“Get down!” Raj shouted. His foresight in moving the group near cover showed its worth as the group immediately shifted below sight of the shooter.

“Oh wow,” Thomas cooed, standing up to get a better view. “She really does have ephemeral armor.”

“Get down you idiot!” Isabella yelled, bullets sounding off making Millie’s ears ache. It was so damn loud.

“Ah, it's fine. What’s the chance he’d—”

A bullet blew through the boy’s skull.

“Holy fuck!”

“Shit, shit, shit!”

“Get down!”

Millie screamed in shock as she watched the boy’s body topple over as the rest of the group descended the path. Another person dead, right before her eyes and she’d been helpless to stop it. Had that been the Fortune-Teller’s warning? How was she supposed to put that together quickly enough to do anything!?

A man screamed in the distance, audible only because the sounds of his gunshots finally faded.

Raj called a halt, as the group turned, staring up at the artificial golden sky that slowly lit up as dawn began.

“Is it over?” Katelyn whispered.

“Maybe it’s—”

The man in the duel screamed louder as heavy metallic footsteps thumped across the ground. His screaming seemed to vary, as though he was running before the heavy footsteps stopped abruptly. Then, the man’s voice became shrill before a deafening slam shook the ground several yards away.

The man’s voice immediately became strangled as sickening crunches sounded out. Over and over and over, like a sledgehammer pulverizing a carcass. His voice grew desperate, piteous, begging before a final crunch brought out a blood-curdling wheeze. The man’s final breath was expended for a mercy that would never come. The golden girl, however, didn’t stop punching for some time, the sounds of bloody, mindless carnage churning Millie’s stomach.

It became too much, and Millie puked to the side. She wasn’t the only one.

“Kkkuckkkk, kchczzztrrrth oadzzz, ahhh?”A raspy, hollow voice wheezed out. Freezing in place, Millie looked up along with many of the others.

Thomas had sat up.

His jaw hung disjointed by the damage of the shot and Millie could clearly see his brain through the gaping wound punched through his head. But before her eyes, his wounds nit back together and the boy reached up to fix his jaw, looking annoyed before he finally stood up. The only sign anything had happened was the copious amounts of blood and gore covering his uniform, and even then the largest chunks were slowly fading away only leaving a dark crimson stain.

“Ow. Fuck, I need to find a way to deal with the pain,” Thomas said. “But seriously, what are the odds he’d hit me? I was hiding and everything.”

“You…stood up,” Raj said. He sounded unnerved, and Millie could hardly blame him.

“Good point,” the boy said, snapping his fingers. “Oh well, totally worth it to see your faces, even if you did puke everywhere. Seriously gross guys,” he laughed as he put his hands in his pocket and began walking back towards the plaza. “Anyway, see ya around,” he called out.

“Wait!” Catherine shouted. “Do you have a condition?”

“A condition?” Thomas repeated, turning back to face them. “I mean, where do I start? But that’s not what you’re asking, is it? You didn’t look like it, but maybe you’re one of us, huh? Got yourself one of the good gifts?”

The girl shrunk back. Damn it, Catherine, why the hell did you just play our hand like that? Millie mentally added ‘explaining the nature of secrets and how to keep them’ to Catherine on her to-do list.

“It's just something we heard,” Katelyn said, stepping up to shield Catherine. “We don’t mean anything by it.”

“Oh? And where did you…” the boy paused as his eyes swept over them and stopped on one person in particular. Someone, that upon inspection, seemed to be trying very hard to hide behind the group.

“Liam?” Thomas said. “I wondered where you scurried off to. So that's where you heard it from, cutie. But then again, Liam, I didn’t think you were looking into clues. Here I thought you said it was all a waste of time.”

The boy chuckled good-naturedly, and Millie turned to stare at Liam. Did he know this guy had the potion? What the hell’s their connection?

“Just helping my class,” Liam said with a shrug, but there was no disguising the hostile glare he gave the short boy. “You didn’t say you found anything either.”

The boy shrugged back. “Well, to be fair, I’m not the most honest person,” he said, staring at Liam knowingly. Then, he turned back to Catherine. “But you’re pretty sexy, so I don’t mind handing out a bit of information, so why not?” He winked at her and the girl literally took a step back.

“W-what?” She flushed brightly as Thomas blew her a kiss.

“What? You might come back for seconds, so who am I to deny?” He said. “Well, boys, girls, and viewers at home if we got ‘em. My condition is…”

The boy literally paused dramatically.

“To the most eager—” he shouted grandiosely, stepping back as he spread his arms wide, “—life…everlasting.”

He bowed deeply, before cackling with glee as he turned and sauntered up the path. His voice echoed along the hall, leaving the group in a stunned silence that eventually swallowed them whole.

After the shock wore out, Catherine let out a nervous breath and turned towards the rest of them.

“I think…” she said, biting her lip. “I think that’s Genetis, right?”

Millie slowly facepalmed.

Understandably, several people were less than pleased with Catherine’s indiscretion. The poor girl was as frustrated as the rest of them once she realized the severity of her slip. She became immediately furious at herself for not thinking about the boy being a potential threat, or about how they’d just put themselves on his, or anyone he talked to’s, radar.

Angriest of all was Liam who’d almost escaped the boy’s notice, and he wasted little time trying to take his frustrations out on the curvy girl. He balked when Raj stepped up and asked if he’d like to explain why Thomas knew him or why he was so upset.

Unsurprisingly, Liam fell quiet and dropped the matter.

For the sake of safety, Millie and her class then retreated deeper into the lower level, deciding it was best to give Rebecca time before they tried to return to the plaza. While they hadn’t heard any indication of the girl attacking anyone other than her opponent, as far as the group knew there was technically nothing stopping her from going rogue and killing indiscriminately.

The only potential explanation for why she hadn’t, Millie would eventually explain, was the likelihood that whatever spirit she was bonded with preferring honorable battle over slaughter.

“Is that common with spirits?” Raj asked.

“It's not really about what's common,” Millie said. “It's more that, once you start to get a sense of theme in a Spirit you can rely on them to always follow it, even if it leads to their own death. Their powers also reflect on their theme.”

“So if she was challenging people—” Isabella said.

“And her condition said glory in it—” Catherine offered helpfully.

“—then that’s probably a clue to her theme,” Isabella finished saying. She side-eyed Catherine but stayed silent. It was clear she was no happier with the girl than the rest of them, but she’d also been notably vexed since she saw Rebecca. The beauty was openly envious of the ‘golden girl’ despite the evidence suggesting possible mental trauma with her. That had sparked a conversation all its own.

