------

Wolfgang nodded with approval as his son Reinhardt tried to make friends with Arjuna’s daughter. They had gathered in a high-class bar/restaurant to celebrate the two getting accepted into the Academy. The official results had not come in yet, but it was quite obvious the two would be among those chosen. Karna had been the obvious star of the whole thing and had defeated the others with a gap large enough to crush any opposition, while Rein had done quite well in his own right. He had been in the ten best performers during the exams. A handful of people that had taken longer to get through the first part of the exam had finally passed him on the stairs that tested everyone’s potential, but he had given an excellent showing of himself nonetheless and Wolfgang was proud.

"That's not going to end well," Arjuna muttered next to Wolfgang, also looking at the two youngsters.

Wolfgang looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Why in the world not?” He asked a little surprised.

Arjuna gave an apologetic smile. “I’ve talked with Rein a couple of times. No offense, but he’s not the brightest young fellow, while Karna on the other hand is quite precocious.”

“Are you saying your daughter is snobby about such things?” Wolfgang asked, misunderstanding a bit.

“Not at all. From what I’ve seen, she doesn’t seem to be at least, though you can never quite tell how people behave when you’re not around. However, she’s not very good at hiding the fact that she’s smart. She’s going to make your son feel stupid without even realizing she’s doing it. I don’t know if he has the maturity to deal with it.” Arjuna explained his reasoning.

"Ah, in that case, good," Wolfgang responded as he realized where his friend's mind was headed.

“Good?” It was Arjuna’s turn to be surprised.

“Yes, good. You’re right that unlike Sieg, Rein isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. Frankly speaking, he’s a blunt instrument. Sometimes that’s good, as quite often a blunt instrument is exactly what you need. However, he needs to learn his limits. That’s why I’m sending him to the Academy despite his rather minor magical ability. I’m not sending him there to learn to throw spells. I’m sending him to learn to deal with failure and to learn other essential skills in life. He needs to learn where to direct his strength as a blunt instrument, and he needs to learn when that’s not enough. If your girl can start those lessons, then all the better. That way he won’t be humiliated in front of everyone.” Wolfgang explained his perplexing statement.

"That's…not what I expected," Arjuna admitted slowly. Wolfgang could be brutally practical sometimes, even with his family.

“Of course it’s not. Sometimes you don’t pay enough attention and underestimate people. With your skills and power, that’s easy to do. We mere mortals on the other hand have to learn to be clever.” Wolfgang smiled, pleased with himself. It was always fun to one-up Arjuna in something.

“What about Siegfried?” Arjuna asked after a moment.

“What about him?” Wolfgang played his part.

“Is he a blunt instrument as well?” Arjuna asked rather impolitely, but Wolfgang had to admit that he had baited the other man with his explanations.

“No. He’s quite clever, and I have high hopes for him. He’s…inexperienced though. He doesn’t quite understand the complexity of the world yet, nor the lengths some people will go to get what they desire. He will learn. What about her?” Now he got to the point of this discussion. It was always easier to fish for information when you first volunteered the same information yourself. And sometimes people said more than they were planning to, especially when they were inebriated. Arjuna was far from drunk, but the glass in his hand was his third drink. They’d been at it for a while already.

“She’s…complicated.” Arjuna frowned. “Blunt instrument is the furthest thing I’d say about her, though I think she’s not above using direct methods when necessary. Beyond that, I don’t really know.”

“What do you mean? You’re her father. Surely you know her character.” Wolfgang pointed out, getting more curious by the minute.

“Yes, but she’s not in the habit of explaining what’s in her mind. Often it’s not clear what she’s thinking. Even then, she almost always gains the result she wants. Even the times when it seems she doesn’t, I think that’s because she chose not to. Or she was hiding her true intent. It can be difficult to tell sometimes.” Arjuna spoke quietly.

“Ah. That type. I think I know what you’re talking about. Still, I’m surprised your daughter would be so conniving.” Wolfgang pointed out. Arjuna was a fairly accomplished schemer when he wanted to be, but usually he didn’t bother.

“Conniving is the wrong word. I’d say capable instead. She knows what she wants, and how to get there. I don’t think there’s any malice there, and she can take disappointment. It’s just that she rarely has to.” Arjuna tried to explain himself and was failing spectacularly.

Wolfgang could see he was struggling with the words, so he decided to throw his friend a bone and changed the subject. ”So what do you think? Are the rumors true?”

“Which rumors?” Arjuna blinked a bit in confusion and asked.

“The rumors. About it being time for another Expansion.” Wolfgang said quietly, though apparently not quietly enough. He was never the one to keep his voice down.

“What’s this gossip I hear?” A female voice asked, and caused a grin to suddenly sprout on Wolfgang’s face.

