Over the next week, I began to settle into my new routine. Early in the morning, I would train with Sig down in the exercise complex before breakfast. Some days we would work on strength training, while other days he would have me running to improve stamina. He also assigned me a diet plan to follow in the future, which he claimed would help produce quicker results.

Whenever he felt I needed to “take it easy”, Sig would assign me unusual forms to practice that he claimed would improve balance, flexibility and coordination. While I performed the moves, Sig would carefully watch and correct my movements, insistent on perfection. Many of them reminded me of the flowing dances I had learned as a child, in preparation for the noble balls I would eventually attend. It was too early to tell if his training was yielding results, but my aching body certainly implied it was doing something.

I noticed that even though Sig must be a Mage, I never saw him casting any spells. In fact, he never even seemed to hint at any magical knowledge or skill whatsoever. One day, I worked up the courage to question him on it and his answer was not something I expected.

“Magic isn’t the only important thing out there for a Mage to learn. Most of those stuffy robed idiots forget a sword through the belly is just as lethal for them as any other. Mana cultivation makes your magic strong, but doesn’t do anything for your body. Being able to throw a punch, swing a sword or hell even run away when a fight isn’t going your way is just as important as learning to toss a fireball. More than that, a good ax in your hand or armor on your back helps take down a magic user in a fight faster than most spells.” Sig had said gruffly.

Straightening up from one of the forms he was teaching me, I looked over at Sig in confusion at that statement. His answer made little sense coming from a Mage.

“But why would you need to bother? I mean, magic is more effective in a fight than a weapon right? And why would any Mage need to worry about how best to kill other Mages? Formal duels to settle personal conflicts I can understand, but we are allies and the last civil war in Ferris was centuries ago.” I said, half questioning Sig and half pondering aloud.

With a grim expression on his face, Sig took a few minutes to reply. I noticed he unconsciously rubbed his side briefly as he considered me carefully.

“Ferris isn’t the only place with magic Vayne, even though we like to pretend. We may have the edge in numbers, but trust me when I say that we are not as dominant as we may hope. Take the Tinkerers of the Wandering Cities for instance. They have discovered ways to combine external magic with machines to devastating effect. Never assume that just because you have one way of solving something, it is the only or even the best way to do it. Now then, that's more than enough of a break. Get your lazy ass back into the third form!” Sig yelled, with a forced grin.

His words that day left me with something to consider. I had always assumed, always been taught, that Ferris had a monopoly on magic, but Sig implied that other countries had some magical capabilities as well. While I knew the Awakening was solely a Ferren invention, it seemed possible other paths to magic existed outside of our understanding.

“A Study on Aether” had noted that some Mages studied discoveries from other countries and cultures, but I had never considered that this could involve magical skills. I had always assumed this learning was limited to more mundane abilities, such as medicine or technology, but it seemed I could be wrong.

After I finished my daily physical training, I would return to my room and temper my Mana organs, until they just began to throb with pain. I noticed a marked increase in my Mana control and every day I was able to last a little longer before experiencing pain from my Channels. Even more than that, I was now able to locate my Core in only a few minutes, a dramatic decrease compared to my first few attempts.

I was still likely months from the level I would prefer, but my progress was acceptable. I was considering working a second session of tempering into my routine later in the day, but I wanted to consult a Master before I took that step.

For the remainder of the day, I would read as much about magic as I could find, taking extensive personal notes as I studied. I devoured knowledge with as much fervor as a man stranded in a desert would drink water. I had reread all four of my books a half dozen times each, and after I felt I had memorized most of the information, I made a trip to the Library and retrieved copies of introductory books on alchemy, enchanting, Ferren history and common magic beasts for future study. The next two weeks would give me plenty of time to finish these books, in preparation for the start of the semester.

Interspersed into my days were large meals and the alchemic supplementation I had learned from “A Study on Aether”. As I had worried, the majority of the book was filled with information I simply lacked the means to make use of anytime soon but I made use of what I could, specifically Elliott Yardley’s contributions. If I had one complaint about Yardley's research, it would be that it had dramatically trivialized the side-effects of these treatments.

Ash weed tea was vile, with a bitter, acrid taste and unpleasantly thick texture similar to mud, and I struggled to finish every cup I had brewed. The first day I made this tea, I made the mistake of eating a few minutes prior and was racked with unbearable stomach pains for hours. Due to this, I now made it a point to drink the tea immediately in the morning before I ate anything.

Star mint caused even scalding hot water to become colder than ice, which sank deep into my body down to my bones. Unfortunately, to receive the maximum benefits I would have to sit in the cloudy white water until it became clear, which took nearly an hour. Once the water became clear, it was a sign all of the herb had been absorbed by my body. I became used to feeling constantly cold, and began wearing several layers of clothing to stay warm.

Wiyote was likely the least unpleasant of the three, but it still brought its own unique brand of uncomfortable sensations. The feeling of the Aether being absorbed by my stomach brought it with a burning which spread up my throat and left me extremely nauseous. After it began cycling through my body, it manifested as a deep itching sensation all along my Core and Channels, which was very distracting when I was trying to sleep.

While the side-effects were miserable, I was optimistic about the potential improvements I would see in time. I only used each supplement once a day, but Yardley had noted it was possible to use each several times a day with no risk to the user beyond feeling horrible near-constantly. I worried that doing so would exhaust my money quickly, but it may become necessary if my tempering delayed the rest of my magical education too severely.

I also made a point over this last week to read through the beginner spellbook Master Julian had given me, and memorized most of the information contained within its pages. There were around fifty spells in the pages, with detailed explanations on their effects and the steps needed to cast each. As I had feared, nearly all of the spells were elementally based and I would be unable to ever use them. Despite this, I had managed to pick out two spells I was confident I could eventually learn and utilize for at least the near future.