“And that’s something that can happen with spirit bonds?” Raj asked after Millie expressed that concern.

Millie nodded. “It's why you have to make sure you bond weaker Spirits if you want a Familiar. That, or you better have something really good to offer them. Otherwise, you can…sort of become their Familiar instead.”

The group had reacted with predicable abhorrence at the comment. After all, the look in Rebecca’s eyes had left little guess in the truth of Millie’s claim. The girl had looked dead inside, just waiting for it all to be over. It still brought Millie chills just to recall it.

“How much longer should we wait, anyway?” Millie asked.

“Let’s give it another ten M-minutes,” Raj answered. “You don’t mind, do you?”

He turned with a sly grin towards a servitor, who was wearing a rugged red dress with white frills and a beige scarf that she’d tied tightly around her neck and mouth, obscuring her smile. She was glaring daggers at them all underneath a light grey bonnet with a pink bow tied on top.

“You’re really not supposed to be here,” she said. “I’ll report you to the Governor!”

Raj snuffled his mustache at the robot, before leaning back against one of the endless pipes. The sound of industrial machinery at work sang in the background as the group continued to wait patiently. It had been startling at first, as the noise only became apparent once they’d entered the seemingly abandoned building. Whether it was through magic or great insulation, it was practically impossible to hear outside despite being near-deafening indoors.

Several people broke off to talk, a few bouncing between groups as conversations waxed and waned, made difficult by the noise. Millie found herself in more than one, mostly concerning ideas for researching, thoughts on recent events, or some cases small talk. As though they were trying to simply recapture some semblance of normalcy, despite alien machines mass producing magical items behind them. However, when Liam approached her, hoping to join in at one point, Millie shied away. That was how she found herself sitting on a smaller pipe next to Raj. Her former angel seemed unwilling to approach the stoic man.

“Sorry to bug you,” Millie said. It was a bit humiliating to have to rely on the man just for the sake of some peace and quiet, but she was tired of yelling at Liam. Well, as quiet as you can be in a damn factory, she mused. Still, it was probably better than stabbing her ex, as cathartic as it might be.

Raj lifted his large shoulders in a shrug. “Are you worried about him?”

There was no question who him was in this context, and Millie sighed as a result.

“I don’t know. He’s acting clingy of all things.” And really isn’t taking my requests for him to leave me alone seriously, she thought. Honestly, do I have to stab him? Is that what it's going to take?

Raj looked at her intensely. “Is that new for him?”

“I don’t know,” Millie answered, laughing ruefully. “Everything about him is new to me, it feels like.”

“New in what way?”

Millie looked up to meet his eyes. Why does he seem so curious about this all of a sudden? “I guess he’s always been the physical type. Light touches, hugs, kissing, grop—ah, other things. It just feels clingy now because it's seriously unwanted. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised he isn’t listening to me though. I wonder if he ever really did.”

Raj nodded, seemingly returning to his quiet ruminations. But Millie kept watching him, worried about the potential implications.

“You’re worried the crystal’s done something to him, aren’t you? Like Rebecca’s Spirit?”

Raj glanced back at her, before turning away. “That, and what he might be capable of.”

“Capable of?” Millie repeated, blinking widely. Liam’s a degenerate scum bag, but I don’t think he’d do anything serious. Right?

“As best as I can tell Rebecca leapt nearly half a dozen yards after completely shrugging off small arms fire,” Raj said. “I’ve no doubt she could have killed her opponent in a single hit but chose to drag out his death, even going far enough to pummel his corpse.”

Millie shivered at the retelling. When he put it like that…it sounded even more terrifying.

“Meanwhile, that boy Thomas, died right in front of us. Then, just got back up. I don’t know if his healing power is limited, or if he has to die to trigger it, but if his attitude is anything to base our assumptions on, I wouldn’t be willing to gamble on limitations. If he has them, he clearly doesn’t show it.”

“That’s a lot, yeah,” Millie said, “but it's all counterable. The right Talismans and Spells might be able to disrupt or weaken Rebecca. And healing is great, but I could…ah, sit on Thomas and that would probably end that fight.”

Millie laughed awkwardly, and Raj smiled, but he didn’t seem fully convinced. In the silence that followed, filled only by the sounds of the machines’ endless labors, he eventually let out a long sigh.

“But that’s just the beginning, isn’t it?”

“What do you mean?”

“If there are hidden quest lines for these conditional gifts, and they can get more powerful as the others have theorized, then this is simply that. The beginning of what they’re capable of.”

Oh. “So when you say you’re worried about what Liam’s capable of…”

Raj nodded. “I mean I’m worried what that crystal of his might let him do. Not just now, but in the future. He’s a bad liar in my opinion, and I think he knows it. The moment he’s cornered, he clams up. I severely doubt he’ll let anything about his ‘gift’ slip as a result.”

Millie prickled at the comment. It hurt her pride to admit, but Raj was probably right. Which meant not only had she fallen for a manipulative, lying bastard, she’d fallen for one who wasn’t even that good at it. That went to show just how far she’d gone to explain away his behavior and ignore the signs that seemed all the more obvious now in hindsight.

“Do you think he’ll actually do anything?” Millie asked.

“I should be asking you that,” Raj replied. “I haven’t seen anything that deliberately puts me on edge, but power can do things to a man. Things that seem impossible, that they’d never entertain before, suddenly become possibilities. Things they wanted, but couldn’t have, they can now take. It's at that point a man is truly tested. If they’re found wanting, it's innocents like us who will suffer as a result.”

Millie couldn’t help but look over to see Liam, standing on the outskirts of the group, dark eyes gleaming in the shadows as he stared back at her. Another shiver ran up her spine.

“Should we…do something?” She couldn’t believe she was suggesting it. She wasn’t even sure what she was suggesting. But Raj’s words had her worried. She was furious at Liam, yes. She’d easily claim she hated him and wanted him to just disappear and never bother her again. But none of that changed the fact that she still cared about him on some level. She couldn’t just erase a lifetime of devotion. It just made it all the worse.

“It's hard to say,” Raj finally said. “If we make a move and his power manifests and we fail, its only natural that he’d turn hostile against us. He shares our dorm with us and he’s a part of the class, so there's no telling what might happen in that kind of situation. On the other hand, he’s been very vocal about wanting to protect you. How much do you trust that?”

