The next morning, Nico left his apartment located in the lower half of a duplex. His eyes hurt. When he got home after the exam the previous night, he had played one of his favorite RPGs on his computer to keep his mind off things. He walked down his brick street towards Fu's cafe.

Nearby, the charter school rang the final bell for tardy students. A few gossiping teens moseyed through the front doors.

Nico breathed in the crisp autumn air. It was his favorite season. The sun hovered above the clear blue sky. Anyone would feel happy under the good weather. But none of the brightness of the morning helped still Nico’s troubled mind.

He only felt fear, disappointment, and shame. Yay. Good times. The whole idea of it seemed so distant.

Nico spent five hard years completing tasks to earn three slips from different Holds. With those slips, the Union allowed him to take the test.

Every action he'd taken in those years were designed to pass that examination. He would have had access to knowledge and resources denied to him his whole life. At first, it seemed impossible to believe someone with no mage as a teacher could take the test, let alone pass it. That didn’t stop him from going to work, scrounging for new spell formulas and stretching his limited magic capacity a little by little.

When he earned his first slip from Fu, Nico felt more than confident he would pass. To him, it was a fact.

But fate had other plans for him. Five years of hard work went up in flames. Literally.

Nico blinked rapidly a few times as he left his neighborhood block. His vision had little spots of blurriness, like the way a light rain obscured the car window.

Odd.

Six blocks and a couple turns later, Nico saw Fu’s Cafe. A few of the young freelancers who worked remotely sat outside with their coffees, typing on their laptops. They seemed so full of purpose.

What was his purpose now that the Mages Union denied him apprenticeship. Mage Puhlman was impressed that Nico had saved Yuri's life, but it wasn’t enough to get another shot at the exam. He lectured on about how all mages must always be prepared for the worst.

Battles in the Next Over were as unpredictable as the ruins that littered the magical land.

According to Pullman, if Nico couldn't pull off his own spell while also protecting his allies, then he wouldn't have survived in the Next Over. The words were harsh, but Pullman spoke them gently.

The pity in his voice only made Nico angry.

But Pullman was right. The Mages Union and their Holds needed apprentices who weren’t just skilled, but powerful. The Next Over was filled with spirits more powerful than haunts, not to mention members of the Grey Dead and the Silver Dead.

For the millionth time, Nico cursed at the imprecision of magic. Sure, he had the power capacity of a dung beetle, but he had proven that power isn't everything. If only he knew more about how magic worked, and not just how mages were taught for centuries. No. He wanted to dissect magic and pull away all the unnecessary thinking that came with it.

He could feel it in his bones. There was more to understand about magic. Hell, he had proven how much he could accomplish just through the careful experimentation of his spell formulas.

The only good thing that had come out of the failed exam was a potential friend. Yuri had thanked Nico profusely and exchanged phone numbers with him. The Russian insisted Nico call him for any favors. Nico accepted the offer without resistance If he hadn't stepped in, Yuri wouldn't have been able to pull off the spell.

Before Nico had left, he had caught a conversation between Yuri and Major Pullman about a delve into the Next Over that night. That was crazy.

Yuri had just become an apprentice. Within a couple of hours he would have to enter a bend in the Next Over. Was the Russian just so powerful that he qualified to fight for his new Hold?

Nico wasn’t sure he would survive the dangerous ethereal plane himself if he was in Yuri’s shoes

He arrived at Fu’s Cafe. When he entered, Nico immediately felt his nerves and frustrations lessen. That hadn’t been quieted to the point of complete calm, but just...muted. His fears and anxieties had become manageable, as if he’d spent four months with a therapist working out his issues.

Nico smiled pleasantly. That odd sense of calm was one of the effects of stepping into Fu’s Cafe.

The cafe sat on the street corner, but the entire Hold extended four square blocks. It was a particular type of Hold of magic called a Hearthhome. That meant any rank two spells or below could not be cast here. It was impossible. Spells cast above rank two in a hearthhome were then judged and enforced by its steward, which usually meant the beating of a lifetime.

It was neutral ground, amagical no man's land. Sure, people shoot each other up with mortal guns. However, that was countered by the very effect Nico experienced when entering the cafe. Non-magical types felt it as soon as the entered the Hold. Those with innate power, even as little as Nico’s, naturally resisted it until they reached the cafe.

If someone meant non-magical harm within the hearthhome, the calming effects might have forced them to forget why they were there in the first place or why they were so angry.

