Nethday came, bringing with it the soft golden light of morning that filtered through the vines crawling across their dormitory windows. Kor spent the early hours training with Talen, the familiar scent of soil and greenery from his roommate’s collection of plants filling the air. The oversized palm in the centre of the room glittered in the morning light, scattering rainbow shards across the floor with every passing breeze.

  The basic mana puzzle was a joke. Kor’s energy flew through the twisting pathways, the familiar patterns now etched into his muscle memory. It was too easy, a frustratingly simple exercise that offered little challenge. He’d long since outgrown it as a tool for improvement, instead using it as a crude measure of speed. He pushed himself to complete it faster and faster, a desperate attempt to wring some semblance of progress from the stale routine.

  Twenty seconds. That was his latest. Twenty seconds to navigate the winding corridors, a far cry from the stumbling fumbles of his early attempts. He hit the end; the puzzle alighting with completion as he snapped his focus back to the real world.

  “Done already?” Talen called from where he sat cross-legged between the Morthus and crystal palm. “You’re really becoming the master of the most basic mana puzzle.”

  “Haha, yeah...” Kor rolled his stiff shoulders, wincing at the lingering ache in his muscles. “I really need some more advanced puzzles.” The words tasted like ash in his mouth.

  Advanced puzzles meant advanced costs. The thought of asking Marcus for help—for another handout—sent a jolt of revulsion through him. He was grateful, truly, but the idea of using Marcus’s generosity to climb above him felt like cheating, a shortcut taken by those without the grit to do it themselves. He wanted to stand beside Marcus. Yes, even surpass him, but on his own merit. Begging wasn’t the path to rivalry; it was a path to dependency.

  “How do you practise mana control anyway, Talen? I haven’t seen you doing anything like this.”

  “Uh...” Talen’s brown eyes darted to the side, his usual confidence faltering. “I don’t need to… my control is just that good?” He seemed at a loss for words, fingers fidgeting with the crystal bark.

  “You’ve been coasting, haven’t you?” Kor’s lips twitched with amusement.

  “No, well.” Talen straightened his wiry frame defensively. “I’ve been busy with the Morthus and stuff, besides I’m far ahead of most students.”

  Kor grinned, picking up his cube as he tossed it over to his friend. The crystalline device spun through the air, catching the light. “Show me your skills, then. Show me how far I’ve got to go, to reach your lofty heights.”

  Talen fumbled with the puzzle but managed to catch it, his crystal palm blazing orange in sync with his surprise. The glow cast warm shadows across his face, highlighting his embarrassment.

  “I haven’t practised with this thing like you have, Kor,” Talen protested, turning the cube over in his hands. “Besides, you’ve basically memorised the layout!” His voice carried a note of defensive pride that made Kor’s grin widen.

  “That’s okay,” Kor said, arching a brow, “if you’re worried about losing to someone with less than a month’s practice...”

  A hint of steel entered his friend’s tone, the orange glow of the crystal palm intensifying slightly. “Fine, but I get at least three attempts. It’s only fair.”

  “Go for it.”

  “Oh, one thing first.” Talen got to his feet, stepping carefully around the Morthus pot as he headed over to his chest. The wooden container creaked as he opened it, rummaging through to produce a small crystalline orb, its surface catching the light like morning dew. He tossed it over with a casual “catch.”

  Confused, Kor looked at it, feeling its cool, smooth texture against his palms. “Some kind of puzzle?” he asked, turning it over to examine its clear depths.

  Talen snorted, choosing to sit on his bed with Kor’s cube cradled in his hands. The mattress springs squeaked softly under his weight. “It’s a communication crystal, so you can send a message to your parents.”

  “Just inject it with some of your mana and the device will capture your voice.”

  “Huh. Thanks Talen, you didn’t have to.”

  His friend waved it off, the gesture casual but kind. “Least I could do since you won’t be going home, thanks to me.”

  Kor wanted to say something, but Talen cut in with, “Now let me focus. I’ve got a newbie’s time to beat.” He hunched over the puzzle with exaggerated concentration.

  Kor focused on the crystal as a surge of mana emanated from Talen as he got started.

  Mom, Dad.

  He hadn’t seen them for so long now. It almost felt like a lifetime since he’d been planning on attending university with them, his old life feeling like a distant dream compared to the magical reality he now inhabited. The weight of his student robes, the bronze trim catching the morning light, served as a constant reminder of how much had changed.

  What could he talk about? How long a message could he even send? His fingers traced the smooth surface of the crystal as he pondered his words.

  Obviously, he’d avoid talking about his recent mishaps, but they might like to hear about his magic and the friends he’d made... He adjusted his glasses, pushing them back up his nose as he thought.

