(Alex, 17)

"Like this?" Emma asks as she releases a burst of air magic at the training target.

I agreed to a twice-a-week training with her after she approached me at the start of last week, and it turns out that enhancement magics are the only magics she has any talent with. I should have paid more attention to my classmates before now, too, as it turns out that she's only acceptable with them.

Well, for a student at the Royal Knight University. A student at a normal warrior university? She's above-average. They likely wouldn't even know how to perform a body-enhancement spell yet. But I can see why she can't land in S-Class or Jason's group, and it's her skills.

She has a moderate affinity for air magics, light magics, and force magic, so we're working on her base right now. Improving that which she's good at, to help her meet that requirement. Little by little, we'll also work on her other elements.

We're meeting at the warehouse Jason and Alyssa enchanted for me to use, though it's become a sort of practice ground for members of Jason's advanced training group. He doesn't care if we bring a friend with us, just as long as we are present the entire time. No parties allowed.

"No," I hold up a hand, manifesting an orb of green-tinged air, the coloration so she can see it more easily. The orb is around the size of a small watermelon. "Ya are visualizing a blast of air. Again, ya need to visualize a condensed orb."

When I finish speaking, I condense the air, the swirling green wind above my hand compacting down with the visible streams thinning, but turning darker and less translucent. The orb is now the size of a plum.

"Then spell ya are doing," I aim my hand at the target. "Is more akin to a nice breeze. But when ya do it this way, it's more like a punch."

I fire the spell, which swiftly soars through the air and slams into the wooden target, which rocks back a little.

"Ya are middle yellow," I say. "So ya meet that requirement to join, but your actual control and level of ability with spells are still lacking. It might be easier for ya to visualize the orb forming, then condensing down. It takes a few seconds more to do, but once ya get the hang of it, you'll be able to generate the condensed orb from the start. There's more force to the impact with more condensed wind."

And if the wind is moving swiftly enough, it can also perform more than just blunt damage, but do some slicing as well, against things vulnerable to it. Just like with my water spells, which I tend to keep moving at high speed when attacking with it.

"Let me show ya a few times," I tell Emma. "So that ya can see it. That should help with your visualization."

She nods, then watches as I manifest the orb of air once again, then condense it down. I do this three times, Emma watching me each time, then tell her to give it a try. She holds up her hand, and after several seconds, aims her hand. The wind attack she manifested flew at the target, and I clear my throat.

"Ya barely condensed it," I say. "Don't rush just 'cause ya managed to do it partly. Rushing ain't the best thing in a fight. Ya rush in with a half-finished spell, ya might end up losing your life."

"There's no backlash from an incomplete spell," she says.

"There ain't?" I ask, holding up a condensed sphere of green-tinted air. "Are ya sure 'bout that, Emma? Tell me: have I already manifested this spell? Am I now not creating it, but maintaining it?"

"Yes," she answers.

"And now," I say as it develops spikes. "I'm manipulating it. All three stages of this are part of the spell. If ya are altering a spell, ya ain't just maintaining it anymore. That makes it more easy for you to release it. But it's already manifested, which means it has to go somewhere. Let's say I stop manipulating it partway. The effect has begun, though, and when ya alter a spell, it goes until the full thing. Now I try to throw it while my grasp on its manipulating is weakened by the manipulation effect."

I extend my arm out and release the spell. The green-tinted wind, rather than flying towards the target, simply expands rapidly until it's used up, assaulting both of us with air magics. I didn't make it powerful enough to actually hurt us, just enough to make a point.

"I stopped maintaining it while it was changing," I say. "Ya need to keep control of a spell as it changes. Otherwise, it can have devastating effects. The reason they don't teach ya about this is because they teach us to summon the spell exactly as we want it, then release it. There's no risk with weaker spells backfiring this way. Doing it the way I'm teaching you – manifesting, then altering – is dangerous, so most avoid teaching through it."

