Tanya bit down an angry growl as Brand’s shameless laughter assaulted her ears. He’d won. Despite the ugly bruise she’d given him across his stomach and only just now regaining consciousness, Elof declared him the win.

Brand’s laughter only grew louder as Tanya complained. “How did I lose? He took more hits and can barely stand.”

“Yes, but you used magic. Not relying on mana is essential for this portion of the mysteries,” Elof said as he applied a cloth damp with a healing tonic to Tanya's arm.

“He used magic too,” she accused.

“Wait wait,” Brand half said half laughed. Taking a moment to get himself under control, he began again in a playful tone. “What do you mean I used magic? All I did was try my best.” He folded his hand in mock disapproval. “Not my fault you decided to break the rules.” He started to laugh again but doubled over due to the pain in his stomach.

Tanya smiled at his discomfort feeling that she deserved at least some amusement of her own. That would have changed if she’d broken any of his bones or he any of hers, but they'd only suffered superficial wounds from each other.

They didn't need the few dozen green vials of healing potion decorating the walls of the healing ward. They didn't really even need to leave class, but the rest of the students smarmed them after the battle with excited questions and praise until Elof grew tired of their presents making Tanya carry her unconscious opponent until he woke a few minutes later.

“That’s not fair,” Tanya whined. “He used magic. I know he did. Most of my attacks should have sent him flying and he could see me even when I was in his blind spots.”

Brand made it to his feet and dropped down onto Tanya’s bed. “It's called situational awareness, learn some.”

Elof slapped his beefy hand on Brand's back making him wince. The touch released a green glow and a flutter of runes into the air.

“That should speed up the healing,” he said. “And I know you used magics boy. I don't know how, but you did.”

“Then why did I lose?” Tanya asked outraged.

Elof turned to her. “You lost because you used more magic than him. I’m trying to teach you how to fight without mana right now, and from what I’ve seen you would have lost without it.”

“But,” Tanya mumbled.

“Don’t feel bad,” Elof consoled. “This guy is big like a fucking jötunn.” The monk received a rude gesture from Brand for his comment but ignored it. “He has more reach and is slightly stronger because of his large muscles.

"slightly?" Brand said.

"Shut up," Elof said ignoring his displeasure. "With your training and a little height, you can win without magic, but it won't be until you grow a few more inches.”

Tanya looked at him as he removed the tattered remains of his shirt. His muscles were indeed large with scars sprinkled across them. Even if they were at the same cultivation, he could overpower her with ease.

Before she realized it, her face heated as she stopped focusing on his strength and paid attention to Brand's physique. She’d seen a few boys with their shirts off, but none looked so, so-.

“By the way,” Brand said, interrupting Tanya's ogling. “In truth, you have the win.”

“Wa, what?” Tanya stuttered.

“The thing is,” he continued. “We both tried our best regardless of the rules. If the goal was to kill me, you’d have killed me.”

“There are no deathmatches in the hall,” Elof added now finished with treating Brand.

“Don't matter to me. As of right now, you're stronger than me.” His shoulders drooped making the large man look as if he deflated. “Things would have turned out worse if you used your claws.” Tanya balled up her fist at the mention of her clawed fingers, but Brand offered her a handshake. “I was so wrong about you,” he said waiting for Tanya’s response.

Tanya slowly opened her hand giving Brand’s a shake. Brand pulled her in closer causing her blush to intensify. He smiled beaming with excitement.

“You’ve got to teach me how you walk on the air or how you made the floor explode. I’m pretty sure that last punch to my stomach was laced with a mage bolt so I can't hope to pull that off.”

Tanya pulled her hand away then chided herself for the reaction. “I don't know. The house guards taught me so-.”

“Don't worry about spilling house secrets,” Elof said. “The Bryers have no arcane mysteries to keep. If they did, they’d teach them to you after leaving the Hall in fear that we monks would steal them, which we are known to do from time to time.” The monk opened the door to leave stopping to give one last piece of advice. “Besides, I don't see anyone else in class keeping up with you two so learning from each other is your best chance of improving.” With that said Elof left the room.

“So?” Brand said, making the word a question.

Tanya moved a bit farther from him not feeling comfortable in such close proximity. “First tell me how you rooted yourself to the world without a sheet of mana over your body or why I couldn't catch you in a blind spot.”

Brand crossed his and looked defensive, but his expression broke after several seconds. “If I tell you, show me how to walk on air.” Tanya nodded. “It's my focus. I can make my mana invisible through sight or magic senses. I rooted myself when I was chosen to fight next. As for not needing my eyes to see you, I have a detection field on at all times.”

He let his focus melt away revealing a blue light that radiated off him and through Tanya.

She jumped at feeling his mana flowing over her.

A spell of this kind shouldn’t be able to work. Her father and some of the house guards had spells like this, but most couldn't control it nearly well enough to not be drained by the effort.

Brand’s field was that of a novice but more controlled than any she’d seen. He could probably count the number of ants in the room but anyone that walked in would instantly know that he was watching them if not for his focus.

Tanya made a small frown. “I can’t learn this if it’s a focus.”

