"Keep your guard up, Vayne! You're dropping on the right side and leaving yourself open! Amelia, mind your balance!" Sig shouted, his arms crossed across his chest.

I stepped in close, striking twice quickly with my staff before stepping backward out of range of Amelia's counter. She moved in close, probing my guard with a thrust and searching for openings. I decided to give her one and dropped my defense on my left side.

Her eyes flashed, and she swung her weapon lightning-fast, but still slow enough for me to deflect the strike. A twist of my weapon and her attack struck the wooden haft of my quarterstaff rather than my ribcage. I could see her eyes widen as she realized she had made a mistake.

Before she could move out of range, I stepped in close, dipped my staff, and swept her leg out. Amelia tripped over the attack, stumbling and falling to the ground, with a shocked look on her face. It was the first time I had managed to get the better of her in sparring.

"Excellent, Vayne! Very nice improvisation, if a little too risky for my tastes!" Sig shouted.

I smiled, holding out a hand for Amelia, who looked up at me with a mixture of surprise, irritation, and pride. Taking my hand, she stood and chuckled before saying, "Nice trick. Where did think up that move?"

"We spar enough that I bet you would try and take advantage of the opening in my guard. And I know you well enough to predict that you would let your defense down to claim victory." I answered, shrugging at her praise.

"I'm glad to see how much you've improved Vayne, but don't get too cocky. Trickery only goes so far in a fight." Sig cautioned, a stern look on his features.

I nodded, feeling satisfied with my performance regardless. Sig had never steered me wrong in practice yet, and I took his advice to heart.

"Alright, let's call it for today! Next class, we will start with swords. I'm sure you are excited, Vayne," Sig said, glancing at me with a smirk.

I smiled, shrugging at his accusation before replying, "I have grown up hearing stories of warriors dueling with swords, so it tends to stick in my mind. I am curious why you are having us learn another weapon so early, though."

Sig nodded, his face becoming focused as he returned to his role as a mentor.

"I started you with spears, or staves would be the more accurate term, because that is the most accessible weapon to learn and, in my opinion, a better overall choice. But spears bring with them their own disadvantages. They're cumbersome to carry, difficult to use in close range, and far less effective if the opponent gets past the metal tip. Swords, by contrast, are easy to carry and excel in the tight quarters."

"I think I understand, but why would we not focus on a single weapon until mastery? It seems like a bad idea to spread our training so thin across many different weapons and styles?" I asked, confused why we were moving onto swords.

"Simple, I don't want you to become hyper-specialized with one weapon. You are learning methods to survive without magic in combat, and you will not always have a choice of weapons. You need to be able to use whatever is available and competently at that." Sig explained, his voice calm.

His answer made sense, but I did have one question that sprung to mind.

"What about fighting without any weapons? It seems like it would make the most sense to not be reliant upon a tool at all."

Sig nodded before replying, "Simple. Even if you are a master hand to hand combatant, a halfway decent fighter with a spear and shield will win ninety-nine times out of a hundred. I will eventually teach you how to throw a punch or kick properly, but when it comes down to it, you should reach for a weapon before anything else."

His words made sense, and I was glad I had taken to carrying my dagger with me at all times.

"Get some rest and something to eat, you two. Nice work today." Sig continued, before turning and walking away from us.

Amelia and I made our way to the dining hall, talking as we walked.

"My ankle already is sore, thanks for that," Amelia said, bumping me with her shoulder.

"If we are keeping track, I think I still have a few thousand bruises on you. I would say you got off easy today." I answered, smirking and stepping away to dodge her retaliatory attack.

Our dinner passed the same as most other nights, with one major exception. Simon had begun to join us at dinner, and the three of us had become something close to friends. I suspected they would say I was their friend, but I was keenly aware of my position with them.,

As Girem would say, I did not have the luxury of friends. Every time we all laughed about a joke or complained about a lesson we struggled in, I felt a twinge in my chest. I knew I had to keep them at a distance, and I was failing. It was a situation that would end poorly, but I did not have a solution yet.

Saying goodbye to them, I told Amelia I would have to postpone our practice until the next night, and headed to my room to wash off the dried sweat from Martial Combat. As I walked into my room and spotted Fortuna, I wondered if I had come far enough to begin searching for my ring.

A month had passed since my near-death experience, and in that time, I had thrown myself headfirst into training. Although I had worried initially that I was making a mistake by dropping classes and pumping myself full of potions, the results were impossible to dismiss.

