Returning to the Library was the routine as was returning to his practice room. Books were piled high, stacks and towers of pages and literature scattered through the room in seeming disarray, but each tower had a purpose. Each book answered a question and made Jake consider others. Each page pushed him further, stretched his limits, and challenged him to continue to think and ponder. Magic was an endless tool, limited only by the questions one asked and the imagination of its wielder. It had taken years for each of the authors to achieve the knowledge they had and it likely took even longer for them all to record their findings. To not take advantage of such a resource would be a waste.

Yir appeared every so often, checking in on Jake to see what he was doing or reading, but she didn’t disturb him very much, There was no hand-holding in the Library. Magic could indeed be taught but with Jake’s blessing from Lady Ferynith, it was on him to maximize it. Yir had plenty of knowledge herself and she certainly would make a fantastic teacher or mentor but Jake wasn’t going to pester her with his questions. She had work to do as the Guardian and Librarian. Hounding her constantly with petty things would only add more stress to her mind. The other Fairies proved helpful enough with his minor issues.

On top of that, while Jake certainly had his questions and concerns, he was an infant to Magic. He had no idea what its limitations were. If there were any. He had no idea what specific questions to ask or what things he should be looking for. Physical abilities could be trained, honed, and refined. There were no muscles in Magic. Only mana. He trained that “muscle” daily by cultivating and practicing his known spells. To grow that muscle, to build and expand on it, unless you knew the destination you wouldn’t know where the start of the path was.

That being said, Jake also wasn’t going to sit around for those questions to just appear. Nor would he waste time randomly thinking up petty things and chasing dead ends. The Library was full of questions already answered. Hypotheses that had already been tested and research already conducted. Every book was a pathway and each pathway had questions and vines attached. As long as Jake could read the book and understand its language, then he didn’t need to lay on the floor and stare into space until his mind latched on to some distant thought. All he had to do was snatch up a book, peel back its cover, and dig for the treasure within its spine.

So far, his technique of random selection had proven useful. He had refined his spells and identified better ways to cast them, ways to shorten their activations, and different uses for each of the elements. The practice room looked entirely different now that he could use Rock magic more precisely and his battle magic had come a long way. Intermediate Healing magic was still a ways off, as researching anatomy was boring and dry, but he had learned much about how to incorporate magic into his daily life.

The biggest gain so far had been his Sensory Magic. The blessing from the Arachkin Goddess, Rastua, gave him a magic-based skill that allowed him to “see” a bubble 100 meters around himself in every direction. Originally it only let him see figures and outlines of objects. By putting his focus on the skill, he could see through walls, and identify living creatures. By applying more mana to the skill his sight into those other rooms was more precise and detailed.

By modifying the skill slightly and focusing its direction, he could “see” in straight lines and could also increase the distance of the sight. By incorporating additional mana as a probing tool, he could spot external uses of mana and could also get an estimate of how strong the incoming spell or individual was. While he couldn’t see the exact amount within the target, he learned that density was the biggest tell of how much mana someone had. Thinner more vapor-like mana was the usual case for Magic users he had encountered so far. However, individuals like Nuro and Yir looked more like globs. Probing their mana outline was like touching goo.

Jake used the sensory magic often to both practice it and to see if anyone else was within the Library. Often, aside from the fairies and Yir, he would see one or two other patrons but they were always spread apart. Jake learned that an unwritten rule of the Library was to never disturb someone else. Everyone had different circumstances and while they all shared the privilege of the Library, privacy and anonymity were taken very seriously. Jake had also been strictly instructed to never speak of the Library to others in the Overworld, even if he encountered someone he had met within it. The Library was a folktale, a whisper in the wind. If its existence became common knowledge then there would be thousands of Mages trying to break into it.

After being told that rule, Jake was also informed of a group of individuals known as the Titans. There were eight of them and their sole purpose in their eternal life spans was to serve Lady Ferynith. Lady Ferynith rarely called upon them for anything but the common task they were given was to hunt down those who spoke of the Library. The Titans were thought to be just ghost stories but because of how secretive the Library was and the fact that its existence had been kept a secret for so long, Jake had a feeling it wasn’t just a story used to scare patrons. The Titans were exceptional mages, better than any Guardian and on par with the Gods themselves. When given a target, the Titans would move as a unit, searching every corner of the planet for the target. Once found, the target would be erased. Gone from existence and everyone associated with them would forget them.

God-class Magic, Jake assumed. It was the only explanation for such a thorough and effective “cleansing” of multiple minds and memories. Just the thought of having to face off against one of those beings, not to mention eight of them, put a chill in Jake’s spine. A fight would be an overstatement. It would be the snuffing out of a candle. Jake wasn’t a fan of simply going up in a ball of smoke just because he let slip a secret password.

Even so, the Titan tale gave him both fear and hope. Those individuals were powerful, but they gave Jake something to look up to and something to seek out. He wanted to be remembered as one of the strongest, wisest, and most versatile mages. He wanted to be known for his adventures all across the world. He wouldn’t be remembered for being someone’s pet. He wanted to be remembered for being the person who turned a life stuck in sand into a life full of gallant quests and encounters. However, while such a thing would be amazing to achieve, at the very core of it all he just didn’t want to waste his life. To live out his years stuck in one place, never seeing the world his father spoke of… that was a painful thought.