Millie scowled. “I don’t know if I trust it at all, to be honest. I don’t know why he’s trying so hard. He only wanted it before because his father was offering him financial incentives to fix things between us. Now, I just don’t know.”

“Don’t discount the fact that he might genuinely want to be a father,” Raj said. “Even scum can dream of a better tomorrow, and few things offer that promise like a child, misguided though it may be.”

Raj’s harsh, critical tone was accompanied by a distant look. Millie was starting to feel like his comment hadn’t been solely directed at Liam.

“Is everything okay Raj?”

He shook his head. “It’s fine. For now, keep an eye on Liam. If he makes any move on you that crosses a line, say the word and I’ll act, consequences be damned. Otherwise, if you get any hint of his powers, let me know.”

“Alright,” she said. “But what’s the plan going forward? In case he gets…stronger.”

“Could you do a reading with your cards?”

Millie shook her head. “The basic ones would need him present and in front of me. That would be kind of hard to hide. The advanced ones wouldn’t but…I don’t think I’d survive those.”

“Then let's not risk it,” Raj said. “But that does leave us with only one option.”

“Which is?”

“The worst one,” Raj replied. “An arms race.”

“Like…a nuclear deterrent?”

Raj nodded. “If power can’t be concentrated, like the robots told you, then that means getting others in our class gifts is the best solution outside of a pre-emptive strike. Liam might be a bigger threat in the future, but if even one more of us gets a conditional gift like yours that’ll immediately shift the scales in our favor.”

She nodded before a chilling thought entered her mind. “Doesn’t that mean his best moment to strike would be now?”

“It does,” he affirmed. “Today is going to be crucial for many reasons. So, keep your eyes open, Millie.”

She wasn’t sure how she felt about that, but in the end, she couldn’t deny his words. Instead, her final thoughts in her talk with Tanya resurfaced. It was in the most desperate moments people showed you who they really were.

Did that mean today she’d finally find out who Liam really was?

When their decided-upon waiting period was over and no danger presented itself, the group made to leave the disguised factory. Raj went first, pulling a curtain aside and opening a window. This hadn’t been one of the buildings he’d visited before, but using a knife, he’d simply jimmied it open to let people inside. Millie hadn’t cared for being passed between Braylon and Raj like a sack of potatoes through the window the first time, and she liked it even less the second.

However, it wasn’t as though she had room to complain. It could have been much worse—there could have been security measures beyond simple locks.

Which still didn’t make sense to her, honestly. Breaking and entering felt incredibly dangerous. It was beyond risky that they could simply waltz into a complex like this, but Raj had countered with the fact that it still was dangerous. However, it was the goods themselves that were protected, rather than the buildings. Beyond that, these weren’t buildings originally designed for production. They were shoddy conversions, so their security reflected that. This meant, that aside from some surprisingly mundane obstacles, they were effortlessly infiltrated with only basic tools.

It was something Millie didn’t want to think about, but the same could be said for many a household—oftentimes the extent of their protection was a locked door and that was all. In this way, the aliens clearly weren’t so different. It was as good of reasoning as any, but part of Millie didn’t buy it.

Even if the buildings hadn’t been important, she felt there should have been magical security of some kind, not simply latches and locks that were child's play to get past. Even office buildings on Earth had more than just a latch. Maybe the machines had to remove whatever magical security was in place to modify the buildings? Or maybe the magic itself had died with its people in whatever calamity claimed Magincia?

Then again, that last one was a stretch. Magic couldn’t die…right? It was something to think about. Or not, in this case, she mused. I have enough mysteries to solve.

Regardless, upon their return to the plaza—Raj scouting ahead and the rest following only when he said it was safe—the only hint of Rebecca’s battle were the blood-stained cracks in the floors. Even then, they were in the process of being cleaned and repaired by servitors, and a quick inspection proved sufficient to prove Rebecca had limited her carnage to her single opponent. That boded well at least.

Entering the conflict and resolution office was a simple affair after that, and the grandiose architecture was large enough to accommodate every survivor in Magincia with room to spare. With marble floors, pillars, and rich wooden desks and seating, there were also dozens of locations where, presumably, staff could wait to help students and direct them further within. There was even a fully furnished restaurant in the waiting lobby, as forgettable music quietly played in the background. Though at a glance, it appeared the facilities in the office were severely undermanned.

Or under-roboted, Millie thought with a smile.

“Ah, Millie? Why is there a picture of you on the wall?” Catherine suddenly asked.

Millie looked over with a start, only to groan when she saw it. “This has got to be a joke.”

On the wall to the left of the entrance was a board, not unlike her vision’s memories of the Expedition center. On it, numerous challenges were listed, similar to quests, that students could take on for resources. They included elaborate duels and competitions, even allowing and encouraging the creation of tournaments that the system would fund rewards for.

However, above the board was a spot reserved for those who had gained ‘achievements,’ or were the leading contenders for them. Notably, there were two pictures that stood out.

“The first duel’s victory, Millie McArthur,” Raj translated the text underneath.

“And the current leader for most victories obtained, Rebecca Rosenberg, with six duels,” Isabella added. “Shit, does that mean she’s killed six people?”

“Unfortunately, it's likely,” Raj said. “Unless that last duel was a fluke, and I don’t think we’re that lucky.”

An uncomfortable silence covered the group as they processed his words. Eventually, however, it was broken by a small chuckled.

“What's up with your names?” D’marco said with a scoff.

“What?” Millie said. “First you make fun of my robot for not having a name, now you got something against mine?”

He laughed. “They’re that one thing. What’s the word, ah, when words start with the same letter?”

“Alliterative?” Catherine offered.

“Yeah, they’re both illiterate,” he confirmed, smiling mischievously. You little shit, Millie thought, glaring at the tall boy with no real malice. Though she did feel her eyebrow twitch and saw a similar response from Catherine.

“It's alliterative,” Catherine emphasized. “It's more common than you might think.”

“Not with me it ain’t,” he shot back. “What's your last name then? You got somethin’ fancy too?”

Catherine balked immediately, eyes darting away. In a quiet voice, she replied, “No, I… it's Brown. Catherine Brown.”

Millie side-eyed the girl, even as D’marco began making teasing comments about her ‘totally not alternative’ name. While his tone was light, the curvy girl was looking distinctly uncomfortable.

As such, Millie tugged on D’marco’s sleeve. “Hey, drop it.”

The tall boy stared down, looking like he was about to challenge her until a second hand grabbed his other sleeve. Isabella had cued in on Catherine’s discomfort and had joined Millie in wrangling her brother. The Navarro boy got the hint finally and apologized before letting it go.

