Kalden and his friends were eating lunch when Elend strode into the kitchen, waving a pair of white envelopes over his head. “Gather ‘round, everyone. I bring tidings of your fate.”

Across the table, Akari froze with her soup spoon halfway to her mouth. Then it splashed back into the bowl as she processed his words. “Did we get in?”

“I won’t spoil the ending.” Elend placed the envelopes on the wooden table and slid them over. “Read on. It’s all part of the experience.”

Akari tore into the paper like a kid on Midwinter morning. Some people liked to delay potentially bad news, but she wasn’t one of them. Kalden couldn’t help but agree. Ignorance might be bliss, but that so-called bliss came with hidden price tags.

“Come now.” Elend frowned at Akari, who’d let a scrap of paper fall into her soup. “We do have a letter opener, you know.”

Kalden formed a Construct between his three good fingers, no bigger than a razor blade. He swiped it into the fold of the envelope, breaking the glue in one quick slice. With that done, he pulled out a small stack of papers written on the Koreldon University letterhead and read the one at the top:

Dear Kalden Trengsen,

On behalf of the Admissions Committee for the Artegium Combat Arts Program, we are delighted to offer you a place for the 870–871 school year.

The letter went on to describe the program’s fierce competition and high standards. Basically, it said not to get too comfortable, as many students didn’t make it past their first year.

Kalden breathed a sigh of relief and sank back in his chair. The Darklights had been confident in his chances, but he hadn’t known for sure. He glanced across the table and saw Akari grinning at her own letter.

“You guys look happy,” Relia said. “Good news?”

“Good news,” Kalden confirmed.

Akari nodded, looking more relieved than he felt. Then she glanced up at Elend. “What’s this probation thing?”

“Probation?” Kalden glanced down at his own paper. It said he’d need to show minimum improvements every semester—both in mana counts and test scores—but they never used the word “probation.”

Elend waved a hand. “It means you’ll need to show more improvement than most.”

“Obviously,” she said. “I’ll be Apprentice by Midwinter, right?”

“Aye, this is the board flexing. They’re letting you in, but it wasn’t unanimous. This happens a few times every year.”

Kalden watched Elend carefully as he spoke. Something about his tone said this was more than just business as usual. “Anyone we should watch out for?”

Elend paused, rubbing the silver stubble on his jawline. A second later, he released a dome of transparent mana around the table—probably a sound ward.

“I didn’t want to worry you, but I suppose there’s no point in waiting. I’d stay away from Dansin Roth if I were you.” He turned to meet Akari’s eyes. “Someone wanted to keep you out of the Artegium this year, and they may have bribed Master Roth to do it.”

“Who?” Akari’s eyes went as wide as her soup bowl. “The Mystic?”

“No,” he said with a quick shake of his head. “A different group called the Sons of Talek. They have ties to Clan Antano back in Creta.”

Her brow furrowed at that. “Thought the Dragonlord couldn’t mess with us.”

Elend opened his mouth, then closed it. They all knew about the oath, but he still couldn’t confirm or deny anything about it. “You killed Valeria Antano’s son,” he finally said. “It’s possible she wants revenge behind her brother’s back.”

Kalden let out a long breath. He should have known Creta would come back to haunt them. And he doubted the Dragonlord’s sister would stop at bribing an admission board member.

“But I wouldn’t worry too much about Roth,” Elend said. “He teaches upperclassmen, so you won’t have him this year.”

“Even I don’t have him yet,” Relia chimed in.

Well, that was something at least. Akari had dealt with enough powerful enemies these past few years, so she’d definitely earned a break.

The conversation shifted to lighter topics as Elend went over their class schedules. First-year Combat students were placed in one of four class blocks, and each block included ten credits. Kalden and Akari were both in Block B, which meant they’d have all their main classes together.

Aside from that, they’d need to sign up for one or two academic classes, depending on how fast they wanted to graduate.

“I’d do the full sixteen credits,” Elend said. “Your Artegium classes get harder every year, so it’s better to pile things on now.”

Kalden decided on Alchemy 145 for his first class. That would be time-consuming, but not difficult for someone with his experience. Besides, it would get him into the alchemy labs. As long as he gained the professors’ trust, he’d keep that access long after the class ended.

He’d been eying Shokenese 101 for his second class, but Elend steered them both toward Mana 122: Theoretical Aspects. That made perfect sense for Akari. Not only would this help her prepare for spacetime mana, but it gave her an easy subject to write about.

As for Kalden … he’d need to think about that some more. For now, he headed outside to continue his training. The rain fell in a slow trickle from the gray clouds above, while thicker streams ran down the roof and beneath the trees. Just as well, he preferred training with distractions. Distractions were the best way to prevent plateaus on a specific skill.

“Hey.” Akari slid open the glass door and stepped onto the covered patio behind him.

Kalden nodded to her as he stared out into the misty backyard. “Congrats on getting in. I doubt I could have pulled off that score as a Gold. Even with both my hands.”

“About that …” Akari glanced around, then pressed a button on the nearby glass table. Walls of transparent mana formed all around the patio, and her footsteps echoed louder than before.

“I cheated,” she said after a short pause.

Kalden cocked his head to the side.

“Glim helped me. She got a hold of the exam, then made a copy for me to practice on. We worked on it for almost two weeks.”

