Upon returning to Medina, Veil restarted life as a student and bid farewell to his grandmother, who was traveling on to Cordin to work on her new youth and longevity formula. Even though Veil had only missed a few days of classes, he immediately felt pressured. Battle magic groups had sprung up everywhere, with Elynor, Jelina, and Melik adding battle magic as a major area of focus. The only reason Yamini and Ilya didn’t follow suit because they weren’t qualified while still taking the basic classes.

The instructors were all intensifying their workloads as if responding to some hidden schedule. For the last few days, he had been struggling to catch up. He wasn’t even able to meet with Sacha for more than a few minutes at a time. On top of everything else, he still felt moments of intense grief over killing the five terrorists, although these episodes were slowly fading in strength and frequency.

Veil was currently in his lab examining one of the potions of clarity he had just created. Ilya, standing nearby after serving as Veil’s assistant, held a potion bottle and studied Veil curiously.

“Why are you so reluctant to use alchemical potions to improve your learning?” Ilya asked while glancing hungrily at his potion bottle. “I thought pretty much everyone who could afford it did that?”

“It is a standard method,” Veil replied. “It’s also a risky choice. Heavy potion use comes with all sorts of possible side effects, from addiction to damage to the body and mind. Take these potions of clarity. Yes, they clear and optimize thought, but they have a hidden cost. Overuse can make you dependent, and if you suddenly stop using them, you’ll be worse off than before you started.”

“I’m going to make a schedule,” Veil continued, “If you and Melik want me to supply you with potions, you’re going to have to keep to a schedule, or I’ll cut you off,” Veil said while staring at Ilya intensely in the eyes.

Ilya gulped and looked at the elixir like it might suddenly transform into a dangerous beast. Veil turned his attention inward and mentally opened Grandmother’s recipe book, scanning for the next recipe, an elixir of soul perception. There was no way she would allow a physical copy that could be stolen, out of her control.

“Let’s try these and see how they work,” Veil declared while drinking the potion in one long draught.

Ilya hesitated and then followed suit. It was like clouds were swiftly lifted from Veil’s mind, and he could suddenly see – everything! Ilya was looking around with wide eyes.

“Help me create an aura potion, and I’ll teach you how to build a safe potion schedule,” Veil offered, turning back to his equipment.

“How are things going with Yamini?” Veil inquired, suddenly feeling insightful as he gathered ingredients. “Have you gone on a date yet?”

“Yes, we’ve gone on two dates,” Ilya cheerfully replied while grating some roots that Veil handed him, “but I’m not sure if Yamini had a good time, even though she assured me she did.” Ilya’s smile turned to a frown, “She seemed bored.”

“What exactly did you do on your date?” Veil inquired, glancing at Ilya and then adjusting the flames on several portable burners.

“The first date was a martial arts competition,” Ilya replied excitedly, waving the knife he was holding dangerously. “There were three matches, and I’ll admit two of them were kind of boring, but the third one was brutal. There were half a dozen reversals, and both men were bleeding all over by the end. At one point, Jezan got his opponent in an armbar, and I thought, it’s all over, but…”

“Does Yamini like martial arts contests, “Veil inquired skeptically, “and brutality? What did you do on your second date?” Veil asked his mentally deficient roommate.

“Umm, we spent the evening playing some board games with my friends,” Ilya said hesitantly, finally getting the idea that he may have done something wrong. “She said she enjoyed herself,” he continued defensively.

By this time, Ilya had stopped working and fully faced his friend while Veil continued slowly stirring a murky brown liquid into his mixture.

“You played board games with your friends, your male friends,” Veil stated firmly. “I don’t claim to be an expert on girls, but I doubt she really enjoyed herself. You’re lucky she really likes you, or it would already be over.” Veil turned and stared at his Ilya. “Stop doing things you like and start doing things she likes.”

“Yes, I know, she said she enjoyed your dates,” Veil replied sharply, overriding Ilya when he tried to speak. Sometimes he needed to just roll over Ilya, or the boy would stubbornly descend into nonsense arguments and defenses. “Yamini lied and didn’t tell you what she was really thinking. Girls do that.” Plowing on, Veil continued, “Figure out what she enjoys, her hobbies, her interests, and plan an activity around them. And yes, it will probably be boring for you, so what. The first few dates are all about impressing the girl, so she wants to keep going out with you.”

Ilya blinked a few times, turned, and continued mashing up ingredients for the potion.

“How do I figure out what she likes,” he asked quietly, “if she won’t be honest with me?”

“You’ve got a couple of options,” Veil replied. “Ask her friends. Girls enjoy getting involved in this sort of thing. I know Sacha and Jelina love talking about this stuff,” Veil said with a weary sigh. “Believe me, I know.”