Jake flipped open a book on cultivation techniques and looked through it for the Flow of Chi, Wind Style. There was one other book focused on the Wind Style specifically that he also had open. Though, it lacked the small details for its beginning motions. It was more of an Intermediate level book and expected the reader to be at least familiar with the Style beforehand. Jake was just breaking into that level so he kept both nearby.

Using Rock magic, Jake created a small rod from the floor and held it out in front of him as if it were his sword. Gripping it firmly, he slid his feet apart and settled his hips. Envisioning an enemy in front of him, Jake began his deadly dance.

The Wind Style was freeform but based its key motions on the flow of the body and one’s mana. Easy to use, harder to master. Advanced levels required a fine-tuning of one’s mana and a high level of introspection. Jake had become acutely aware of his mana since his start with magic. The regular cultivation of his mana allowed him to feel his mana as though it were always at his fingertips. He could feel it by just breathing, could call it forth with a mental whisper, and he could nearly cultivate it without thinking at this point. Using it had become instinctual and his speed and capability with the most basic spells reflected that expertise.

Thus, as his hands moved and his body swayed, he could feel his mana swaying with him. Like a partner, Jake danced with his mana and coiled it tight. He expanded out four tails of mana behind him, pushed plenty of it into the floor as if preparing for a rock spell, and he expanded some outwards to fill the air of the room as if sensing incoming attacks. A full, three-hundred-sixty-degree bubble swirled around Jake as he fought the imaginary enemy. He visualized a horde of Maedra, their violent arms and feverish screams filling his ears. His hands flowed, his weapon swinging to the tune of blood. After a short few moments, he began to twist his open hand and his fingers twirled- magic spurted forth from his grip. Silent incantations brought out balls of flame, water, and bullets of wind. Each shot off into the walls of the practice room, igniting and blasting apart the practice targets as Jake tore through the horde within his mind.

Sweat beaded on his forehead and his mana wobbled after a short time. Catching himself, Jake adjusted his feet and his breathing changed. His eyes closed partially as he looked inward and heat washed over his skin. His muscles tensed, locking briefly as the toxins within them were wrung out. His chest thumped as his heart shoved blood and adrenaline through his arteries, and mana shot along those lifelines as he ignited his recovery magic. In just a few breaths, Jake was back to peak performance. An efficiency gained only through rigorous practice within the room and within Mur’s Hall. The hours he spent crossing sword with spear and staff had taught Jake the importance of every breath in a fight. Every second, every thought mattered. One mistake would cost victory. Jake needed to be fast and efficient. There could never be any doubt in his magic or his swings. There could be no hesitation, fear, or misstep. If Jake could not trust himself to be able to withstand any enemy, then he hadn’t prepared enough for that fight.

When his mana was reaching its limit, Jake pulled it all in and steadied his racing heart. He controlled and eased his breathing, cleared his mind, and settled his thoughts. He used recovery magic to ease the pounding in his head, arms, and legs. Then, he laced his fingers together and cradled the stone rod on top of his hands as he cultivated his mana. A few breaths helped stabilize the flow and the sphere within him pumped out more essence to replace what had been lost.

The moment he fell back to peak performance, Jake stepped to the raised platform and extended his hands towards the various targets across from him. The range was now fifty meters long, with nearly two dozen targets scattered low and high, attached to the walls, the ceiling, and even stacked two or three wide. All different variations and sizes with the actual circular hit-markers at different spots on the bodies. It was a range made specifically to reflect the battle style of the Maedra, their numbers, and their variance in shape and size.

Fire and Water balls formed at his fingertips, with Wind cones swirling in the space around him. The ground shook slightly around him as several tall spikes emerged from the floor, breaking apart as rock bullets were shaved off and held in the air. Without waiting for everything to be prepared, Jake fired off the volley of spells into the horde. Rock and wood shattered, splintered, and burned as he blasted apart the targets mercilessly. The targets regenerated rapidly in different locations, disappearing and reappearing from the floor each time they were destroyed.

As Jake’s mock battle drew on, he began to notice the little weaknesses in the different elements. Skill with one never translated to the other as the elements each had their quirks. In the beginning, Jake’s difficulty with the elements lay with his lack of mana control. However, that was only the first problem. Along with his feeble mana flow and his low experience, each element had a stress factor that could cause the spell to fail to activate, fizzle out, or be ineffective even with proper casting.

Wind Magic was a universal element. With air everywhere, Jake could cast a spell anywhere his mana could reach and trigger it. However, the air used for his spell needed to be dense and needed to be spun at a high rate for it to maintain its shape. When projecting the spell, like throwing a Wind Ball, the spell’s rotational speed needed to be increased even more to ensure it maintained its shape over the distance to the target.