The small cafe was filled with circular tables, about a quarter of occupied.

Nico walked to the counter. He noted all the staff were incredibly cute. Fu had once confessed that hiring cute girls was a business decision, but Nico suspected the owner just liked being around beautiful people. It was nothing to complain about.

One of the cute baristas greeted him at the counter, her smile revealing a dimple. “Hey, Nico. The usual?”

Nico pulled out his wallet, and his wrist brushed against several metal, circular tubes attached to his belt. He nodded, “Yep. Cappuccino with a bagel and strawberry cream cheese, please.”

He didn't realize how hungry he was until he ordered the food. He sat in his usual spot, a table in a cozy corner of the cafe. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he winced. Without looking at the phone screen, he pressed the side buttons to put it in silent mod.

It was probably his best friend, Carmen, asking about his results. He didn’t want to face her with his failure until some caffeine jolted him awake.

A thick necked, short Asian man built like a surfer with dark, circular sunglasses, long surfer hair, and a hawain shirt migrated from table to table, making light conversation with each customer, trading a few bad jokes for pleasant laughs.

It was Fu, the owner of the cafe and master of this hold of protection. He wasn't a particularly notable mage, probably on the same level as Mage Pullmann. Fu could still beat the crap out of Nico, both physically and magically. But that wasn't why Fu was powerful.

By means unknown to anyone except their stewards, hearthhomes drew power from each other. Masters of these Holds could draw on the power of every hearthhome in the world. If they weren’t determined to keep the peace within their limited borders, hearthomes could confidently go to war against the rest of the magical community.

Fu swept away dirty plates with his thick hands after ending each conversation. He noticed Nico, and winked.

Nico smiled back, but he could feel his anxiety coming back, despite the hearthome’s power. He felt lost, a ship at sea with no destination and land in sight.

Fu was one of Nico’s sponsors. To apply for the apprenticeship test at the Majors Union, Nico had done enough work for Fu to warrant two slips bearing Fu’s sigil, a Japanese-styled crest with a coffee cup at its center. The third recommendation slip came from the Friends of the Night, an organization dedicated to protecting low level practitioners around the city and were heavily involved in charities and outreach groups. Their Hold was spread through a couple halfway houses and donation centers.

Maybe Fu was the answer to Nico’s problem. The man had plenty of influence. He might be able to pull some strings at the Mages Union.

Nico felt guilty for wanting to beg Fu for his help. The owner of the cafe didn’t owe Nico a thing. But it was either that, or pledge himself to one of the available Holds in the city.

He shivered at the idea.

Giving up his magic to any of the Holds of faith wasn’t an option. He had to ask Fu for help. Five years earlier, Nico had also asked the cafe owner for help. Fu had tasked Nico to track and kill forty haunts for just one slip. Haunts were the least powerful of problematic spirits, but were still not fun to fight.

For the Friends of the Night, Nico had been asked to consult on their spell modifications. Carmen worked for the Friends of the Night as a non-practitioner in their outreach programs, and had suggested for Nico to work out a deal with them. She had pledged herself to the Hold years earlier, giving up all her power. Now, she worked for them, as in some of their outreach programs.

At first, they were hesitant to work with a hedge practitioner, but he quickly gained a reputation for his innovative minor modifications. Not only did they boost magical efficiency, but most importantly, the modifications were safe. Spell arrays were rarely modified by lower level practitioners, and by the time they reached a higher level of power, arrays became useless.

Nico’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

Fu sat down on the chair opposite to Nico. He set down a small mug filled with cappuccino and a plate with a toasted bagel slathered with strawberry cream cheese. He smiled warmly, and said, “You look like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”

Nico peered at him. “Don't act like you don't know. Word travels through hearthhomes faster than social media.”

Fu chuckled. “What can I say? I've got big ears. You’re right. I know. But tell Uncle Fu everything anyways. You know me. I like a good story.”

Nico told him.

Fu looked appropriately concerned at the mention of Rashid's death by his own faulty spell matrix.

“Blood for your spell array?” Nico exasperated, capping off his story.

Fu shrugged. “Magic centered around blood is one of the most practiced schools in the more conservative parts of the world. The tradition has been passed down since man took their first steps. Although, blood mages tend to be ruled by their passions.”

Nico shook his head, his mood darkening. “Tradition is stupid if it’s innacurate. That blood killed him.”