"Oh," she says. "So I'm lucky it didn't do something and hurt us?"

"Ya are lucky ya are weak enough with offensive magic it wouldn't have done much," I shrug. "Plus, I'm maintaining a quite thin, but very there, barrier between us. Ya will notice the green tint between us if ya look hard enough."

"I thought that was just my eyes," she laughs. "I should have realized it wasn't elsewhere. You're protecting yourself?"

"Yeah," I answer. "I gotta, when working with someone who throws around spells they're altering without finishing them. Anyway, try again, and this time, finish your spell before casting it."

Emma tries again, and I watch, nodding in approval as the spell strikes the target. She needs more magical control so that she can put more power and force into her spells. Right now, she's gone for a barely-noticeable breeze to a gentle breeze. At yellow, she should be able to do a light wind. Little more than a breeze, much less than a gale.

But for now, she needs to work on how she actually casts spells. I suppose as warriors, it's not that important to do spells other than enhancement or weapon spells, but this is still important.

As she works, I think over the books Jason gave me. Connor and I skimmed them, and made a discovery.

Little Jason made notes and doodles in them. Lots of notes and doodles. And I don't think he realized that, based on how he delivered them and the way he talked about them. He spoke of not damaging them, yet they're filled with his notes or thoughts on the various bits of enchanting knowledge contained within.

Something to ask Sage Alyssa about, when I visit after this session. I'm actually a little glad for it, since it gets me away from the work I have to do. Last week taught me that being a baron is more of a hassle than I expected, especially since I'm managing a barony and attending university, now.

How on Midlaris does Tasha manage to run a duchy while attending university? I'll admit I have a new respect for Prince Jacob, too. He ran the whole damn kingdom for a month while attending university. He's even keeping up with classwork while doing his thing in the east. I've heard that his work is delivered to him every day, and returned the next day for grading by the instructors. How much free time does he have there?

I know they're training him in combat, too. He's probably getting better training than university gives, too. Speaking of combat training, it's time for that section of today's lesson.

"Alright," I tell Emma. "Time to cross blades."

I walk over to one of the benches lining the wall and pull off my tunic, leaving me in my uniform pants, my boots, and with my sword hanging from my belt. I'm also wearing a leather vest, something I began wearing under my uniform after His Majesty made me a baron.

Just in case someone tries to stab me from behind. I asked Jason to make it for me, and the grey wyvern's leather feels comfortable. Oh, right, he knows how to work it. Well, I can't ask him for a lot of help with the new business, and he has his own stuff to attend to. That explains why he knows how to enchant wyvern leather, too. Connor and I were trying to figure that out.

After we both stretch for a moment, I pull two wooden training swords from the barrel and toss one to Emma.

"Maintain a resistance and a strength enhancement for the fight," I tell her. "As soon as you feel yourself slipping on it, cancel it and recast. Remember, the goal isn't to better your sword skills, but to improve your ability to maintain a spell while in combat. Still treat this like you're being graded, so don't slack on your sword abilities."

She nods, then I begin my assault, striking and slashing, jabbing and parrying. Emma does her est to keep up her defense, but never manages to land a blow. I strike her repeatedly with the flat of my blade, testing her resistance enhancement. I use enough force when our blades collide to ensure she needs to keep up a strength enhancement.

Emma lasts for seven minutes before she cannot continue anymore, which is acceptable for a B-Class first year at the Royal Knight University right now. While most real combat situations only last a minute or two, there are cases where they might last for longer. Those are situations which students at the Royal Knight University might find themselves in. A fight against an ogre or corrupted can last for an hour.

Though the graduation standard is being able to fight with two enhancement spells for forty minutes. Four minutes for every term. While that might sound an even rise, it ain't. Every second someone can manage to maintain a spell, the next second is a little bit harder. And we have to maintain two.

