(Jacob, 16)

My carriage pulls up in front of Jason's house, early enough that I know he and Alex will not have left yet. Jason got into the habit of using gates to reach the university, so he rarely leaves more than fifteen minutes before it begins, enough time for Alex to walk across the river to the Royal Knight University and still have a few minutes to spare before lessons begin.

When the carriage stops, I wait until the driver opens the door, then step out and approach the front door. I knock on it, and a minute later, Jason's butler answers it, giving me a small bow when he recognizes me.

"Is Jason in?" I ask.

"He is in his workshop," the butler steps aside to allow me entry.

Here is hoping Jason hasn't reached a spot he can stop whatever he is doing and gate his way out. He seems to do that a lot if I stop by.

When I enter the house, I spot Alex eating in the dining room.

"Good morning, Alex," I dip my head to him. "Did you have a good weekend?"

"I did," he answers with the same suspicious tone he usually speaks with us with. "How did the training weekend go?"

Jason left out that it was canceled?

"Did I say something wrong?" He sounds annoyed.

"No," I smile. "Jason must have forgot to inform you. The training session was canceled due to an emergency that required half of the supervising Royal Knights and Royal Mages, and rescheduled to this weekend."

Alex's expression darkens.

"No, he didn't tell me that," he says. "Then again, I'm just his charity case. He didn't come home at all, probably wanted to avoid me."

"Avoid you?" I ask. "Actually, Niko was feeling homesick, so Jason took him back to Mar on Sorday. They returned yesterday afternoon. Letting you know about the canceled training probably slipped his mind. The only thing weird about his actions was his stop in Varilar."

"His stop in Varilar?" Alex frowns a little.

"Yes," I nod. "As talented and powerful as Jason is, no matter how many blind teleports he performed, he should have been able to make a mostly-straight trip to Mar and its capital. To reach Varilar would involve going out of his way. It did result in him and Niko discovering a traitorous Duke and putting a stop to an attempt at starting war between Varil and Mar, though, so I suppose it worked out."

I remember something.

"You come from Varilar, do you not?" I ask. "Have you ever mentioned something to visit if he were ever there? If you suggested it, that could explain why Jason decided to stop by on his way to Mar. Or he could have decided to see where you grew up 'on the way', as it were."

"I don't remember doing so," he has a funny expression on his face. "But… a traitorous Duke?"

"Yes," I nod. "He returned to Varil City briefly to inform my papa of it, which is how I know about the visit. It seems that the former Duke, who has been exiled now, was attempting to break off from the kingdom and become an independent city-state while starting a war between us and Mar. He also seemed to have a thing against street rats, as he performed an illegal purge of them. It seems he feared you and your biggest rival, someone who went by the name of 'Crusher'? When you left, he saw his opportunity."

According to Papa, Crusher Chris was forced into serving the former Duke when his younger sister was kidnapped and held against him as a weapon. With one enemy out of the way, and the other working for him to protect his sister, the former Duke could have succeeded in his plans, had Jason not decided to see the place Alex had grown up.

"That," Alex says. "Does explain something. Several of my old gang found me on Sorday. They mentioned the purge, and that they had escaped. They weren't sure if any of the others had survived, as they were concerned with saving themselves. That's how it be on the streets – put yourself first, the gang second. But Sorday night, another member just showed up. He said he was approached by a noble and a Marran, who opened a gate here. I was wondering who it could have been, since that described Jason and Niko, but they were on the training trip. Or not."

So after Jason finished speaking with my father, did he check all of Varil City for any surviving members of Jason's gang? He did that with Niko still with him, too. The things he will do for Alex, then, must be quite immense.

"I see," I say. "Is it normal for Jason to be in his workshop this early?"

Inventing something else that is new and fascinating?

"Depends," Alex answers. "If he had some random idea or thought about a project he's working on. I think he has three. He's probably sleeping."