  Fractals. That was something his parents would definitely be interested in. He smiled to himself. His father had offered the hope that there would be some kind of magic related to mathematics, and it seemed as if he were right.

  Perhaps they might even offer him some of their own insights on how to leverage it properly. The thought of combining his family’s mathematical prowess with his newfound magical abilities filled him with excitement, temporarily pushing aside the homesickness that had been lurking at the edges of his consciousness.

  From across the room, his cube lit up with a bright flash as Talen completed it for the first time, the mana patterns dancing through its crystalline structure.

  “So slow, is this your first time using a puzzle, Talen?” Kor couldn’t keep the playful mockery from his voice.

  “Hey!” Talen’s indignant response was accompanied by a flare of orange light from the crystal palm. “That was just me testing the thing out. A few more tries and your record’s gunna be smashed.”

  Kor only smirked, settling back to watch his friend’s determined attempts.

  After another several attempts, each of which caused his crystal palm to shift a deeper tone of red. Talen eventually managed to surpass Kor’s time, though he’d worked up a small sweat doing so. His green-streaked hair clung slightly to his forehead with the effort.

  “Fine, Kor. Perhaps I have been slacking off a bit since coming here.”

  His friend stared off to the side before frowning, the admission seeming almost painful. The crystal palm’s glow dimmed to a soft glow of purple, reflecting his more serious mood.

  His tone more subdued now... “I could see about asking mother if she would get us some more advanced puzzles to work with. She spends most of her time teaching second-year students, but she might have something.”

  “Meeting your mother?” Kor asked as he walked over, the floorboards creaking softly under his feet. “Are you going to propose to me soon, Talen?”

  With a flex of mana, Kor felt a distinct thump against his arm, like being hit with a small cushion of air. “Hey!”

  Talen set the puzzle aside with deliberate care, but Kor noticed the faint smile tugging at his lips.

  Kor’s gaze returned to the Morthus pot that rested beside the crystal palm, its dark soil looking freshly watered. “Is it still doing okay? I haven’t really felt much from it.”

  Talen nodded, his expression turning professional. “Like I said before, they take a while to grow. When we add in the strange occurrence with your blood...” He shook his head, brow furrowing.

  “There’s nothing particularly strange about you, is there?” His friend asked, brown eyes studying him with newfound curiosity.

  “Uh... There might be a few things.”

  Kor glanced over to his clock, the magical timepiece’s soft ticking drawing his attention. He only had about an hour till... “Gotta go Talen, I’ve got work with Terra soon.”

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  “Professor taken an interest in you? That could be good, if you can impress her, anyway. Though I’ve heard of many students spending countless hours doing simple things like moving boxes from one room to another.”

  Kor got his shoes on, the familiar motion accompanied by the soft rustle of his robes. “Don’t they have basic labourers for such tasks?”

  “No, in case you forgot, basically everyone on the Conflux is a spellcaster.”

  “Ah right.”

  “Besides, you’re distracting me.” His friend frowned, leaning forward intently. “What’s up with your blood, anyway?”

  “Would you look at that? Time flies eh, cya later!” Kor snatched up his backpack and practically bolted for the door, his hasty exit making several of Talen’s vines sway in the disturbed air.

  As Kor left, the usual afternoon bustle filled the dormitory corridors. Groups of students clustered along the path, their voices mixing with the ambient hum of magic that permeated the campus. His gaze lifted to the crystalline spires that defined the skyline – Beta, their destination, stood among its sisters like frozen waterfalls caught in eternal suspension.

  Crystal bridges spanned between the towers, their translucent surfaces catching the light of the twin suns overhead. Students and staff traversed these aerial pathways, their forms seeming to float against the backdrop of the distant cityscape. The Nexus tower dominated that urban horizon, its massive barrier extending over both campus and city in a translucent dome, save for a subtle golden glow that marked its boundaries.

  He’d almost finished up reading about the basics of Arcane Artificing, had a simple plan ready to go. He just needed to select the right materials and learn a bit about enchanting first. The weight of the books in his backpack reminded him of how much more he had to research.

  Talen had been practically no help there, so he might need to pay a visit to Ether.

  However, it turned out he wasn’t the only one eager to show up as he caught sight of Lena sitting in the shadow of Spire Beta. Even at a distance, her long black hair was unmistakable, flowing like ink in the slight breeze. She’d found a small alcove which hid her from the twin suns. He couldn’t help but grin as he headed over. The cooling shade a welcome relief from the heat.

  “Darkness fend, Lena.”

  Her violet eyes looked up to him, a small smile forming that made his heart skip a beat.