Every morning, I started my day working with Sig, tearing my body apart with workouts far more intense than safe. Returning to my room, I tempered for an hour before drinking a healing potion. The potion repaired the damage by the end of the day, allowing myself to recover for the next morning.

In just a few short weeks, I had seen physical improvements that would have taken months of dedicated exercise to achieve. And my tempering was fast enough that I was satisfied, though I knew it was slower than with Cortos' chamber.

My potions had helped me speed my growth rate immensely, although sometimes the side-effects were uncomfortable. Every night shortly before bed, I drank a Blood Cleanser. Although I had read the effects would be unpleasant, I had not stopped to consider exactly what would happen.

The human body was able to flush toxins out naturally, but there were only several places to expel them. The potion I used preferred to take the most direct path from the stomach, which tended to be...uncomfortable. I still continued to take it, but I would have preferred to avoid them in the future.

Three times a week, I met with Simon to polish my alchemy skills. While he could still work circles around me, I was now able to mix my potions to a high quality. We still continued to meet, but most of the time, we socialized and discussed topics of interest.

I learned from Simon that his family were nobles not because of any long lost ancestors centuries ago, but rather because of his great-grandfather's accomplishments. The man had been the first of them to become a mage, and though he was barely above average in raw power, he was an absolute genius. His greatest achievements had been various improvements to a dozen potions, including the Draught of Awakening.

The rest of his family were similarly talented, all intelligent and skillful crafters. Simon's cousin Jonathan was already a master enchanter, and he supervised Awakenings mostly to repair any enchantments damaged or worn down during the process. Simon's father was himself an alchemist who preferred to work on improving existing techniques and methods.

When I asked Simon what he hoped to learn at the Academy, his answer surprised me.

"I know I'll never become a truly great mage. Water mages like myself are not known for our incredible might in battle, and I don't enjoy combat anyway. I can't even eat meat, because I hate the idea that some animal died to feed me. But if I can discover something, a potion, or some type of medicine that can help people? That would be incredible." he had said, with a giant, naive smile on his face.

When he said that, I felt a bit of shame for my selfish dreams. Not enough to discard my ambitions, but enough to realize Simon was a better person than me.

By contrast, my performance in Enchanting and Magic Beasts had both suffered, mostly because I had no immediate use for either class. I was considering dropping these classes as well, but I felt they still had bits of wisdom and power to glean from their lessons.

Although I had no intention of taming wild beasts, their unusual anatomy raised questions for future research. And enchanting was something my Aether mana was particularly suited for, an advantage I needed to consider.

Finally, I had managed to break through my first significant block in Espionage. I had struggled to detect mana at will, but thought of a possible solution over a month ago. If we closed our eyes to block our vision and sharpen our senses, what would happen if I removed more than just sight? Could I enhance my sensitivity to mana even further?

With this in mind, the day I was stabbed, I had purchased three things from Thorpe. The first was an elixir used by medics and designed to numb the sense of touch, to prevent patients from feeling pain. By using wax to form ear and nose plugs to block hearing and smell, I was left with just sight and taste.

When I wrapped a thick cloth around my eyes to block my sight, I found myself nearly blind to the world around me. Of course, this was not enough to immediately solve my problem, and I still struggled to sense mana. I suspected the raw power and volume of my mana was causing this issue.

It took me a whole week, even with these preparations, to first sense mana. Another week, and I was able to sense mana at will, though only with extreme focus and concentration. Despite that, I was determined and took to practicing my senses during my other classes.

Occupying the remainder of my days was filling mana crystals and cultivating however I could. My first day, I had taken four hours to fill a single stone, but as my control and skill improved, that time had begun to shrink. Every crystal was done a few minutes quicker, and I was down to around two and a half hours.

And although I was not able to increase my power with traditional methods, I had found a way to continue growing stronger without increasing my mana.

Purification.

In each mages core and channels were impurities, the remnants of the blockages cleared during Awakening. These impurities would clog the organs, slowing mana channeling and decreasing its overall efficiency.

Most did not bother cleaning out these impurities. Instead, apprentices were encouraged to focus on increasing the volume and density of their mana. These impurities would gradually be worked out of the body, and in most cases, the minor improvements were not worth it. Their time would be better spent cultivating, enhancing their mana, or practicing spells.

But I was a unique case. I could not improve my mana until I was sure I had tempered enough to withstand its power. I had experimented a week before and found that I was able to cast a single spell a day without damaging my channels.

