"I knew you seemed familiar."

The imposing girl stated eventually. She was initially examining Uru's facial features from up close, while squinting her eyes and tapping on her lips with one finger, before she pointed it at him like a laser tag.

"Wasn't the scar enough?" Another female voice sounded so close to his ear that it gave him goosebumps. Fantastic and colorful lensing effects suddenly manifested in the air, and its owner soon appeared next to her older sister.

"I had to make sure," the taller girl responded, before folding her arms and continuing with the scrutiny.

"So much for the rumors about you cheating," the younger one said.

"… People think I cheated?" Uru was flabbergasted. His question, however, was completely ignored.

"You are weird," the first girl declared.

"Err, okay?" Uru became even more reserved. What was that supposed to mean? He couldn't figure out what was happening. His social awkwardness didn't help, either.

"There's something off about you. You're not normal," the other one clarified.

"If you say so..."

– Not enough, obviously.

"First that inhuman performance, then your immediate inclusion to the migration, your handling of the adults, a changed name and lack of documents. Though my scan shows no core, you don't look like a non-fluxer at all," the first female elaborated candidly.

"Don't forget that he supposedly tricked Enigma. Like that's even possible," the younger one added with a snort.

"Yeah. At first I assumed you were a warlord in disguise, but there's just too many inconsistencies. Hmm …" the older girl speculated, then rested her chin on her fist, squinted and went into deep thought again.

The girl's revelation stunned Uru beyond belief. "Are they for real?!"

"Say, Uru …" She smiled secretively after a short pause. "Are you a new government experiment? A supersoldier of some kind, transferred here to gain real combat experience?"

Poor Uru just stood there, gaping.

"Come on, you can tell us. Our integrity is beyond reproach," the younger girl implored innocently, making a zipping gesture on her lips.

"Are they seriously unable to gauge my reaction?"

"Ehm, did you perhaps hear too many conspiracy theories?" Uru probed carefully.

"Of course you wouldn't tell us. Enigma is listening," the young one spoke her mind, as if to herself. "But your surprise appears genuine. So you're just a normal kid?"

"Whoops! They're actually that smart? I better be careful, they're fishing for information!"Uru steeled himself.

"That doesn't seem right. He's probably on a mission here. But what kind?" The older girl took the initiative again. "Wait a second, what if they gave him a high level access and with it he really did cheat his way into three gold medals and got 'officially' accepted here to establish a cover? That would also explain his presence at the match and his score in Date's test. He has a neural link with Enigma!"

"Then why would he hide his flashy performance now? He doesn't need it any more and the new identity takes priority? But what good would it do him if he gets recognized by other travelers?"

"Nah, Enigma would have already alerted someone if we were on the right track, and arranged some clever interruption. I don't think that's it. So you're a true genius, huh?"

The girls didn't knew by now that they weren't naive, far from it. Each question was meant to judge his reactions. They definitely had behavioral software running on their ocular displays, and were shooting randomly, waiting for a hit to register. He sighed exasperatedly.

"Okay. What would they need a young, athletic genius with no flux sense for?" The younger girl continued to investigate.

"And they have a first positive."

"Unless his flux test results were fabricated and he's actually an advanced initiate."

"Alright, that's enough! Why are you invading my privacy? Didn't your parents teach you manners?" Uru reprimanded sternly. Their curiosity seemed natural, but they were blatantly overusing the authority that powerful backing gave them. "Do they think I might be a threat and are trying to corner me?"

"Hmm? Counter-detection software?"

Uru facepalmed. "Stop, just stop. No more interrogating. Go away," he demanded in a commanding tone.

"Suspicious."

"Mhm. Very."

"We'll keep an eye on you, kiddo," the older girl threatened, to which the younger one made a 'watching you' sign. Then, they finally left.

"How rude." Uru sighed yet again and shook his head. "Women can be so exhausting."

…

The party was now a vivid mixture of distinguished, elegant people, and magnificent, mighty warriors. Barring some dignitaries, representatives and scientists – all of them mages.

"Here we go again," Uru complained to himself, because he was yet again drawing attention, while searching for known figures. Though he quickly found out, that it wasn't so bad – this whole exotic setting made him pretty inconspicuous. The curious looks were probably more about social research, which everyone here was constantly conducting.

There were animated talks all around him, mostly about the match and politics, exchanging all the news between both sides since the last gate opening, but Uru didn't dare to pry. It would immediately make him stand out, and all he wanted was to remain semi-invisible for as long as possible.

Eventually he recognized a few familiar faces. It was a rather intellectual and fashionable group of more than ten people, including Dr. Abe, a couple other scientists from the orientation, and most notably Eleanor's mother. This made Uru believe they were all rather important and connected. He slowed down, trying to overhear their conversation in the overall clamor.

Then, he saw something peculiar. The unassuming woman picked up a drink from the table next to her, took a sip, and then held it casually, listening to the others. Nothing was odd about that, except … condensation started to appear on the glass. She took another sip and put it down.

"Did her mother-in-law help her awaken? But how young could she have possibly been, when they first met … ?"

"That's him!" someone shouted out all of a sudden, interrupting Uru's thoughts.

"Uru! Come over here!" Dr. Abe called out to him with her typical cheerful demeanor, prompted by her colleague.

Uru sighed. "Well, here goes …"

"You?!"

"… Hello again, Mrs Bell. I mean … Prof. Bell?" Uru greeted the confused woman once she noticed him.