Fu pressed lips together and scratched his goatee. He seemed worried. “You should be careful which practitioners you speak your mind to. Mages can be very defensive about their craft. Despite how much we’ve advanced with magic, we’ve barely scratched the surface. It’s both science and art.”

Nico snorted. “It can be more science than art, but practioners are too protective of their own theories. The only arrays that are universally useful are Gallahad’s.”

“Let me remind you he died mocked by his peers,” Fu warned. “It took two hundred years and the industrial revolution for people to take his theories seriously. People, mages especially, hate change.”

Nico sighed. Fu wasn’t, just providing an informed opinion.

Fu said, “Hey, thanks for the story. But your cappuccino is getting cold. Eat. Drink. You look like you haven't eaten in days.”

Nico‘s mouth watered at the mention of food. He bit into the bagel, and savored the sweet strawberry cream cheese before sipping it down with Fu’s famous cappuccino.

Fu chuckled. “If you didn't come here nearly every day, and I didn't remind you to eat, you'd be thin as a reed.”

“Can’t you see all my beautiful muscles through my shirt?” Nico joked, pumping his arms in a mock display.

“Eat,” Fu insisted. And Nico did.

Fu watched Nico eat and drink in silence, which was a little uncomfortable because usually the man only sat with his customers for a few minutes at a time.

Nico burped behind a closed fist. “Excuse me. But uhm...Do you have anything else you want to say? Maybe you’ve got advice for me?”

Fu’s expression grew serious but still friendly. “You've done good work for me, and more importantly, you helped people who couldn’t protect themselves.”

Nico was alarmed at the cafe owner’s sudden change in tone. The man was usually jovial and light. Nico hadn’t seen him speak like this before.

Fu continued, “Out of all the low level practitioners who asked me for a recommendation slip to the entrance exam. You were the only one who rose to the challenge. Sure, haunts are the lowest level of the gray dead. But for someone born with little power, they are still dangerous.”

Nico was reminded of a little girl he had to exorcise when the local priest had fallen ill. It was his first possession. He didn’t know projectile vomiting from the movies was based on a real thing. It took a week’s worth of intense showers to feel clean again. Yuck.

Fu said, “What you did took courage and dedication.”

Nico felt his cheeks blush. He rubbed his head. “Thanks, but it wasn't like I was doing it for any noble reasons. Sure, I like helping people. I like preventing possessions and killing haunts wherever I can. But it was all so I can get those recommendation slips. I even got to test my modifications on the haunts.”

Fu waved his comment away. “Intentions. Bah. It’s your actions that resonated with me.”

He leaned forward in his chair. And his voice grew quiet, solemn. The air around him seemed to thicken as if something important was about to happen. Nico held his breath and did not speak, waiting for Fu to do or say something.

Fu said, “Since you failed to become an apprentice of the Mages Union that means you have to pledge yourself to a hold within 30 days or you'll be blacklisted. Do you know exactly what that means?”

Nico grumbled. “Yeah. Every single Hold in the world will come after me, and I'll basically be a dead man.”

“You don't seem the type to pledge yourself. You’ve made it very clear your ambitions with your magical craft.”

“It’s not just the research,” Nico added. “My magic is the only I have from my mother.”

Fu nodded as if he had known the answer all along. He said, “That means Holds of faith aren't an option. You don't want to relinquish your abilities. You also don't seem to have the personality to pledge yourself to Baltazat’s Hold.”

“Uh, duh,” Nico replied. “I don't think graphic design or cantrip-level modifications are a big demand among magical drug lords.”

Fu’s face grew a little darker. “Lightning’s grace, I wish that man was only dealing in drugs. He is more dangerous than you know. I'm glad you're kept in ignorance.”

Nico asked, “Why are you telling me all this?”

The Asian cafe owner studied Nico as if making an important decision. Finally at a long, awkward pause, Fu asked, “Would you like to pledge yourself to this Hold? This isn’t a joke. It is a formal offer.”

Nico blinked. “Um, what?”

Fu added, “As the sole apprentice to a hearthome, you don't have to fight in wars in the Next Over. And you will have access to the power and knowledge of every hearthome in the entire world. There are other, more secret benefits.”

Fu’s words stunned Nico. It took him a few seconds to comprehend what the man had offered. A hearthhome’s master could only take one apprentice, who would eventually become the steward of that Hold.

What Fu was offering was no light matter. A steward of a hearthome wielded more power than nearly any other single Hold out there. The only downside was that neither apprentice nor master could ever leave the Hold they were pledged to. It was a lifetime position.