Alex sets his fork down, his breakfast finished, then slides his chair back and walks upstairs, and I follow him.

"If your old gang is in town," I begin to say.

"I left the gang," he interrupts in irritation. "I am not a part of them anymore, and while I would be tempted to rejoin them had they decided to stay and not move on to another city, I want to become a Royal Knight."

"I did not intend on implying you were desiring to rejoin them," I tell Alex. "I was going to say that it would be best to warn them that some of what might have been overlooked in Varilar would draw the attention of the guards here. The royal city's patrols enforce the laws more thoroughly than cities further out. They do not care if a street gang is at war with another, as long as it does not affect the common man. They also do not tolerate extorting businesses for 'protection money' and will not be bribed, as I know is common in other cities."

"Oh," he looks embarrassed, his gaze casting down for a moment before he looks at the door to Jason's workshop, before pounding on it hard three times. He counts to ten under his breath, then sighs. "He's asleep."

Alex then pulls out a key and unlocks the door, entering, and I step in behind him. Jason is curled up on the floor, using a blanket as a pillow, a stuffed teddy bear under one arm. Various tools and components are scattered on the shelves, and several projects are resting on the shelves as well.

The project on his desk appears to be a pair of stone archways around ten inches tall and six wide, each connected to a mana generator. Interesting that he is using a generator instead of a battery for this, whatever it is must need a lot of mana.

Alex sighs.

"The blanket's a new one," he says.

"The stuffie is not?" I ask.

"I have seen him with one twice before," he shrugs. "He has a chest full of them in his room."

Jason is officially a lot weirder.

"Do you know what this is?" I gesture to the archways.

"Yes," he rummages around through some stuff, then locates a marble before inspecting the runes along the edge of one of the arches. "Which one was it again? Ah, here it is."

He touches one of the runes, and every last one on both arches light up, the generators powering up, runes of light forming on them.

"Odd," Alex says, keeping his finger on the rune. "Hm. Let's see."

He rolls the marble through one of the arches, and it rolls out of the other.

"Well, he did get rid of the opaque field," he snorts. "But we still can't see through it."

"Is that a gate spell?" I ask.

"Yes," he nods. "He's been working on it for a week or so. The initial model was only three inches tall, though the gates also had the opaque, violet and black field as his actual spell. It's on the shelf over there. Looks like he managed to scale it up and get rid of that opaque part, though you can't see through the gate into the other side yet."

"I still need to sort that out," Jason says, and I turn to find him yawning. The blanket and stuffie are gone. "But it's progress. The patent holder has a different version of the instant-transportation idea he's working on, too."

Really? Do you actually know who it is, or is that just something you heard from your papas and mamas?

"Hello, Jacob," he greets me.

"Hello," I return the greeting. "Do you know what he is working on? Or is it to remain a secret until he finishes it?"

"Once he finishes it," Jason answers. "By the way, Papa Jared says he might be able to have the first working prototype of a metal train by the equinox, the solstice at the latest.

Considering how long Papa said the two of them have been stuck on this train project of theirs, that is surprising. The last I had heard, they were still completely stumped on how to make the train move properly.

"Really?" I ask.

"Yes," Jason nods, then gestures to the wooden model on his shelf. "He managed to make a wooden version of the model move, though it currently cannot take the weight. A few more weeks to a few more months, and he thinks he can have the mana engine handle the weight and work with enough force to move it. If all works out, then we might be able to have the first Sageson Transportation train running by summer."

"What are the patent holder's thoughts?" I ask. "The one with the patents on the mana batteries and mana engines?"

"He's focusing his efforts on other projects," Jason answers. "Alex, they're almost out of mana."

"What?" Alex asks, then quickly pulls his hand away from the gate. "Sorry. I didn't even realize it was still running, must have been putting mana into it without realizing it."

"Subconscious mana manipulation," Jason shrugs. "Happens to all of us. There is still a slight issue with mana generators for if they're completely drained of mana, though that's being worked on."