“You could also ask her directly,” Veil continued. “She probably won’t answer candidly the first time, but just drag it out of her. Even though Sacha is a straightforward girl and doesn’t play many games, I still have to do that sort of thing. At least sometimes.”

Ilya worked in silence, clearly thinking about the advice.

They quickly finished the aura potion, then caught up on all their homework over the next few hours, and then went on to give the house a spring cleaning. In the midst of their efforts, Veil suddenly understood why clarity potions were considered dangerous even though their effects were mild.

The next day Sacha, Yamini, and Elynor came over and Veil related some of his adventures in the Great Northern Forest. He didn’t mention anything about the interface, of course. The girls were gratifyingly impressed. Melik and Ilya were also present, and Veil noticed that Yamini and Ilya had somehow ended up holding hands.

“What I find strange is the stampede,” Sacha said curiously. “I’ve never spent time in the Northern wilds. Does that happen often?”

“Not unless there is a forest fire or some monstrous creature is on the move,” Veil replied, glancing at Melik. His friend liked to collect strange facts, and, unlike Ilya’s ‘facts,’ they could usually be relied upon. “Or at least not that I’ve ever heard or seen.”

“There are only a few other circumstances that can lead to a stampede,” Melik replied thoughtfully, leaning forward while resting his hands on his knees. “Incipient earthquakes, tidal waves, or storms can sometimes cause pandemonium.” Jolting upright, Melik stated with excitement, “Mana events! Extreme energy discharges of all varieties can startle creatures, but especially if it involves large amounts of mana to which most animals are sensitive.”

The others all looked around at each other.

“That’s very perceptive, Melik,” Elynor complimented with a rare smile. Melik straightened, obviously enjoying the praise. “It seems obvious now that Melik has mentioned it. Not only stampedes, but all sorts of extreme behaviors have been observed in animals if there are large scale, extreme shifts in mana.”

“Female animals have been known to devour their young, entire groups of normally social beasts have attacked each other, and birds or other migratory species have completely changed their normal patterns,” Elynor listed, lifting her hand and raising a finger for each item.

“What kind of mana shifts are we talking about,” Veil asked, leaning back thoughtfully and briefly looking upward. “Do you mean some sort of mana explosion associated with volcanic activity, for example?” Veil questioned, glancing at Elynor.

“It could literally be anything,” She replied with a frown. “There have been solar flares that were connected to large fluctuations in the ambient mana field.”

“Ley line shifts have caused this sort of disturbance…,” Sacha began to say, folding her arms and leaning into Veil slightly. He put his arm around her.

“Actually, I remember being told a story about an Island that actually exploded and was completely destroyed by a volcanic eruption. This caused several dragon paths to shift,” Sacha said.

“The animals could have been going crazy because of something physical or mana related or both, I suppose,” Sacha continued.

The friends continued listing different possibilities, but they had no way of narrowing their suppositions down.

“Did the government or anyone else release any new information while I was gone?” Veil asked, gently and subtly stroking Sacha’s arm while his arm was still around her. Spending time with Sacha helped him calm down.

“The government has said that religious terrorists are responsible,” Melik replied, “a cult of Isah. They are trying to overthrow the current power structure or something like that.”

“They are performing human sacrifices to take over the world,” Ilya pronounced solemnly. Yamini gasped and gripped his hand tighter. “And it isn’t just one cult but many.”

“The authorities claim to be close on the fanatic’s trail,” Melik stated, giving his friend a sidelong glance, “that the ringleaders will be arrested soon, and everything will return to normal.”

“It does seem too much that one cult could orchestrate a worldwide effect,” Veil replied, supporting part of Ilya’s statement.

“The ruling class hasn’t mentioned the trouble in other countries,” Sacha replied. “Which is curious. You would think they would be happy to blame foreign powers for Samiihr’s problems. They always have in the past.”

The following week Veil met with Jagan Kang to begin training in sensing and manipulating arcane energy. They were currently sitting in Jagan’s office, which was curiously empty. It had a desk, several comfortable chairs, a few books, a few papers, and that was it? The usual teacher’s clutter was completely absent.

Perhaps Jagan has an austere approach to life.

“Before we get started, I was hoping you could answer a few questions, Professor,” Veil asked, glancing around the office curiously.

“You may ask,” Jagan replied in an amused voice while leaning back in his chair. He was wearing his usual comfortable looking work clothes and leather boots.

“Last time we spoke, you mentioned that you didn’t want your legacy to die with you,” Veil stated in a casual tone while lightly squeezing the arm of the chair. “Haven’t you ever had apprentices or disciples before?”