So, whenever I finished tempering for the day, I would use a technique called the Cleansing Flame to slowly break apart the impurities in my body using my mana. Professor Clemons had reluctantly shown me the method on my request, though he had noted I should be focused on mastering Origin Breathing.

Of course, I was not without any problems as a result of my experience. I had always been cautious, but lately, I felt it was beginning to edge into outright paranoia. I was continually examining my surroundings, and began carrying a dagger everywhere I went. I was able to function on only four hours of sleep with potions, but what rest I got was broken up with nightmares of violent assaults.

After cleaning myself off, I stood and made my way down to the dining hall to meet with Leon. Although I had already eaten with Amelia and Simon, I made a point to occasionally socialize with the Esttons, Leon, in particular.

In an ideal world, I would have the power and wealth to flourish without assistance. I loathed the idea of relying upon others, even friends, to survive and thrive. But I did not live in an ideal world, so I had to make sacrifices.

In this case, I needed to sit through dinners, picking away at small bits of food, and pretending I did not want to throw Theo from the nearest window. I thought of myself as a reasonable person, but hearing Theo alternate between dramatic retellings of his incredible magical prowess in an attempt to impress us, and flirting with Sophia fruitlessly tested my patience.

And more than that, I had another reason I wanted to get close to Leon. Tonight, after dinner, I felt comfortable to take that step.

"Master Leon, may I speak to you in private?" I asked as we all began to stand, angling my head towards the hallway.

"Of course, Vayne. Lead the way." Leon said, smiling at me.

I lead us down the hallways and to the entrance hall, scanning around us with my primitive mana sense. I was unable to determine individual types of mana or pierce veils cast by a master, but I could sense apprentices quickly enough.

"My lord, as you know, I am forever in your family's debt for giving me the opportunities you have so far gifted me. If not for your father's generosity, I would not even be in this school." I said, feeling sincere gratitude.

"There is no need to thank us, Vayne. You earned your position here, more than most students frankly." Leon replied, waving one hand dismissively at my gratitude.

"Thank you, sir. But...well, I feel that I can do more for your family than spend my time in a classroom." I said, scanning his features for a reaction.

Leon's eyebrow raised slightly, and he titled his head to one side before asking, "What do you mean by that?"

Here was the moment I had considered for weeks now, carefully revising what to say in my head.

"The Academy often sends students on trips, under the guidance of masters to practice their skills in real-world situations. There is one during our winter break, before the start of the second semester. Usually, as just an advisor and a sponsored student, I would not be given leave to accompany these groups. However, I know that both you and Sophia will be on that trip, and I feel that I could learn much accompanying the two of you. And of course, it would be a perfect opportunity to get used to working together, as we will be for years to come." I finished, folding my arms behind my back.

I had learned about the trip from Amelia, who was unable to attend due to family obligations. A one month trip along the coastline or visiting various settlements in our borders would not be particularly useful in most cases, and my time would likely be better spent training on my own. But this was an exception.

The trip would be east, just outside of the borders, to help quell some hordes of magic beasts. The creatures were dangerous, and some of them would often push against Ferris's outskirts, threatening it's citizens. Sig once told me that the first time a beast charged, most men froze. I needed to experience these stresses and grow from them now, rather than when I eventually left Ferris to find Cortos' remaining sanctums.

Leon rubbed his chin with one hand, turning my words over in his mind. In truth, my request was not unreasonable, and my logic sound. It was unusual for a commoner to go on such a trip, but I suspected Leon would agree to discuss the idea with his father.

After several minutes, Leon nodded and smiled at me.

"That sounds like an excellent idea, Vayne. I will have to discuss it with my father, but I am sure he will agree. Of course, you will need to listen to whatever Sophia or I tell you to make sure you are not hurt, but it will be good to work together. And your knowledge of Alchemy and combat tactics will be invaluable. I will send a message to him tonight."

I bowed low, hiding the pleased grin on my face, and when I straightened, my expression was one of gratitude.

"Thank you, my lord. I will let you get back to your room and not take up any more of your time. Good night, sir." I said, turning on my heel and returning to my room.

If all went well, I would be able to take this trip and explore outside of Ferris for the first time in just two months. That left me with a goal to achieve before the end of our fall semester.

By the time this trip had come, I wanted to be able to cast spells reliably and without stress. I would also prefer to have a weapon better than a tiny dagger on hand, but that was a secondary concern. Overall, I needed to be able to protect myself, rather than be forced to rely upon the Esttons for protection.

And that meant I had another, much sooner deadline if I wanted to make that possible. I needed to retrieve the ring, and I needed to do it within the next few weeks.