"Think about what you have learned and how they fit together," echoed in my mind. Barlow's advice, while extremely general, was still more helpful than it might appear at first glance.

So far, I had learned plenty of interesting magical concepts, but they did not fit together. They were puzzle pieces, but the image they created was not a cohesive one. That was something that could not stand long-term.

In an ideal world, I could take years and blend them together into something perfect. Each skill would seamlessly fit together in a single, comprehensive style that emphasized my strengths and eliminated weak points. But the real world was far less accommodating than my dreams, and I had to settle for more gradual progress.

And that conclusion led to me standing in a training room, blindfolded and with training staff in one hand.

"Are you sure about this?" Amelia asked, and I nodded, adjusting my grip and rolling my shoulders.

"Positive. Please, begin when ready."

"Alright, but don't blame me if you get hurt."

"Do I ever?"

She did not respond, and after a few seconds, I felt the telltale chill of mana. A moment later, there was a brief whistling sound and a rush of energy from my side. Usually, I would turn and watch the attack come towards me. I would move my hands, marshall my mana, and raise a shield to deflect the attack.

But that was a flawed style. It wasted energy and did not two valuable skills that I had begun developing over the last few months. I aimed to fix that, and there was no time like the present.

So instead, I moved my staff up and twisted to one side, intending a simple deflecting block. My skills were not quite up to the task, and the diffuse sphere of mana instead slipped past the wooden length, slapping hard against my side. It barely hurt, feeling more like someone had pressed a piece of ice against my skin for a moment, but I still winced.

"Is it too soon to say I told you so?" came the call, and I sighed, briefly rubbing my side before returning to my starting position.

"Entirely. Again, please,"

The second I managed to block, but the third slipped through. The fourth, I misjudged the distance, underestimating how difficult it was to figure out proper timing and range without sight.

After a few dozen bolts, Amelia asked, "What made you change to this instead of our usual sensory training?"

"It works, but it is limited. We can train more abilities at once like this. I can practice my sensory and martial skills while you improve in dueling and mana control; Two birds with one stone."

"Wouldn't it be four birds with one spell? And I'm not an expert, but I bet there are safer ways to go about this than pelting you with mana bolts."

"Maybe, but the best results come from struggling, in my experience," I replied as another bolt got past my guard, hitting low on my stomach. I grunted before continuing, "And it seems a strange time to be concerned after beating me around in sparring a few hundred times."

"At least sparring feels like a fair fight. This just seems like...bullying."

I laughed, retorting, "Let's not pretend that sparring is ever fair. Are you going to tell me you never hold back?"

She did not reply for a second, and I could hear the smile on her face as she replied, "Only a little. You're catching up, I swear!"

I did not reply that it was likely more than a little, preferring to focus on training. After her mana began to run low and I had worked up a sweat, we took a break. Amelia sat on the floor, dropping into meditation to refill her core as I continued into my forms. Rather than take off the blindfold, I kept it on, trying to extend my senses as far as possible while going through the strikes, blocks, and stances.

Mana sensing was arguably the most vital skill I had learned, and if I could make it second nature, the sky was the limit. At that point, I would not need to see a threat, as long as it was magical in nature. I could sense spells coming and dodge, block, or counter as required.

Possibly most important of all, it was a skill that required no fundamental alterations to fit into my existing style. It was a generalist ability that was perfect not just for current needs but usable for the rest of my life. Fingers crossed, that proved longer than a decade. I would hate to work myself half to death just to still end up skewered.

"Do you ever take a break?" Amelia asked when I paused, repeating a particularly complex flourishing move. Sig said it was more to confuse or intimidate opponents, but some part of me liked that. An edge of disorientation could make up for my still lackluster skills.

"Does sleep count?" I asked, knowing full well I rarely did that anymore either.

"Of course not."

I could almost hear the eye roll in her voice and chuckled as I replied, "Then not really, no."

She sighed, and I heard rustling as she replied, "It's not the end of the world if you relax for a day or two, you know."

Maybe not the end of the world, but possibly the end of Ferris. I almost said as much, if only because the irony was damn near palpable but held back.

A few weeks earlier, when at lunch with Leon, I briefly considered telling him the truth. It was the first time the thought had seriously crossed my mind, possibly reflecting the level of trust I had almost unintentionally began placing in my friend. And the fact that I referred to him as a 'friend' in my thoughts. When had that happened?

But it was not the right time to tell Leon or anyone else for that matter. I had no evidence, and that meant no one would likely take my warnings seriously. After all, why had no one else ever said anything?

And that thought had led me to a chilling realization. Why indeed? Another apprentice must have seen the same thing in their visions. Maybe not the same up close and personal viewpoint, but something, right? If they did, why had no one said anything? Was it possible that someone was preventing them from speaking? Or was the future not as determined as I thought?

There were too many unknowns, and that made the decision easier for me. Learn, prepare and make a move only when I felt I would come out alive and on top.

