I probed the edge of my wound, noting that I felt no pain as I did so. Sig had once told me something strange that happened during combat. In response to the situation, the body was forced into a combative state, and one trait was that pain was numbed to the point that severe injuries could be ignored.

Although I did not feel any pain, the flow of blood was so fast that I knew I would bleed to death if I did nothing. I sluggishly recited through the steps needed to treat a wound.

"Stop bleeding. Have to stop bleeding before I lose too much." I muttered to myself. My mind was already growing slower, and I felt cold, likely not a good sign.

I crawled along the ground and grabbed the thief's dagger, my hands slick with blood. I used the chipped edge to slice a strip of cloth from my pants. Although I nicked my leg's skin, I was able to cut off several inches of thick fabric.

Wadding it up as best I could, I pressed it hard against my side and held it there, still feeling none of the pain. The flow of blood slowed but did not stop.

"Focus Vayne, focus," I said, forcing my eyes to remain open as fatigue began to creep into my body.

I needed to close the wound, but I needed medical supplies to do that. I sat for a few minutes, holding the cloak down as hard as possible onto the hole in my stomach. Suddenly, I thought of something. I had brought this bag with me to classes before, and if luck was on my side, I might have left something useful behind.

Crawling over, I dug into the bag, throwing supplies out as I began to panic. Buried at the bottom was a small glass vial, filled with a thick, red liquid that I recognized as the healing potion Simon made our first Alchemy class. I grabbed the glass, nearly dropping it as the blood turned the surface slippery and challenging to hold.

I finally managed to open it, and drank the liquid, coughing as it burned down my throat and into my stomach. An intense itching came from the wound, and I swore as I rolled onto my back, peeling away the cloth to examine my injury.

The edges pulled a little closer together, and the bleeding slowed from a quick flow to a steady trickle. Professor Gladstone had noted it was limited to mild injuries, and I knew that all I had done was buy myself some time. I needed real medical treatment, and I needed it as fast.

Shakily standing, I reached down and shoved my things into my bag, throwing the thieve's dagger into the bag last. My shirt was covered in blood, but the Academy did not bother with guards, and it was late at night. I doubted anyone would stop me before I got to my destination, and the last thing I needed was to be questioned why I was wandering the Lower District by myself.

As I began slowly walking, I debated who to go to for help. No student would work in this situation. I was sure Simon would know how to mix healing potions, and he seemed kind enough to help me. But we lacked the supplies, and I was not ready to bring him in on my secrets.

Sig was my best option, and I was sure he knew how to patch up a wound like this with no trouble. But I had no idea where he would be at this time of night. Come to think of it, I was not even sure where he lived. That left only one reasonable choice, and I knew just where to find him.

Along the way, I mentally went through the staff exercises Sig taught me, the recipes we learned in Alchemy, history facts drilled into my mind by Girem, anything I could use to keep my mind active. Mental fog was settling over my mind, and I thought I could feel the flow of blood steadily increasing. My stomach was beginning to throb, and I knew the pain would soon enough come in full force.

Looking up, I realized I was only a few hundred feet from the Academy entrance hall. In my dazed state, I had wandered much farther than I had thought. By some small miracle, the entrance hall was abandoned, and most students would likely have turned in for the night.

Staggering along as quickly as I could manage, I turned down one hallway, struggling to make out each entrance with blurred vision. Finally, I saw the intricate swirls that marked one door and reached out with one hand, knocking weakly while keeping my other hand pressed against my stomach.

A few seconds later, Master Julian opened the door, bags under his eyes and an irritated expression on his features. His face turned to surprise, but before I could explain myself, my vision swirled, and I felt the world twist, blackness swallowing up my mind.

I could not say for sure how long I was unconscious, but when I opened my eyes, I was in my bedroom, my curtains open to overlook the city. Sitting in a chair nearby, reading a book was Master Julian.

"Ahh, you're awake. I was quite worried when you arrived at my doorstep, bleeding like a stuck pig, but it seems you're sturdier than I expected," Julian said, closing the book with a crisp snap.

I tried to sit up in bed, wincing, and sitting back down when a sharp pain shot through my stomach. Pushing back the covers, I noticed that I was barechested with white bandages wrapping around my stomach.

"How long have I been asleep?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"Unconscious, not asleep. And about half a day. I patched you up with some ointments and a mid-grade healing potion. The stab nicked a central vein in your abdomen, which is why you were losing so much blood. If you took any longer getting back here, you probably would've collapsed outside of the Academy. A disappointing end, all things considered." Professor Julian said, crossing one leg over the other and leaning backward in his chair.

