Some theorize that the attempts to bind enchantments to the human body and fundamentally alter it are a matter of will, and that no mortal man possesses the strength to fully control the process. Others say that the human body is too weak, citing that magic beasts have naturally developed abilities comparable to magic or enchantments due to their far more robust forms.

Regardless of the reasons, all attempts in Ferren history to apply enchantments to flesh, through tattoos, ritual scarification, and direct runic bindings, have invariably failed. If you are attempting to pursue this line of research, I strongly encourage you to reconsider. Instead, focus your efforts on...

Taking a break from my reading, I leaned back in the chair, rubbing my eyes and feeling the mounting exhaustion. I barely slept last night, my rest plagued with recurring nightmares of my death in the future. I thought that I was beyond those dreams, but my encounter with Jacob seemed to have brought my worries bubbling back to the surface.

All this led me down to the Library before classes, to dig through tomes on enchantments. It did not take me long to find books on physical augmentation enchantments, and their history. As I had suspected, I was not the first person to consider such an application.

The first mage to theorize of the possibility was Archmagi Sen, the Mother of Enchanting, who was born only a few decades after Ferris' founding. At the time, Ferris was still struggling to establish a foothold, and Sen herself lost countless friends and family to the beasts of the land. She felt if they could enhance their citizens, the kingdom would gain the power to thrive for centuries.

Unfortunately for her, decades of experimentation led to a dead-end, limited by the more primitive understanding of magic in her era. Although Sen was unable to crack the secrets of binding enchantments to the body, she still advanced Ferren magical knowledge possibly more than any other mage. Even to the modern era, many techniques and methods of enchanting derive directly from her research.

The next attempt came centuries later, after Ferris's first significant conflict with the Wandering Cities. Back then, we had only heard rumors of their grand citadels, which wandered the dunes to the south, and our first encounters with them were fraught with aggression. Ferris claims that the Tinkerers attacked first, but history had muddied the details.

When it was clear that our magic would not be enough to win the war, thoughts turned to more unconventional means. Ferren population was massive compared to the Cities, and if we could turn this advantage against them, victory was nearly assured.

What followed has become known as the Folly of Carac, named for King Carac, the ruler of the time. While not a mage, Carac was well-taught in their history and became aware of Sen's research. In his desperation to defeat the Wandering Cities and claim their land, he ordered the Academy to begin research into the subject, sparing no expense and willingly sending out his men to capture commoners in droves as subjects.

Years of research and thousands dead yielded no concrete results, and the lucky ones found themselves crippled and in bodies they did not recognize, twisted by the rebounding effects of magic. The unlucky ones were left in the same state as Jacob, trapped in their minds, and unable to communicate again.

When the commoners found out what Carac had done to his people, their outrage was so great that even his own family turned against him. Citizens took to the streets, demanding the king's head and any mages involved in the atrocities. It was one of the few times civil war plagued Ferris, and after the bloody conflict ended, King Carac was dead, and his younger, and more diplomatic, brother Borin took control of the kingdom.

It was only thanks to Borin's intelligence and the might of the archmagi that the Wandering Cities did not rip through our land and conquer all of us. Even still, it is often considered the closest to falling that Ferris has come, and history remembers Carac as among the worst rulers we have ever had.

These events were enough to leave bodily enchantments a taboo subject, not illegal but considered an utter waste of time and effort. Several other minor attempts cropped up in the years since, but usually, they were limited to just a few weak mages, and all attempts had not yielded concrete results. In the modern era, most seemed to consider the idea impossible and preferred to focus on more useful subjects.

Of course, there was also another element that this book did not mention, but I was sure must have played a role. Ferris was a class-based kingdom, with mages forming the upper-class nobility and commoners performing grunt work. Noble families maintained a monopoly on magical knowledge and power, and it was only due to their might that they remained in control.

If any army of superhuman commoners formed, how long until they began to question why they served the nobles? Some would remain loyal, but enough had seen the selfishness of men that rebellion would follow, and it would lead invariably to a collapse in Ferris. Without more information, it was impossible to say who would win the conflict, but either way, Ferris would be significantly weakened.

Which brought me to wonder why someone seemed to be beginning this research again? I lacked enough information to make a definite conclusion, but I suspected it was the act of someone too arrogant, power-hungry, or desperate to care. Precisely what their identity was is a problem for another day. I had a much more immediate, and possibly more daunting problem ahead of me.

