Dueling was held in a large square room, disproportionate to the other classrooms. The floor was finished hardwood with white painted squares dividing most of the space into rings for combat training. Already, a few dozen students stood around, quietly talking among themselves in raised voices.

Right away, I spotted Sophia and Theo standing with another half dozen apprentices. Sophia noticed me almost right away, giving me a brief nod and hint of a smile, which I returned. It was as close to a friendly greeting as I would get and settled for that much.

Further away, Amelia was with two others, neither of whom looked familiar. Unlike Sophia, she did not notice me, and I decided not to approach her. We were friendly, but I would prefer not to draw the potential ire of her friends.

And so, I stood alone, carefully moving mana into my core to pass the time. The start of class came and went without the master showing, and apprentices began to turn and whispering among themselves. And there, on the edge of my hearing, I caught something. It sounded almost like tapping. I turned towards where the sound came from, blinking several times at what I saw.

A tiny woman, dressed from head to toe in pristine white robes, had appeared at the far end of the room, opposite the door. None of us had noticed her arrival, but there she stood. She looked ancient, not even five feet tall, and hunched over a cane that looked to support her entire weight. A few feet away, a fifth-year apprentice with his arms behind his back watched with a blank expression.

"Pitiful! None of you noticed me for nearly five minutes! I could've killed the whole lot of you if I wanted, even at this age."

Her words carried a sharp bite, nearly as piercing as her gaze, and she glanced over all of us, shaking her head as she limped forward.

"I am Master Barlow, and it is my dubious 'honor' to teach you lot the peerless art of Dueling. And it is an art, one I'll be damned if you disgrace with your fumbling skills. Now line up, and let me take a look at you!"

If anyone felt a moment's hesitation, it did not show on the outside. Every single one of us, from the proudest noble down to, well, me, stumbled to follow her commands.

Master Barlow paced in front of us at a speed that a snail might consider slow, looking each apprentice up and down. Occasionally, she would stop and mutter a few words.

"Earth, eh? Boring, but practical, I suppose. Oh, a wood aspect? That has some intriguing possibilities. Straighten your posture, boy. My back aches just looking at you."

When she got to me, Barlow stopped and stared with her head tilted to one side.

"Aether, eh? Strong, too. Very strong. Shame about your terrible control, though."

I thought it was decent for a novice, and Master Laila had seemed to agree, but before I could fully take insult to Barlow's comment, she had already moved on. Soon enough, she stood in front of us again, leaning even more heavily onto her cane.

"An impressively disappointing bunch, I have to say. A few of you might have a shred of potential, but the rest of you not so much. No, most will have to settle for wallowing in mediocrity, I'm afraid."

There were some mutters and a few shifting feet as several apprentices voiced protests. Something unpleasant flashed in Master Barlow's eyes, and she leaned closer, a smile crossing her face as she said, "Now, that sounds like discontentment or maybe even anger. Unhappy? Insulted, maybe? I suspect most of you find me ill-suited as an instructor. You were expecting some young, strong, and fierce? A warrior, yes?"

She was not wrong. Most, myself including, had expected someone closer to Sig. Someone young, athletic and dangerous at a glance. Then again, near as I could tell, Sig did not even use magic, much less teach it. That, and there was no chance in hell that she was our instructor unless she was skilled.

Barlow glanced up and down the row before her eyes froze on Theo. One crooked finger extended, she said, "You. The pretty boy with the fire aspect. Step forward."

Theo looked caught off-guard for a moment but recovered quickly, shooting a cocky grin to his friends as he walked forward. I noted that his eyes lingered on Sophia, though he seemed to miss her brief glare.

Master Barlow had already turned, hobbling into one of the dueling rings and taking her place at the far end. Theo swaggered to the other, one hand on his hip as he waited.

The fifth-year apprentice walked towards Theo and handed him something before stepping away. It looked like a wand, and the young noble moved it around as red-orange wisps of mana trailed from the end.

"This is a training wand, designed to guide your mana until you can cast without assistance and not maim your fellow apprentice. You can conjure bolts, which do little more than sting, or shields to block these projectiles. Think what you want to do, push mana into it, and the wand will do the rest," Master Barlow said, a smile growing on her face as she continued, "If you manage to hit me, not only will you pass for the year, but I'll personally tutor you and teach you everything I know. And that goes for all of you, not just this brat."

Theo's eyes lit up, and he nodded before dropping into a combat stance, almost like the spear forms I had trained. It looked close to perfect to my inexperienced eyes, but that was not what drew the most attention. At the other end, Master Barlow still had not moved. She was just as hunched and relaxed as before, leaning onto her cane. When she yawned, Theo's face flushed red, though he had the intelligence not to say anything.

The fifth-year apprentice looked between the two, pausing for a moment. I saw a brief flicker of a smile on his face before he shouted, "Begin!"

