Scanning my appearance in the mirror, I quickly ran through my preparations. A leather breastplate covered my chest, while I had the dagger hanging from my waist, within easy reach. Unsheathing the blade, I ran a finger along its edge, wincing when the razor-sharp surface cut my skin.

Leaving the bathroom, I picked up my mask and gloves before slipping them into my pocket. When I got to the Lower District, I would slip them on, but I would look out of place with them on in the Upper District.

"Fortuna, are you ready to leave?" I said, turning to the cat who was sleeping on the couch nearby.

Opening his eyes, Fortuna stood and stretched before padding over to me and leaping onto my shoulder. He was small and light enough that I barely noticed the weight, though I was not thrilled when his claws dug into my skin. Sighing at him, I turned and made my way out of my room and down to the entrance hall. Leaving the Academy, I looked up at the night sky, thankful for the darkness it provided.

Despite how late it was, the streets in the Upper District remained relatively busy. Travelers continued to flow into Volaris, and by this point, every inn within the capital would be full. I stuck to the side of the street, keeping my hood down but walking swiftly.

Within an hour, we reached the Lower District, where I pulled up my hood and slipped on my white mask and gloves. Weeks of careful training had improved my modified spell, which I renamed Arcane Beam, to the point where it was able to pierce a full three inches into a tree with one casting, and I could cast it in just two seconds.

While I had not tested it on flesh, I suspected it would be more than enough to fatally injure a person. The realization I could kill a man with one attack was a sobering one, and I resolved to use my spell only when necessary.

Follow

Fortuna leaped off my shoulder with ease, and I watched him begin to pad away into the darkness. Following him down the filthy streets packed with beggars and dilapidated huts, I kept my eyes sweeping the streets and released my mana sense to scan the area around me.

Although mages were by far the easiest targets to detect, even ordinary humans had small amounts of mana in their bodies that I could sense with enough focus. I had nearly died because I was unaware of my surroundings, and realizing I could use magic to keep track of anyone that came close to me left me eager to master it.

It did not take long for several people to follow me, though they kept a distance of around forty feet away. I kept my focus on Fortuna, though I kept a hand on the hilt of my dagger and remained alert in case they decided to move. Sig had given Amelia and I basic training with a sword, and some of the skills were transferable to a dagger, but I would prefer to avoid a fight.

Finally, we stopped in front of a sizeable but run-down building, constructed haphazardly from different sized planks of wood, rusted nails, and cloth to cover holes. Whoever was trailing me stopped a few dozen feet back, and I focused my senses on them, counting four people.

Ignoring them for now, I looked down to Fortuna and said, "Is it in there?"

Yes

I straightened my back, affecting an air of a stern, powerful man, and moved towards the front door. Holding one hand out, I pushed open the crooked piece of wood hanging by rusty hinges and entered the building, standing in a small atrium of some kind.

The inside reeked of mold and rot, a disgusting smell that clogged my nostrils. A hallway led further into the building, with a larger room at the end lit by candlelight or possibly a lamp. I cast out my mana sense, and could feel a half dozen figures within the building, around twenty feet in front of me.

As my footsteps echoed against the wooden floor, I heard gasps and shuffling from the room down the hallway. Within only five seconds, the men I had sensed came rushing out, gathering in front of me.

"Pal, ya better walk outta here before ya get hurt." One of the men said, a skeletally thin man. He did not look or sound familiar, but two months had passed, and the night I was stabbed had been dark. My memory was great, but not perfect, and details had faded in the time since.

"Two months ago, thieves beat and stabbed a boy, stealing a ring from his possession. I am here to retrieve it. If you hand it over now, you will all continue to live another day. If not, you will learn to regret your mistakes." I said, standing with my back straight and attempting to mimic Girem's mannerisms.

One of the men grimaced, before turning to the smallest one in the group and saying, "Go get the boss!"

As the young criminal disappeared into the back room again, I folded my arms and took several deep breaths to control my nerves. I felt sweat slowly drip down the side of my face behind the mask, and I could feel my heart hammering in my chest.

A few minutes later, a tall man came walking from behind the group, rubbing his face with one hand. Unlike the rest of the men, his clothes were without any tears or holes. His build appeared thin but not unhealthy or starving, and I noticed that he stood tall and confident.