"Uh," I say. "Jason, that might be a problem? We have them running our waterways and sewers, helping to generate and purify water and move wastewater and water under the city. This won't-"

"They won't blow up," he says. "They shut down, and it becomes a pain in the rear to turn them back on so that they can start absorbing mana again. If they exploded, they wouldn't have been released. It's actually better to just replace them than try and repair them if they drain completely. A way to set it so that the generator gives a warning when it's coming close is being worked on as well, since that's more likely to happen first. The waterways have redundant systems to ensure they work even if one or two shut down.

"Anyway," he says. "What brings you here so early, Jacob? And can it be discussed as I eat breakfast? We do have university."

"Yes," I say, and Jason leads us to the dining room, where the maid quickly serves him a plate of sausage, eggs, biscuits, and gravy. "Could you create an item for me, kept secret?"

"Depends on the item," he says. "I won't make anything illegal, and I do need to be able to make it. If I can't, would it be alright if I had Papa Jared make it?"

"I think you might be able to," I tell him. "It's not really an enchanted piece. I know you can make jewelry, Papa told me that Sage Harold has sold some you've made. Would you be able to make a hairpin?"

"Sure," he pulls out from his dimensional space several pieces of paper and several hairpins, ranging from rather simple ones to quite feminine ones, all without letting go of his fork as he eats. "Here are some I've made in the past."

As he continues to eat, Jason models a few of the hairpins above his left ear, clipping his medium-long bangs back. For the first time, I realize that he keeps his hair a little longer than most men in Varil do. While with most other nations, men's hair extends between ten and eighteen inches in length and is often tied back in a ponytail with a ribbon or string, we in Varil usually keep ours between two and four inches. Jason's, I would say is around six inches in length. Long enough the hair clips actually work decently, though that might be coincidence.

Thinking on it, I realize that Niko's hair style matches Varilan style, but I remember it being of the longer length when we initially met. He had it tied back with a black velvet ribbon.

I suppose growing up without seeing others but his papas introduced to Jason a different style.

Jason discusses with me various hair clips after he demonstrates the last one, and by the time we finish, I am both thoroughly impressed by his ability to make quick sketches with only one free hand and under the impression that he may have forgotten the hair clip in his hair, since he put the others back into his dimensional space.

"Where did Alex go?" I look around as I realize that his tenant is missing.

"Probably to finish getting ready for university," Jason answers as he drains his glass of juice and sets it down, the maid quickly taking his dishes away. "Do you want to travel by gate today? We can discuss a few finer details without having to worry about taking a carriage."

"Finer details?" I ask. "We already decided on the materials and design, what else is there to discuss? Other than cost, of course. I would not ask you to make it free."

"Would you like it made with purchased materials or transmuted?"

Why am I not surprised that he can transmute metals and gems, even though transmuters have been attempting that for generations?

"Purchased would be preferred," I say. "And I might need to speak with Papa about regulating what materials can be transmuted. Out of curiosity, what is the secret to transmuting precious materials?"

"You can do what?" Alex asks as he reenters the room.

"It takes a lot of mana and magical power," Jason answers as he puts everything into his dimensional space. "In addition to a high understanding of the materials in question. Papa Harold and Papa Jared had me learning about metals and gems from when I was very young, so I know enough about them to perform it, and have the mana and magical power to back it. I would say that someone would need to be at least upper blue to be able to perform transmutation of a higher level just for the magical power requirement. The mana required is pretty intense as well. Using a ritual circle, you could probably cut it down, but it still requires a lot of magical power to perform."

And with Jason being an upper violet with seemingly endless mana reserves, it's only natural he would be able to transmute things with casual ease.

"But if that's true," Alex says. "Why are we able to transmute earth into stone? Metals into similar ones?"