"That's fine." She waved off impatiently. "… You're the one who vanquished Tomo?" she questioned with incredulity.

"You two know each other?" Dr. Abe showed her perplexity in turn, while everyone else watched on in great suspense. "Then why are you so surprised, professor?"

"Because I would never have expected it from such a troublemaker … though it now makes perfect sense, why would he choose Periculum," she sighed with a heartache and shook her head. "Men and their proclivity for war …" she lamented.

The atmosphere quickly got stiff, and no one knew what to say, they all just looked at each other awkwardly. Uru didn't understand what was going on, but he distinctly felt unwanted here. He also didn't like the woman's presumptuousness.

"Well, that's my way." He shrugged defiantly, though he remained unflustered and carefree. No one was going to tell him what to do, and none of them wanted the same thing he did anyway.

Professor Bell sighed yet again, this time with discernible vexation. "At least don't drag a woman down with you," she pleaded strangely.

"I walk alone," Uru casually summed up his approach to life.

Silence descended, while the esteemed scientist was now resolutely emptying her glass. Uru got his cue to leave, so he bid his farewells and made a couple steps, when he remembered something.

"Umm, do you know, how is Mr Hughes doing, Prof. Bell?" he asked sheepishly. The woman looked at him indifferently before turning away.

"I'm sure he's fine. Supernova knew him since he was but a boy, not much older than you. She clearly cares about him," she disclosed emotionlessly.

"Oh, that's good to hear … I'm sorry for the bother, then." Uru could finally put the matter to rest, assured of Bernard's well-being.

…

"Nana!" Eleanor screamed in shock, seeing the pool of blood with Bernard lying in the middle. She wanted to shout at her grandmother, release her outrage, but she was at a loss for words. It felt like her entire world was falling apart. The uncompromising woman was a pillar in her life, an unquestionable authority and a source of inspiration, she was always there for her when her dad wasn't around, playful yet wise – an example of virtues and a good character.

Supernova sighed gently, knowing that her burden had just doubled.

"Relax, sweetie, it's only a few scratches. He'll be up in no time."

"How … how could you!" Eleanor admonished through gritted teeth after running up to them and confirming, that Bernard was indeed alive. She had tears in her eyes, her knuckles were white from squeezing, and she was so tensed, her whole body was shaking.

"Oh, calm down now. What doesn't kill him will only make him stronger. It's a difficult ordeal, becoming a warlord," the old matron appeased her callously, as if nothing serious happened. Eleanor was again so appalled by this, she didn't know how to respond. She just stood there in heart-rending anguish, crying.

"I'm alright … you needn't worry …" Bernard comforted her quietly. "It was a … great fight …" he added with a weak, but sincere smile.

"Ha, you flatter yourself too much, boy!" The old lady laughed nonchalantly. "Hold still now, I'm almost done," she demanded, and then proceeded to envelop Bernard's whole body in an invisible, energetic shroud, while Eleanor watched in silence, a storm raging inside her.

"Alright. Your damaged bones, muscles and blood vessels are glued with flux energy, so you'll have to take it easy for the next few days. Maintain your bone integrity grid and both stabilization frames at all times, as well as mitochondrial support if you lack the strength, and do what you can to accelerate your regeneration," Supernova advised the archmage, wrapping things up, and then began gathering all the blood together, which amazingly started to behave like quicksilver, although some stains on fine fabrics and on the skin remained – magic wasn't perfect, after all. The blood rushed to form a single blob and coagulated. It was now painfully apparent, how much of it had Bernard lost …

In the meantime, the man himself activated his support skills and gradually got up, looking at his hands and touching all his injuries with astonishment, as if he was a spirit that returned and regained a corporeal body. His joyful disbelief was so intense, that it prompted Eleanor to burst out crying yet again. She covered her mouth with her palms and just stood next to him, unable to give him a hand, afraid that she might hurt him.

"Oh, he's not an egg, Ellie, you can help him up," her grandmother nudged her with a laugh. "But this blood is useless. You'll have to take him to the infirmary to get a refill. I already ordered the necessary amount."

Eleanor eventually pushed her hand under Bernard's arm, and he leaned on her delightedly, feeling warmth wash over him. Looking at the caring girl now, he easily forgot all the suffering.

"Thank you … Madam Director," he expressed with gratitude. He had actually understated it when he said it was a great fight in order to be concise. He broke his mental barriers and delved deep into the abyss, learning much about himself. Such a dangerous endeavor was normally impossible – suicidal, rather – without the aid of an experienced senior. There was no doubt in his mind that the immortal realm just got a lot closer to him.

"You can thank me once you break through," Supernova replied with satisfaction.

"That's enough!" Eleanor wouldn't have any more of it, harshly cutting her grandmother off, and then ignoring her existence, focusing solely on Bernard.

"Thank you … Eleanor … but I really … can walk alone." The archmage showed his honesty, even if he didn't want her to let go of him. And she didn't disappoint him, holding his arm firmly all the way to the medical facility.

The old lady stood quietly in the abandoned ring, in the middle of the huge, empty stadium, watching the departing couple until they disappeared in an exit. Smiling kindly.

"Not bad, indeed." She nodded. "What is it, Enigma?"

"Madam, I detected an anomaly,"the AI notified her, while sending some data to her virtual display.

"Oh? Tell me all about it …"

…

Uru kept invigilating one group after another, failing to find any angles of approach. The previous adrenaline had long worn off, while the inquisitive stares continued, and the intimidation kept accruing. He was gradually getting back to his old, fearful self.