“Birgitte my darling!” He shouted and grabbed his equally tall wife into a bearhug.

"Let go you lug of a man!" The blond-haired beauty tapped the man on the shoulder in protest, though she didn’t seem to truly mind. It was not hard to see the Valkyrie heritage in her blood considering her appearance.

When her feet were once again safely on the ground, she repeated her question. “What were the two of you gossiping about?”

“Yes, what’s Expansion?” Siegfried asked while standing next to the three adults.

“Never you two mind such details.” Wolfgang waved the concern away. “It’s work talk, and we’re here to celebrate!”

“So where is he then? I want to give him a hug in celebration." The Valkyrie woman demanded in a fierce voice.

Wolfgang pointed towards the other table. “He’s there trying to make moves on Arjuna’s daughter, and failing miserably.” He joked.

“Arjuna’s?” Birgitte suddenly grinned. “He could choose worse I suppose.” She turned to the man in question. “So who did you manage to con into finally tolerating you for long enough to have a child with? Please don’t tell me you laid a hand on Duskclaw? Where is she by the way?”

Arjuna had to laugh at the words she used as they were almost the exact same he had used to describe the relationship between Wolfgang and Birgitte. “She’s getting more for us to eat and drink. And to answer your second question, no I didn’t lay a hand on her. Also, you can’t really afford to talk.” He looked meaningfully at Wolfgang. “Your taste is horrid.”

Birgitte’s grin widened. “True. But at least he does have a few good sides to him.”

“Oi.” Wolfgang protested without any heat in his voice.

“And I note that you didn’t answer the important question.” She continued as if she had not heard the protest.

“And I won’t. That shall remain my little secret.” Arjuna replied mysteriously.

“Fine, keep your secret for now. We both know I will pry it out of you sooner or later. Now then. Sieg, be a darling and go rescue your brother. Judging by his expression, he's about to have an aneurysm soon. That means he’s about to do something stupid.”

"As usual," Siegfried muttered, but went towards the two youngsters.

As soon as he was out of earshot, she launched into a question. “What’s this I heard about your daughter making a scene equal to the one you and Ashanti caused? I also heard Tsumi may have gotten involved.”

“I’d say your sources of information are scary as usual, but this time I think I know who tattled.” Arjuna looked towards Wolfgang who just shrugged.

“I’m not surprised the Headmistress is interested if your daughter showed even close to the promise you and Ashanti did. You’re one thing, but Ashanti is…” Birgitte didn’t finish her sentence.

“Well, Karna certainly made an impression that’s true. I don’t know how involved Tsumi will get though. Ashanti was a special case even when compared to me. This time she was simply curious.” Arjuna deflected a bit.

“Now now. You should know better than try to fib me like that Arjuna. I know you too well. And my sources of information aren't limited to Wolfgang. I already know that your daughter's scores crushed Ashanti's. There's no way the Headmistress would be just curious. I also got a report from someone who saw you two discuss. He mentioned that your talk looked a lot more involved than simple curiosity.” Birgitte pointed out with a gentle but insistent voice.

“I’ve given my statement and I’m sticking to it.” Arjuna refused to elaborate.

“Fine. Be that way. I’ll find out soon enough.” Birgitte promised.

-----

“Look, I’m not refusing your little challenge, but there’s no point in the two of us arm-wrestling. “ Karna explained patiently to the boy in front of her. “Your arm is so much longer than mine that you’d have so much more leverage that it would turn the whole thing into a pointless exercise.”

“Leve-what now?” Rein asked in confusion. He had been getting increasingly agitated as he realized that not only had the girl in front of him beaten him in the exam but now it seemed she was smarter too.

Luckily he was saved by the arrival of his brother. “Leverage brother, leverage. You really should’ve paid more attention during lessons other than the ones that included fighting. And what the heck are you doing challenging a girl so much smaller than you to something like arm-wrestling.”

“I just wanted to know which of us was stronger!” Rein defended himself.

“And you thought arm-wrestling was the appropriate way to find out? What are we going to do with you?” Sieg gave a small sigh and turned to the girl.

“Siegfried.” Karna nodded towards the new arrival. She remembered meeting him some months ago.

“Karna.” Sieg also nodded. “You’ve grown I see. Last time I saw you, you were barely half my size.” His words contained no ill will and were a simple observation.

“I don’t think very much has changed in that regard. I may have grown a bit taller, but so have you.” She pointed out, and she was right. The young man had also grown even broader at the shoulders and he now packed more muscle. He wasn’t yet quite as big as his father, but he was getting closer.

“The two of you know each other?” Rein asked, a little sullenly.