"Not much understanding is required for that," Jason explains. "Most basic earth spells even generate stones, since they're in the same category. Earth and stone are often similar enough that you can perform a quick and dirty transmutation on it. Same with the metals. You can turn iron into steel and copper into bronze because you know the other metal that goes into those alloys, and use a touch of earth magic subconsciously as you perform a quick and dirty transmutation on it."

He holds out his right hand, and a pair of rocks drop out of his dimensional space. Why does he have rocks in his dimensional space? How many rocks does he have in there, for that matter?

"With turning something into something vastly different, however," he takes one of the rocks into his left hand, holding both out. "It requires understanding the materials on a more fundamental level. These are simple rocks, packed dirt that has hardened and become a little different. Its makeup is different as well. In my left hand, I am going to do a quick and dirty transmutation to turn it into iron."

The ore in his left hand changes, taking on a dull shine that reminds me of iron ore I have seen before. If I remember correctly, they need to be purified through some sort of smelting process in order to work for smithing.

"It turned it into iron ore," Jason tells us. "As you can see. A quick and dirty transmutation goes off a rough understanding that most people would have. Even if you understand plenty about one of the two items, you can't simply make it pure. So now I have a chunk of iron ore, but it would need to be purified before I can use it for anything decent. In addition to that, material can only be transmuted so many times before it breaks down. Even if that were not the case, since I cannot 'perceive' all of this iron's makeup, a true transmutation would be tricky, so another quick and dirty one would be required. Quick and dirty ones increase the rate at which you use up an item's transmutation ability as well.

"Now," he sends the ore into his dimensional storage. "In my right hand, I have a similar rock, right? I know it's an igneous rock, formed by lava that has cooled and solidified. This particular one has a coarse grain to it, and it's somewhat brittle. That's enough understanding of it to perform a proper transmutation, as long as the item I'm turning it into is similar enough, but the range is greater. To transmute it into water would take me more understanding of the rock's composition unless I want to use more magical power and pour more mana into it.

"To make it into iron," he continues. "Knowing the basics of iron is all I need to know, but still more than what most people do. They know it's a metal, that's its a bit durable, and that it's used. I know approximately how much heat it takes to melt, to warp and bend it. I know how malleable it is. All of that comes from experience. Here we go."

The rock suddenly turns into what is probably pure iron.

"And now," he says. "We have a lump of iron. I've done this transmutation enough times to be able to perform it and create pure iron every time."

"I don't understand," Alex frowns. "Doesn't magic require visualization? I sort-of understand being able to skip the full visualization for earth to stone, but a rock to metal? Do you just visualize it changing?"

Don't forget, Alex, that magical visualization doesn't always create an image in our minds. It's separate from our mental visualization, though that does help us some.

"That's exactly what I do," Jason answers, then looks at me. "I would not worry too much about regulating such transmutations, as they are extremely difficult to perform. Papa Samuel and Papa Jared can both do it, I can do it, and that is it for those who I know who can do it."

It should still probably be regulated, and I think your basis for knowing how common it is to be able to perform such magic is a bit skewed. You do not really know that many people.

"Is that where most of your metal comes from?" I ask. "Transmutation?"

"No," he answers. "There are plenty of places to mine in the mountains, as long as you avoid the areas were dragons live."

"How many dragons live in the mountains of the Unwild Wilds?"

"I know of eight in a three-hundred mile stretch," he answers. "Three of them are part of a den. Generally, they lay claim to a domain between thirty and forty miles in diameter, depending on age, size, and type. You can sometimes get away with going into their territory if you have the appropriate offering and it's a black dragon instead of a red."

He says that as if negotiating with a dragon to enter its territory is both normal and easy.

"What kind of offerings?" I ask.

"Usually something to eat and shiny things," he answers. "Dragons do enjoy their shiny things. Papa Jared and I make these coins that the dragons enjoy. We enchant them with a self-polishing enchantment. Even though there are hundreds of them made, the dragons' fascination for shiny objects and their inherent greed has them accepting them. As long as we add in some variety, they're fine, but coins are always best for dragons."