Nico shook his head. “Thanks for thinking so highly of me, man, but this is nuts. I’m not cut out for being your apprentice, I don’t think.”

“I'm not going to ask again,” Fu urged. “This is an important question. Today is an important day for you. The path you set yourself on five years ago is now blocked. I offer you a different path. A path of freedom.”

Fu paused, and added with great severity, “Within this Hold, you would be safe.”

Before Nico could really think it over. He found himself saying. "No, I'm sorry, I can't. It just doesn't feel like the right decision. I love my freedom. It's why I'm a freelance designer instead of working for the same office. Thank you, Fu. It means a lot."

Fu didn't look offended, but concerned, which was an odd response. What was there to be worried about? "It would have been nice to have such a skilled and creative apprentice. Best of all, you're a good boy."

Nico sighed. "I'm sorry. But why are you offering this to me now? Was this something that you had in your back pocket just in case I failed?

The gravitas around Fu lessened. He looked more tired than concerned. He said, "I still don't understand you're odd modification, and I was certain you would pass the test. Then I heard from the Union about your exam. You sacrificed your only chance for your dream so you could protect someone. That is why. Greatness comes at the cost of time, energy and patience. Good comes at deep personal cost. A sacrifice."

"Yeah," Nico muttered. "What's stupid is if I was in that situation again, I wouldn't change a thing. That probably means my dream to enter the Mages Union wasn't a good dream."

Fu paused, and cleared his throat. He said, "then is with a heavy heart. I tell you this."

"Tell me what?"

"As of this morning, eight o'clock this morning, you have been red-listed by the Coalition of Holds."

Nico's mouth went dry. He honestly didn't know what Fu was saying. "I don't understand. If you're blacklisted, you're pretty much dead. The red list doesn't sound much better."

Fu shook his head. "It is very bad. It is a warning to all Holds to not take you in. If you were already part of a Hold, then you would have been put under trial and everything. An investigation would have been taken place. Since you have thirty days left until you must pledge, they decided to red-list you."

Nico butter. "Investigation? About what?"

Fu put his hands up in a placating gesture. "That boy Rashid yesterday who died using the spell formation with blood. Within the center of the spell matrix was a sigil. an arrow within a circle."

Nico's stomach leapt to his throat.

An arrow within a circle. The level up symbol. That was Nico signature. His sigil of power. After his parents died, videogames had been his source of comfort. He even registered the sigil within the Coalition of Holds when he turned eleven. At the time, he was surprised no one had used the level up symbol as a sigil.

Nico asked, "Why was Rashid using it? I mean, how the hell did he even know what my sigil is?"

Fu shook his head. "I don't know. From your reaction, you don't seem to know either. You're too honest of a boy to lie to me like this."

Nico buried his face in his hands, and realized that his whole body shook. Something wet formed in his eyes, pooling up in his hands.

Fu moved his chair over to sit next to Nico and placed his muscled. He patted Nico's back as he wept

When the tears cleared and Nico gathered himself, he said. "So, that's it, huh? Even if I go to every Hold around the world, almost no one's going to take me in because I've been red-listed. I'm bad news."

"Even someone like Balzatar Powers would think twice to accept your pledge," Fu added.

Nico asked, "Then why did you do offer to take me in?"

Fu smiled. "You've come here nearly every day. I knew your mother and she raised you well. I knew your father, and even though he was a crotchety son of a bitch, he was also a good man. You are their son, both in body and heart."

Nico felt his anger summer. He said, "Everyone knows you can't access the power of someone else's sigil. Even sorcerers can't do it. So the red-list?"

Fu's voice grew quiet. "Because Rasheed wasn't the only one who died last night. Three others died at the exact time of death as Rashid. Although the spell formations weren't anywhere similar, they had all used your sigil."

Every time the cafe owner spoke, the world seemed to crumble even more. Nico urged, "I swear to God, Fu, you know me. I didn't do anything."

"I know," Fu said with a placating gesture. "I'm just telling you the truth. You've made a name for yourself among the Holds within the city for being unconventional with your magic in your spell formulations. Out of any other practitioner out there, your modifications are confounding. Even I barely grasp the logic behind them."

"So they think I orchestrated their deaths based on the fact I modified cantrip-level arrays?"

"Think, Nico. We were just talking about how Gallahad was viewed in his time. You are a paraia. With the little knowledge you've scrounged up from lost books basic theory, you've managed to create new modifications. That has impressed even mages of my level."