“It’s good that you are finally starting to ask more questions, Veil,” Jagan replied, smiling. “Many people would be so blinded by what I offered that they wouldn’t stop and question my motives.”

“To answer your question, I had two apprentices in the past,” Jagan said. “The first eventually expired of natural causes. She was close to me in age, and I am quite a bit older than I look. My longevity methods are considerably above average. While an excellent student, my second apprentice had the bad judgment to challenge a Magus, with the expected result. He was arrogant and reached far above his level. That, unfortunately, leaves no one to continue my legacy after I am gone.”

Veil stopped and considered for a moment. The average archmage lived just over two hundred years. Veil had heard of mages, who had superior life extension systems that were thought to have lived three or even four hundred years. He wondered just how old Jagan was but didn’t ask. Jagan would probably never answer, and his question would be profoundly rude.

“Are you ready to continue, or do you have more questions?” Jagan said with a raised eyebrow. Veil indicated his readiness. “Before we begin, show me your progress. Start with the aura. I wish to see how far you can extend it. This is actually a crucial step in learning to perceive and manipulate arcane energy.”

Veil closed his eyes and pushed awareness into his aura. Breathing in a slow rhythmic pattern, he focused his intent and pushed his attention outward. Veil pushed gently, and it gradually shifted outward. If he pushed forcefully, it would simply slip from his grasp. The field, which felt like a second skin, moved outward to what felt like two meters.

After it was extended as far as he could manage, Veil focused on perception. He could feel where the aura met the floor, the edge of the desk, and even air as it gently moved across the field’s boundary.

“Keep your eyes closed and tell me what I am holding in front of you,” Jagan commanded.

Veil lifted his hand, pushing his aura in Kang’s direction while keeping his eyes firmly closed. He could feel the energy field envelop something. Slowly, the sense of a shape and an image formed filled his perception. There seemed to be a sloshing or rippling feeling inside the cup, but he didn’t taste anything.

“A coffee cup,” Veil replied after a few moments. “I believe it has water, not coffee in it.”

“Excellent, you may open your eyes,” Jagan continued, putting the cup back on his desk. “Show me disintegration and molding.”

Jagan handed him several grey colored blocks. “These are single element substances.”

Veil took one of the grey objects and held it roughly at chest height in the middle of his palm. Breathing out, he flowed mana into his hands while applying a roughening and cutting effect. The subtly bladed mana scraped across the object’s outside surfaces, gradually flaking pieces off. A greyish powder spilled to the sides of the item. After several minutes a third of the original object had been reduced to dust, and Jagan told him to stop and move on to the next exercise.

Picking up the second greyish block and holding it in one hand, Veil once again sent mana at the cube, but this time he had the energy permeate the object. He concentrated on syncing his mind with the characteristic frequency of the molecules making up the object. It felt like his whole body started to shift back and forth, in tune with the item. Once he matched the vibrations, he could shift the frequency and therefore change the strength of molecular interaction. Altering the frequency was actually a subtle dimensional act. Something clicked in his mind, and Veil knew he was ready. He took hold of all the atoms in the cube and ‘reorientated’ them in a slightly different ‘direction.’ Veil opened his eyes and stared at the grey object for a few seconds before he reached out with his other hand and squeezed the block into a rough sphere.

“Good, your skills are coming along nicely,” Jagan said. “All of these powers will assist you in manipulating arcane energy. What we need to do now is to start digging deep into divination, especially the sorts of divination directed toward reading auras. It would be helpful if next time we work together, you brought an alchemical somatic aura potion…”

Veil reached into his bag and drew out the psychedelic mixture he had made earlier.

“It seems you have come prepared,” Jagan continued, after glancing at the elixir.

Jagan then taught Veil several variations on a soul sensing divination and had him drink his potion.

Hopefully, that was a fruitful session. Veil wasn’t sure since he had spent what felt like a long time in an in-depth conversation with the desk. Jagan assured him he was doing fine as Veil left, but there was a subtle smirk on his lips by that point as well.

“By the way, Veil,” Jagan said from the door of his office, “you should take the expert exam in alchemy. Being an E’mage will give you higher authorization at the library as well as other privileges. Your advisor, Charik, informs me that you are already skilled enough to pass the exam.”

The next day, Veil set off to meet Charik, share information, and continue learning Forerunner ruins. What was unusual was that Charik asked to meet at the construction site of Medina’s teleportation tower.

Veil admired the immense silver colored spire as he walked closer. At over a hundred stories, the circular, needle-shaped object with a large bulb at the top had to be one of the tallest human-made structures in Medina, if not the world.