That's part of why Jason's training group is so desirable to some students, especially after finding out that everyone in it went up a minimum of two Classes in university in a single term. Less, for some, showing that those of us who didn't rise more may have been held back by other factors. It's already known that I got held back by my lack of academic knowledge, and that my skills in combat are on-part with an S-Class student several grades above us.

Well, if we go by normal combat techniques and not Magus ones. That's a different story, though.

"Good job," I tell Emma. "The goal is to be able to manage not eight, but ten minutes by the end of term."

"How long can you manage?" She asks.

"With two enhancements spells?" I ask. "I don't know. I ain't ever tried that in this life. But I have been in a fight lasting several hours before, while maintaining multiple spells throughout."

Jason ripped into me for that, too. I put myself into Limit Break, and was lucky Niko forced me to stop when I did. The after-effects could have been worse than they were, and Jason took pity on me and mixed me up a potion so that I wouldn't actually suffer.

Judging by Emma's expression, it looks like I shouldn't mention other things about the fight, nor the level of spells used. I could probably maintain just two enhancements spells in a fight lasting as long as I myself do.

"Anyway," I take the training sword from her, then return them to the barrel. "That concludes our session for today, Emma. On Friday, we'll work on your barrier spell, but don't forget to practice other things we've gone over already, too. And remember to keep up with your studies. Don't let this distract you from them, or ya might get booted."

We agreed to meet on Mondays and Fridays. I picked those days because they're the basic training sessions for Jason's training group. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The advanced training group, which is everyone from last term but not the two who are with us from this term, is on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sordays.

I'd rather not be teaching after those sessions. If the basic group-only members think their sessions are hard, I can't wait to see their faces once they make it into the advanced, if they do. Their exhausted faces as they realize just how sore their bodies are going to be for weeks.

"I won't," Emma responds to my instructions. "Thank you again, Alex."

"Ya are welcome," I tell her. "I've got to get somewhere, see ya tomorrow."

I wipe my arms and face with the towel Sarah hands me, then pull my tunic back on. She and Barry were watching the whole thing, silent, and I know they want to train.

"Sorry, guys," I say as I drop the towel on the bench. "Jason wants to meet with me about something. I ain't sure how long it'll last, but if ya both are still here when I return, we can train when I get back."

"Alright," Barry says. "See ya later, then."

"See ya," I say, then step through the grey gate that appeared in front of me.

Jason watching me, as usual. I step out to find myself in a warehouse with him and Connor and no one else.

Jason is wearing a pair of black pants and a black leather vest right now, along with matching boots and belt, his star iron sword on his hip. His pins are pure black today, and he has his usual bracelets and necklace on as well. His attractiveness is only mildly ruined by the unhappy expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Nothing," he answers. "This is the warehouse I purchased for Levirar Equipment Company to use. Connor and I finished arranging the terms of the contract, so it's free for you to use now. Ask Fox Alpha to open the gate for the wyvern's remains to be brought here."

I look around the warehouse. I was expecting something maybe twenty feet tall and at most, forty on each side. It would be a squeeze for us at first, but it only needed to last until we could get something better.

This warehouse is at least forty feet in height, more than one hundred along one side, and at least half that more along the other. We could fit several wyverns in here for processing and still have space leftover to do our work.

"I'm only renting out the warehouse," Jason tells me. "You'll need to supply everything else yourself, and-what? Are you kidding me? Yeah, I'll be right there."

He has a panicked look on his face.

"I have to go," he tells me. "Connor, can you tell him the rest of the stuff? I wanted to do it myself, but an emergency's come up."

"What kind of-" I start to ask him what kind of emergency, except he's already disappearing through a gate. "Well, that happened."

"I would expect something like an angel or demon came through," Connor tells me. "Except that Jason would've sensed them… somehow. Not be told they were here. As for a god, we Magi have a different way of contacting him, and his panic didn't seem to match up with a god's presence."

What the heck is going on?