It looked like all the warlords vanished, and the youth from Cybercore, whom Uru met at the match, was nowhere to be seen. He almost gave up, when he noticed a promising company of refined men. They all seemed like scholars, and Prof. Orlov was among them, as well as the project manager, plus a few others that he recognized from the migration. A little posh and old-fashioned, but certainly more approachable than the thick-skinned combatants.

"Uru! Come join us, let me introduce you to these fine gentlemen," Prof. Orlov called out vigorously after the boy deliberately wandered into his line of sight.

"Hello professor, hello everyone," Uru waved genially in a childish manner when all the men turned around with striking anticipation, and walked over, where space was gracefully made for him.

"Ah, the hero we all waited for!" Chief Gonzaga, the most prominent personage in the all-male assembly, raised his cup in an embellished, but undeniably cordial gesture, putting Uru on a pedestal with the kind of disarming humor that doesn't invoke discomfort.

"Haha, right you are, Anton!" Miroslav concurred merrily. "Quite the number you did on our Tomo, young man, I applaud you!" he saluted heartily. "It was so refreshing and oh so hilarious to see his grumpiness blasted apart. Well done! Don't hold it against him, though. He might be a bit overzealous, but he's a very good kid. He just cares a lot," the friendly academic championed. His disposition was quite different from the one he showed at orientation. And now that Uru was so close and could see all the faces in detail, they all seemed eminently chipper and slightly flushed. It was also funny to hear a man in his forties being called a kid. Those two probably went a long way back.

"Yes, I was fortunate to witness that side of him," Uru admitted with approval. "Thanks to him I won't have any trouble attending Periculum University."

"Splendid! I'm looking forward to seeing you at my courses, laddie," a very old, but energetic man with an unruly beard and a head full of healthy, light-brown hair encouraged with a residual Irish accent. This meant he was most likely born on Earth, since there was a single government and a unified society on this side, leading to the gradual normalization of English pronunciation. "Finally, we fluxers will be appreciated!"

"So he's a mage … that explains a lot." Uru readily made a connection.

"Hold your horses, Kelly!" another aged man of Irish descent contested his comrade avidly.

"Oh, here we go!" Antonio nudged his colleague among knowing smirks, and the whole party evidently braced at the prospect of an unfolding spectacle.

"Firstly, you have no prerogative to claim new pupils, so don't be so full of yourself," the protester continued undeterred. "Secondly, we've been over this a hundred times – the superiority of classical science is an undisputed fact, and no magic can ever overturn it. And thirdly – the boy is clearly far too smart to devolve into the ignoble methods you're so fond of. Tough luck!"

"Kelly? Prof. Kelly Wilde?" Uru remembered the brief summary given by Dr. Date on the faculty of weaponization. While he went more in-depth for other members, he only had this to say about that one – "… Steer clear of him. He's crazy," and then he moved on …

"Ha! Don't listen to those hypocrites, my boy. They don't appreciate the creation that comes from destruction, because they don't have what it takes to properly execute it. They envy us, fluxers, so badly they go green!" Prof. Wilde patted Uru unequivocally and grinned from ear to ear, very happy and content with the development.

Uru found the childish bickering completely harmless and so out of place, he wanted to laugh. But he also felt sorry for the misconception he caused, and considered himself responsible to clear it up before it went any further.

"I'm not–" He tried to clarify, but got immediately cut off by Prof. Orlov's raised hand.

"Please, allow him to let it out, Uru. He has so much on his mind, he – in contrast to us – will go gray if he doesn't share it with everyone around," he inquired tactfully, giving Uru a wink so that the other man couldn't see.

"You bet I do, Mirko! I've been listening to your blabbering far too long. It's been your vice ever since you were a little aspirant," the defendant professed with indignation. "Classical science is just a foundation, a basic tool, the hammer and chisel that build the monument. Without an artist to hold it, it's useless! It's fluxers, who first ventured into the unknown, established a bridge, built the infrastructure, and opened up a world of opportunities for everyone else. What good would the theory of everything do you, if you could never take advantage of it? Right, guys?" he appealed to his adherents, of whom there were a few around. Surely mages.

"Well said!"

"Beautiful sentiment."

"Bravissimo!"

"Erm, I'm a category zero, actually …"

Everyone abruptly quieted down and turned to Uru, then to Miroslav, who was nodding with a wide grin overshadowed by his ample mustache. Brows raised high, lips pursed, eyes goggled, jaws dropped – some with palpable schadenfreude, others with horror. The image on Prof. Wilde's face was especially pitiful. He paled so badly, he was as white as a sheet.

And then there was an outburst of maniacal laughter, when his opposition turned to him.

"In your face, fluxers!" the other Irish scion shouted out gleefully.

"Hahaha, look at Kelly! Look at him!" Antonio shamelessly ridiculed his fellow mage.

"Bravo! Bravo!"

"You should have said so from the start, young man, now that's more like it!" someone else lauded Uru as well. "But then we would have missed out on this remarkable moment, so we thank you for your magnanimity!"

"Haha, what a good lad!"

"So good to hear!"

"Category zero for the win!"

While the grown men howled and roared with amusement, Uru withered visibly. Not just because of the misfortune he caused, but also due to being reminded of his own shortcomings.

"Don't fret, Uru." Antonio patted him affectionately after the group settled down somewhat. "You've got a bright future ahead of you. Great power can put blinders on one's eyes. We fluxers can be so narrow minded, it's often a blessing to be a category zero," he soothed with sincerity.