The giant project was rolled out by Samiihr, along with its allied states, two years ago, or was it three? When finished, he, along with anyone who could pay the fee, should be able to teleport almost instantly across vast distances.

It’s unfortunate that teleportation takes too much energy for individuals or even groups of mages to perform. Imagine how convenient that would be. He could zip around the world, gathering supplies, seeing sights, and making contacts. Too bad, the last time a group of over a hundred mages had pooled their energy and tried to teleport a single coin-sized object, they had utterly failed.

They were idiots, of course. The amount of energy needed could have been estimated using any number of simple models. Why were people so prone to delusional thinking? It wasn’t like they had any reason to contest those numbers or an alternate theory, just wishful thinking, and math should have told them the energies were simply too vast.

When Veil walked up to the tower’s entrance, not only Charik was waiting, but Sacha and Rasvan were there as well. The three were locked in a conversation but turned when Veil approached.

“Welcome back, Mr. Silva,” Charik greeted, “I hope your journey to the Northern wilds was fruitful.”

“It went well, Professor,” Veil replied. They could discuss the details in a more private setting.

“Excellent.” “I asked you here along with Miss Korova and Mr. Levada to give you a tour and familiarize you with my research,” Charik said, half turning and sweeping a foot-hand toward the spire. “It is my hope that in the coming years, the three of you will consent to aid me in my research.”

With that, Charik led them through the tower’s wide, gilded entrance, which was obviously created to support the movement of large amounts of people. The entry was part of a tunnel running entirely through the middle of the spire. A pictographic story of the development, building, and purpose of the tower was partially completed and ran the tunnel’s length.

While following Charik, Veil took off his jacket and placed it across Sacha’s shoulders after noticing her shivering in the cold Fall air. The girl didn’t seem to know how to dress for the Northern climate. He quickly cast a warming spell, learned for just such a situation, on them both as they walked.

“You have to teach me that spell,” Sacha said quietly, looking grateful and warmer.

“The teleportation towers are advanced technomagic structures composed of rare minerals,” Charik said as he led them onto a massive lift. He then pointed to a series of platforms set directly across the passageway, “Those platforms serve as the main teleportation stations of the tower and will someday serve hundreds of people each day.”

Pointing down with both a true-hand and a foot-hand, he continued, “The buildings are directly connected to thin tubes running in a root-like network that extends miles underground. They serve as the spire’s power supply. The tower’s also collect large amounts of ley line energy as well as mana from the sun.”

As Charik was saying this, he activated the lift, and they rose upward. Even the ordinarily stoic Rasvan was looking around in wonder. Three of the walls surrounding the elevator were metal, but the fourth, facing inward to the hollow center of the tower, was glass.

“The cap-like top of the structure to which we are headed contains a room of highly malleable space-time,” Charik continued. “This space-time region can be folded and bent using human-scale energies to form a space-like wormhole between two regions.”

“An ordinary mage can contact the tower and have it open a small wormhole directly in front of them,” Charik said, gesturing with all four arms and speaking excitedly and quickly. This was the first time Veil had ever seen the Feran behaving in anything except a calm manner. “This will make space plastic. The mage will then be able to fold space and travel to a corresponding location synchronized with another tower.”

“How many of these towers have been built,” Rasvan asked in a pragmatic manner.

“In the known world, there are nine such structures, and this is the second in the country of Samiirh,” Charik replied, deflating slightly. “One of the sister towers lies within the state of Kallanga,” Charik said while glancing at Veil significantly. Veil recalled that Kallanga was located on the equator. “The towers are immensely expensive to create. It will likely be a century or more before the larger states have teleportation devices in all of their largest cities or most strategic locations.”

“How expensive will the cost of teleportation be?” Sacha inquired, looking cautiously out the lift’s glass fronted face from the compartment’s back as they continued to rise upward. “Will ordinary people be able to afford them.”

“Eventually, the price will be within the budget of the average person,” Charik replied, scratching around his ocular ridge, “but ordinary conveyances will continue to be used for many practical reasons. The energy cost of teleportation scales with the size of the object being displaced, so trains and other transports are in no danger of being put out of business.”

“On the other hand,” Charik continued, returning to some of his earlier enthusiasm, “teleportation has no distance limitations. The only increase in energy comes from changing relative height within the gravitational field.”

The lift finally reached the top floor, just below the area, where malleable space was created. The large room contained vast pipes running from the floor to ceiling and was filled with numerous desk-like stations containing intricate looking equipment.