There is a dragon in the southern region of Varil. It is a black dragon, and its den is near what was once a well-used mine in a mountain. No one has bothered attempting to negotiate with it to regain access to those mines after fleeing it, because doing such a thing is insane and absolutely absurd.

Do you want to give it a try, next time you have a free weekend? It was one of the most abundant mines for adamant on the continent before the dragon moved in a few decades ago.

"Speaking of coins," Jason says. "I don't know what the actual price for the hair clip will be yet, so we can negotiate payment after I finish, if that is alright with you."

"Thank you," I say, then look at Alex. "Would you mind keeping it a secret as well? It's intended as a gift for Tasha."

"I will," Alex looks uncomfortable. "I wouldn't go spreading the secrets of royalty."

"Thanks," I smile. "And it's less a secret and more a surprise, and Alex, I'd rather it be because I'm your friend as the first thought that comes to mind, over me being royalty."

"Speaking of payments," he quickly looks at Jason.

"No," Jason says. "I'm not accepting a payment for you staying here, Alex. We've talked about that."

That can be interpreted in multiple ways. Time to play on one of them.

"Oh?" I ask. "Are you sure you don't want to accept his payments, Jason? They could be quite enjoyable for you, you know."

Alex's face turns crimson as Jason gives me an annoyed look.

"I'm not taking money from a friend," he says, a hint of anger in his voice. "Not for letting him stay here, Jacob.

Aaaand you're still oblivious. Alex obviously understood my implication.

"We're going to be late if we wait too much longer," Jason says. "You won't make it by carriage. I'll open a gate to your university, then let your driver know that you've left and to pick you up at the usual time."

(Jason, 16)

Why did Jacob make that comment this morning? What does taking money have to do with acquiring enjoyment? I can understand spending money for some people, but does Jacob really think that I would find pleasure in taking money from a friend over something as simple and basic as allowing him to stay at my place?

Why did Alex turn red at it?

I've been pondering both of those all day, and the only conclusion I can really come to is that there had to have been something more to what Jacob was saying. That is the only reason I can think of for Alex to turn red, unless he felt embarrassed upon realizing that he had attempted to argue for paying me in front of Jacob.

I'll ask Niko for advice after the session ends. Speaking of my friend, he can probably move on to the next part.

"Niko," I say. "Try extending your magical power up to your shoulders. As you are now, exerting it just to your elbows will not assist you optimally."

"Okay," he responds, then slowly begins exerting magical power around his upper arms as well, until they, too, are sheathed in it.

I scan the group in front of me, my gaze resting on one of the students who passed the test to join today. Kyra del Evara, another first-year, and the third daughter of Duke Evara. Her family deals in jewels and jewelry as their primary source of income. Two barons beneath them. She's middle orange right now, though has a decent mana pool, like a few others I've taken interest in. She has a strong affinity for water magic, and was barely able to use an enhancement spell to pass the test. I would put her as barely in middle orange, with control even worse than Jacob's. That's to be expected, though, as she's a warrior and rarely needed to use magic in her training.

Most warriors don't learn to use magic properly until they attend university, even if they are taught the barest basics.

"Kyra," I say. "Try to exert a little less power. Reduce it by about five percent, then by five percent of that."

"Yes, sir," she responds, then makes the adjustment, the magical power around her decreasing.

"Increase it by about ten percent," I tell her. "You decreased it too much."

"Yes, sir," she responds, then adjusts again.

Close enough. It's her first time doing such training, so it can be excused. After a couple of weeks, I'll expect her to at least be able to tell ten percent of her magical exertion, though.

After this stage of training, I run them through physical exercises including some basic martial arts, which the warriors already know and the magicians don't enjoy, then switch to manipulating the earth element for the rest of the session.