"The Harvest Banquet? I've heard of it, yes. I never thought you'd be the type to go to a party like that." Amelia called, blocking my combination with the flat of her wooden blade before lashing out with a lightning-fast counter.

I leaned back, moving my head to one side and watching the strike sail wide before dashing back in and attempting another attack, which Amelia dodged with ease. Months of frequent sparring had developed my skills enough that the gap between us had narrowed, and my intense physical training had let me pull ahead of her in physical strength and speed.

"Normally, you would be correct, but my lord's son Leon has specifically requested I attend, and I do not have much of choice in the matter. I owe them too much, and Leon has become something of a friend." I answered, stepping back a full step and gaining enough distance to consider my next move. Amelia was better than me with a sword, but less so than with a staff.

Stepping in again, I moved into a powerful overhand strike, using my superior strength to try and batter aside her guard. Deflecting my blows away, Amelia managed to fend off my offense, but she seemed to falter, her face covered in a sheen of sweat.

Feeling victory close and ignoring my instincts, I continued my attacks, noticing only at the last second the cunning glint in her eyes. Moving to break off my offense, I was too late and saw Amelia turn her deflecting defense into a quick thrust, striking hard into my collarbone. While the wooden weapons only left a bruise, if we were using real swords, it would have caused a fatal injury.

"You almost had me at the end, but you got too aggressive. You're not normally one to lose focus and get caught up in a fight like that." Amelia said, narrowing her eyes and poking me lighting with the end of her weapon.

"Sorry, I am feeling a little distracted today. There has been a lot of things on my mind lately." I answered, lowering my head and feeling my heart thud in my chest.

"So, what's the plan for this banquet? Hide in the corner and sneak away when the Esttons aren't looking?" Amelia asked, seeming to notice my nervousness.

I laughed, wishing it was a possibility, before shaking my head. "I wish. But no, I am sure that Leon will want me nearby. And my bigger problem is that I need to bring along another person, as my companion."

"A companion? Or a date?" she said, looking at me with a smile.

"Ideally, a companion. I am still a commoner, and not many people would likely pursue me as a potential partner. As you may imagine, I have no experience with these sorts of things." I answered, feeling a bit of a twinge in my chest at my words. Although I had far more critical concerns, I was still painfully aware of my social hierarchy position.

"Oh, don't be a baby. You aren't bad looking. A little too quiet and smaller than some, but I'm sure you can figure something out." Amelia said, grabbing a towel and drying her face, missing the look that flashed across my features.

"Well...about that. I...was wondering if you would be interested in going. With me, I mean." I said, stammering a bit as I tried to get the words out.

Amelia froze, slowly lowering the towel from her features before staring at me. Several seconds passed in silence, and I felt my mouth go dry, my heart hammering in my ears.

"Well, first off, you need to get much better at that in the future. Stuttering and struggling to ask doesn't exactly make a girl feel special." Amelia joked, smirking at me.

I inclined my head slightly and took a deep breath before looking back to her, looking directly into her eyes.

"I apologize, Amelia. What I meant to say was, will you go to the Harvest Banquet with me?"

This time, she laughed before shaking her head at me.

"I was joking, Vayne. I'm already supposed to go, actually, but I had no plans to go with anyone. Though I guess I can make an exception for you." Amelia said, her smirk turning into a full smile.

I was not sure what to say, so I settled with a quick nod, which caused Amelia to roll her eyes.

"On that note, I have to head back to my room and get in some studying for classes tomorrow. I'll see you tomorrow." Amelia finished, turning and leaving. I followed her with my eyes before sighing, rubbing my face.

My understanding and power with magic increased by the day, and I was already capable of massacring a half-dozen ordinary men with little trouble. I was rapidly growing to become a skilled warrior and had a better education than even some noble children.

Maybe gods existed somewhere in the world and had cursed me with a complete inability to understand and talk to women. Or perhaps it was a curse levied on me by the enemies of the Esttons, that robbed me of social graces.

Either way, through some miracle of fate, I had managed to ask Amelia to accompany me without insulting her or succumbing to a heart attack. Now the only problem was surviving that night without offending any of the nobles attending the banquet and also keeping Amelia happy without giving her the wrong impression of my intentions.

"Is it too late to flee from Ferris, and start another life somewhere else?"