Brand reactivated his focus causing his mana to disappear. “I said I’d show you how I did it not to teach you, which I can’t.” Seeing that she was annoyed Brand tried to persuade Tanya to his side. “Look at it this way, we can train together, or you could train with someone else from our class.”

Tanya’s frown deepened at that. She’d also been disappointed by how terrible everyone had fought. “Fine then,” she agreed. “I can show you after class tomorrow. There won't be enough time during the lesson even if we're left to do as we please.”

Brand let out a long sigh before laying his head down on the bed as if he were about to go to sleep. “Thanks, I promise not to disappoint. Think I'll get some sleep now. Don't need to see my… boss for a while.”

Tanya’s blush returned with fervor as she realized she sat on a bed with a shirtless boy in an empty room. “I, I’ve, I've got to go, do something.”

Embarrassed at her stuttering she went for the door, stopping only once to look back at Brand resulting in a bloody nose and a fluttering heart.

****

After waking from a long rest, Brand made his way to the room he shared with Azmina and Rohaan. Entering the room, he found no one there. The space only held was furnished far better than Saint Hilda's, like it was a lavish brothel. He chuckled, wondering if the Akram sibling would scoff at the conditions; they nobles after all.

Wanting to take another look at the city Brand went to the balcony and sat in one of its chairs. The monks said they’d bring cookies and tea to their room every day and Brand was glad to see they’d spoken the truth. On the small balcony table sat a clay pot filled with two dozen sugary snacks. He took a hand full and put his feet up admiring the view.

From the top of Prometheus Hall, the city’s form changed. Where the building had towered over Brand they now looked like pieces in a board game arranged with purpose. The color that had seemed to be solidly white for the most part shifted abruptly to grays, blue, pink, and more.

“Separate territories,” he realized. “With a large castle at the center of each to signify ownership.”

A wave of something overtook Brand. whatever it was crushed the sugary snack as it closed his hands into shaking fists. It could have been anger or melancholy, he wasn't sure, but it came with the deep realization that nothing had changed.

There were still slum lords, but they were now called Nobles. There was still a price to be paid for walking the street, but it was now for the right to practice magic or live in the city at all. There were still men like Hoder, looking to use people for prophet, to fight his battles in his stead, to step on those beneath him to reach greater heights, and as hard as it was to admit, Azmina was the same.

Nothing had changed but the scale. Azmina was a slumlord who’d lost to a rival gang. No matter how many times she claimed to be the head of a great clan or was preparing to wage a righteous war, that’s all Brand heard, all he'd even hear.

The girls certainly wouldn't see it that way. She’d lie, if not to others, then to herself like most when reminded of the simple animal nature of things. She’d spout some nonsense about honor or duty and a right to lead. The lie would almost sound like the truth and would be to anyone that wanted it to be so.

Still, he couldn't complain. Azmina might have given him a knife and loaf of bread with orders to stab a rival on a disputed street corner, but the knife was magic and bread more wealth than he could imagine.

So what if he was a pawn, everyone was in some way. All that mattered was the scale and his own strength. First, he was an orphan lord, now a noble’s consort, and maybe in a few years a leader in some distant army lording over a land of his very own.

All that mattered was scale and Brand’s reach was growing farther and faster than he thought possible, but the thought of being elevated by himself clouded his visions of the future with doubt.

Brand wished he could show his friends in the Nulls this view. That was when he realized he couldn’t see the Nulls from on high. In fact, he couldn’t see any settlements along the roads stretching into the distance. If he looked closely, very closely, he could see smoke coming from the sides of the roads, signaling that there were people living there, just barely.

“Makes sense,” he said to no one. “Everyone likes to keep their trash out of sight.”

Brand was shaken from his thoughts as the front door opened. He looked over his shoulder to see Rohaan and Azmina limp into the room looking worse than he did. Azmina’s left arm and leg were wrapped in bandages while Rohaan's chest was covered in the same with red streaks along the surface.

“What the fuck happened to you two?” Brand asked as he rushed over to Azmina.

She looked to be stumbling so he picked her up in his arms bringing her to one of the three rooms they shared.

“I’m fine,” Azmina whispered in a tired breath.

“No, you’re not,” Brand said. “You look like someone kicked your ass.”

“I’ve had a bad day,” she admitted, taking off her clothes once Brand lay her on the bed. She stopped at her undergarments, a simple rapping around her chest and short pants.

Azmina found a comfortable position to rest in before continuing. “There are one on one matches here like in your pits. I’m not as ready for them as I thought.”

Rohaan cursed something in ramian taking a seat in anger just outside the room.

“My fool of a brother challenged a wind manipulator for making fun of his speech," Azmina said. "He would have bled to death if not for the monk’s healing. I just lost my fight.” As she spoke her finger touched Brand's bruised face.

“Oh, these bumps are from a girl I fought,” he admitted. “Everyone hated me as usual but after my first fight, they wouldn’t leave me alone. This one noble, Godric, was the worst. I think he saw me in the pits at some point.”

Godric’s name caught Rohaan's attention “You learn with Godric?”

“Godric is in my class is how you say it,” Brand said.

Rohaan gritted his teeth and left slamming the door to his room loudly.