"My men told me that you are here looking for a ring? I'm not sure I know what you are talking about, my friend." He said, smiling politely at me.

I was surprised by his reaction, and noted that he did not seem to bat an eye. If I had to guess, he must be the leader of this gang.

Nearby

"You are lying, and I dislike lying. You have two minutes to give me back what I want. After that, you will find out how unpleasant my wrath can be." I answered, keeping my tone flat and emotionless.

The tall man tensed before saying, "I don't appreciate strangers coming down here and making demands."

To his credit, the man behind me moved surprisingly quietly despite his haste. If I were reliant on just my natural senses, I never would have seen him coming. But that was not the case, and I felt him creeping closer, step by step. As he moved, I quietly spoke the incantation under my breath and gathered my mana.

When he lunged the last ten feet, I spun and extended one hand, a bolt of pure green launching from my fingertips. The blast tore through his body, rending flesh, muscle, and bone, leaving a coin-sized hole through his shoulder. He dropped the knife he held in one hand, his eyes bulging from his skull, before crumbling to the ground, holding his injured arm.

Turning back to the leader, I pointed my fingers at the man, my posture still. Internally, I felt nausea beginning to build in my chest. His eyes were wide with shock, and he held up his hands, backing up a few steps.

"Easy there, no need to blow a hole in me or any of my friends. I have your ring right here." the leader said, holding up his hands. With his right hand, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver band I recognized as Cortos' ring.

"Walk forward slowly, place the ring on the ground, and then move back. If you make any sudden movements, you will be dead before you hit the floor." I answered, shocked at how cold my voice sounded.

Doing as I instructed, the leader and his men took several steps backward. I noticed that the ones hiding outside of the building had run off into the night after I injured that first man.

Walking forward with my eyes firmly locked on the thieves, I plucked the ring off the ground and held it in my palm. After a second, I slipped it into my pocket, a smile hidden behind my mask. Looking back to the thieves, the leader grimaced before stepping forward.

"My men robbed that kid under my orders. I told them to rob easy targets, and when they panicked and stabbed the kid, it was my responsibility. If you are going to kill anyone, it should be me." he said.

I felt a flicker of respect for the man, despite my hatred for thieves. He was willing to sacrifice himself to save his friends, and that was admirable despite the crimes he had committed. And more than that, I realized with some nausea that these men expected me to kill them.

Maybe on some level, they deserved punishment for their crimes. But I was not a judge, and I had no interest in enacting my idea of justice. I shook my head at the man, memories of the slaughter I had caused in my visions running through my mind. Killing out of necessity was one thing, but there was no such need here.

"I wanted this ring back, and you cooperated. Killing you would be a waste of mana. You get to live another day, but keep targeting children, and I will be back here."

Taking several steps backward, I turned on my heel and strode out of the building, keeping my senses open to detect any movement from behind.

As I prepared to return to the Academy, I felt something on the edge of my senses. Someone was approaching, and they had mana, much more than any average person. Swearing under my breath, I quickly ducked into an alcove on the side of the street and waited. In the darkness of night, I was nearly invisible, particularly for someone not looking for me.

Closing my eyes, I stretched outward with my senses and pinpointed the mana's source as a robed figure walking down the street. The amount of power coming off of them was unmistakable. They were a mage of some kind, but their mana felt strange.

His mana felt more potent than the average person, but it felt bizarrely focused and concentrated. Most mages still released some sort of mana from their bodies, but the mana I was sensing felt contained. It almost reminded me of how I imagined enchantments.

Regardless, he was an unknown, and I would prefer not to fight another mage if I could avoid it. My Arcane Beam was strong enough to injure or kill an average person, but I was not sure how well it would work against a defensive spell. With that in mind, I ducked into a shadowed alcove and knelt, feeling Fortuna ducking into my cloak.

Focusing my senses onto my body, I began scanning for any traces of mana. Every human naturally released mana from their body, and mana sensing worked by searching for these traces of energy. There were several methods to hide mana, but the first was to contain as much of it internally as possible.

