Itsuki kept training that night, even though his body was worn out. He kept expelling mana out of his body, trying to cast Chamber. Finally, Akeru walked outside to see him and sighed heavily.

Akeru: You are just hurting yourself doing this, you know...

Itsuki: Don't care...I'm going to learn this spell!

Akeru: Take a break; you have plenty of time-

Itsuki: No! We need all the time to accomplish our goals, damnit!

Akeru: Itsuki...I know what you mean, but if you hurt yourself, that will set you back even more!

Benjiro: She's right, Itsuki.

Benjiro walked in behind Akeru and walked to Itsuki, who just exchanged glares.

Itsuki: I'm not going to quit until I learn this spell!

Benjiro: You remind me of Katsuo.

Itsuki: Huh?

Benjiro lit a cigarette and exhaled smoke from his mouth away from Itsuki.

Benjiro: When we first started to work for Aurora, we trained our hearts out. I was more mindful of my body than he was; he would train every day without fail while Julia and I watched him.

Itsuki: How strong was he?

Benjiro: Painite, the highest Rank you can get.

Itsuki: P-Painite?!

Benjiro: Only a few Mages possess that Rank; it takes a lot of skill to get it...and he had the talent. I get it; you want to be as strong as possible, but wearing yourself out will get you nowhere.

Itsuki: What would Katsuo do in this situation?

Benjiro: Katsuo would bicker with me but then admit I'm right. Mainly because if he hurt himself, that would worry Aurora. Now come on, you'll get plenty of training tomorrow.

Benjiro turned and walked back into the castle. Akeru looked at Itsuki and followed Benjiro inside. Itsuki fell back and looked at the night sky; the stars were all out as he sighed heavily. The next day, everyone went to the dining hall for breakfast besides Itsuki.

Aurora: Where is Itsuki??

Benjiro: Probably didn't go to bed; I warned him not to...

Akeru: As did I...

Ci: That boy is truly a handful...

Akeru sighed as she looked down to see her breakfast was gone.

Akeru: H-Hey! Who took my plate?!

Ci: Interesting...

Ravenbeard: It was right there, lass! Did it walk on two legs?

Akeru: I would hope not!

Aurora: C-Calm down! Just make another plate; it isn't a big deal!

Akeru huffed as she went to drink her orange juice out of her glass to see a small white circle appear beneath it, causing it to drop down and then disappear. Akeru stood up and looked around.

Akeru: Alright, who is playing a prank on me at this time of day?!

Ci: I have a feeling I know who...

Cleo: So he finally did it, about damn time!

Akeru: W-Wait...Itsuki?! That bastard! I'll kill him!

Akeru rushed outside to see Itsuki step out of a white circle portal with an empty plate and glass.

Akeru: You asshole! Those were mine!!

Itsuki: Maybe you should take better care of your meal-

Akeru ran to him and tackled him, beating on him. Ci walked outside and clapped as Akeru got off him. Itsuki sat up and groaned a bit.

Ci: I won't go easy on you today because you chose to be stubborn and train overnight.

Itsuki: Yeah, yeah...

Itsuki got up and used Chamber to put the empty plate and glass back on the table.

Ci: Still, to use Chamber like that is impressive. Usually, that length within that distance takes time to master...

Itsuki: I figured it out not too long after you guys left last night, then I kept using it.

Akeru: So now you have a Chamber thingy? So you can stop losing your books?!

Itsuki: Not only that, I have a place to sleep whenever I want, so if we enchant you and Ravenbeard to my Chamber, we will have a mobile home!

Akeru: S-Seriously?!

Ci: Indeed, it's a beneficial spell to have on travels. Now that you know how to create a space like that, you must learn Link and how to transport between two points.

Itsuki: I'm ready, give me all the information!

Ci smirked at him as she did the thing she did the other day and wrote the pattern on the ground with her snow and ice for him. Akeru went back inside to Benjiro, where she continued to help him.

Ci: The trick this time is that instead of creating a temporary spell...you make a permanent one with a piece of your soul attached.

Itsuki: How the hell do I manage that?!

Ci: It is tricky, I won't lie...but if you were able to figure out Chamber, then you should have no issue; after all, your soul is linked together with it anyways.

Itsuki: What do you mean??

Ci: The soul and one's mana are two sides of the same coin. When you cast Chamber for the first time, did you feel a bit odd versus when you use it now?

Itsuki: Now that you mention it, yeah, just a little bit...

Ci: That is because the soul and your mana fused into one spiritual object for a brief second, then split that merged object before you, as the original fusion undoes itself into its original forms. That fused object is called a Masoul, a very unoriginal name I know...but the name has been around for ages.

Itsuki: So this...Masoul is related to Chamber and Link?

Ci: Correct, once a Masoul is released from your body, the spell will create the Chamber that is unique to you. That's why it takes so much out of you to accomplish the first cast.

Itsuki: So it doesn't do that for the other casts I do of Chamber?

Ci: Precisely, however, Link is a different scenario. It is one of the few spells that can be used with two different casts: The Masoul cast creates the points, while a regular mana cast lets you teleport between the two points.

Itsuki: Okay...so how do I do that?

Ci: Hmm...what would be a good way to explain it...

Ci put her fingertip under her mouth and thought for a moment.

Ci: I suppose the best comparison would be breathing? Think of it this way: You generally breathe without thinking about it, but taking a deep breath requires a small amount of brainpower.

Itsuki: I don't...quite understand-

Ci: What I'm trying to get at is you need to learn how to use your soul and not your mana. You already know how to use your mana and can do it without thinking, but you are not trying to use your mana but your soul. Once you figure out how to manipulate your soul better, you can force-fuse the two as you did with your first cast of Chamber. From there, it is as simple as casting Link simultaneously as expelling your Masoul!

Itsuki: I think I understand...so that's why these are so high Graded, not because of the difficulty of casting it, but the technique to cast it!

Ci: Precisely, which is why I didn't want you to wear yourself out! If your body was worn out and you tried that, you could have killed yourself!

Itsuki: I-I'll be a bit more careful next time...

The two continued to train the rest of the day, making little progress.