The first was a spell called Arcane Bolt, which was essentially a small projectile of Mana that could attack foes at range. While far from the sort of city-leveling spell a Mage may hope to learn, it had a very low Mana cost, was fast moving and had limited homing capabilities when cast properly. Add in that Arcane Bolt is a neutral-element spell that could be cast even with an Aether aspect, and it made an ideal offensive spell..

Mana Shield was the second spell I chose, and would work instead to bolster my defense The name was self-explanatory, it formed a solid sphere of Mana around me that could block both physical and magical attacks. While it was extremely demanding to maintain, it would be a perfect spell to keep me protected. Offense was important, but keeping myself alive was my primary concern.

There were several other spells I was interested in, but they would have to wait until I had a much better grasp of spell casting and had progressed further in tempering my Channels and Core. I had made a mistake that first day in rushing ahead with channeling Mana, and I needed to slow down my development until I could safely wield Aether without injury. Mistakes were understandable, particularly so early in my training, but learning nothing from mistakes was unacceptable.

One morning, I returned to my room after training with Sig to find a folded envelope with my name written on the front on the table next to the window. I shook off my discomfort at the invasion of my room and walked over to the table. Tearing open the white envelope, I found two thick pieces of paper. The first page was a schedule detailing where and when my classes would be located, as well as materials needed for each class. The second was a letter written in neat handwriting that I did not recognize at first.

Apprentice Vayne,

As your personal advisor, I had the responsibility of officially placing you into classes and making a schedule for you. I should warn you, although Leon Estton will not be in your Dueling class, Sophia Estton will be and is certainly sharp enough to notice you. I do hope you have considered how to avoid her attention. Martial Combat and Espionage are unpopular choices, and neither of the twins took those two classes, but I would still recommend that you avoid making a name for yourself .

The rest of your classes should not be any issue, as the Duke is expecting you to take scholarly classes common to an advisory education. You should also always remember that some students will not appreciate you showing them up, and faculty can only do so much to protect you. As a reminder, I cannot be seen lending unprompted aid, but if you come to me for advice, it is only polite to offer my opinion.

Good luck,

Master Julian

So it seemed this Master was still seeking to aid me, apparently out of kindness. He was a strange man to be sure, but his help was more than appreciated. I needed a benefactor and mentor in magic, and Master Julian had already helped keep my secrets which made him the best candidate at this point. Sig had also shown a willingness to assist me, but I was still not sure how powerful he was as a Mage.

The letter also brought up a concern I had been mulling over the past week in regards to my classes. If, or likely when the Esttons became aware of my additional training the consequences would be severe. At a minimum, they would take steps to ensure I was no longer permitted to attend classes they disapproved of, on pain of expulsion from their home and retraction of their patronage.

At worst, they may push for complete banishment from Ferris or imprisonment of some kind. Officially, refusing their orders was not illegal but I knew the Estton’s had enough influence that they could cause no end of headaches for me. I needed a way to avoid their notice, at least for a time.

It was a matter of time until the Esttons found out, but the longer I could push that particular event off the more time I had to learn and train. Of course, this was easier said than done and I had yet to think of a plan. At least not one that could be put in place in just a few weeks and done with the resources I had on hand. Ninety-six gold pieces and some silver remained in my stipend, and was more money than I had ever owned, but it was insufficient to solve this specific concern.

With an annoyed shake of my head, I threw Julian’s letter back onto the table and sat down heavily. It was a problem I had no answer to yet, and one I would need more time and planning to solve. I thought better when occupied with other things, so I decided to examine my class schedule and plan for my training in the immediate future.

The Academy operated on a six-day training schedule with the seventh set aside to rest, socialize and prepare for the next week of classes. Individual classes met every other day, with most students having three different classes each day. My own schedule was packed, with Spell-Casting, Magic Theory, War Theory and Martial Combat on one day, with Alchemy, Enchanting, Magic Beasts, Dueling and Espionage on the next.

I took the next hour to carefully plan my days out, plotting exact times to eat, sleep and take Yardley’s supplements. It would be very difficult to keep up in all of these courses, and if I deviated from my schedule at all I would quickly fall behind the rest of the students. I discarded the notion of using my seventh day to rest or interact with the other students. I needed as much time as possible to train and study, and even more than that any friendships I formed would only increase the chance of the Esttons or the King learning about my plans.

I knew there was no real risk of the King or his agents discovering my talents at this stage, but unneeded attention was still something I would prefer to avoid. I knew that the Espionage class I would be taking could help me with that problem, so there was little point in worrying at this point. It would do nothing but cause me undue stress and worries, rather than producing a solution.

Closing my eyes, I leaned back in my chair and considered my plans for the future. By the time classes began, I wanted to have all the required reading nearly memorized. I would need my Core and Channels tempered much further, to the point where I would be close to able to cast spells. I needed to be able to locate my Core in seconds, rather than minutes like it currently took me.

I quickly performed several calculations in my head. It cost me around three gold to purchase one months stock of ash weed, star mint and wiyote. I could increase my intake to two times a day and I would still have most of my stipend remaining at the end of the semester. While I had no desire to put myself through hell and constantly feel the side-effects, I had no choice in the matter.

Of course, that still left me several questions and no immediate answers to them. Standing up, I realized I had no choice in the matter, though I would prefer not to be in his debt. I needed to ask Master Julian for help. Walking towards the door, I decided there was no point in delaying any longer. The sooner I got answers to my questions, the sooner I could move forward with a concrete plan.