I overlayed the two in my mind's eye.

This was the step where our knowledge showed its limits. We knew that if you focused and pushed mana into an object, you could bind it at a structural level. Some theorized this was possibly how magical beasts gained their increased abilities. But we did not know the 'why' or 'how' of the process.

It made me grit my teeth and curse the time limits placed on me. Blindly fumbling seemed an excellent way to learned the wrong lessons or make mistakes, but I decided to persevere. I would master the skill because it would serve a purpose, and later when I figured out the rest, I could incorporate it into my understanding of magic.

I hated that; The ignorance and blind fumbling. It seemed an excellent way to miss something crucial or make a terrible mistake. But I would learn and master the skill because it would serve a purpose. Later, when I figured out the rest, I could incorporate it into my knowledge.

As minutes ticked by, my mana began to vanish, absorbed into the metal. I heard a groan from deep within the bar but pushed it aside, carefully holding my energy in place and focusing, repeating the same word in my head.

"Fuse."

As the thought ran into my mind, I clamped down with my will, relying on months of training. It was a strange, unfamiliar bit of magic, but it was still magic, and as long as I remained focused, it should work.

I could not say how long had passed when a hand lightly tapped my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see Master Laila standing beside me, a cheery smile on her face as she reached past me and grabbed the metal bar.

"Interesting." Laila muttered under her breath, running fingers over the iron, "A few stress fractures, but nothing terrible."

Despite her words, there was something on her face; A flicker of something that I could not place and the sensation that she was not telling me everything. I knew I had to ask.

"Is there a problem, master?"

Laila looked up to me, nodding after a moment.

"You managed it, and the metal is stronger...but your mana caused damage. And you are just a Vapor, as weak as you'll ever be. So even with perfect technique and control, iron probably won't last beyond Haze."

"I-what should I do?" I asked, my dreams beginning to fade like mist in the sun. If I destroyed materials just by working with them, did that doom my efforts with forging?

"At this point? Continue to practice while I think up a solution. I did tell you that I wanted to test out some theories about Aether, right?" she said with a smile.

Despite her apparent assurances, I could not help but wish not for the first time that I had been another element, one with fewer complications. I doubt fire mages had quite so many issues just trying to perform a simple technique.

There was just under a month left until classes broke for the winter. That was not a problem in and of itself; Tests to pass each were not until the end of next semester, and that gave me plenty of time to prepare.

No, my more significant concern was remaining at the Academy over the break. Typically, students returned home to their estates, taking the chance to relax, spend time with their families or otherwise avoid the capital. After all, training to become a mage was stressful, and many felt that proper rest was just as valuable.

That, and some were just plain lazy, preferring to rely on resources or waste time. They did not have any looming threats of death hanging over their heads, or at least none that they knew were coming.

For me, that break represented a month wasted. More than a month, actually. My progress would grind to a crawl as my income dried up. I could not hunt, train with Sig or peruse the Archives to expand my knowledge. At best, I could practice magic and gather mana, but even then, far less freely than at the Academy.

If I wanted to continue forward and maintain any sort of lead, I had to remain here. And to do that, I needed a solid excuse. Luckily, I had thought of one.

"You want to work as...my assistant?" Master Julian asked, closing his book and looking up at me with a raised eyebrow.

I nodded, taking a seat in front of him and responding, "Yes, sir. As I understand it, masters can take personal assistants of their own, to assist them in their research or otherwise take care of busywork."

It was not a perfect solution, but the best one I could think of on short notice. Requesting to remain here and continue training on my own could work by itself, but that was not the safest best. Leon would be open to the idea, but there was a gray area about who I answered to at the end of the day.

Leon would be my lord someday, but until then, I was under his father's command. Duke Estton might let me remain behind, or he might say Leon was too soft by letting me do what I wanted. But, kind as he was, the duke was a traditionalist and would rather I stay in my place.

"Never build a fortress on unstable ground" was a phrase I read once and seemed applicable. I am relatively sure the author meant a literal fortress, but still.

"Sure, but...well, you're a first-year. I can probably pick someone more capable, don't you think? I'm not the most popular master around, but I'm not that bad."

"For one, you like me," I said. I was not sure I was right, but it seemed like a decent answer.

"Maybe, but friendship's no replacement for competence." Julian countered.

"I can learn,"

"And I can teach, but the point is for you to save me time."

"I can teach myself and still save you time," I said, sensing the argument was turning away from me.

Master Julian did not reply, gesturing vaguely as if that was enough. It was, and we both knew he had won. But I still had one card left to play. Blatant begging that seared at what little pride I had.

"Please, sir. I need to-I will do whatever tasks you require of me if you give me a chance." I said, not having to feign much in the way of desperation.

His eyes scanned my face, and silence filled the room. I felt my foot begin to bob up and down, a habit I had tried and failed to tame. Finally, as we neared a full minute of silence, Julian let out a long-suffering sigh.

"Fine, but only because I know Sig will catch wind, and I don't want to deal with him," he said, shaking his head with a rueful smile.

I returned the smile, bowing and responding, "Thank you, my lord," before straightening.

"Yeah, you're welcome. Now, much though I love our little chats, I'd rather have some privacy. I teach all day and enjoy my quiet time."

I nodded, turning and walking from the room, holding back a relieved sigh until I was halfway back upstairs.

I had a few backup plans, namely finding work with another Master. Laila might humor me, and I had done well enough in Enchanting and Magic Theory that Hamilton and Clemons were also options. But Julian was the option that appealed best to me.

He was my advisor, spoke with me freely, and helped set up training with Sig. Beyond that, his unusual skillset appealed to me more than any of the others, and he seemed the safest option. The others might say no, but I was relatively confident he would at least consider me.

And besides that, if I could keep a careful eye out and help him with his research, maybe he would accidentally let something slip. I liked Julian, but I was not so blind to allow a golden opportunity to pass me.