After an awkward moment of quiet, CJ cleared his throat.

“You know, there's a lot of games where Achievements grant rewards, maybe this place works the same? And since yours can’t be challenged like Rebecca’s, maybe you can collect it now?”

“I mean, it wouldn’t hurt to ask I suppose,” Millie agreed.

A short walk over to an open desk, and they asked the servitor just that.

“Rewards for achievement challenges will be given at the conclusion of the Initiate Rank,” it told them. “Until then, students are encouraged to compete for the top spots still available for contest, or to undertake any of the available challenges listed on the board.”

“Huh,” Isabella replied. “Well, that's typical of this place, isn’t it? Let's take another look at the board then. Is there anything for casual spars?”

A quick look back at the selection, unfortunately, yielded little they could use at the moment. It seemed many of the challenges listed were more extreme, and duels between students rewarded nothing beyond what they staked.

“I guess if you want to fight over a pit of fire while skeletons shoot you and your opponent with arrows, you can get at least ten resources for it,” Millie observed.

“Yeah, I think I’ll pass on that for now,” the beauty replied flatly.

“Is it me or does this kind of feel like this place has a PvP and a PvE system?” CJ said. “What do you think Catherine?”

The girl blinked, brought back into the conversation as she considered the question. “I’m not familiar with electronic games as much,” she admitted. “Those are MMO terms though, correct?”

CJ nodded, smiling warmly. Millie was fairly certain he was trying to engage Catherine to help her open back up. She’d been…demur, to say the least, since she’d come back remedied. And her reactions to D’marco’s playful challenges and Thomas’ less-than-pleasant flirting had shown how shaken she was.

“It would be like saying players fighting other players in D&D, versus dungeon delving and the like,” CJ explained.

“I’m able to infer their meaning just fine,” she said testily, narrowing her eyes at him. Yup, there's the prickles back, Millie noted. “But I don’t think it helps us much, not at the moment. We should go back to finding the rules.”

With that, Catherine nodded succinctly, a vague look of relief on her face at having decided something, or perhaps at just having a goal to focus on. It only grew in strength when CJ laughed casually and agreed with her. While Millie was glad to see Catherine was looking less dour, she was also glad it was CJ spearing the efforts towards reaching out to her.

With D’marco, he could curse Millie to her face, she’d just laugh him off and curse right back, knowing he wouldn’t care. They got along well like that. Catherine though? The girl just rubbed Millie the wrong way, and she wasn’t sure why.

Regardless, the group moved on. Asking the nearby servitors for further clarification on the rules rewarded them with a tour deeper inside the building. If anyone had at any point ever doubted the spatial warping of the city, this place clearly put that debate to rest.

Walking down long corridors filled with offices, only half of which seemed in use, they went through a set of doors only to find themselves on a catwalk overlooking dozens of arenas below. They looked miniature, barely the size of a closet despite containing entire battlezones. Spiraling stairs led to doors that apparently opened up to ‘observation’ points for each, and they were informed entering the arenas properly was done elsewhere.

Meanwhile, they continued onward to a large central area with an overview of all the arenas, as well as a decent number of students actively betting on fights, though it didn’t seem as though they got standard resources for it, but were using a local, different currency for the arena system that was currently just for ‘fun.’ It also became apparent, however, that ‘PvP’ wasn’t entirely accurate—students could also request to challenge specific monsters or situations, though most were limited at the moment, with the servitors promising it would expand in the future.

Past the arena room, which was also only one of several (the others being offline still), they descended deeper into the building and eventually arrived at a records office. Most of it contained information about this building specifically, and they were informed most office buildings would have something similar. Sadly, this meant a full rules breakdown would require a visit to each one specifically.

Thankfully, the servitor helped mitigate that problem by providing a small pamphlet containing a quick overview of the rules. It wasn’t much, but it was certainly better than the idea of visiting each location for an in-depth research into the laws. It gave them something to start with.

However, they decided to still do their due diligence. As such, Millie and the others poured through their pamphlets for clues and looked through the stacks for specifics. One problem became quickly apparent though. The rules as written came across as dogmatic more than strict guidelines. For example, the ability to attack students was part of the rules concerning the rights of all to seek challenge and valor, yet the wording gave the distinct impression that randomly attacking others was severely frowned upon.

“But it's not enforced, is it?” Millie said. “There’s really nothing stopping people from stabbing each other like animals.”

Raj shook his head as the group huddled around a small table. “No. If I had to guess, this is a case where mentors and other political considerations would come into play. It's a soft rule against fighting, that has no teeth now.”

“I don’t understand,” Catherine said. “What political considerations are you talking about?”

“He means what we were talking about earlier, with traditions and culture,” Katelyn explained. “This school would’ve had an extensive population of professors and other influences, likely from the city and other sources. Universities in our world do.”

“Exactly,” Raj agreed. “Without that existing power structure, there's no one to punish over-ambitious students from taking out their competition, and the lack of rewarding them for doing so is likely part of the process to encourage ‘proper’ duels as opposed to assassinations. As the rules stand, this is proof that a lot of what wouldn’t have been allowed in this city's past is fair game now.”

“Are the rules still even worth looking into then?” Isabella complained.

“It's good to know what to defend against,” Raj said. “Like this provision about theft? It's too vague to understand what it means in this pamphlet—researching the rules more thoroughly is still the best option.”

“Will we even find anything here?” Millie asked.

“One way to find out,” Raj said with a smile.

Millie sighed, looking over the stacks and stacks of books nearby. This was going to take a while.

Millie’s prediction was correct.

By the time the first Magincian hour of the second day of Hospitality came to an end, they’d only covered a quarter of the books present. Frustratingly, Millie wasn’t able to help outside the pamphlet, as she couldn’t read the First language. Thankfully the group had a good idea of what they wanted to find, which helped narrow down the search. In the end, they had a decent general grasp of the rules, which didn’t stand out too much, but there were nuances that begged exploration.

Such as the rules on theft. Technically speaking, theft was allowed if, and only if, the perpetrator could get away with it. The rules got immediately more convoluted from there.

When an item registered to one student was registered to another student, the victim—aka the one who’d just had their authority over an item challenged—would receive a notification letting them know they were about to lose control of said resource. It would also come with detailed information on what it was and when it was registered. At that point, the victim had one M-day to find the thief’s identity and report them.