(Jacob, 16)

"Hello, Jacob," Prince Erat of Vora greets me in broken Varilan as we shake hands. "It is a pleasure to meet you again."

The Voral prince is my age, with a warrior's build, and currently wears formal clothes, a sword on his right hip, knife on his left. We have only met once before, so we had to verify each other's identities. I had forgotten he was left-handed, though, or that might have sped up the verification by a minute or so.

"Hello, Erat," I dip my head. "We met six years ago, yes?"

"Yes," he nods. "Before your mama passed. Times have changed since then."

"They have, indeed," I say. "I will be honest, Erat, I was not expecting to have a member of the Voral royal family waiting for me when I arrived here."

My guards and staff are setting up camp now. As we speak. Once the gate was opened, the last three kingdoms easily convinced out of the war in just a day or two, we saw him waiting, along with a handful of his own guards.

"We received word a few days ago," he tells me. "That you were traveling between the various kingdoms. The report stated that a Varilan mage would teleport outside of our border, then the next day, you and your company would arrive and set up camp with intent on speaking with the local griffins. However, it also stated that you took the opportunity to discuss the budding war Vel and Nelem are waging against Varil."

His tone says he knows the discussion is the real reason I am doing this. The last kingdom, and possibly the one before, likely received the report as well, which may be why they agreed to stay out so readily. Having a griffin cub with me does not hurt, either.

"I thought it might be nice to slay two beasts with one strike," I tell him. "As I am in the area on business already, why not see if we can lessen the casualties of war as well?"

"Vora has no intention of joining the war," he tells me. "Actually, Jacob, do you mind if we speak in private?"

Something is happening in Vora. I can tell by how nervous he is. Not the kind which would suggest he intends on attacking me, either. The way his voice and body language shifted when he mentioned their lack of intent and when I mentioned striking beasts makes that clear enough.

They are under attack from something, but not man.

"A command tent should be up shortly," I tell him. "Geoffrey! I need my command tent! Now!"

"Yes, sir!" Geoffrey responds, then orders people into work on that.

On a hunch, I adjust my scanning spell to a version Jason taught me on his last visit. He said he will teach the rest of the training group later, but that it might be best if I learned it now. While the new version does not possess the full capabilities of Jason's own scanning spell, it does allow me to detect injuries.

My hunch was right. Erat himself has been attempting to deal with the threat, or at least, is facing it with others. His body is covered in injuries hidden by his clothes. If even their prince still has injuries, then their healers must be taxed from it, too.

"How is your sister?" I ask.

His sister is six years our senior, and will take the throne one day, should she outlive her papa.

"Queen," he answers, his voice soft and gaze cast down.

"Queen?" I ask. "My condolences for your loss, Erat. Do you mind if I ask what happened? Or does it deal with what you wish to discuss?"

"It does," he tells me.

"Okay," I tell him. "How long?"

"Just over a week," he answers. "I came here immediately after her coronation."

Vora is small, and can be traversed in only a day and a half from one border to the other. It isn't of much notice to other nations, but there was still the chance that they would be asked to help with the war. Actually, they might be attacked for the war. They have a mithril mine and an adamant mine.

Is one of Vel's allies attacking them in an effort to steal their mines or force them into joining?

"Is that an actual baby griffin?" He asks, and I look at the cub, who is wrestling with Griffin Alpha. "And… a moving stuffie?"

"A stuffie golem," I correct. "Jason Jeshema, the son of the Sages, made him. And yes, that is a baby griffin. He has no family, and began following me around a little more than a week ago. I have yet to decide on a name for him yet. I have come up with several, but none seem to fit him."

"I see," Erat says. "And he is tame? He does not attack?"

"No," I answer. "When he is not wrestling with Griffin Alpha, the stuffie, he is either following me around or curled up on my lap. Griffins usually attack if you intrude on their territory, harm their cubs, steal from them, or other things which might provoke a person. Most grey-level beasts are akin to people more than any other creature. Some might act irrationally, some might act in rage, some might act in kindness. We have an adamant mine in a dragon's territory, yet it allows us to use it in exchange for a monthly tribute. It is akin to negotiating with another kingdom in that regard."