I realized I had not responded for a minute and pushed aside the questions without answers, letting out a long breath, saying, "You might have a point. I could use a break,"

"I'm always right. You'd think you would know that by now," she said, pulling off my blindfold and smiling brightly.

"I almost forgot to give you this," I said, lying through my teeth as I reached into my pocket. I had not forgotten anything. This moment had been running through my thoughts ever since speaking with Leon.

I retrieved a simple leather bracelet with a small, metallic disc embedded on one side from my pocket. At first glance, it was similar to the Academy bracelets, though made of cheaper materials and with far less magical effects packed inside. In fact, all it had was a single effect, embedded into the metal disc with the rune for protection.

"What is it?" she asked, taking it from my hand and turning it over. I sensed a brief flex of ice mana as she pushed some inside of the gift. A translucent white shield appeared in an instant, clinging close to her body like a second skin.

"It is called a spell form enchantment. It-"

"Push mana into it, and out comes a spell, right? My mother's talked about them before," she cut me off, slipping it onto her wrist.

I nodded, "Exactly. In this case, it creates a shield spell like the one I used during that competition. Though it would use your own mana, of course,"

"What, are you saying I can't make a shield of my own?" she asked, frowning as her eyebrows drew downward. I opened my mouth to protest, but she broke, laughing and saying, "Sorry, I had to do it. I appreciate it, Vayne. Where did you get it made?"

"I made it. In a class, I mean," I replied, shrugging a bit.

"You made this for me?" she said, raising both eyebrows and blinking a few times.

Again I shrugged, "Yes. We needed to pick an enchantment to practice, and I chose this one,"

She did not respond, and as the silence stretched, my heart began to pound in my chest. Leon had already told me how best to go about this, and I had delayed it for several weeks. Best to do it now and get an answer.

I coughed, continuing, "Regardless, have you heard of the Founders Banquet in a few months? It is held at the end of the year."

"Of course I've heard of it. I've been to a few too. Why?" she asked, the edge of her mouth briefly twitching upward.

"My lord is asking that I attend."

She nodded a few times, "It's pretty fun. Great food, great music and plenty of interesting people to speak with, if you know where to look. Of course, knowing you, I bet you'll be reading a book in the corner or trying to sneak off when no one's looking, right?"

I laughed, briefly considering that option before shaking my head, "No, I was invited by Leon and plan to stay for at least most of the night. My bigger problem is I need someone to attend with me. A companion."

"A companion? I think that's what normal people might call a 'date.'" Amelia remarked, chuckling at my overly formal words. Or maybe she had caught the redness in my face.

"I am a commoner, and I doubt most will be clamoring to pursue me as a partner. And, well, I do not have much experience with these sorts of things." I answered, shrugging and ignoring the brief clenching in my chest.

"Oh, you're fine. You aren't bad-looking. A little too quiet sure, but I'm sure you'll figure something out. Just ask someone," Amelia answered, glancing down at the bracelet on her wrist and adjusting it. Again, I could have sworn she had a smile ghost across her face.

I took a low, steadying breath, feeling my pulse speed as I said, "I-well, about that. I was wondering-I mean-" I paused, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath before opening them again, "Would you like to go. With me, I mean,"

"You probably should've practiced that in the mirror a few times. Stammering and struggling to ask doesn't exactly strike a confident image..." Amelia said, trailing off with a frown.

I blinked, feeling my face burn, and nodded, straightening my back and ignoring the hammering in my chest as I met her eyes. Even with my recent growth spurt, I was still nearly an inch shorter, but we were close enough that our eyes were almost level.

"I apologize, Amelia. What I meant to say was, will you go with me to-"

"Yes, Vayne, of course, I will." she cut me off, her frown replaced by a radiant smile, "Sorry. Bad joke and worse timing,"

I nodded a few times, responding, "R-right, of course. Not a problem," as my face continued to burn.

"Truthfully, I'm already going, but I hadn't planned to go with anyone. Turned down a few people, too. Though I guess I could make an exception for you." she continued, apparently ignoring my embarrassment.

I had no idea what to say to that and settled on silently nodding, still surprised she agreed. Maybe that showed on my face, and she rolled her eyes before saying, "Why don't we call it a day here. You need to get some rest before you run yourself ragged, and I have some studying to do."

For a moment, I nearly protested but nodded after considering it. Laying down did sound nice, and a few hours of rest would not be too bad, right? I could get some sleep, wake up and still have plenty of time to study or practice some magic.

We made our way upstairs together, parting near the top floor as I walked alone, the events of the last few minutes replaying in my mind.

Amelia had agreed to accompany me by some miracle of fate, and I had managed to ask without succumbing to a heart attack. That was one problem down, at least. Now all I had to do was make it through the last month of classes and survive a single night without offending anyone. Or running into either of the Archmagi that would likely be attending. Nothing to it.

Maybe I should consider fleeing Ferris and never returning? Sure, I would lose out on all the valuable magical knowledge held here, but at least I would be safe from more uncomfortable social interactions. That trade-off might be worth it.