If they succeeded, the item was returned and the thief was punished—and by Millie and the other's best guess, that would mean death via Headmaster, given the absence of anything remotely sane in the current scheme of things. However, if the victim was unable to correctly identify the thief (which the system would apparently verify their guess should the victim provide sufficient evidence to back up their claims), then the thief would get the item and there would be no further way to contest them. If a resource went missing, and the victim filed a report on it, the thief would get a notice saying they had one M-day to register the item or be exposed. So there was no sitting on something and hoping it timed out.

It was a harsh system and one that could easily be abused by a student with sufficient means to mask themselves while mugging others. It was just that it could easily backfire on them if they made any mistakes or if anyone betrayed them. Most rules they found were similarly simple on the surface, only to twist into detailed checks and balances upon further investigation.

Their investigations continued along those lines for some time, before suddenly, Katelyn spoke up.

“Hey, I think I found something interesting,” she said.

“What is it?” Millie asked, approaching to take a look. It's not like I have much else to add, she silently lamented.

“I’m not entirely sure, but…I think we might all be eligible for a free consultation.”

The group immediately converged on the tall girl and her book for more information. The book in question, a guide for foreign Battlemagi looking to enter the arena, touched on many strange topics. Ten minutes later, however, they had indeed learned that all students were offered a single consultation meeting, should they choose to utilize it.

“It makes sense in a way,” CJ commented. “Colleges do this too. Class counseling and the like.”

“Yes,” Katelyn responded, “but this suggests it's more about helping pre-taught students how to re-align their spellcasting paradigms to a Magincian standard. Do you really think we can get advice on magic in general?”

“I don’t think we need to worry about it,” Raj said. When the group looked at him curiously, he flipped in the book to verify something and then looked back at them all.

“There are no active counselors or mentors, which means the onus of the consultation would fall to our least favorite alien,” he elaborated.

“Oh, of course it would be the Headmaster,” Millie grumbled. “We were going to see him anyway, so this probably doesn’t matter?”

“That's more or less what I was thinking,” Raj agreed. “However, there is the chance that a meeting with the Headmaster is different than a consultation with the Headmaster.”

“Meaning it might have to act differently,” she replied.

“God, bet it would kill that fucker to have to be helpful,” Isabella said with a laugh. “It's not a bad approach though. Like you said—were already going, so might as well try it.”

“Are we sure we have enough information?” Liam asked. “What if that bastard fries us just for walking in?”

“You wanna stay here and keep studyin’?” D’marco shot back. “I’ll fucking risk death if I don’t have to go through another damn book. This shit’s giving me a headache man.”

“Agreed,” Isabella said, though she did send a less than pleasant look towards Liam. It was clear the handsome boy had managed to solidify a bad impression on the beauty.

“Alright then,” Raj said. “Unless anyone’s got anything else, let’s get going. The days are long, but our time’s still limited.”

No one objected to that.

The Headmaster’s office wasn’t far from their current location. A single jump along the transportation network, and the group arrived. Imposing steps of white swirled jade led up to a looming, multi-story Greco-roman-styled building flanked by massive statues of long-forgotten Magi. As the group approached, heading inside, they passed by small groups of people grumbling on their way out, or some simply sitting on the steps looking lost.

“Don’t bother going in,” a random male student shouted. “The damn alien won’t see anyone.”

Millie and her group paused on the steps, looking between themselves at the advice shouted at them. Raj was first to act, however.

“Appreciated, but we’ll probably take a look around anyway.”

“Suit yourself,” he responded, before he and his small cadre left in a huff.

“Are we still going in?” Katelyn whispered. “Because of—”

Raj gave her a look and she went quiet, before nodding. With so many nearby, it was clear he didn’t want to simply declare their advantage before they used it.

Assuming it was an advantage at all.

Walking inside the building, shoes clacking loudly against the echoing stone floor, the room that greeted them was more at home in an art museum than a public office. A mural with a tree, swirls of magic circling around it, as Magi traveled along thread connected portals to dozens of worlds around it, dominated the far wall. Columns flanked their path forward, revealing an endless series of Magi surrounded by people, artifacts, tomes, and other wonders on the far sides. The former Headmasters perhaps?

The group didn’t stop to gawk, however, and instead made their way to a solitary desk, large enough to staff a dozen robots but housing only a single one. Two students were arguing with the robot as they approached, only to turn back angrily, glaring at Millie and her group, the robot, the columns, and probably anything else they could feast their furious eyes upon. Gingerly, Millie side-stepped the irate pair as they stormed off, and her group walked up to the frazzled-looking secretary-bot. Though she was dressed more like a Greek Goddess, with her bronze hair down and curling around her a golden shawl.

“Greetings students. I apologize, but the Headmaster is currently unavailable.”

“We heard,” Raj answered, before leaning against the desk, which came to about mid-chest level. The robot seemed to have an elevated seat. “May we know the reason?”

The robot raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing Raj before recognition filled her eyes and her wide, plastered-on smile fell away sharply.

“Oh no,” she said, horror and dread filtering through her expression.

Raj just smiled wider. “You know who I am, don’t you?”

The robot glared sullenly and nodded. “Initiate Kaul. You have a…reputation, already.”

Raj waved a hand disarmingly towards the girl. “I assure you, I won’t cause you any trouble.”

“Doubtful,” the robot muttered, before speaking up. “I apologize, Initiate Kaul, but the Headmaster is unavailable.”

“I heard,” Raj said again, smirking. “However, is he unavailable for a con—”

His words were cut off as the robot lifted a hand and an oppressive force covered the group. Millie blinked before she heard one of the others gasp nearby. Experimentally, she put a hand on her throat and hummed softly, finding she could still make noise. Not a silence spell?

Looking behind her, she realized other students still filled the entryway, some meandering while they examined the art, while a few were watching them from afar. Vaguely, she realized she couldn’t hear them walking along the previously echoing floor.

“I apologize, Initiate, but it's best to be private about some things,” the robot said, lowering her hand. The privacy shield remained, however. “Could you please repeat your statement?”

Raj looked over the rest of the group, before turning back to the robot. “Is the Headmaster available for…consultations?”

The secretary-bot raised an exquisite eyebrow as a smile tugged at her lips. “It depends, Initiate. Under what auspice to you request such a meeting?”

“As foreign Magi looking to better align ourselves with Magincian standards,” he answered. “We could all use advice on how best to proceed to learn your ways.”