"Due to the rescheduling," I tell everyone when the session ends. "Of the joint training group, those who are not in the first-year S-Class will be learning from Alex on Sorday again. It will essentially be the same as you did today, only over more time due to not having the entry test. Dismissed."

Jacob and Lina are rejoined by their guards as they leave, and Niko, Alex, and I exit and make our way out to the front together. Niko and I will explore the city some more, and when I invite Alex, he declines.

"I have two essays to write," he tells me. "Thank you, though."

"Good luck," I say, then spot a group of people at the gate to the university. "I don't think your friends left."

"What?" He asks, then follows my gaze, where the six remaining members of his former gang are waiting. As soon as he sees them, they start waving, and he walks over, Niko and I following. "I thought you guys said you were leaving yesterday?"

"We only said that so you wouldn't suspect," one of them, the oldest boy, says. "Sara and I signed up for the hunter's guild, as you suggested. We spent today doing some hunts together. Mikey, Collin, and Peter looked for a job, and they lost sight of Jeddy for awhile, who apparently did find a job."

"I get to help a fruit vendor in the market," the younger boy, who is probably around twelve, grins. "Only in the mornings. He said he'll pay me ten varru a day for it, and that if I do good enough, he'll even let me have a fruit or two when I leave, free. Look! I got paid!"

He holds up a ten-varru coin.

"'Grats," Alex says, then looks at us. "I guess they decided to stick around."

"Looks like it," I smile. "I'll see you tonight, Alex. Niko and I are going to watch a show at the amphitheater tonight. It will be the first time either of us have seen a show. Do you want to come?"

"No, thanks," he responds. "I have the papers to write, and if I finish those, I'll probably hang out with the gang somewhere."

"Alright," I say. "See you."

Niko and I leave.

"Is that him?" I hear one of them ask as we walk.

"Yeah, that's him," Alex answers, an odd tone in his voice.

"Hey," I say as Niko and I walk. "Jacob made a comment this morning, which makes no sense to me."

"What was it?" Niko asks, and I explain. "And it was regarding payments?"

"Yes," I nod. "Alex is insistent on paying me, he wants to give me a portion of his earnings from hunts in exchange for being able to live at my place, but I don't want him to. He's a friend in a bad spot trying to make his life better. I'd feel awful for doing that, and don't want to, anyway."

"Hm," Niko thinks for a moment, though his expression and the tone of that makes me wonder if he's debating on telling me what Jacob meant. "You will just get even more upset at Jacob even I tell you what he was referring to."

"His comments upset Alex," I say. "Or embarrass him. Well, they mostly embarrass him. I don't like that, it makes me upset when he does that."

Niko gives me an amused look.

"The comments are not aimed at making Alex uncomfortable," Niko tells me. "They are intended to make both of you uncomfortable. Jacob is just teasing, however, and is not being malicious. The only reason you are not made uncomfortable by them is because you are dense."

"Dense?" I ask.

"Yes," he responds. "Probably as a result of your isolated upbringing. Had you not had that, you would probably understand Jacob's teases and be uncomfortable as well."

"And you won't tell me because you think I will get even more upset with him?"

"Yes," he nods. "You know that they make Alex uncomfortable. If you knew why they made him uncomfortable, you would be even more upset. So it is safe to assume that I should just let you figure it out on your own, in time. Do you think Lina would like to attend the amphitheater with us? Or would that be inappropriate to ask her to do?"

"I think it would be alright," I answer. "Just remember that we intend on sitting in the back so that I can explain anything you don't understand, and it might not be easy to hear what's being said for Lina, who can't perform hearing enhancements."

"You are right," he nods. "Perhaps once I have a better grasp of this language, then. Is having a hairpin above your ear some sort of fashion in Varil? Do you think Lina would like it if I wore one?"

"It's a fashion for women, not men," I answer. "Why?"

"You have been wearing one all day."

I reach up and feel my hair, locating the hairpin that I must have forgotten to take out after showing Jacob how they would look once put into hair. Oops.