"Exactly! It only took Conti a quarter of a regular mortal's lifespan to accomplish the greatest discovery in history. With your prowess, you've got nothing to worry about!" other voices acceded.

"No-no, don't get the wrong idea," Uru spoke up to prevent another misunderstanding. "It's just tests. I'm making lots of educated guesses and I think fast. I'm not really that good, other kids are much more scientifically literate and talented, even to the point of being savants, and I'm merely looking at the big picture. I'm unable to solve much in terms of real world applications."

"You're too modest, Uru," Antonio complimented. "Those competitions are mostly tests for a reason. We can't expect practical applications from children, that requires bountiful experience which comes with years of dedication. And you'll gain it in no time with your capabilities, once you find a specialty that you're passionate about."

"Those who are able to see the big picture are the true geniuses," the deflated Prof. Wilde alluded offhandedly, which everyone else instantly understood and nodded in silence, absent any mockery they might have had before.

"I'm curious, Uru, why did you spend all this time with officer Hughes? Are you in some trouble?" Antonio asked protectively after a short, but solemn pause.

"No trouble, it's all fine now. We had lunch, I got issued new documents, and we discussed a lot," Uru disclosed.

"Bernard surely knows better than to delay everyone. What were you discussing so long?" some other man investigated further, ostensibly irked by the counselor's irresponsible handling of the matter.

"Oh, it was all rather important," Uru defended the archmage. "We first talked extensively about my situation, then about philosophy and the immortal realm …" he started explaining, but then began to doubt if that was a good idea. All the men, with no exceptions, raised their brows in bafflement.

"Really? Is Bernard already grasping cellular manipulation and getting ready for the breakthrough?" one of the mage scientists asked with bewilderment.

"This cannot be, he only broke through to the ninth circle a few months ago! … Is he?!" another voice chimed in.

"Err, I'm not sure I can talk about it …" Uru tried to skip over the details, since he didn't actually have much to justify his behavior and the disturbance he caused. "All I can say is, he seems to have the right mentality. He's prepared to jump into the fire and not look back. What's left is for his cultivation to catch up."

The whole group was mystified at this reply.

"That's an insightful statement for a young boy, and a non-fluxer at that," Prof. Wilde noticed. "Becoming a warlord isn't at all simple!"

Uru perked up his ears. The tone implied an underlying presence of some high-end secrets. Luckily, his intent gaze prompted the elder to continue.

"Sure, it's one thing to have the right mindset, but what's human ingenuity for, if not for making our lives easier? There are trillions of cells in the human body, each with their own responsibilities, and only procedural formulation can allow for binding them all to a flux frame. Since it has to be done manually, being an excellent mathematician and biologist can greatly shorten the ordeal, lowering the entry barriers. It's a careful balancing act, that contrasts knowledge and wisdom acquired in time, against the youthful spirit that may in time burn out," Prof. Wilde educated unpretentiously, eliciting even more nods of approval.

Uru's eyes twinkled.

"Procedural formulation. I'll have to delve into it."

…

Uru was rather discontented with himself. There wasn't much time left, and it seemed like his quest to figure out the current standing between the superpowers was doomed to fail, courtesy of his bashfulness. At least he got to know some scientists a little closer.

"Hey, Uru!" someone shouted after him from a distance. Uru turned around and saw Mark Chapman waving animatedly while approaching him. "I finally found you! I was afraid you left already," Mark expressed his relief once they met.

"Oh, hey …" Uru replied awkwardly. Of course he forgot the boy's name, since he didn't pay much attention to mundane things. He only remembered the surname from the unfortunate test, but it would be impolite to use it now. "What's up?"

"We'll be colleagues now! Well, I mean, we're going to the same school, you don't know what courses you'll be taking yet, after all," Mark opened up enthusiastically.

"Oh, that's right, I completely forgot. By the way, do you know what's going on between Cybercore, Greenhorns and the Prime? I couldn't find out anything," Uru asked out of the blue, stumping the youth for a moment.

"… No, they keep a tight lid on things. Hey, listen, do you have a moment? I really need your help. Please?" Mark pleaded unexpectedly, seeming totally uninterested in the recent drama. Uru suspected the guy had some misconstrued ideas about his competence, so he decided it was only fair to dispel them right away.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I'm in no position to help you," Uru revealed to Mark's great dismay, making him think Uru wanted to brush him off, which would be perfectly understandable after both their performances. "You're already a mage, and you've got backers, while I'm a non-fluxer, and I don't have anyone …" he continued to explain, but hearing this, Mark cheered up slightly and interrupted him.

"No-no, I just want to talk about academics! Nothing particular, either, only in general. I won't take too much time, I promise," the boy implored desperately.

"Does it have something to do with Dr. Date's warning?" Uru speculated.

"Yea … I'm trying really hard, spending so much money, studying a lot, but I keep forgetting and mixing up so much stuff. I need to repeat everything so many times … How do you do it? I mean, obviously, you're a genius, but–"

"No, not really," Uru interjected. "You're just using the wrong methods," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh, I tried them all, believe me," Mark disclosed with sorrowful conviction.

"I seriously doubt that. Let's go to a quieter place, I still have half an hour. Do you have a tablet or any other computer with physical ports? It needs to be fully secure," Uru spoke with utter confidence. The Reassurance was so strong, that Mark was beside himself with joy. He was going to get an insight into some super-secret, professional software! He sprinted to his group in order to grab the necessary device and was back in no time to reconvene with Uru.