This time, the secretary-bot did smile. There was a hint of cruel satisfaction to it, though for once, none of it seemed directed at the students. Instead, the robot's eyes grew distant even as she seemed more gleeful.

“Why yes, I believe the Headmaster would be thrilled to assist you, Initiates. I can arrange a meeting now if you’d prefer?”

Someone nearby was struggling not to laugh, and Millie turned to see Isabella’s face practically mirroring the robots. None of us really thought up what to do if the Headmaster just shut us out, Millie thought. It's a damn good thing we stopped to check out the rules and Katelyn found this one. We might just get something useful out of this now.

“I believe now would be good, unless anyone objects?” Raj turned to the group.

“I think we’re all good for now,” Millie said. “But who should go first?”

“Yeah, I, ah, can’t imagine the alien’s mood will improve over time,” CJ said, chuckling. “We could draw for it?”

“With what?” Catherine asked. “We don’t have any sticks. Why don’t we just ask the servitor to randomly assign us?”

“…that could work,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

“I’d like to go last,” Raj said. “I think the Headmaster and I will have a more…heated discussion, all things considered.”

“I think Millie should go first then,” Katelyn offered. “I think CJ’s right—the Headmaster’s attitude isn’t likely to become more agreeable the more of us they see.”

“What do you think, Millie?” Raj asked.

Millie shrugged as she looked over the rest of the group. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind getting it over with first. Aside from the alien being angrier, the only other reason I could think to wait would be so we could discuss our findings one at a time. Maybe tailor are questions based on what people find out?”

A few people nodded in agreement, considering the argument before a polite cough interrupted them.

“I should probably forewarn you all,” the secretary-bot chimed in, “that consultations are tailored for the individual. None of you will likely learn anything that isn’t immediately relevant to your own interests. Also, you’ll be going in one at a time in one-minute intervals as this is a class consultation. If you choose to do this individually, you’ll be pact-bound to keep your discoveries private.”

“Wait, does that mean we’ll all be in there at once?” Catherine asked. “Or are the meetings just that short?”

“Oh, the meetings are up to half an hour per student,” the robot answered. “However, from your perspective, it will appear overlapping.”

Our perspective? Millie furrowed her brow, before deciding it was probably some weird time-warping effect, and dismissed it.

“Okay, back to first for me it is then,” she proclaimed. “I take it the rest of you will randomize until Raj is at the end? Assuming that’s okay—” she quickly asked the robot, who nodded.

Millie then turned back to the group. “Okay?”

Everyone nodded in agreement until her eyes swept over and found Liam. He was standing to the side, practically sulking. He didn’t audibly object, or really respond at all. After she met his eyes briefly and he still said nothing, she turned away and ignored him.

“Well then,” Millie said. “Wish me luck.”

The grand doors that led into the Headmaster’s office, made of burnished, golden wood, swung open into a dark room. As Millie tentatively stepped inside, her first thoughts were that she’d arrived at a murder scene.

The large space was lit only by a shimmering blue light, filtered through a tank of water on the far wall. Inside the tank, was only fossilized coral and a slowly pulsating red gem larger than Liam’s crystal, but dull and faint. To the side, was a wall-length window that showed nothing but blackness outside. On the other end, was a wall paneled with dark stone.

But everywhere she looked were scratch marks. Long, deep, and in sets of six.

In addition, curtains for the window were torn out and ripped to shreds. Furniture lied overturned, thrown to the side, or broken and scattered across the floor. Decorations and light fixtures on the ceiling and walls were smashed, ripped out, or clawed beyond recognition. The one last, defining feature of the room was the massive, thick wooden desk accented by stones and gems, but faded and worn. Like a tombstone, left to rot. The claw marks on it were less extensive, focused on the area near a large backed chair as though something had used it as a scratching post while sitting.

“H-hello?” Millie called out. She was suddenly regretting her willingness to go first.

The room remained silent for a time, and as nothing had happened Millie decided to venture in further. As her feet tread across a ground covered in an ancient rug, thinned and frayed with age, she paused to stand in the middle of the destruction. The doors closed silently behind her. Only when the latch clicked did Millie jump and look around, trying to ignore how cold, humid, and stagnate the air in the room was.

“It seems I underestimated your tenacity,” a high-pitched gravelly voice echoed in the room. “I truly suspected that the arduous task of reading a book would be beyond you students, but alas. Here you are. Wonderful.”

A red light drew Millie’s attention. She turned and saw to the side, near the stone wall off in a corner were a set of six glowing red orbs. The same color as the crystal.

The shadows in the corner began to move. Clinking and scraping, like bones and plates rubbing together, loudly filling the space with its cacophony as a shape took form in the darkness. With an unsteady gait, it stood on two legs and began to approach. The low light shining through the waters finally illuminated the form in front of her and Millie screamed.

She also backpedaled over a chair, nearly smashing into the ground before the creature raised a bony hand and pointed it at her. She froze mid-fall, before suddenly finding herself right side up and on her feet. Staring in dread, she held her breath watching the gangly creature lower its arm.

“As much as it would amuse me, you shall not come to harm in this meeting. Well, unless you lose track of your senses and attack me,” the shambling form said. “I am sadly obligated to inform you that such an act would result in immediate expulsion.”

Catching her breath even as her blood ran cold, Millie slowly nodded towards the…Headmaster. The alien continued to walk into the light, slowly making its way towards the massive desk, giving Millie a clear view of its twisted form in the pale light.

Its robes hung in threads around it. Ancient chitinous plates laid all along its body, but were pitted and partially dissolved, as though eaten through by acid, or like wood devoured by termites. Underneath its plates, its scaly skin was tattered, dried, and even more damaged than the chitin.

Past the mummified flesh, she could see crisscrossing bones giving a semblance of shape as the creature stalked forward, its skeletal structure not even remotely human despite appearing humanoid. Its large triangular skull was weathered to the bone, like a museum fossil. Six hollow sockets shone with red light, but beneath that, a gaping maw was all that constituted its mouth, as it lacked a jawbone. It seemed by design rather than something it’d lost, but looking at it, Millie felt like the creature was stuck, eternally screaming in a dark agony.

The most disturbing thing, however, were the dried, gray tendrils covering it, like an ancient fungus long since dead and hardened. In some locations, it looked like the fungus had been trying to eat the alien. Was that how it died?

With a wheezing sigh, the Headmaster sat, reclining imperiously as it lifted its bleached, bone hands and snapped its fingers. Suddenly, there was light. The window showed the outside world, and the Headmaster had its normal appearance. The claw marks and broken furniture remained, however.