"I see," he says.

We watch the griffin cub and the stuffie wrestle for a few minutes, not speaking, then move to my command tent, which has only a table with chairs around it inside. I order my guards to give us some privacy, and Erat tells his guards to remain outside as well.

"Strip," I tell Erat. "I will mend your wounds as you tell me what troubles you and Vora."

"How did you know I was injured?" He asks.

"I have a spell which can tell me if those around are injured," I tell him. "A variation on the scanning spell, though not one which is easy to learn."

Erat nods, then does as I requested before sitting, and I sit beside him and begin working on healing him. He has cuts, bruises, gashes, and burns covering him, on his chest, his back, his sides and stomach, his arms, and his legs. Standing for so long must have hurt him.

"A few months ago," he tells me. "A dragon moved into this region of the mountains. There were never many griffins living here, and they decided to leave rather than deal with it. Immediately, the dragon began attacking us. It is a red one, and makes demands we cannot meet. It attacks every three or four days, causing chaos everywhere in Vora. It destroyed the entrance to our mithril mines, has burned up several of our fields, and randomly attacks villages and towns. It seems to be doing this just to harass us, as the death count is minimal. But it has already affected our food supplies, and we have still lost lives, not just from the attacks of the dragons, but from bandits, deserters of the military, and various monsters. If our walls are damaged, it becomes easier to enter."

"I see," I say. "Vora is in a bad state."

"Yes," he nods. "Even if we were forced into helping in a war unrelated to us, we would not be able to supply much. And if our neighbors invaded, they would find themselves suffering the same as us, unable to mine the mithril they so wish to obtain."

So his neighbors are leaving Vora alone because of the attacks, and even if they waited until Vora succumbed completely to the dragon's attacks, they would be unable to use its mine. The dragon might even attack the adamant mine.

"I only came here," Erat tells me. "To inform you that we have no interest in the war, but even if we did, we would not be able to join. After this, I am returning to the capital to assist in its defense. The next attack will be tomorrow or the day after."

"Did the dragon kill your papa?" I ask.

"Yes," he answers. "We were both fighting some monsters it led to us, and the dragon swooped in and smashed him with its tail. It cackled, then flew off."

"A red one?" I ask, and he nods.

"It-"

"Sir!" Geoffrey bursts into the tent. "We have a dragon incoming!"

"A dragon?" I ask as Erat looks nervous.

"Yes!" Geoffrey responds as I resume mending Erat's injuries. "Red, male, approximately four centuries in age, judging by its size."

"That is it," Erat tells me. "It is coming here?"

"It must have decided to wipe us out," I say. "Griffin Alpha will protect our camp, a red dragon that old will not be able to penetrate his defenses."

"The stuffie?" Erat asks.

"Yes," I say. "Geoffrey, instruct everyone to act as normal and finish setting up camp. The dragon will likely leave after dealing with Griffin Alpha's defenses for a few minutes. Expect the attack to last up to an hour."

"Y-yes, sir," Geoffrey is hesitant, but leaves.

A dragon of around four centuries would likely be on the upper end of the second level of grey magical power, or lower end of the third. Griffin Alpha was updated on Felday to be closer to Jason's once again, and Jason is on the upper end of the third level of grey magical power. In other words, the stuffie's barrier will hold out against the dragon's breath.

As Griffin Alpha draws on ambient mana to charge himself, he will also not run out of it. According to Jason, Midlaris increases ambient mana in an area if it drops suddenly, to keep levels stable. At least, when the changes are extreme, which this would probably count as, if Griffin Alpha needed to do that.

"The stuffie can protect us?" Erat asks.