"Here's fine, I guess. Turn off the network and open a sandbox. I haven't made a copy yet," the little savior instructed, pulling a small object from his pocket.

"Hmm? What's that? Looks weird," Mark inquired.

"This treasure is my only possession right now," Uru declared mysteriously.

"How big is that drive?" Mark asked with puzzlement, when he saw the loading time after plugging in the memory bank he was given.

"Pretty big." Uru grinned.

After several seconds the system summary popped up, prompting Mark to goggle in shock.

"They're not on the market yet. Turned out it was cheaper to give me one of those for the trip instead of several smaller ones," Uru confessed. Each kilogram cost a fortune to teleport, and the distance was of little consequence. The amount of required antimatter was still the same – it needed to fully substitute the transferred mass.

"What do you even have on it?!" Mark blurted out, but then he remembered it had to be sensitive data.

"The international repository. Only the main category though, nothing fancy," Uru divulged further, perplexing Mark even more.

"… But it's available on this side as well, and the higher-ups brought an update with them, right?" the youth questioned hesitantly, before inhaling sharply. "Wait a second, is that … ?!"

"Haha, no, this is mine. It's an integrated database for my AI. It's customized so that all the information is linked and cataloged according to my preference," Uru clarified.

"So this whole thing is your AI?" Mark still wasn't sure if he understood correctly.

"Well, it's all part of the neural network, so yea, you might say that. But the program itself is just a spec in comparison. Alright, let me run something for you." Uru took the tablet from Mark's hands and quickly navigated the interface, in quite the similar fashion Dr. Date did for him before, while his beneficiary gaped in consternation. "Solve these as fast as you can. Relax and don't think back."

"That's … a simple differential. You used this to learn calculus for MAP-SAT?" Mark was rather surprised by how elementary the first question was.

Uru smiled with sympathy. "No, I used it ages ago, before I even thought about the Olympics. For the event itself I compiled an advanced course, so I was mostly set for the MAP-SAT afterwards, since that particular test is actually more about deep theory."

"… You had calculus at the Olympics? Wait, what age group did you compete in?" Mark was stunned by yet another bomb.

"Thirteen, and there was no calculus required, though I'm sure everyone at this level knows and uses it. All the questions could be resolved with basic methods, but the thing is, they're always tricky. There's usually a single correct angle of approach, and if you can't find it, then you just brute force your way to an answer for half the points," Uru explained, before going back to the task he administered. "Focus now, the AI needs to evaluate you for optimized efficiency. It's only natural that it starts with the fundamentals."

"Oh, alright." Mark then proceeded to tackle his test. The first few easy questions he got right without much thinking, but then it slowly started getting tough. His facial expressions soon began changing, as if he was training them before a mirror, and he kept mumbling. It was really quite comical. "Ah! This I know! … What?! What was the correct answer?"

"Focus and don't look back. Speed up," Uru disciplined him.

"Right." Mark calmed down and continued to solve the problems in relative silence for a while. "Oh come on, you said this was a basic course!" he eventually complained.

"I never said that," Uru corrected. "This will do, may I?"

"But it was only a handful of questions?" Mark objected in confusion.

"I'm merely trying to make a point. Now, based on your input, the AI will generate a series of exercises that should allow you to completely grasp the extent of material that you just went through, so that the next time you take this test, you get a full score with next to no effort. Here." Uru gave the tablet back, after he initiated the next phase of the program.

Mark looked on with excitement and began the training, but he soon lost all fervor. "These are all almost identical, and rather simple as well. My AI can do that, too," he commented with slight disappointment.

"I anticipated this reaction, so now let me spell it out. All you need to have a sharp mind is mental conditioning, and all you need to possess vast knowledge is practice. This is basically how I got to this point – an endless string of lightning fast questions and answers, with the AI dynamically adjusting the variability according to my cognitive capacity at the time, which is always influenced by tiredness, stress, mood, health and other factors. All of it in order to cram as much effective learning in as little of a time frame as possible. I understand that people have different tastes derived from different outlooks on life, and it might seem robotic to them, the way I study, and above all – boring as hell. But it's … furiouslyeffective, compared to traditional learning methods, which seem almost useless in contrast. Everything always boils down to efficiency. It's that simple. Efficiency is key, since time is limited." Uru began his lecture, and Mark's spirit soared. If that was true, then he must have been missing something important all his life.

"You don't really need me to tutor you. I can put you on the right track, but then you'll have to practice on your own. Regularly and relentlessly," Uru advised.

"Well, I already do that, so that's nothing new," Mark interjected.

"But not like this. It's going to be intense and exhausting, and you'll have to persist, even if you don't like it at first. But it will grow on you, don't worry. I refuse to believe that you won't fall for it, once you see the results," Uru assured. "The goal is to develop new neural pathways in your brain, and this doesn't happen overnight. Furthermore, you want them to be orderly, so you'll have to curb all distractions. Turn off or dial down all other brain functions and focus, don't get emotional or frustrated, don't think about anything but the challenges in front of you."

"It's easy to say …" Mark moaned.