Theo stepped forward, flourishing his wand elaborately as streams of red mana danced around him. It might be impressive if it was not also a colossal waste of time and energy. Before he could even point the instrument towards his opponent, white threads appeared, wrapping around his head in an instant. They formed a solid sphere, obscuring his features, and Theo shouted, a free hand reaching up to paw at it.

His fingers passed through the barrier, touching nothing before exiting the other side. Again he tried, a little more frantically this time as he shouted some rather unpleasant swears. After a few seconds, his struggles turned from startled to near-panic as he turned one way and the other. Theo had forgotten all about his opponent, too confused to do anything but flail, but I was not so blinded.

Master Barlow watched Theo struggle with a sickly sweet grin on her face, cackling as he panicked. A single finger rose from the handle of her cane, and a white sphere appeared beside her, which I barely recognized as a Mana Bolt.

When I used the spell, it took several seconds for a loose sphere of green mists to form. It was effective, but as the master had said, far from perfectly controlled and cost-inefficient. I had to launch the attack fast, or the mana would begin slipping from my control, costing me energy to maintain it.

But Master Barlow had conjured it in an instant, and worse, hers was perfect. The orb was smooth as glass, without the slightest defect, and appeared as solid as stone, completely opaque.

Her extended finger twitched, and the projectile vanished, only reappearing when it impacted Theo's chest with a muffled thud. He crumpled, grabbing at his stomach as the wand flew from his hand. The moment his knee hit the ground, the obstruction around his head vanished as three more orbs appeared, hovering a few feet from his face.

The room fell silent, or rather, silent save for loud cackling from a deeply amused master mage. Again, there was a rhythmic tapping as she limped forward, stopping only a few feet from Theo.

"I am a hundred years old. Every bone in my body aches, and my knees feel like broken glass when I walk. On the rare occasion that I stand for more than a few minutes, I find myself out of breath. And yet, I could kill every single one of you without moving from this spot.

Her eyes scanned the room again, the hint of amusement now gone as her gaze turned sharp as a blade.

"I expect nothing but the best from all of you. You will curse me, hate me, and revile me, but you will become peerless combatants under my training. And undeserved arrogance," she glanced down at Theo with a glare, "will only make that journey more painful."

I hid a wince, knowing that her admonishment could just as easily apply to me. Theo, by this point back to his feet, glared at Master Barlow with a crimson red face. He did not even bother fixing his disheveled uniform, the mark of a truly enraged noble, before shouting, "You cheated! You're dozens of times stronger than me, so of course, I would lose!"

Brash arrogance was one thing, but that was idiotic. No, even that was too generous a word for it. Whispers filled the room as the other apprentices muttered their opinions, but Master Barlow did not blink. The silence stretched, and Theo's face remained red, though I noticed his feet shuffle as the woman continued to stare at him.

Finally, Master Barlow said, "I'll forgive your insolent tone once out of an abundance of sympathy for your embarrassment and respect for your father. Tell me, how is he, Theo Wales? Did you know that I taught him during his time here? I am sure he will be positively thrilled to learn how disrespectful his son has become."

Theo's face paled, and he took a deep breath before bowing low, holding the position for several seconds. When Barlow tapped her cane hard on the ground a foot from him, he flinched before straightening and hurrying back into line.

Master Barlow followed his passage before continuing, "The snide welp's accusations do have merit. I could stand here all day long and deflect attacks from the lot of you, my aide included, and remain unharmed. My first lesson is that battle is rarely fair, and you must learn to deal with this. Now, who is next?"

It seemed she planned to beat her lessons into us, quite literally. One by one, apprentices entered the ring and subsequently left just as fast. Some she blinded as she had with Theo, while others she overwhelmed with a dozen attacks from all angles. One apprentice got lucky and managed a single blast from his wand, only for his face to fall as the master's body vanished, reappearing five feet to the left.

There were a few standouts that managed a better showing than most of us. Sophia got off not one but two attacks, purple mana flashing, before being defeated. Amelia managed to physically dodge a bolt, though a second, invisible projectile threw her from the ring a half-breath later.

Besides them, there was a tall, dark-skinned young man who deflected three of her attacks with his lime-green shield and a soft-faced woman who did not bother moving during their duel. Strangely, as Master Barlow's attacks approached, they seemed to almost curve around her. I, and most of the other apprentices, had no idea what she did, but judging by how the master's eyebrows quirked, she had a much better guess.

I had the dubious honor of going last, which gave me plenty of time to observe and theorize. As I walked into the ring, I ran through every other student's attempts, trying to decipher what I could from her style.

Barlow was an illusionist and a masterful one at that. I had read that illusionary magic was considered a highly specialized style, usually limited to light mages, and required ungodly levels of precision and skill. Simple illusions were easy enough, but the most convincing creations were more like a work of art than magic. Painting over reality is the metaphor that stuck in my memory.