  “Darkness fend, Kor.”

  “You’re a bit early, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah, I wanted to make a good impression. Getting a professor’s attention isn’t easy, or it wasn’t until now.”

  He moved over to sit down beside her, trying to ignore how his palms had grown slightly damp. The cool stone of the alcove provided a welcome distraction from the nervous energy coursing through him.

  “What do you think we’ll be doing? Terra seems to be focused on mana sensitivity, but that doesn’t really tell us anything.” His voice came out steadier than he’d expected, given how those violet eyes seemed to capture the crystalline light around them.

  She nodded thoughtfully, a strand of that midnight-black hair falling across her face. Kor fought the urge to brush it back.

  “I don’t know. But hopefully it’s something more interesting.” She said.

  “Have you had much success with the Shadow Lock?” He dropped his voice to barely above a whisper when mentioning the book’s title.

  She nodded, her enthusiasm making her eyes sparkle. “Yes, it’s been really easy to advance now that I’ve got a better grasp of what my specialisation is capable of.”

  His mind drifted to his upcoming Arcane Artificing project once again, the plans turning over in his thoughts.

  “Lena, do you know anything about runescripting or enchanting?”

  “Yes, enchanting is one of my electives. Why?”

  “Oh! I’ve got to make a project for Arcane Artificing, but it seems like most projects need to utilise enchantments or runescripting to function...”

  “So, you chose a crafting elective with no relevant experience?” She raised an eyebrow, her expression caught between amusement and disbelief.

  He blushed, the heat rising in his cheeks making him all too aware of himself. “It was Terra’s idea,” he trailed off, adjusting his glasses nervously.

  “The basics aren’t too difficult, really, but you should do some reading. Start with Spells that Stick. There’s more than enough copies at Ether’s.”

  “Thanks Lena!”

  “You’re welcome. If you get stuck, I’ll help. I owe you, after all.” She smiled again, and Kor felt his heart performing acrobatics in his chest.

  He couldn’t keep the grin from his face, though he tried to hide it by looking down at his hands.

  They still had a while to wait, but Kor couldn’t resist conjuring mana spheres and small fractal objects as he focused on his control. The familiar patterns helped steady his nerves, giving him something to focus on besides Lena’s presence beside him.

  Maintaining multiple at a time wasn’t as difficult as he’d once feared. Most of the concentration came in forming the spell. After that, it felt more like carrying several in his arms. Slightly distracting, but nothing he couldn’t manage. The floating geometric shapes cast ever-shifting shadows across the alcove’s floor.

  As he focused on keeping the spheres and fractals afloat, he realised his mana pool had really grown. When considering his already high starting point, he figured he might start attracting more attention. The conjured shapes spun lazily in the air, each facet catching the light of the twin suns.

  If he was going to challenge for the top spots, it was inevitable. But at the same time, he’d also misled Marcus and the others about his abilities. The thought weighed on him, making the floating shapes waver slightly.

  “I think that’s Terra.”

  Looking up, Kor caught sight of their professor approaching the spire. Terra’s fiery red hair seemed to dance in the afternoon light, gold streaks catching the sun like actual flames. She moved with characteristic energy, and an infectious smile broke out across her face as she spotted the two of them. Her amber eyes practically glowed with enthusiasm.

  “Early and eager, I see! That’s good. Let’s head inside and we’ll get you started.” Her voice carried the warmth of her element.

  They fell in beside her as Kor asked, “What are you going to have us work on?”

  She only chuckled, her gold-streaked hair swaying as she led them into the spire.

  Terra guided them up to the third floor. The elevator’s crystalline walls hummed with magical energy as they ascended, making Kor’s stomach do small flips. When the doors slid open with a soft chime, he had to suppress a groan at what lay before them.

  A cavernous chamber stretched before them, desks half-buried under precarious towers of cardboard boxes. The air carried a stale blend of old paper and the metallic bite of arcane materials. Around the perimeter, several doors bore faded labels Kor couldn’t decipher from this distance. Overhead, clusters of crystals emitted a stark white glow, illuminating the daunting scale of their new undertaking.

  “Here we are,” Terra announced, voice bright despite the chaos. Her fiery hair seemed to flicker, reflecting her boundless enthusiasm.

  Lena’s violet eyes flicked across the room in disbelief. “We aren’t going to just be shuffling boxes around, are we?”

  A peal of warm laughter escaped Terra’s lips. “Not just that. There’s some unpacking and organising, but it won’t take you all day.”

  Kor studied the seemingly endless stacks, shoulders tensing at the thought. He already felt a phantom ache in his arms.