“This is the regulator that controls the amount of energy being siphoned off Medina’s primary ley lines,” Charik said, indicating a large desk with multitudes of blinking lights and dials. “Recently, we have recorded noticeable and unusual fluctuations in this energy.”

“Is this related to the terrorist’s activity?” Veil inquired.

“That is a good question,” Charik said, reaching out and adjusting a dial. “The army has been sent to investigate the new opening into the Labyrinth, but the underworld is vast. It’s hard to say what they will discover.”

After spending some time showing the three around, Charik took them back to the tower’s base and bid goodbye to Sacha and Rasvan, saying he needed to talk with Veil about a few things. After they were alone, the pair walked over to an empty maintenance room to have a private talk, and the Feran threw up some privacy wards.

Veil related his recent experience in the forest, informing Charik about the new translations, the strange migrations, and Melik’s suggestion that the animals may have stampeded because of a mana anomaly.

“These mana anomalies may be related to the fluctuating ley line energy,” Charik remarked, folding his true-arms over his chest and then remaining silent for a moment.

“From your translations, it seems likely that the terrorists are trying to activate some ancient technology – ‘Maintenance Servicing Port: Activation Key,’ ‘Automation Servicing Port: Servicing Key,’ ‘Status: Not Initiated.’ The continued references to ‘Keys’ and the term ‘Not Initiated’ is particularly telling. It seems probable that they are searching for something or trying to figure out how to gain the proper authorizations to turn the machines on.”

“Perhaps the machines are drawing ley line energy,” Veil suggested, hesitantly, and then handed Charik a copy of Latif’s notes. “These may assist the translation process, but please don’t circulate the notes. A friend loaned them on the condition that his work won’t be distributed.”

Charik indicated his acquiescence to the request.

“The machines may be causing some sort of ley line shifts as well,” Charik replied. “We are having the same trouble as before. Although more pieces have been added to the puzzle, the size of the mystery just keeps increasing. All we can do is keep working on the problem and wait. It is probable that our fanatic friends are also trying to figure out how to proceed.”

“What about alerting the authorities?” Veil said reluctantly.

“I’m sure the government already has all the information we have discussed today,” Charik said, waving dismissively.

Later that evening, Veil made his way to Sacha’s dorm, and when he knocked, Jelina answered the door. She had a slight smile on her face that instantly made Veil wary. It spoke of hidden things.

Sacha came out of the dining area that had been set up with candles, a spotless white tablecloth, and burning incense wearing an attractive, form fitting black dress and a wide smile. The dress really set off her hourglass figure, long legs, and rounded bust. She immediately gave Veil a hug and kiss, and he noticed with pleasure that they were now roughly the same height.

“It’s been so long since we’ve been able to spend any time together,” Sacha said, having leaned back slightly but with her arms still around his neck. “I’ve really missed you. Jelina helped me prepare dinner.”

“I have a date of my own a bit later,” Jelina remarked with an impish smile, “so you’ll have plenty of time together.”

“Why don’t you sit down at the table,” Sacha said, giving him another quick kiss. “Jelina and I have prepared everything, and we just have a few last minute things to finish.”

Veil nodded, somewhat bemused. Sacha never waited on him like this before. The girls headed off into the kitchen and were whispering together before he lost sight of them. A few moments later, they started carrying out several dishes. Sacha walked to the middle of the table, looking Veil steadily in his eyes, and placed a platter of roast duck and greens on the table.

Just behind her, Jelina moved to the other side of the table and poured two glasses of wine, setting one in front of Veil. When Sacha turned her back, Jelina gave him a wink and that playful smile once again. He wondered what the two were up to while a warm glowing blossomed within his chest.

During dinner, they drank most of the bottle of wine while catching up in a way that a few minutes in class or a quick eat and dash lunch hadn’t allowed. Veil’s body gradually unlocked, releasing tension he hadn’t even been aware he was carrying.

He just enjoyed looking at Sacha. The way the light glinted from her eyes when she was talking, or how her expressive, full lips quirked up in a smile. Everything about her both soothed and filled him with warm desire.

Jelina left for her date sometime during their conversation.

“I was wondering if you could tell me more about the god Enlu, or Forerunner gods in general,” Veil asked, hesitant to spoil the mood.

“Most of what I know is about my family’s personal goddess Enlu,” Sacha said, toying with her wine glass. “She is generally considered a ruler’s god whose auspices are harmonics and persuasion. She is the goddess of discourse and reconciliation.”

Sacha paused, taking a sip from her wine glass and glancing over the rim with what Veil knew was a mischievous smile. “I can also tell you a lot about modes of worship, moral parables, and myths associated with her. Is that the sort of thing you want to know?”