None of that helped much when I had no way of breaking through her illusions. And more than that, even if by some miracle I could tell what was real and what was not, there was no chance I could penetrate her defenses. No, it was hopeless, but that did not mean I would roll over and play dead.

Her aide handed me one of the training wands, and I took it with a nod and smile, pushing my mana into it and feeling the enchantments inside take over. It was bizarre, almost too easy, and I wondered for a moment if I could take it after class for a closer look.

When I felt ready, I dropped into my combat stance, facing Master Barlow. I swore I could hear Amelia chuckling at my expense, noting all the minor imperfections in my footwork and balance. Not that I blamed her.

"Begin!" came the shout, and I stepped forward, thrusting my wand forward with no fanfare or flourishing. A bolt of green launched towards Barlow, and she let out a snort before flicking a finger sideways dismissively. A bar of pure white shattered my attack mid-air before continuing, dipping low and slamming into my ankles. It was softer than it appeared but still knocked me to the ground.

My forearms hit the ground first, and I bit back a swear at the pain. Her attack was not particularly painful, but flesh against wood certainly did not tickle.

The only solace I could take was that my performance was decidedly average. I was not the worst but was also far from the best, exactly where I wanted to remain. Everyone remembered the extremes, but no one remembered the middling apprentice.

When I had gotten back to my feet, Master Barlow stared at me before shaking her head, sending me back into line.

"Well, that was pitiful but expected. Most of you have a mountain of work to go through before becoming anything impressive. Over the next few weeks, we'll continue with practice duels to get a better idea of your natural inclinations. Until the next class, think about what sort of mage you want to become and how to get there. Dismissed."

Most of the class turned to leave, but I heard something whisper into my ear as if someone stood only a few feet away.

"Not you. Hold back, boy."

I paused, noticing Amelia meet my eyes for a moment before shrugging and leaving with the rest. Behind me, I heard a familiar tapping as Master Barlow approached, stopping only a few feet away.

"So, you are the boy who is taking ten classes? I had reserved my opinion before now, but now I am sure. You are a fool. Do you know how many Aether mages have become skillful duelists?"

"No, master. Not many, I believe."

She snorted, shaking her head and replying, "'Not many' is an understatement. There's been a handful who stand out, but only two by my count in a thousand years who became true masters. Now, any guesses why I am bringing this up?"

I met her eyes, noting that the mocking glint she had worn most of the class had not returned. There was something there, curiosity maybe, but nothing genuinely malicious. I had to wonder if this was the real her or just another illusion. She would not be the first to disguise her true self behind a false image, illusionist or otherwise.

"If I had to guess, as a word of caution. Mastering dueling is challenging enough, and my element will only make that ascent harder. But, if I may be so bold..." I trailed off, waiting for her to permit me to continue.

Her head moved a fraction of an inch, and I took it for a nod, continuing, "Who were the two Aether mages?"

Barlow frowned, shaking her head as she considered my question.

"Curiosity is a double-edged sword, you know. Many have asked the wrong question and regretted the answers given, but I am a teacher, so it's only proper to educate you. The more recent was a man named Cortos. He was brilliant and an unmatched duelist in his time, but a controversial man even in his era. He also died a rather undignified death and is not someone to emulate."

There he was again. This mage was scrubbed from history and present only in the margins of time. Who was he, and what did he do to deserve such a fate?

"How did he die, master?" I asked, trying to hide my interest.

"Painfully, as treasonous fools often do," she responded, in a tone that brokered no prying.

"And the other?" I asked, not quite ready to drop the conversation.

"He disappeared nearly a thousand years ago. I'm not sure how, but that is the nature of the Founders. History has swallowed up all but the faintest details of their lives."

I felt a thrill run down my spine and opened my mouth to ask more, but she held up a hand, cutting off my questioning.

"I tell you this to illustrate my point. These two, forgotten by time, are the only noteworthy Aether mages in our history who turned to combat, and we know next to nothing about either. If you seek to walk this path, you will do it alone. You would not be the first to feel their destiny lies somewhere else, and I would rather not waste my last few years training an apprentice without conviction."

She had a point, frustrating though it was to admit. I bowed my head low, trying to hide the conflicted look in my eyes as I said, "Thank you, master, for your advice. You have given me much to consider."

"Of course, apprentice. As I said, I am a teacher, and my duty to Ferris is to pull every drop of potential from you, kicking and screaming if I must. Our kingdom demands nothing less. Ah, but I've kept you long enough. Best get to your next class."

I opened my mouth to thank her again, but both Master Barlow and her aide vanished before I could, disappearing into wisps of white mana. A faint laugh carried through the air, and I could not help the chill that ran down my back.

Theo had already shown his distaste for me, but at least I could see him coming. But against someone like Master Barlow? She could slit my throat, and I would not know until blood was running down my front.