"Thank you, Master Julian," I said, bowing my head. I was sincere this time, and realized with a shiver how close I had come to death.

Smiling, he stood and walked over to me before reaching down and pressing lightly on my wound. When I winced, he nodded and said, "You'll need another potion to finish closing your wound. I would have already given you one, but healing potions can cause side-effects if you take too many in a row. High-end ones, in particular, carry toxins that your body needs time to process." After he finished speaking, he reached into his robes and produced a glass vial with a red potion. Unlike the low-grade one that I had drunken, this one glowed slightly with a crimson light.

"It seems I owe you once again. This seems to be becoming a bad habit." I said with a chuckle, wincing again as my wound throbbed.

Master Julian waved a hand, smiling at my attempt at humor.

"Don't worry about it. If I had a gold piece for every apprentice who showed up with a knife wound to the stomach, I would be one gold richer. That does bring up an interesting question I have wanted to ask you."

"I made a mistake. I went to the Lower District at night like an idiot, relying on good luck and a half-baked plan to keep myself safe. And when I got confronted by robbers, I overestimated my ability to handle the consequences." I answered, a frown twisting my features.

"I see, that explains this sorry excuse for a knife I found amongst your things. I noticed damage to your channels as well, it seems like Aether is as destructive as rumored." Julian said, holding the knife with two fingers before placing it onto the table with a grimace.

Sitting back down with a sigh, Master Julian leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees. "So, what is your next move? I do hope you aren't going to take an assault like this lying down, metaphorically speaking. You don't strike me as the overly passive type, so I will be quite disappointed if you do."

I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths before opening them and looking at Master Julian.

"They stole something of mine, something important. I have no interest in revenge, but if nothing else, I want my possessions back."

Master Julian nodded before saying, "You could go to your sponsor's children for help. They seem friendly enough, and an attack on you is an attack on them, indirectly at least. It's in their best interest to defend you, and the Duke has the sort of pull to turn the Lower District upside down, searching for the criminals that stabbed you."

I paused and considered his words before shaking my head.

"I do not want to involve them in this situation that only came about because I was an idiot. And I am plotting against them, despite their kindness to me over the years. Asking for their help, and knowing they would provide it, makes me feel guilty, to put it lightly."

Shaking his head, Master Julian sighed and said, "Morality and shame are sort of things most advisors will have to discard sooner or later. Not bad traits, I suppose, but still a limitation in doing what needs to be done."

I closed my eyes, not answering as the severity of my mistakes began to hit me. I had gone from in a decent position to grow and improve as a mage, to a nearly hopeless point. I had lost Cortos' ring, and with it any real hope to change my destiny.

My face burned, and a few tears leaked from the corner of my eyes as I realized how close I had come to dying. A gentle cough shook me out of my self-loathing, and I opened my eyes to look at Master Julian.

"I can understand your shock and the emotions running through you. The first time we brush with death is often hard to process. I have taken the liberty of informing your instructors you will be taking the next few days of class off. Take the time to deal with your emotions and regroup." he said, standing and placing one hand before stepping back and turning to the door.

"I think I will leave you to get some rest. Don't forget, take the healing potion I left you later tonight." Master Julian said, before opening my bedroom door and walking out. A few seconds later, I heard him exit through the main room, presumably to return to his office.

Closing my eyes again, I took a few deep breaths, my chest feeling tight as I ran through the events of the previous night over and over in my head. As I began to feel tears well up again, a hiss and a sharp pain exploded on the side of my face.

Yelping in a pitch higher than I care to remember, my eyes shot open, and I jumped back, my yelp turning to a half-scream as my stab wound was jostled. Sitting next to me on the bed was Fortuna, his tail switching sharply as he stared at me.

A growl came from his chest, and he lashed out again with his claws, slicing deep into my arm this time.

"Stop it, damn it! I know I screwed up, but clawing me to death will not fix anything!" I shouted, a frown crossing my features as I held a hand between the furious cat and my face.

"Maybe I should just throw myself on the mercy of the Esttons. An advisor is not that bad of a life, is it?" I asked, not expecting an answer.

Fortuna stared at me, his tail flicking as his paw lowed back onto the bed. His eyes narrowed as we stared at one another, and as I tried to decipher his features, a flicker of something brushed against my mind.

Disappointment.