Brand's attention went back to his mistress. “In three months I can test out of the basic mysteries. I’ll be there to help then. For now, I’ll go get some food for us.”

Before Brand was able to leave to fetch provisions from the eatery all students could freely take from Azmina tugged on his arm. “Stay with me for a while?” she asked.

She gently pulled him to the bed letting him know she meant for him to join her. With a suddenly racing heart, he joined her already enjoying his new lot in life more than he thought he would.

****

“You people need to get the hells away from me!” Brand shouted while holding a chair above his head like he was about to use it as a weapon. “Shoo, get back all of you. You’ll stink up my air.”

The tense atmosphere of the previous day had completely melted away when he and Tanya made their way to class the next day. Where once was free space due to everyone shunning the beast kin and Jabari, now most wanted to sit with them.

Brand was not taking it well, him being used to a cold reaction to his presence. Tanya tried her best to hide behind him as he tried to scare them off.

“Are you saying we smell?” Marla asked incredulously.

“Yes,” Brand growled. “That perfume you wear has deadened your nose. Mine and the lioness’s over here can still smell just fine.”

Godric made his way around the chair taking a seat right next to Brand. “Settle down Brandy, the class is about to start.”

“Where the fuck did you hear that name?” Brand roared in disbelief.

Dagfinn sat right outside the group surrounding Brand watching as he shouted at Godric to never use his nickname. He leaned over to Cora that sat to his right.

“This almost seems too easy,” he said under the cover of a spell that scrambled his words outside of a few feet from him. “I don't see us needing to protect him from anything, at least not for a few months. And with Tanya clinging to him he'll keep her safe for us.”

“What’s your focus Brandy? I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours,” Marla said as if what she'd said the day before hadn't happened.

Brand’s frown deepened at the name, but he answered. “Sorry, but only Tanya gets to know.”

Marla pouted. “Why her and not me.”

“Because she’s fucking adorable.”

An intense blush appeared on Tanya’s face as she covered it with her hands.

“And I'm not fucking adorable?” Marla questioned haughtily.

Brand leaned back in his chair pretending to think. “If you were, which I’m not saying you are, then I can’t say so in front of your brother." Brand pointed at Godric.

“Right you are,” Godric boomed. “If you did, I’d have to fight you for her honor. And when I lose, you'd have the right to have your way with her. So really Marla, he’s looking out for you.” Marla laughed along with the room at the banter as Merwyn walked in trying to settle things down.

"I think you should try to make contact?" Dagfinn said in a nearly perceptible whisper to Cora.

"You're better at talking to people," she said. "So you do it."

"I'm not a pretty girl."

She answered cracked her knuckles. “I’ll speak with my fist in combat mysteries.”

"No, you won't," he warned. “We can't explain our skill away like those two. And I'm sure he knows not to underestimate women from now on.”

Marla didn't bother to answer. She just signed her acknowledgment with a striker hand gesture.

****

“It's time to learn about enneagrammatic patterns or enneagrams for short,” Merwyn said quickly ending all conversation in the room. “A magical pattern of any kind is an enneagram. The runes that root you to the world to the pattern of your very souls are enneagrams.”

With a wave of her hand, she created a five-pointed star with a circle around it. “This is the simplest circle for designing an enneagram more complex than placing runes in a line.”

She brought runes she used in class to life inside the circle. A ball of fire appeared just outside the circle about the size of someone's head.

Brand could see how the spell came together. A few runes to start the fire's reaction using mana as an accelerant instead of normal materials. A few to pull in air and one that separated something out but was easy to control even if Brand did not know how it worked. The last few were meant to keep the fire and heat contained allowing it to become more intense than any fire could naturally. Brand felt so strongly that he understood the spell he attempted it.

Taking a minute to build the enneagram, Brand didn’t hear the warning Merwyn gave the class. He thought even if the spell went awry, with the little mana he had it should only make a small flame.

When the spell finished, instead of creating a flame, it made an explosion the force that slammed into Brand's face like a hammer as Merwyn warned it would if not performed correctly.

Next came the backlash of mana used in the spell charging back into him and through his mana channels without a hint of control. He gritted his teeth as pain filled his body. The class stopped to look at him suffering from shakes as he stopped himself from screaming and fell over.

Several seconds later when the backlash subsided, Brand managed to sit up right before Merwyn started laughing. “That is how it looks when a spell fail happens, usually an explosion then the caster writhing in pain. It can be worse depending on the amount of mana used and the enneagram trying to be formed. Tell me Brand, how did it feel?”

Brand wiped a layer of sweat from his forehead. “It felt like I was on fire. Kind of like when my first gate opened.”

"Or when Magna used her focus on me," he didn't say.

“That’s right,” Merwyn continued. “In fact, opening your first gate is a spell failure in itself. Mana is pushed through your channels forcing them to widen and form new pathways. A spell failure does the same thing, but your channels will no longer change size or branch off causing lots of pain with no results. So, are you going to attempt spells before I explain them?” she said looking at Brand.

“Not anymore,” Brand answered as he thought of the explosion he’d made that was much bigger and used far less mana than any fireball he could produce.