Ah. That explained her Missile score. He knew Akari was good with Missiles, but better than every first-year Apprentice in Espiria? That was pushing it, even for her.

Akari fidgeted in place for several heartbeats.

Kalden forced out a smile. “Guess you wouldn’t be Akari Zeller if you played fair.”

“I don’t regret it,” she said. “We’re at war, and I’ll do whatever it takes to win.” Then she winced at her own words. “I mean … not anything. I wouldn’t betray you. Or Relia … or the Darklights.”

“I know,” Kalden said. “I don’t blame you for Last Haven. We were just kids then. We had no chance against Grandmasters or Mystics.”

Akari swallowed hard, and her attention hung on every word he said. She was waiting for more, and Kalden knew what. She wanted them to go back to the way things were—before he’d regained his memories and lost his hand. But too much had changed during those last battles in Creta.

He cleared his throat. “The best thing now is to look ahead and focus on our training. Master by twenty-one, right?”

“Right,” she said with a firm nod.

~~~

Things grew more hectic over the next week. They were officially students now, and that meant a full schedule of appointments. On Irinday, they took a trip into campus to pick up their student IDs, combat uniforms, and other necessary equipment.

The campus had seemed so peaceful in early Quadromber. Now, the roads and paths teemed with students as they moved into their dorms and houses. Even Relia moved back into her apartment on campus, though she still had a bedroom in the Darklight’s estate.

They headed back on Hansday and Kelsday for various orientation tours. The first few were for the general campus, while the last one was for the Artegium Combat Program.

A year ago, Kalden never could have imagined he’d end up in a place like this. He’d originally planned to study alchemy at Ironhaven University on Arkala. He’d toured that campus multiple times, but it was nowhere near this impressive.

Ironhaven had been new, but not in a good way. The buildings in KU were ancient, carrying centuries of history and secrets. He felt like he could spend decades exploring and never fully understand this place. As if he could open a dusty old door and find a room no one had seen in decades.

By contrast, each of Ironhaven’s buildings was just four simple walls and a roof. The difference was like an ancient manuscript compared to a cheap brochure.

He could only imagine how Akari felt about all this. A year ago, she’d been facing a life on the streets, or a home with an abusive foster mother. They’d both come so far, and they still had a long road ahead.

~~~

“Here’s the plan,” Relia said on Talekday morning. “It’s welcome weekend, right? And that means parties. Arturo Kazalla is having one down the street—all the first-year Coms are invited.”

Kalden glanced up from his eggs and franscon toast. The girls typically went on these weekend adventures together, and they always followed the same dance before they left. Relia would invite Kalden along, and he’d politely decline.

Now, she stared straight at him, a challenge in her bright green eyes.

Kalden opened his mouth, but Relia spoke first. “Look here, Mr. Overachiever. You want to fight in the battlegrounds, don’t you? ”

That sounded like a trick question, but how could it be? Training and studying were the keys to success, and he had big plans for this weekend. Especially the studying part—he always finished his textbooks before a new semester. It helped him stay ahead later when things got rough.

He glanced at Akari who'd become suddenly fascinated with the dark kitchen cabinets. She sipped her coffee, but didn't seem to be listening.

“Of course,” Kalden finally said.

“Good,” Relia leaned forward. “Because we’ll need a team of six to compete. How do you plan on meeting the other three members?”

Kalden frowned at the implication. “Won’t our skills speak for themselves?” He’d always kept to himself in Last Haven, and he’d had no trouble finding teammates.

Relia’s wet hair bounced back and forth as she shook her head. “The interschool battles don’t even start until next semester. We have the qualifiers before that. And these aren’t duels. They throw us all in a great big deathmatch. Anyone can form an alliance, but nothing’s set in stone. That means you need allies you can trust. I tried competing last year, but people ganged up on me pretty quick.”

“Did you use your death mana?” Kalden asked.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Sorry.” Kalden cleared his throat. “Did you use your life mana to its … full potential?”

“No.” Her shoulders sagged, and she sat back in her chair. “But that wouldn’t have mattered. Even the strongest Artists can’t make it alone.”

“That’s bullshit,” Akari finally cut in. “Rich kids always have tons of friends.”

“Exactly,” Relia said. “And their parents donate to the Artegium. The tradition isn’t fair, but that’s the compromise. It gives the rich kids an edge, while everyone else still has a chance.”

“A chance,” Akari deadpanned.

Kalden gave a slow nod. In previous centuries, Mana Arts had been restricted to the rich and powerful. Before that, it had been secret sects on mountaintops. Today, anyone could learn the basics through public schools or libraries. You could even learn on the internet if you knew how to find Elend’s videos.

All that public knowledge meant more competition for the so-called rich kids. Of course they’d cling to small advantages like this. And if Kalden had to guess, he’d say the Mystics guarded just as many secrets as the Martials and the Dragonlord.

Relia met Kalden’s eyes again. “Do you see my point now?”

“Yeah.” Kalden let out a breath. “The qualifying rounds have started, and we’re already behind.” In hindsight, he’d been a fool for not seeing this sooner. He could always study later, but there was only one welcome week. This really was their best chance to meet potential allies.

“Good.” Relia grinned, glancing back and forth between them. “So like I said, we’re going to a party tonight.”