"Keep listening, I'm getting there," Uru scolded and resumed, fully immersed in his new role. "This method helps achieve all those prerequisites. It's based on a simple premise – don't force yourself to understand a lesson you can't immediately grasp, just keep repeating plenty of little steps, gradually building up the difficulty, and enlightenment will come on its own, painting the big picture in your mind over time. First of all, I don't learn large chunks of material at once. The AI partitions it into tiny segments, which I'm able to take in at a glance, and quizzes me with them rapidly. You can improve your attention span and increase the size of the chunks, I like them small. Then there's the cardinal sin of classical education, stemming from human inadequacy or sheer impracticality, and that is going too fast and skipping steps. Group teaching is especially bad, but most software fails here as well. Everyone can have a bad day, hit a rough spot, or look at the problem from the wrong angle, thus encountering a wall, and from then on a lack of understanding starts to accrue if it's not addressed. Only individual nurturing can overcome this obstacle, explaining all the details, going slow when you have doubts, and speeding up when you don't. But such babysitting requires a lot of patience, dedication and skill. The older you are, the more is expected from you, and the harder it gets to keep up with all those blanks weighing you down. People also become less eager to help you, unless you pay them, but this isn't efficient either," Uru elaborated at length.

"Yea, I had tutors in the past, and they did a good job, I understood everything, but it was way too slow, and their hourly rates were outrageous …" Mark agreed.

"That's the big downside of natural communicating, people can't talk and process fast enough. Speech is not optimized for quantity, but for quality, for a transparent exchange of ideas. You need people to teach you the basics, but at some point the sole remaining thing left is arduous practice, and here AI reigns supreme." Uru finally got to the good part. "You already have countless holes in your education, and only an AI can find them all in a reasonable amount of time, keep track of them for you and allow you to speedily patch them up. It does the same as you go forward – as it introduces new content, it takes note of the steps you miss and fills them in incrementally, adjusting for your learning capacity."

"But there already are such AIs on the market …" Mark recognized. "How is yours better?"

"There's no single template for each person. Everyone has a different starting point, grew up in different circumstances, and has different preferences. I don't leave it all to the AI either, I also personally search for the holes in my understanding and alert it to them, adjusting the course it has me take. It's only a tool, and one you can heavily customize to your benefit. The better you understand how it works, the easier it will get for you to induce it to optimize your learning. It's incapable of reason, you need to actively engage it and analyze the effects yourself, always correcting, modifying and expanding it, until it becomes a reflection of you. I've been developing mine for years, and although it's not perfect, it supports my weaknesses impeccably, working with me in unison. It's almost like a natural part of my brain," Uru lauded. "Still, those stock AIs should be a pretty decent alternative to human tutors, how well did you do with them?"

"Oh, I didn't try them," Mark admitted.

"Didn't you say you tried everything?" Uru teased with a knowing smile.

"I've read their specs and saw the demos and reviews. They seemed to be a little better than my personal AI, but cost way too much for what they offer. After all my troubles, I thought it would be just another waste of money …" Mark confessed, somewhat guilty he skimped on this wonderful utility.

"Well, maybe the developers are milking them for what they're worth, limiting their usefulness. Classic capitalism. But even at their best, I'm sure they're too slow and easy-going, conforming to the average level, and that human complacency is what actually stunts progress," Uru concluded.

"Wait, so you're saying that this expensive software can be even better, but it's deliberately kept inferior?" Mark immediately noticed how outlandishly it sounded.

Uru only laughed lightly. "There's no conspiracy, people just seem to have very diverging ideas of what constitutes hard training. It's the same in the gym – even in this day and age, they still have little to no clue what they're doing, because the schools don't teach it. And so they overcomplicate some things, while oversimplifying others, introducing chaos to their regime and messing up their foundations. Also the same with studying. The exercises are the basis for your growth, and the AI is just an add-on for enhanced efficiency, to keep you on track when your mind wanders, like a personal coach. But there's very few good coaches, and you'll usually see them next to top athletes, while those at the gyms are often amateurs, because they deal with amateurs, who can't train the same way champions do and don't even need to, for the most part. What I'm trying to say is, that mainstream products aren't made for experts, it would be against economy, which you're familiar with, as I recall?"

"Oh, right, of course, I'm so dumb," Mark disparaged himself. "They need to minimize costs and maximize sales. But … doesn't that mean you could build a better AI and sell it?" he meekly proposed.

"I could," Uru smiled. "But the thing is, it's about you, not the AI. If you don't have the desire and will, then the best AI won't force you to exert additional effort. Regular people would hardly benefit more from my AI than from those specifically made for them, maybe even less, since they'd never find the discipline required to make the most of it, they'd be discouraged by the severity. It would still cater to experts, or at least potential experts. Nevertheless, I'm sure there's plenty of young, driven people out there who lack the proper tools, just like yourself, and such an AI would be a blessing for them. I used to plan to one day overthrow this sector by making my AI an open source, but I eventually realized it's just wishful thinking. It's never going to work without overwhelming support from up high. If I released the source code now, my advancements would just get stolen and appropriated in commercial use, and I'd never stand for that."

"So how hard can it get, if I have the will?" Mark asked with some apprehensive inkling, but determined to begin right away.

"The intensity peaks together with your form, and goes as high as is humanly possible. It's extremely taxing, and you'll need to monitor yourself well, or you might faint. I've been there. Apparently it can even kill in the long run, so I need to give you a fair warning. It's basically a way of life, and you'll need to take care of yourself just like you do training magic. You'll start slow, since you're a mess and you can't afford to inhibit your cultivation, which also requires mental capacity. It will take you a few months to patch up your foundations and get into a proper rhythm, but once you do, you will power through the same way I did. Well, you're much older than I was when I started, so your brain is no longer as malleable, but otherwise it's going to be many times faster than the methods you've used so far. When I get into a groove, I solve about one problem or answer one theoretical question per second, thousands of times in a day, going through multiple day's worth of material, and mastering it far better, too. The crazy tempo makes it impossible to have any stray thoughts, so the focus is absolute. Sure, I make lots of mistakes, but that's where I learn the most."