Nico snorted. "How does complimenting me help? "

"It is a compliment," Fu admitted. "But it is also a warning. The reputation you've gained over the years as an unconventional practioner is working against you."

A terrifying realization hit Nico like a pile of bricks. He said, "My arrays are all over the city. I never bothered clearing them. The whole point of keeping them up was so that each time I used a formation with my sigil, my power would grow a little. Doing that was only reason I had enough power to cast the spell for this year's examination."

Fu nodded. "I don't know if that has anything to do with what happened yesterday, but this is bad."

Nico realized that his eyes were getting blotchy in odd areas again. He couldn't tell if it was from the tears or the weird, blurry vision from earlier.

He said, "I have to pledge myself to a Hold within thirty days. If I don't do that, I make the black list. I'm dead in a month."

Fu's expression grew sad. "I told you I wouldn't ask again to become my apprentice. But I am going to leave the option open for you for the month. It's not an easy decision to make."

Although the situation was dire, Nico's answer han't changed. He couldn't imagine living within the same four blocks for the rest of his life.

Fu interrupted his thoughts. "Do you have any allies, someone with influence?"

Nico chuckled darkly. "Can't you do anything?"

"I already did," Fu replied. "When I was informed of your situation I insisted I be the one to give you the information today. It was best you heard it from a friend. It also gave me a chance to help you save yourself."

Nico sipped his cappuccino. His hands no longer shook, and he could feel his mind beginning to clear. "Well, if that's all you can do, I've got Carmen. She's the one who voted for me with the Friends of the Night."

"Tall, pretty Mexican girl?" Asked Fu.

"Puerto Rican," Nico, corrected.

Fu said. "Wait here. I'll be back in a sec."

He returned with a small plate. On it was a brown sugar crumb cake with a single candle at its center. Fu touched his finger to the tip of the candle. A flame lit.

Nico stared dumbly at the crumb cake. "What's this for?"

Fu looked at him like he was an idiot. He rapped his knuckles lightly on Nico's head. "It's your birthday."

His birthday. Holy crap. So much happened that Nico completely forgot he turned twenty one today. All he could manage was, "Wow. Thank you."

"Crumb cake is about as close to an actual cake as I can make that’s edible," Fu apologized. "Eat up, birthday boy. Or, I guess birthday man."

Nico ate crumb cake and drank the coffee quietly. The small gesture helped lift his spirits from all the terrible news.

Fu asked, "Has your magic manifested into an ability yet? Did you get more power like you wanted?"

Nico shook his head and blinked a couple of times. "Nah, still scrawny as ever. But I think it has something to do with my vision. At first, I thought it was because I stayed up too late gaming, but I keep getting splotches in my eyes that I have to blink away."

Fu hummed thoughtfully. "Your eyes are just the lense. It’s your mind which perceives what it sees. It might be something more unique than that. Abilities of the mind are the rarest. They usually enhance your judgement."

Nico shrugged. "I just hope I don't go blind. Things are bad enough."

"Sorry I can't do more than offer you my Hold," Fu replied. "Keep your head up. If this much happened in a day, think about how much can change for you by the end of this month. Just know you always have a home here."

He patted Nico's shoulder and left to make coffee behind the counter.

Nico left soon after. He needed to see Carmen. She was his only lead. The Friends of the Night were everywhere with their charities throughout the city. If anybody could get him more information, it would be her."

As he plodded down the street back towards his apartment, what seemed like a heat haze on the corner of the street caught his attention.

Nico stopped and stared at the heat haze. It took him a few seconds to recognize it wasn't one of the blotches of vision. It was a genuine heat haze,.

And it moved on its own down the block.

"Shit," he cursed. Heat hazes were the sign of a haunt, the lowest of the Gray Dead. Some people call them ghosts or poltergeists. They would be wrong. Ghosts were never malevolent and poltergeists were higher up the ladder of malicious dead.

Nico had killed enough haunts in the past five years to recognize the signs of one. What was it doing out here in the middle of the day? Haunts almost always appeared either at dusk or at night. He'd never seen one come out in the middle of the day.

It rounded the corner. Nico crossed the street to follow it. There were children in schools nearby, but unwarded walls couldn’t stop haunts.

Carmen could wait. Nico would never forgive himself if he learned later that a child was possessed in his neighborhood.

His hand went to the metal tubes attached to his belt. It was time to kill a haunt.