“I was mostly interested in the god’s connection to Forerunner mythology,” Veil said, smiling back. She knew he didn’t care about worship or moral parables.

“Ancient Forerunner ruins speak of her as the god of balancing energies, mechanical design, harmonics, and mathematics,” Sacha replied, looking down and to the side before returning her gaze to Veil. “I don’t know too much more than that.”

“Do you know what she designed?” Veil asked. “Or was she simply the inspiration for design.”

“That is more Forerunner legend,” Sacha replied. “I think she had something to do with designing some world engine, or engine of worlds. I’m really not sure. But don’t worry, you’re going to have the chance to question my mother over term break.”

Great, he got to be interrogated by her mother and probably father as well. Of course, it was only fair after the way his grandmother treated Sacha. Veil narrowed his eyes. He was going to have to think of a way to thank the old woman. Coming out of his reverie, Veil focused on what Sacha was saying.

“As for the god Isah,” Sacha continued, sitting back in her chair, “I know very little, probably no more than you.”

Veil continued to question Sacha, but she didn’t know how they related to the Forerunners.

After their talk had wound down, Sacha spent a few moments silently looking at him. This was fine with him. He was comfortable with silence. Sacha stood, walked over to Veil’s side of the table, and sat in Veil’s lap.

“You look much better now than when you first arrived,” She said, wrapping her arms around his neck, and Veil, in turn, placed his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. “We should go out more often. It would do us both good.”

“Hmm,” Veil replied intelligently. Veil heard her statement, but he was mostly focusing on how soft and warm she felt.

After a moment, his brain started working, and he realized she wanted a response, “I know it wouldn’t be much of a date, but there is the dueling event this weekend, and Rasvan is participating.”

“That’s an idea,” Sacha replied and paused. “It’s too bad Ilya isn’t as good as you at this sort of thing. Yamini really likes him, but the boy doesn’t know how to treat a girl.”

“I’ve already been giving him advice,” Veil replied, noticing how nice Sacha smelled.

“Oh, that’s good of you,” She replied, hugging him closer for a long minute and then leaning slightly back and sighing. “I just wonder if that will be enough.”

“Well, I suppose they could come to the dueling competition with us,” Veil said hesitantly. He preferred to spend some time alone with Sacha, but if it helped Ilya and made Sacha happy...

“That’s a great idea,” Sacha said, her voice rising and getting faster. “We could make it a double date. Hmm,” She said, getting thoughtful again. “If only it were a more private setting, just a little way from the crowd.”

“I suppose I could get box seats,” Veil said, wincing at the expense.

“Could you, that would be perfect,” Sacha said with a bright smile and then gave him a deep kiss.

It was only after their evening ended and Veil was home preparing for bed that he realized he had been tricked. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Veil cycled through bewilderment, annoyance, and amusement. If Sacha had asked, he would have voluntarily gone along with everything she had just fooled him into.

Veil remembered wryly how he had lectured Ilya about the fact that Sacha didn’t play games, and most of the time, she didn’t, but he supposed she was still a girl and sometimes just couldn’t help herself.

***

A few days later, Veil was working in Indali’s clinic and following her at every shift. Indali had declared there was no more time for a slow learning process, dangerous events were occurring, and Veil had to be ready.

They were currently working on a patient with severe burns over a large section of his body, and Indali was showing him how to stabilize the patient’s heart and lungs. She had previously taught him almost a dozen new spells while treating Isvan. He was still struggling with them, but Indali was relentless. The only reason Veil wasn’t falling behind was due to the intensive use of his mental abilities and new potion schedule.

A mental illusion projected across the patient gave him a full color interactive view of the man’s heart. He could see the heart stuttering in an irregular rhythm that slowly steadied as Indali’s arcana, which were still a mystery to Veil, acted.

“The burns have induced an inflammatory response which is constricting the blood vessels. This problem is exacerbated because his lungs have been damaged by smoke inhalation,” Indali explained as she worked. “That’s making it hard for his body to get enough oxygen and thus causing his heart to labor excessively. I’m applying spells to reduce inflammation, open the blood vessels, and ease the airflow to his bronchial cavities. His heart should return to a more rhythmic pace as the strain is reduced.”

Toxins and destroyed tissue were slowly evacuated from the lungs while a complicated spell structure was woven across the organ’s blood vessels and cavities, completing her work. The cells would quickly regrow and repair the damage.

After their task was complete, they took a short break while Indali consulted a chart to determine their next course of action. Between Jagan Kang and Indali, Veil was learning divination spells at an incredible rate.

“In order to keep up with your brutal workload as well as my other insane instructors, I’ve resorted to building a potion schedule,” Veil said, needling Indali and handing her a paper. “I’d like you to look at it and tell me what you think.”