Here, Uru made a short pause to wrap up his speech, pleased with Mark's enthusiasm.

"To sum it up – it's all about endless interactive repetition at max speed with full sensory activation, where the AI manages what you already learned and what you still need to practice. Isolation and VR will be of great benefit to keep you fully engaged, but once your brain adjusts to this hectic routine, you'll find that small distractions won't bother you any more, and you'll have a much clearer mind. Everything can be trained and conditioned, and your brain is no exception. You're bright, above average, I'm guessing. Only the load on your shoulders is too much, and it's unfeasible to keep up at a healthy pace, am I right?" Uru scrutinized. Mark was a minor applying to a major university and a fluxer, after all.

"Yea … my parents are investing all their money into me … but I keep failing to meet their expectations. I spend half my time studying multiple subjects, and the other half cultivating magic. It all gets mixed up in my head, though. I just … feel bad about it," Mark disclosed without going into the unpleasant details.

"Well, it's your decision. I imagine what I'm offering is akin to a hermitage. It's not for everyone. But it's also an exceptionally powerful tool that will drastically cut down on your wasted time and shape you up, so long as you handle it well." Uru put the choice forward.

"That's great, I'm all for it!" Mark jumped at the chance with no hesitation. "So what kind of AI should I go for?"

"They don't sell the software, right?" Uru dropped a rhetorical question, but he wasn't in the loop with that market, or markets in general.

"Of course not, well, at least the good ones – they're only available through cloud access with monthly subscription," Mark confirmed.

"Then forget about them. Give me a copy of your personal AI or a blank one, and I'll have mine teach it," Uru decided. "The more advanced it is, the better the end results."

"Wow, really? Thank you so much!" Mark felt enormously indebted and took off before Uru could even say another word, leaving the tablet in his hands. He was soon back with his own drive, but strangely, his mood was morose. "Erm, listen, Uru, it might not be the best idea. I had to ask my superiors for the tablet, memory stick and AI, since I don't have any stuff yet. They now want to have a look at it … and I don't trust them to respect IP rights …" he confessed gloomily.

"Hmm," Uru thought for a moment, examining the situation. "What faction are you in?"

"Longfeng. Yea … I know what you'll say. They are not an honest bunch. Can you just generate some exercises for me?" Mark requested. Actually, Uru knew nothing about the consortium, he only ever heard the name, but he wasn't surprised at all by the revelation. Even after the war, corruption never stopped.

"Hmm … I could probably just set up a cloud service and give you access once I get settled in. Then you could work directly on a copy of my AI," Uru generously offered.

"A–" Mark couldn't utter a word for a moment. "Are you serious?!"

"For now I'll just do as you asked. What subjects are the most pressing for you at the moment?" Uru queried the stupefied boy.

"Maths and economy. I also need to memorize a ton of laws pertaining to finances and trade." Mark quickly composed himself and was beaming again.

"Oh? You want to be a player?"

"… My father wants me to be one."

"Alright, help me out here." Uru instructed Mark to narrow down the topics, since he didn't have much time left, and soon the AI began compiling, which was going to take a few minutes.

"By the way … how did you learn to speak so fast and concisely? And with such vocabulary …" Mark wondered.

"I initially got my AI when I was little, so I could talk to it and develop normally, since I was always withdrawn and solitary. It was a sophisticated therapeutic program at first, and I was eventually allowed to modify it," Uru explained, before he resumed his lecture once more.

"You shouldn't neglect speech either, even though it will slow down your answers. I'm a quiet thinker by nature and I needed to be quick for competitions, so I only ever spoke out the full answers when I was in the mood for it, but if you're a talker, then it might help you with memorization if you use it more often. I mentioned full sensory involvement before, since each sense stimulates different parts of your brain, and the more areas of your brain participate in activities, the more neural links will form. That's why verbal cues greatly improve the traditionally passive audio-visual process of learning." He paused for a moment, to let it sink in.

"In my case, after each intense series of rapid questions, in order to summarize the material I just went through and give my brain time to recover for the next cycle, I like to have a slow and relaxing chat with the AI while having it correct my pronunciation, syntax and vocabulary. It keeps constant track of all the words I say, suggesting synonyms for those I overuse and regularly quizzing me with those I shun. Also, when I'm resting, I talk with it on a lot of topics that interest me, learning from the knowledge condensed in the repository, and teaching it my way of abstract thinking in return. Although it can never understand it, it's great at finding references in the philosophical heritage of mankind, asking me many questions that I never asked myself, and might have never did otherwise. It's almost like having an internal discourse," Uru illustrated in detail.

To this, his accidental apprentice let out a long and subdued "woooooow …"

"It's never too late to start," Uru encouraged.

"Right." Mark smiled. He was now really looking forward to the training.

"I also have a question for you," Uru probed after a short pause, seeing the topic of AI was closed. "What do you want to do?"

"I …" Mark began, but he then stopped for a good while. "I don't know," he admitted with a worried scowl.

"Well, what catches your interest?" Uru immediately provided aid. Mark took a second, but he replied with conviction.

"Military hardware. Flux weaponry."

"Then maybe trade can be your entry into that sector?" Uru suggested, which had Mark grin widely.