“Have a seat and let's be done with this quickly, Initiate,” the Headmaster said, gesturing towards a chair that suddenly upturned itself and wheeled itself in front of the desk. With a shaky breath, Millie walked with more confidence than she felt to sit down in front of the alien.

Even though it looked whole and hale again, she couldn’t get the image of its true form out of her mind. She’d known from the others that a ‘Remnant’ was a type of undead, but she’d thought it was more of a ghost. She hadn’t expected…a simple illusion to cover its appearance.

But that was all this place really was, wasn’t it? A bit of paint over a tomb. The dead and dying sharing the same place in a mad game for power, that would most likely claim them all, long before they reached the finish lines.

“Let's not stand on niceties, shall we?” The Headmaster droned. “I will not kill you for speaking your mind in this place. You should know by now that I cannot enforce such behaviors in any case. However, I am authorized to compel you to speak Truth should I feel the need.”

Millie raised an eyebrow at the sudden, and quite frankly, unexpected declaration. “You can compel me to speak the truth? Why would you need that?”

The Headmaster scoffed. “Technically, as a manner of vetting potentially radical elements from entering the City. You are here for a consultation as a foreign Magus, are you not?”

Millie nodded slowly, not quite understanding why it was speaking about this.

“Well,” it said, “I find sycophants and flatterers even more obnoxious than disrespectful whelps. Do not waste my time, or I will expedite this conversation. Is that clear?”

Is he…?

“You’re…threatening to use the rules in a way to speed our talk along in case I…get hung up on being respectful or if you find me annoying?” Was that really what he was implying?

The Headmaster slowly, and mockingly, clapped. “Correct, broodmother, well done. Now, what questions are you hoping to find answers to? Keep in mind, most of my responses will be guidance for places to search within the Archives to find the information you want—I will not be handing out Attainments or Spell Formula in this consultation.”

Millie stared at the Headmaster. On one hand, its tone and offputting nature was every bit in line with what she’d seen of it in the past. On the other…it really was going to help her?

She swallowed hard. It was probably best not to get ahead of herself—she was sure the alien would find some way to stonewall her, and if not, she wasn’t going to waste this opportunity.

“I need a way to save my child,” she said.

“Impossible. Next question?”

The alien stared at her as she slowly let out a sigh. Okay, I literally saw that coming and was still caught by surprise by it. Seriously?

“I would like to talk more about that subject. Please,” she emphasized.

The alien let out a sigh of its own, somehow even more annoyed than Millie’s had been.

“I gave you advice about this before, broodmother. Why you insist on being obstinate about it is beyond me. Do I really need to explain every detail for you?”

“I know it can be done. Or are you going to deny that?”

The Headmaster gave her a deadpanned stare. “You do, do you? Well then, allow me to explain as you have been obviously misinformed.”

Millie glared at the alien, before flinching when it leaned forward, its long, segmented fingers digging into the groves of the desk in a familiar way. It slowly ground its fingers into the solid surface, quietly scratching as it talked.

“You and your offspring lack the portion of your soul that regulates and generates Mana. Your bodies are slowly absorbing Mana through the atmosphere and nourishment provided, which is creating a spiritual pressure in your body that will eventually rupture your soul, killing you and your spawn. Understood so far?”

Millie nodded, still glaring.

“Excellent. Now, the moment your little parasite is born it will no longer enjoy the benefits of your biological and spiritual protection, meaning it will die quickly. A remedy pill will not save it, as your bodies can only sustain so much magical pressure before a rupture forms, which is why high-level spells have to be carefully managed when applied to you all in your current state, lest we have another mishap such as the potential Initiates who died in transit into Magincia.”

“I do know all this, Headmaster,” Millie said.

“Clearly you don’t if I have to repeat myself,” they retorted. “How do you think you can save your spawn? When it is born, it will die.”

“Well, I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking you for advice! Can’t we get my son a special room, or something? One that doesn’t have Mana in it?”

The Headmaster rolled its eyes. “I’ve had the misfortune of having to study your society in preparation for this generation of students. As such, I am familiar with some of your terminology. Are you aware of the concept of Absolute Zero?”

“Absolute…? You mean the coldest temperature?”

“Yes, well done,” the Headmaster said flatly, “now, consider Mana akin to temperature. How difficult do you think it would be to create a room that can never, and will never, rise past even a fraction of a single degree of temperature? Assuming that you are also somehow bringing in food, water, clothing, and comfort for your spawn on a regular basis?”

“Ah, I—”

“And what will you do when your very touch kills it due to the Mana that will, presumably, be in your body?”

“I…”

“Don’t have an answer?” It guessed. Millie frowned but remained quiet as the alien scoffed. “Of course not. The only way to entertain that request would be to create a void seal around an artificially designed space, preventing anything from entering or leaving it. The space within would have to be a completely self-contained system, devoid of even a single dram of Mana, that your spawn would have to grow up in, left in complete isolation. Best yet, the lack of anything to experience, learn, or grow from would prevent its soul from properly forming, meaning even if you waited twenty years for it to develop, the remedy may still not work on it.”

“What about with me? Couldn’t I be there with him?”

“For twenty years? In complete isolation? As much as that would amuse me to see, you forget you're a student. You have obligations. Not to mention the absurd cost of a personal realm, and frankly speaking, the near impossibility of creating a Manaless Void with a living ecosystem inside it. Up until recently, Magincia hadn’t registered such things as possible, despite a few…disagreements.”

It leaned back in its chair, sneering, but not at Millie. Still, she shook her head, frustration mounting.

“Why can’t I just…send him home then. Surely it can’t be…too much to ask to send him to my parents? Or somewhere safe?”

It broke her heart to think of sending him away, but if it was the only way to save her son she’d do it in a heartbeat.

Unfortunately, the Headmaster shook their head. “Also impossible, but not for technical reasons but authority reasons. Magincian space is isolated from your world, despite your ability to perceive it.”

It emphasized its words, gesturing to the window where Magincia and Toronto filled the skyline.

“You’re really telling me,” Millie said, “that we can’t just portal him to safety?”

“Did you miss the part where I explained the deaths in transit? You are not authorized to leave the city, so it would have to cross alone after being born. And the moment we toss your mewling spawn through a gate to the outside world, it would be crushed by the magic involved.”

Right, she thought, lowering her head as her hands clenched the fabric of her uniform. She couldn’t help but stare at the large, golden globe that was her belly with the ridiculous tailoring of her clothing. Eventually, she took a steadying breath and looked back up.