“Not as such. We met once during the ceremony to go to the Spirit World.” Sieg explained briefly to his brother before turning back to Karna. “Speaking of, you didn’t stick around long enough to show off your spirit.”

“You’re right, I didn’t.” Karna’s tiny smile was hidden by the veil that she was still wearing. Sieg’s question had been refreshingly blunt and had done nothing to hide his intentions.

Sieg grinned a bit. “You’ll have to crack sooner or later. You won’t be able to go through your time in the Academy without revealing some of your secrets. You’ll have to remove that veil at least.”

“That sounds almost like a challenge.” She pointed out while picking up a grape from a plate nearby and slipping it into her mouth below the veil.

"Well I suppose we could make it into a bet, but there's little point in making one that won't be resolved potentially for more than a decade, and a bet that we would likely both forget anyway.” Sieg shrugged.

“Hmm. Not that I’m advocating for such wager, but there is a way to make it something both parties would remember.” Karna pointed out, more out of academic interest than any desire to actually make the bet.

“And what would that be?” Sieg asked, curious.

“Hah! Isn’t it obvious?” Rein suddenly interjected. “Just make the stakes worth it.”

“Very good! He is correct.” Karna nodded towards the younger of the two boys.

“My brother finally said something intelligent. Sob! I’m so glad!” Sieg feigned being choked with emotion before continuing. "I need to inform mother! She needs to know Rein has finally grown up from being a complete lunkhead!”

“Hardy-har.” Rein wasn’t all that impressed by his brother’s performance and kicked him in the shin under the table. “I’d like to point out that I got a better placement in my exams than you.”

“…except the scores aren’t in yet.” Sieg pointed out yet.

“You know what I mean. You were not in the top ten of the exams two years ago.” Rein said a little smugly.

“Ah, but I didn’t have a spirit when I took my tests while you did, and I still managed to get in the top twenty. But yes, you are right. You did well. Too bad none of the tests actually measure intelligence.” Siegfriedg kept needling his little brother.

“Speaking of bets, I heard you made wagers on the results of the entrance exams.” Rein decided to change the subject while throwing the conversational ball back to Karna in his desperation. “How much did you make?”

"Let's just say that I don't need to worry about living expenses while in the Academy." Karna was actually filthy rich now. Both she and Duskclaw had known what the result would be and had dipped heavily into Arjuna's savings to make the bet. Even after splitting the profits with Duskclaw, Karna could still live luxuriously for several decades without any worry. The bookies hadn't been too pleased with their profits, but on the other hand, she had beaten all the favorites, so the two of them were the only ones to win anything. It had not been a good year for the bookies, but it had not been a disaster either.

"Oh, you won't need money in the Academy," Sieg stated, bursting her bubble just a bit. "I should be more precise. If you want to go to the stores outside the Academy Island, you’ll still need money, but in the Academy, everything you need is either provided for, or it can be bought using merits points. And before you ask, you’ll get those points for doing anything meritorious, so being the number one on the entrance exams should’ve earned you a neat chunk of points. I’m surprised your father didn’t explain this.”

“I think he didn’t expect me to really apply and then make it in this year truth be told. And by the time he realized I was serious and actually going to make it, he didn’t have time to explain all the small details. That or he forgot. He sometimes assumes I know more than I do.” Karna explained. In fairness to Arjuna, she more often than not did know more than one could reasonably expect, so she had kind of brought this on herself. Usually she did enough research into such things beforehand. “So how can the school afford to keep this up? I didn’t hear anything about tuition.”

"There's no tuition. Otherwise, the lower social class applicants with talent could be excluded, and that would be bad for everyone involved. No, the Academy is heavily supported by the Magocracy as a large portion of the student wind up serving our country in some way. Most join the military, but many join the various branches of civil service as well. Besides, the Academy gains many benefits from the students, as we often perform missions for the Academy that bring in resources, and we develop new spells and often provide services according to our major. We often spend decades in the Academy, and more serving under a master if we are lucky enough to get picked. We can do many useful things in that time that provides funds for the Academy. The foreign students also have to pay to get in. Mostly that bill is footed by the country or sect they originate from, as they are being groomed for high-ranking positions in their country of origin.” Sieg explained patiently.

“Makes sense I suppose.” Karna nodded in understanding. Sometimes it was easier to have someone explain these sorts of things directly, which is partly why she had not been in a rush to do her own research. Sometimes the theory and practice didn’t quite match.

Sieg tapped his chin for a bit in thought. "Hey, Karna. A question.”

“Feel free.” She gestured for him to proceed with her hand.

“Do you know what the Expansion means?” Sieg decided to try his luck and ask the girl in front of him. The term had piqued his curiosity.

“That depends. In what context?” Karna asked for clarification.