Holding my energy, I watched as the cloaked person, a man judging by their size and build, marched down the street. The darkness made it impossible to make out his features, and his clothing was dark and unmarked.

As he passed by, I waited for a minute before letting out a shaky breath. What was going on down here? I glanced down at Fortuna, feeling a twinge of curiosity flow from him, and smirked. I felt the same, but I knew better than to investigate at this point.

Whoever this mystery man was, he was dangerous, and I had not worked myself this hard recovering my ring just to end up dead from running into another risky situation. But despite this, I knew I wanted to learn more about whoever he was. If I wanted to become as skilled as possible, I needed to learn about all forms of magic, even unusual ones.

Standing, I thought of something and reentered the house I had left a few minutes earlier. The tall man was still standing in the hallway, and look at me with widened eyes, clearly not expecting me to return. I heard the groans of the man I had hit with my spell from the room behind him.

"What do you want now?" he asked, his eyes staring at me with evident fear.

"That man, the robed one, who is he?" I asked, folding my arms and staring at him.

"Look, I appreciate you not tearing us all apart. But those guys, they're dangerous. I'm not sure I should be talking about them..." he trailed off, his eyes darting around the hallway.

Reaching into my cloak, I retrieved a small pouch of a dozen gold coins that I had brought along. I planned to use intimidation, but I had made sure to have gold in case bribery would work better. It had not proven necessary for the ring, but it seemed I had another use for the money.

Tossing it onto the ground, I stepped backward and said, "That is more than enough to treat your friend's injury, with some to spare. Start talking."

Snatching up the pouch, the man stared at me for several minutes before replying, "Rumors started spreading around six months back about some new gang recruiting. If you joined up, they promised strength, wealth, food, whatever you can imagine. Lots of people signed up, and right around the same time, those robed freaks started wandering around. I thought you might be one of them at first, but the mask is something new."

If anything, his words left me even more confused. I wanted to investigate further, but I needed to know more before I could make any move.

Looking back at the man, I paused before saying, "I will pay you double what is in that bag if you can talk to your friends and get more information about that man in the robes. Meet me in that alleyway where you stabbed the boy, two weeks from now."

Greed flickered in his eyes, and he nodded quickly. Girem had once told me that desire was a force that could overpower common sense, and it seemed he had a point here. The instant I offered gold, this man had seemed to forget his caution and fear.

Nodding, I turned and left the hut before making my way back to the Upper District. As I walked, I thought back to the mystery of the robed man. I could not shake the feeling that his mana was similar to enchantments of some kind.

I was relatively confident he had not been carrying any magic items, which meant that sensation had to be coming from his flesh. Was it possible to bind enchantments to the body, rather than to an object? That could prove incredibly powerful, but I knew I needed much more research before I could even entertain the idea.

When I finally returned to my room, I slipped the ring onto my hand and focused, feeling the teleportation effect return me to the sanctum. Two months had passed, but the room was as untouched as the last time I had been here. Satisfaction welled up in my heart, but the time without this place had taught me a valuable lesson.

Shortcuts and boons were useful, but determination and intelligent training were just as practical, if not more so. After all, even without access to this sanctum, I had managed to craft a spell, gain much more skill with weapons and learn to sense mana.

If I could combine the methods I used the past two months and the tempering array Cortos left to me, how far could I climb? The semester had a little over two months left in it, and I needed to temper my channels and core far more by then, if I wanted to be able to cast magic freely.

Walking over to the array and slipping the numbing potion out of my pouch, I sat down in the circle with a sigh. There were still several hours left in the day, and I had already lost out on almost two months of training from my mistakes.

I needed to catch up, and that meant taking any shortcuts and tricks possible to grow stronger. Tiling my head back, I drank the liquid in one swift motion before setting the glass down onto the ground.

"Fortuna, alert me when an hour has passed. And do not let the enchantment turn off until then, understand?"

Yes

Smiling at the flicker of pride that I felt from the creature, I took a single breath before activating the enchantment. As the muted agony surged through my body, ripping apart my organs and rebuilding them simultaneously, I let a smile cross my face.

Before, I had shied away from the pain, but I was beginning to appreciate what it represented. Now, I knew that braving this agony and coming out the other side was the key to reaching my full potential.