“What about speeding his growth?” She asked.

“To what purpose?” It shot back. “So it can perish faster?”

Millie ground her teeth. “There has to be something! If you really want this meeting to be over as quickly as possible then help me, in all your infinite undead wisdom, to find a fucking answer!”

Her voice echoed in the room before silence descended on them both. The Headmaster looked at her disdainfully, before sighing dramatically.

“That is a fair argument. You’re clearly not going to listen to reason, so I suppose I should point you towards some wild hope so you’ll leave quicker. Very well.”

Millie felt her eyebrow twitch. She wanted to strangle this thing so much.

One look in its sextuplet of eyes and she knew the feeling was mutual.

“Fundamentally, you need to begin approaching this problem with your spawn’s lack of a soul core. There are a few ways to go about this, some of which I am personally familiar with from my own studies and can recommend, but there are additional concerns that will need to be addressed.”

Millie blinked. It actually had an answer? And had what, been holding back? It seemed to see her accusation in her eyes as its own six eyes narrowed at her.

“I said there are additional concerns, several of which are impossible to address. However, back to my point. To start with, you need to heal the flaws in your child’s pattern.”

“Okay, how can that be done?”

“Simple,” it said, “start with a fertility Attainment. There are many to choose from, but rather than going for something that would speed your spawn’s development, it would be best to pursue one that guaranteed healthy lineage. Something that would ensure no child you conceive would ever suffer health concerns of any sort.”

“And that would…heal him then? An attainment for having healthy kids?”

The alien nodded. “In theory, yes.”

“Okay, then what's the problem?”

“You haven’t realized it yet?” The alien asked. “Truly?”

Millie glared at the Headmaster once more. “No! It sounds great, why can’t we do it?”

Silence filled the room before the alien leaned back, and covered its face in its hand. She then heard a rather human-sounding groan of frustration.

“You lack a soul core yourself, you incompetent, simple-minded ape,” it snapped, dropping its hands in frustration to glare at her. “Attempting to infuse an Attainment into yourself will immediately lead to your death as the Mana ruptures your soul.”

Millie winced. That…was kind of obvious, wasn’t it?

“Well,” she ventured, “is there a way to…help me learn one anyway?”

The Headmaster did something unexpected. It laughed.

“Let’s suppose you did, shall we?” It said. “You now have an Attainment that heals your child, giving it a soul core. Your soul is still connected to your child, which is now exhibiting an unyielding spiritual pressure into you, because you still lack a core. As a result, you have now turned into a living Spirit Bomb! If for nothing else, I’m actually glad you came now. The idea of turning broodmothers into pseudo-plague-bursters is hilarious.”

Millie flushed at its raucous response. “Fine, then can I take the remedy pill while getting the Attainment or something? Give us both soul cores at the same time?”

The Headmaster shook their head. “Your spawn’s soul would collapse in the process. You require a soul core to get the Attainment to give your brood the same, and getting the soul core needed to get the Attainment will kill your brood.”

“So its…a chicken and egg scenario?” She said, hesitating.

If she needed one to get the other, then why had her damn Tarot cards ever suggested she could save her child? What was she missing?

“Wait, is there any way to protect his soul through the process?”

The alien paused, before cocking its head. Slowly, it leaned forward once more. “An interesting thought, but once again, not without Attainments.”

“But there is a way?” She checked.

“There is,” the Headmaster said. “The Twinsoul Attainment would likely be your best option. In many ways, it's based on the same principle of motherhood itself.”

Millie furrowed her brows. “What do you mean?”

“Your soul is protecting your offspring, is it not? It's connected. Two souls, as one. It works for reproduction, and it works as a marvelous contingency.”

“A contingency?”

The Headmaster laughed darkly, before pointing up towards the gem floating in the tank. “My soul resides within.”

Millie stared at the crystal, before looking back at the alien. “Wait, isn’t that a lich thing? I’m not the D&Dy’iest gal out there, but I thought that’s how that works? But you’re a Remnant, aren’t you? Not a lich?”

The alien actually looked offended.

“Aside from the gross mischaracterization of my current existence, the fact that I quite literally just explained my own state should have made the conclusion rather obvious.”

Millie stared at the alien, expecting to wait for its answer before it actually clicked in her mind. Brain boosters working overtime, huh?

“There's another person’s soul in the crystal, isn’t there?” She asked.

The Headmaster smiled. “Correct. Now, back to your earlier questions.”

She frowned, feeling like this discussion was, for once, borderline interesting, but she didn’t try to stop the segue.

“If you somehow, in theory, acquired the Twinsoul Attainment this would safeguard your spawn’s existence during your remedy process, but it wouldn’t address its biological weaknesses, as the remedy would have to be tailored to overlook it lest it wipe it out as a parasite. For that, you would need an appropriate fertility Attainment to heal the child’s physiology, and yes before you ask there is a physical aspect to the soul core. I did say in my opening address how it was a misleading name, did I not?”

Millie put down her finger, having been cut off before she could interrupt.

“You would then need to carry the burden of your offspring’s soul for an appropriate length of time. At least until it was developed enough to be rejoined to its corporeal form.”

“And would that—”

“Harm its development?” It guessed, and Millie nodded. “No, it would be a perfectly healthy and functioning creature during its life, and once its soul was strong enough you could undo the Attainment and set them free. Though that would presumably leave them in excruciating agony as their body attempts to reject the then-perceived foreign soul matter, unless they took the remedy themselves which would likely smooth out the jagged edges of its spiritual form as its reforged anew.”

“That sounds awful…”

“Then don’t dally,” it said flatly. “You could also just keep the Attainment permanently, or simply sedate the cretin for the procedure, I don’t care. I just enjoy imagining you all suffering.”

“Thanks,” Millie retorted blandly.

“You’re most welcome, broodmother,” it said with a mocking grin. “Now, I’ve explained what you need, and I can even have clues provided on finding starting points for the information in the Archives. You do understand, however, that this is completely impossible and that attempting to learn an Attainment, let alone one bound to the soul of all things in your current state will be utter suicide, yes?”

Millie hesitated, before nodding.

“Excellent,” the Headmaster pronounced. “Now, do you have any other questions?”

“Ah…yes,” Millie said. “How can I learn an Attainment without a soul core?”

The Headmaster smashed its head into the table violently as Millie flinched. Maybe…it was a good thing she’d gone first after all. It was clear this consultation was absolute torture for the psychotic alien.