“I’ll be happy to help,” Indali said, taking the schedule and giving him an evil smile. “I can teach you the diagnostic spells to check for injury, buffering spells to prevent harm, detoxifying spells to eliminate contaminants, and regeneration spells to repair the damage.” Indali listed off with in an enthusiastic, fast paced voice.

“Let’s get back to work,” Indali said, with honey in her voice and pure demented glee in her eyes. “I’ll teach you the spells later in my lab.”

How did he end up with such a maniacal mentor?

***

Veil and Ilya were sitting in the living room waiting for their double date. How did that happen? As best as Veil could determine, Yamini complained to Elynor, who talked to Jelina, who consulted with Sacha, and all of them formulated a plan with Veil as the victim.

“What are you doing after the duel is over?” Veil asked Ilya, who was tugging uncomfortably at his stylish formal jacket.

“I was planning on dinner at a nice restaurant like Elynor suggested,” Ilya replied, shifting in his seat nervously. “That’s all right, isn’t it?”

“Sure, I’m certain they’ll have you trained in no time,” Veil replied blandly.

Ilya blinked at him, unsure what to make of that comment, and Veil carefully kept a neutral expression on his face.

“Um, why is taking Yamini to a magic duel better than what I tried before?” Ilya asked.

“I think because it’s a social event, and it was their idea,” Veil replied. He paused. “Mostly because it was their idea.”

After their dates showed up, they made their way across campus to the auditorium. Veil looked over the giant stadium as they walked up the steps to their level. The arena was packed with thousands of people, many of whom must be ordinary citizens of Medina. There aren’t enough student mages to fill this stadium, Veil thought.

As they stopped climbing and headed down the aisle between rows of seats, Veil glanced down at the arena floor. It was a rectangular, sand covered area 80 meters long and 40 meters wide. The arena was designed to hold team events and individual duels and was sparsely populated by various wood and stone objects that contestants could seek cover behind or climb to gain the high ground.

Reaching their destination, they climbed into a boxed section that allowed for privacy as well as a spectacular view. The seats certainly cost enough. Veil reminded himself that he was doing this to help Ilya and Yamini and that it made Sacha happy.

They ordered food while watching the first few events, which consisted of people similar to them with low level battle magic abilities battling it out in individual duels. Most of the contests consisted of people hiding behind their shields and hitting each other with mana bolts and plasma beams until they either ran out of mana or battered the other person’s shield down. In other words, there was no actual skill involved.

“I didn’t realize you like these kinds of events, Yamini,” Veil said, eating small bites of bread wrapped sausage.

“Oh no, I think it’s very exciting,” Yamini said, never taking her eyes off the arena. “Although, I guess having the wyrm attack has increased my interest. I just wish the fighters wore prettier outfits. They’re so drab,” the girl complained.

“What other sorts of things do you like doing?” Veil asked, elbowing Ilya to get him to pay attention. It took a few seconds for Ilya to peel his eyes away from the arena.

“Oh, I like styling hair,” Yamini replied, after which Veil shared an exasperated look with Sacha. What did it take to get these two to take a hint? Sacha leaned over and murmured something in Yamini’s ear. “Uhm, I enjoy going to plays, concerts, and shows. Singing in a band is one of my dreams,” She said, looking down and hunching up slightly.

“I play the piano,” Ilya said unexpectedly. “My parents made me take lessons for years, and later I was in the school symphony. I’m not an expert, but I am pretty good. Maybe we can rehearse sometimes or even form a group if you like.”

“Really,” Yamini said, straightening up and giving Ilya a huge smile. “I would love that.”

They spent several minutes discussing the possibility before higher ranked fighters began to appear, and the duels became more interesting. Veil and Sacha shared a relieved look. Hopefully, Ilya and Yamini would figure things out from there. After that, they all turned their attention back to the matches.

The combatants started using the terrain and evasive maneuvers as well as physical combat techniques. At this point, their food appeared, and the great billboard that magically kept track of the contestants announced that Rasvan Levada was scheduled for the next fight.

Rasvan strode out of the pits, resembling some ancient warrior out of legend with his red eyes, hair, and matching red leather armor. The crowd roared its approval at finally having a warrior who looked the part. Rasvan’s opponent stepped out from the opposite side a moment later, holding a full metal blasting staff with a bladed tip. He was a similarly imposing man named Osven with fur covered armor, braided hair, a shaggy beard.