"Yes," I answer. "Jason creates special golem stuffies who have a primary objective of defense. They possess grey magical power, allowing them to compete with beasts like dragons. His combat will not be able to hand the dragon, but he can manifest a barrier to protect us."

Now that I think about it, Jason never said the golems cannot fight against the grey-level beasts, just that they are able to defend against weaker ones. Could Griffin Alpha slay a dragon?

I finish healing Erat's wounds, neither of us speaking the rest of the time. We hear the dragon roaring several times, and the sound of it crashing against Griffin Alpha's barrier, but it does not penetrate.

Knowing Erat must be hungry, I send for food once he has pulled his clothes back on, then we eat in silence, Erat clearly looking scared and nervous. He is shaking so much, he can barely hold the fork.

"Sir," Geoffrey enters the tent. "The griffin is helping Griffin Alpha, and the barrier is starting to waver against the dragon's attacks. It appears to be using stronger ones every strike, and the griffin and stuffie aren't able to keep up with it."

"What?" I ask.

"Griffin Alpha said that the dragon might be a little more powerful than one its age normally is," Geoffrey informs me. "Should we gate everyone out of here?"

"No," I push mana into the ear cuff Sage Jared delivered to me this morning. "This dragon is causing problems for Vora as well. If it finishes there, it will move on somewhere else. Jason, we have a dragon attack."

"What?" He asks.

"A dragon attacked us as we were setting up camp, it is breaking through Griffin Alpha's barrier."

"Are you kidding me?" He asks.

"We need to stop it," I tell him. "It has been causing problems for Vora, and will probably move on somewhere else once it destroys Vora. It has probably gone mad, based on the cackling it appears does after destroying some things. Can you handle it? Or-"

"Yeah," Jason interrupts me. "I'll be right there."

He ends the call.

"How can a person kill a dragon?" Erat asks.

By being more powerful than the dragon. Or wielding special gear while being powerful enough to compete. Even if I used my Magus Sword, though, I am still only green in magical power. Killing a dragon is not within my capabilities.

"Let us watch," I stand. "Jason has just arrived."

(Jason, 16)

I step through the gate, immediately activating flight magics. My scanning spell picks up Jacob in the tent below me, along with Geoffrey and an unknown, likely a Voral, judging by the handful of guards from there outside of the tent.

Turning my attention to the dragon, I find it watching me with interest.

"So," it says. "There is a human with grey magical power. Well, I will show you my might!"

"Griffin Alpha," I say calmly. "Release your barrier."

"Yes, sir!" Griffin Alpha does that, they flies down with the griffin cub to join Jacob and the Voral, who left the tent.

"Oh?" The dragon asks as I fly higher. "You feel brave enough to release that?"

"Brave enough?" I ask as I create my own barrier over the camp. A twelve-layer one of thick force magic. "No. I'm simply protecting the camp from damage. It's much more efficient to do it myself than to have the Ultra Defense Stuffie Golems do it. The barrier is mostly in case of stray attacks, though. Your attention will be focused on me."

"Ha!" He laughs. "So you have a lot of mana and grey magic, little human. Let me show you the difference between a human and a dragon!"

"First," I tell the dragon as it laughs. "I will humble you. Then, if I see that you are not simply arrogant and destructive, but having gone mad. If it it the latter case, then I will destroy you. If it is the former, then I will beat rational actions into you."

I could use my Magus Sword or Sacred Sword here, but I would rather avoid the damage those would cause to the area around us, especially with Vora being only a short distance away.

So I reach down to the star iron sword on my hip, and for the first time, draw it for combat, the pale yellow blade glinting beautifully in the evening light. The dragon pauses upon seeing the sword, no doubt feeling the enchantments I forged it with more than three years ago.

Erasnas was the name I gave it. When translated from the ancient tongue, it is one of my many nicknames from the war. Another title feared by demons, angels, and gods alike. A title the Magi have yet to remember, but if they heard it used, they would know what style of fighting I am about to use.

Star Bringer.