"That's why I joined Longfeng. Well, one of the reasons. I'll only be able to trade light unregulated armaments and supplies at first, but maybe in the future … ?" the youth fantasized.

"There you go." Uru smiled. "How long till you're 18?"

"Almost a year, but I already applied for a provisional license, so I can start as soon as it goes through," Mark replied.

"Great! Then I'll probably be your first customer," Uru rejoiced to have found an opportunity.

Mark was visibly taken by surprise. "What do you want to buy?" he asked in a confounded tone.

"Weapons, of course," Uru answered with candor. "For hunting," he added explicitly, after he noticed how it sounded.

"But you're thirteen …"

"I'll also apply for a provisional license," Uru proclaimed carefreely.

"O-kay … if you think they'll give it to you," Mark acknowledged passively.

"Oh, I'm sure they will." It was Uru's turn to grin.

The AI was finally done, and the boys exchanged contact information. Every migrant already had a coded private inbox on a secure server assigned by the government, including the children.

"Awesome! Thanks Uru, it was great meeting you!" Mark expressed his immense gratitude.

"Yea, likewise, erm …" Uru stumbled.

"Yes? If there's anything I can help you with, just say a word!" Mark asked with cheerful curiosity, ready to repay the favor.

"Your name was?"

…

As Mark was leaving, Uru was about to depart, too.

It was time to go to the frontier.

Industry was always struggling to keep up on New Earth, painfully lacking in manpower and resources. There was also the local fauna and flora, which somehow evolved with exposure to origin energy present in microscopic flux crystals, that is natural lattices of just the right configuration to persistently hold a relatively substantial charge of flux energy, like a capacitor. Albeit such crystals were also found on Earth, here they were far more abundant.

Even then it should still be irrelevant – only people were able to manipulate origin energy through an act of will, no lower life form could do the same, because it was void of consciousness, with no soul and no spirit, a mere biological machine. Origin energy could not be physically touched or sensed, for it didn't interact with matter – although they did indirectly influence each other, since on one hand the flow of origin energy concentrated and changed colors around baryonic matter, and on the other it defined and ever so slightly stretched space, there was no feedback loop between them allowing for quantum bonds to manifest.

But as it turned out, it was enough to reverse-engineer the desired fluxes. This was the whole premise of secondary manipulation, a field of study dedicated to creating magical tools, which induced the flux energy into predetermined arrangements – previously mapped out by mage scholars with the use of supercomputers – causing it to 'self-ignite' at the right location at the right time once it reached criticality, turning itself into energetic quarks of predicted flavors. The functionality of those devices might have been very simplistic in comparison to what a real expert could do, but they were also infallible, consistent, precise and practical instruments that everyone could use, just like they would any electronics, as long as they had a power source.

The key point here is how astronomically difficult it was to make them. In the first place, it took people who were already in command of origin energy to work out the technology. How could biological organisms ever repeat such a feat by accident? And yet they did, not just in this dimension. Given enough time, the right circumstances sparked a reaction, and nature evolved around it, learning how to grow flux crystals and developing some ability to enhance the chances of survival through the use of crude magical mechanisms. Some intelligent animals progressed even further, instinctively grasping secondary manipulation and having the formation of magical structures written into their DNA, to the point where they stored more energy and discharged it faster than human warlords.

Those fabled entities were all but wiped out on New Earth already, since there were scarcely any to begin with, but there were still plenty of beasts at the level of masters and adepts, constantly messing with autonomous drones, relay stations, transmitters, outposts, and the unfortunate people who ventured too far. The biggest problem, however, was the plant life. Some weeds were almost unkillable, and the rate of growth for many species was astonishing. Whenever people cleared out a patch of land for their activities, nature would aggressively charge in to reclaim it.

For this reason, the upkeep of transport infrastructure was an especially maintenance-heavy task. Non-congested roads were doomed to be overgrown, leaving the air and underground. Add to that the fact, that Periculum lied on the other side of the planet, which was slightly bigger than Earth and had marginally higher gravity, and the outcome was a long and tiring excursion.

Quite comical in an age, where interstellar teleportation could be done in mere seconds, but it all boiled down to economy. Airlines were extremely expensive to run here, and since they were the main means of traversing long distances, the demand for tickets was brutal. It was even more pronounced for vactubes, which replaced the classical railroad, but they only spanned between major hubs, and the one connecting Periculum to the rest of the world was decades late.

Travel remained a big barrier for ordinary people on New Earth. Here's where the advantage of being in a faction came strongly into play. All the other kids were already provided for in advance, while being a last minute addition to the migration, and one sponsored by the state at that, meant a less than ideal itinerary.

Uru took one last look at the venue, at all those influential, prominent people, and inhaled deeply, calming his mind. This unplanned moment of serenity, however, had a very unexpected result. Something at the very edge of his mind, a familiar feeling …

He scowled and immediately turned around. There was no one there, but Uru strained his eyes, looking for the tiniest shimmers in the air. He couldn't see anything, and realized he was at an impasse. It would be a very dumb idea to walk into someone capable of using cloak just to confirm they were there, and if he gave his back and walked away, he would be admitting defeat – and he did just talk about weapon acquisition with Mark, giving room for wild assumptions to people who would find him suspicious.

"No more of this," he demanded angrily in a powerful, righteous tone. There was no harm in covering his bases. At worst, only Enigma would hear him.

"My-my, what sharp senses!"

Uru's hair stood on end. This voice was unmistakable …