They faced each other in the center of the field with about 20 meters separating them before the announcing horn gave a short blast. Rasvan immediately twisted to the side and ran in an irregular pattern toward a large metal girded structure that he could hide behind. His opponent lifted his blasting staff at the same time and sent a tight beam of plasma that just missed Rasvan. The ray trailed after him for a short distance.

Osven then sprinted toward a small row of boulders that would cover him as he approached Rasvan’s position. Rasvan, in turn, began to cast several spells as his opponent continued to advance unopposed. Before Osven reached cover, Rasvan released a set of overpowered mana bolts. The projectiles followed a curved trajectory striking Osven’s shield repeatedly and eventually punching through. The only reason Osven wasn’t defeated right there was that he jumped under a rocky overhang at the last second.

“That’s new,” Veil said, leaning forward. “I didn’t realize Rasvan could weave targeting functions into his spells.”

Ilya, Yamini, and Sacha all hissed at him to be silent.

Osven then re-erected his shield and sprinted forward once again, finally coming in sight of Rasvan and hitting him with a plasma ray for the first time. Rasvan ran directly at Osven while angling his shield to deflect the beam to the side rather than take it head-on. At the last moment, Rasvan used the same trick Veil had once used on him. He slid forward the last few meters and knocked Osven’s shield aside while bowling him off his feet.

But Osven wasn’t out of the fight yet. He dropped his shield while jumping to his feet and used his staff to knock Rasvan’s blasting rod out of alignment. The two grappled hand to hand for a moment before Rasvan deliberately fell backward, pulling Osven towards him and at the same time used the movement to align his blasting rod and fire at his opponent. Osven was defeated.

The crowd roared enthusiastically while Yamini and Ilya had both jumped up and were cheering for Rasvan. Even Sacha had grabbed Veil’s hand and was yelling loudly. Not to be left out, Veil joined in, feeling some amusement.

After that, the duels became more intricate and advanced. Real battle mages knew and could short-cast dozens of spells, weaving them together with tremendous speed.

“It seems like the duels are getting less impressive as time goes on,” Yamini said, forgetting her shyness in the wash of excitement. “There are a lot fewer explosions and plasma beams and pretty shields, and more of them just seeming to stare at each other with barely anything happening.”

“Most really dangerous spells are invisible,” Veil replied. “All the energy is directed at causing an effect, not to explosions, smoke, or loud sounds. Those spells tend to waste less energy. Take the plasma beams we all use so much. While the beam is traveling, it’s consuming a tremendous amount of energy. A much more efficient and higher level ray would only have the plasma effect activate while striking the target.”

“Also, you can’t use the truly dangerous spells in the arena,” Sacha added, snacking idly on some chips. “People would die for sure.”

“Let me cast a mana sight spell for you,” Veil said, fitting action to words. “This should make things a lot more exciting.”

The most electrifying duel was between two full battlemages near the end of the day’s events. The announcement screen informed the crowd that the battlemages Azir Jalal and Triya Dixit would face each other in the last round. A mage with a short silver threaded, black beard, dressed in a blue vest and light blue pants, stepped out at one end of the arena while a woman with long black hair tied back in a ponytail wearing a red jacket and brown pants marched out of the other end. Neither mage bothered with visible weapons.

They faced each other in relaxed postures about 20 meters apart. When the start horn blew, both exploded into movement. Azir cast a hasting spell on himself and burst forward, throwing what appeared to mage sight to be dim red dots at Triya. Simultaneously, she jumped 30 meters back, to the side, and on top of a metal and wood obstacle, landing three meters off the ground. His attack flew harmlessly past where Triya had stood and detonated with loud plasma explosions.

While the detonations were occurring, Triya cast two golden balls at Azir, striking the full body shield he had erected. The balls erupted into disc-like waves of destruction that rolled around Azir’s shield.

She then jumped back to the ground while keeping roughly 20 meters of distance between her and Azir. As soon as the waves subsided, he threw plasma ropes at Triya, seeking to bind her in place; at the same time, an eruption of sand traveled moved from Azir to Triya.

Stomping her foot produced an explosion in the sand, and simultaneously casting a dispel on the ropes, Triya managed to stop both attacks. Triya then countered with what looked like jagged pieces of glass that began a spiraling attack on Azir, who threw out a circular dispelling wave to stop the pieces and fired a bright blue beam directly at Triya. The ray cut right through her shield while Triya flung herself aside.

Triya then fired a series of force waves at Azir, but he countered with an electric surge that flowed across the ground like water and struck and knocked her unconscious, ending the fight.

The crowd roared their approval, and Veil saw Ilya and Yamini looking stunned by the display.

“It looks different with mage sight,” Veil remarked and glancing at Sacha, “we have some work to do before we are that good.”