“I’m not sure. My father asked your father if the rumors about the time for an Expansion being soon were true.” Sieg admitted with chagrin. He knew that wasn’t much to go on, and the word was not exactly rarely used.

“Hmm. There are a few possibilities, but I think I might know what they’re talking about. I think they meant a new world being born.” Karna ventured a guess after a moment of thought.

“A new world?” It was Rein’s turn to ask, and he was clearly confused.

“Ah, yes. Sometimes the universe reaches a certain saturation point and a new world is born. The process is called an Expansion. It’s a rather major event and can cause quite a bit of chaos when it happens. It’s also an opportunity for everyone involved.” Karna explained while making a mental grimace.

‘It could be something innocent, but I doubt that’s the case considering it’s this universe we’re talking about. This universe is one of the weirdest I’ve ever been in.’ She thought to herself, and for a good reason. The universe she was in didn’t function like most others. It was very condensed when compared to most universes. Despite its age, it was much smaller than most universes, but every world was inhabited and rich with resources. That was mostly because every world on every plane was part of an enormous magical formation that funneled the ambient power usually found in the larger universes, and concentrated that power into a small number of worlds that were of much higher quality than in any other universe.

The whole system had a few important implications. The number of worlds was much smaller than in other universes, but every world was enormous and rich in resources beyond belief. Most importantly though, those resources kept coming back. Once an ore vein was found and mined out, for example, it would grow back with time. The speed at which it did depended on the amount of ambient power, and the plane they were in. The Mortal planes had a lot more worlds, but they were less abundant. The Higher Planes were much richer, but the number of worlds was tiny in comparison, although that was to some degree compensated by the size of the worlds. That was partially because the formation kept funneling power towards the top towards the Divine Planes, and the closer a world was to the center of the formation, the more power it could benefit from and the purer that power was.

“Chaos? Why?” Rein asked.

“The term Expansion simply refers to an event when a new world is born on a particular plane, and will usually result in an explosion of activity and wars as the established powers struggle for the new resources available. Just because the resources of every world regenerate, that doesn’t mean they are infinite as the rate at which they can be extracted is limited, and the demand always exceeds supply. The best resources are also always controlled by the most powerful nations and sects. New worlds mean new access to resources, and newly born worlds are usually havens for all sorts of new discoveries.” Karna explained. She left out some of the more important bits that the two boys didn’t need to know about. Plus it might be a little hard to explain her detailed knowledge.

“She’s right.” Sieg pointed out. “The High Elves are in control of almost 80% of moonstone production. If a new world appeared with significant deposits, then that would be a major blow to their power. Well, at least it would be if moonstone was used more commonly, but they’re just the example that came to my mind first because of how obvious their control of the resource is.”

“Good job understanding the basic implications son!” Wolfgang clapped his hands as he got closer to their table. He had overheard some of the conversation and looked at Karna with even more interest. “I didn’t know Arjuna had taught you about Expansions.”

“He hasn’t. I just happened to stumble on the concept in his library.” Karna used her most common excuse. Luckily Arjuna’s libraries were quite extensive, so the excuse was quite often applicable.

“Still, I’m impressed with the both of you. You now know more about the subject than most adults. Which reminds me. Arjuna, you didn’t answer when I asked about it.” Wolfgang turned back towards his friend.

“I didn’t answer because I don’t know. These kinds of things are hard to determine. The Starlight Tower would likely know, but I’m trying to keep my distance with that place.” Arjuna replied as he too joined them at the table. Duskclaw and Birgitte soon joined them with a large array of drinks as the waiters brought in many dishes for them to eat.

Sieg suddenly grinned. “We were just talking about wagers earlier. What’s this I heard about you having to pay for everything father?”

Wolfgang was not a sore loser so he just laughed at the jibe. “Well, I made the mistake of betting this evening’s fare on the results of the exam. Well, after seeing the results, I understand my folly.” He looked at Karna. ”I don’t think I’ll ever bet against you again girl.”

"Wise choice," Duskclaw muttered.

“Perhaps I should learn from that and leave our potential wager alone then.” Sieg decided while nodding towards Karna.

"Oh, you were about to scam someone again Karna? You should’ve said something so I could’ve kept Wolfgang away.” Duskclaw asked eagerly.

"Scam is such an ugly word," Karna said with feigned innocence.

“Aha! Now I understand. That seemingly random reference to making the stakes big enough was part of the plan the whole time?” Sieg suddenly noticed a possibility.

“Hey, I wasn’t the one to bring it up.” Karna nodded towards Rein.

“Gasp! Already working together against me? How bold of you brother!” Sieg exclaimed with feigned outrage while looking at Rein.

“To knock you down a peg? Always, brother!” Rein played along with a grin. The rest of the evening was spent with a playful mood dominating their little soiree.