It took me just a moment to realize where the emotion had come from, and I growled to Fortuna, "I am sorry to disappoint you. I made a mistake. Are you telling me Cortos never made a mistake before? Or that he never regretted his choices?"

Fix

A single word, more of a whisper than anything shot through my mind, and my eyes widened as I realized Fortuna had spoken. Or at least, his version of speaking.

"H-how?" I asked, hating the stutter in my voice.

Fortuna blinked a few times slowly, and leaped off the bed, padding into the next room and leaving me alone. I stared after him before taking a steadying breath and slipping out of bed.

Grabbing one of the mana-crystals from my bag, I sat back onto my bed and turned it over in my hands. The stone was several inches long and cloudy, the marks of its quality. They were barely above trash in the minds of most mages, not worth nearly dying or losing a priceless artifact.

Setting the crystal down on the bed and closing my eyes, I pushed my mind down and began examining my channels for damage. I needed to determine how badly I was injured and find out how long I would have to avoid training. Dread turned to curiosity when I realized that my channels looked pristine and undamaged.

A moment of inspiration passed through me, and I glanced over at the table where Master Julian had left a healing potion. Picking it up and turning it over in my hand, I smiled in realization. I had assumed these sorts of materials were only useful for wounds, but it seemed they may have other uses as well.

A plan began to form in my mind, and I felt the ghost of a smile cross my face. If all went as planned, this might not be quite as disastrous as I first thought. I still needed to find the ring, and hopefully, Fortuna could assist me in time. But before anything else, I needed to meet with Master Julian, and make a request of him.

Six hours later, I knocked on Julian's door, this time standing up straight. I had drunken his potion, and my wound was now mostly cured, though I still moved carefully.

Opening his door, Master Julian sighed and gestured for me to enter before turning around.

"I was hoping you would take longer to come down here. Decisions made in haste are rarely the smartest move, you know."

I did not answer his indirect accusation and instead said, "I want to drop two of my classes. Would that be possible?"

Raising an eyebrow, he nodded after a second and said, "It's possible yes, but not done often. What classes?"

"War Theory and Dueling," I answered, my words clipped and short.

"Now that's quite interesting. War Theory I can understand, after all, you know enough that the first few years will be mostly review. But Dueling is extremely useful. How else would you develop combat skills with magic?"

Amelia's face shot through my mind, and I answered with a grin.

"I have some ideas. I need to keep Alchemy, Enchanting and Magic Beasts since I am already known by face and name in them. Martial Combat and Espionage have proven themselves useful, and the risk is minimal, and Spell-Casting and Magic Theory are all skills essential for me. Dueling and War Theory are risky, and frankly, my time would be better spent pursuing other things."

Giving me a matching smile, Master Julian nodded and said, "I'll submit the paperwork now. Good luck, Vayne."

Leaving, I had one more stop to make before I returned to my room and got some rest. Checking the various dining halls, I eventually found Simon sitting alone in a corner, reading a small book on alchemy.

Sitting down across from him, I coughed to get his attention.

"Oh, Vayne! Sorry, I tend to get lost when I'm reading. Nice to see you, how was your day off?" Simon asked, smiling at me.

Waving one hand, I shrugged and replied, "Could have been better, I suppose. But I wanted to ask you for a favor. I would love to get better at alchemy, and you are the best alchemist that I know. Would it be possible for you to take some time and help walk me through the basics after Magic Beasts?"

Simon raised his eyebrows before saying, "Of course! I'd be happy to help! We can start tomorrow if you'd like."

"Can we make it two days from now? I will be out of classes tomorrow, for personal reasons, but I should be back by our next block." I answered, hoping Simon would not dig too deeply.

Nodding a few times, Simon leaned in closer. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Waving a hand, I gave a smile and said, "No, but thank you. I appreciate the offer, Simon. I have to head back to my room, but thanks again." I pushed my chair back and left the dining hall, leaving Simon to his reading.

As I returned to my room and laid back down in bed, I grabbed a piece of parchment and began writing a list of supplies I would need to purchase from Thorpe when I sold my crystals. Feelings of self-pity and grief lurked at the edge of my thoughts, but I pushed them down as best I could and focused on my task.

I had no time to feel bad for myself, not right now. I had lost the advantage of Cortos' chamber, and in the process, lost the only real lead I had over the rest of the students. I lacked the resources to compete if I approached my education like any other student.

That left only one option left if I wanted to succeed as a mage. I needed to train both smarter and harder than any other apprentice at the Academy.