  Terra offered a sympathetic smile, her amber irises gleaming with mirth. “Well,” she conceded, “maybe it’s a little grunt work, but I’ll more than make it up to you.”

  “So,” Lena prompted, crossing her arms, “what do we need to do?”

  With a graceful step, Terra headed to the nearest box. She pulled out a charred piece of wood that radiated faint mana, the shimmering energy distorting the surrounding air.

  “I’ll need these materials, research books, and crafting tools put in the right storage rooms. Each door is labelled—just tuck items where they belong.”

  Kor and Lena exchanged resigned looks, disappointment visible in the tight lines of their mouths.

  “It won’t be so bad,” Terra said, running a hand through her hair. The motion sent sparks of gold dancing along the strands. “I only need four hours of your time today and again tomorrow, same slot. Then we’ll get to the fun bits.”

  Kor frowned, shifting his weight. “Fun bits?”

  “Indeed. I’ve got a perfect exercise planned. Those boxes of mana crystals—” she gestured at a pile in the corner.

  “I’ll have you charge them with precise amounts of energy. Great practice for your control and sensitivity. And of course,” she added with a conspiratorial grin, “I benefit from having ready-to-use crystals for my experiments.”

  Lena raised an eyebrow, her voice gently teasing. “Mana charging services aren’t normally free, are they?”

  “Ha! You catch on quickly,” Terra replied. “But don’t worry, I’ll still pay you both for the charged crystals. Just don’t expect a fortune.”

  She practically glowed with excitement as she pointed to a door at the far wall. “Anyway, the faster you finish clearing up, the sooner we can dive into the interesting stuff. If you need anything, I’ll be in my office.”

  With that, she slipped away, leaving Kor and Lena to face a mountain of supplies. Kor pried open the nearest box. A cloud of dust rolled into the stale air, making him sneeze loudly.

  Lena’s nose wrinkled, and her eyes narrowed in mild disgust. “We’d better get started.”

  Kor shrugged, adopting a wry smile. “I can’t believe Talen was actually right about this. He told me I’d end up moving boxes.”

  “Talen?”

  “My roommate,” Kor explained, lifting the box’s worn flaps. “He’s obsessed with plants. I’ll have to introduce you sometime. I thought he was just teasing me about doing grunt work, but apparently not.”

  They fell into an unhurried rhythm, dragging containers or hoisting them in pairs. Thankfully, Terra had labelled each storage room with a simple icon or diagram, so it wasn’t too hard to figure out which items went where.

  As the pile gradually shrank, Kor decided to refine his mana control by levitating some of the lighter boxes while carrying the heavier ones in his arms. Talen’s voice echoed in his memory—warning that surrounding a volatile item with raw mana could trigger unexpected reactions. So Kor triple-checked each box for magical content before lifting it.

  A short while later, Kor paused to catch his breath, wrestling with a box crammed full of crystals. He glanced at Lena, who was busy stacking containers against the far wall.

  “Where do they even get all these things?” he asked. “The crystals, I mean. And the other magical components.”

  Lena swept a stray lock of ebony hair away from her face, straightening. “Most of them are sourced here in Conflux. The mana density outside the city leads to all sorts of bizarre reagents, especially after storms. The flashes of energy are how many of the crystals are created.”

  “Huh.” With a flex of his mana that sent a familiar tingle down his spine, Kor opened the door before tidying the box of crystals away in a corner. The storage room smelled of ozone and mineral dust, making his nose twitch as he returned to the main room.

  “Doesn’t the energy density increase the further from Conflux you travel?”

  “Yes,” Lena replied as she hefted her own box across the room, her face slightly flushed with effort. “That’s why powerful wizards are needed. Nobody else can venture that far out to retrieve the most exotic reagents. That and contend with the creatures...”

  They had the excursion outside of the city coming up sometime in the next month, and Marcus had talked about having them practise specifically for it. The thought made his stomach flutter with both excitement and anxiety.

  From what he understood, it was to be a group-based competition of sorts. Not that they’d be travelling far from Conflux city. Even so, the prospect loomed large in his mind.

  As the pair of them tidied away their professor’s mess, the repetitive work allowed his thoughts to wander. How many credits would be up for grabs? Also, what kind of competition was this expedition going to entail? Would they be gathering materials, fighting for objectives, or something else entirely?

  Another more disturbing question arose: What would happen if the Voidlings attacked whilst they were being tested? Grim flashes of their twisted forms spun through his mind. Now that Tortoise had become more active, he’d need to probe him for information. Ever since that vision, it was clear that his companion knew more than he was revealing.

  “Lentus?” Kor tried the name before shaking his head. Definitely a Tortoise.