Water magic was similar. With water in the air, Jake could form Water spells without having to be directly in contact with the spell. However, the water’s temperature needed to be maintained to keep it from turning to snow, ice, or vapor. On top of that, the water would need to be either spun rapidly to keep it from splattering or contained in some form. Mana could be used as a sort of glove to hold the water in but depending on the thickness, it could reduce the impact of the spell as the mana would act as a sort of cushion. That was where elemental combinations came into play. If he used a water spell, contained it with mana, then fired it using a Wind spell- the water spell could be thrown at an even higher speed, giving it better penetration and impact damage to make up for the lost strength.

Fire magic was the worst over distance. Jake couldn’t form fire balls more than five feet from himself because of the mana cost and the flames needed to be kept at a high temperature for the fire to be maintained. This cost even more mana. If Jake wanted the spell to explode or scatter flames over an area, the fire needed density and a secondary trigger within itself that would go off on impact. If it needed a special shape, Jake needed to apply wind magic to swirl the fire into the shape, and then he had to apply a thin layer of mana to maintain it. While Fire spells tended to have the most destructive power, they were a pain to throw. Jake found Fire magic far more useful for traps and direct combat within a few meters. But, Fire magic had one more use.

Rock magic was the best out of the elements when it came to being able to maintain shape. Once Jake formed the object out of the rock, the rock wouldn’t melt or just crumble. However, it required a second element to be thrown or made useful. While Rock magic was created for defensive walls, physical barriers, and trapping the enemy with mud traps and other things, it was horrible on its own offensively. But, paired with fire magic as a booster- Jake could launch stone objects at extremely high rates of speed across great distances. His accuracy needed work but he was working on that. His wind and water bullets were great for close and medium ranges but the force of shooting a small boulder almost faster than his ears could track was hard to challenge.

He didn’t know the maximum distance he could send the rocks nor did he know the true power of the spells but he had a feeling the combination would be the hardest for the enemy to deal with. Especially if they didn’t have a powerful magician on their side.

Jake finished his mock battle and began to practice his combination spells. Using wind and water, he created water cones in the air and then fired them accurately with the wind as the force behind them. The air cracked with each spell, the water whistling as they tore through the airspace. The impacts were quiet but devastating. The targets didn’t explode or tear to pieces. They instead left behind massive holes torn through where the cones dug through. Jake held out his hands wide to his sides, pouring mana into the air around him and using his tails as additional hands. Cones swirled to life out of nowhere before whizzing off to their targets.

Each spell required precise direction and aim, so he couldn’t fire them as rapidly as he wanted. He remained patient and continued his practice. This was just the start. Jake would get faster and he certainly pushed himself to achieve that end. All he needed to do was visualize the shape, create it, locate the target, and turn the tip of the cone towards the said target. Then he needed to apply the gust of wind at its back. Each step required fractions of a second, moments in time that seemed so short. In combat, they always felt so long. Every fraction of a beat was important. If Jake could shave off those precious milliseconds by practicing a thousand times, in the name of efficiency, he would do it.

But, his mana was destabilizing. He could feel the ripples as he pushed his mana in all different directions. This was another downside to using multiple elements. Mana was a neutral source of magic. It was the foundation of all things magic. To be used for spells or any magic, it needed to be converted. Molded. It had to be changed to the desired element or applied appropriately for it to react. Affinities were different from how they were defined in the books.

Mana itself had no affinity but each person’s personality and mind, their experiences, upbringings, and even their genes, all defined what element their mana could most easily be converted to. An affinity was just the favorite tune of element a person’s mana liked in the beginning. However, Jake found that mana could be used for any element and any person could use any element. With the proper training, practice, and mentoring of course. While it would be difficult to learn the new element, it wouldn’t be impossible. Especially if a Mage only trained in one element from the beginning.

Thus, with Mana needing to go through several steps on its own to form one element, using multiple only increased the strain. Jake could use all of his elements at the same time with the proper focus. He had the mana supply to fuel the spells, that wasn’t an issue. Chul’s mana source within him could support the output. It was the prolonged pressure on the source that made using multiple elements hard and that strain only fractured the longer Jake sustained his heavy usage of magic.

This was what practice was for. With the powerful mana source feeding his greedy hands, Jake was learning how to maintain the flow’s stress level. By slowly increasing his output over time, it pushed him closer to the maximum threshold his mana flow could maintain. To pull away from it Jake only needed to reduce the number of triggered spells or reduce the amount of mana he was using. He could still cast but he only needed to shift focus from quantity back to quality. Once his mana recovered and stabilized again then he could up the spell density again. He called it ‘riding the wave’. A simple explanation but it was the easiest way to mentally picture the rhythm of his magic.

The higher on the wave he soared, the fewer spells he could cast with an increase in accuracy. With fewer spells to worry about, Jake could take that extra breath to properly aim before sending them off. Lower positions on that wave allowed versatility- larger and more flashy spells or huge walls of small ones. In the middle, it was about remaining consistent with his casting to not ride any higher towards the threshold. Reach the peak? The whole thing would fall apart.

This was how he practiced in the Library. Research and learn new spells. Practice and improve on the Flow of Chi, Wind Style. Then, elemental practice- the mass casting of every element to work out their nuances and increase his familiarity with them all. Finally, hit the threshold. The last portion was the most dangerous and the portion he found the most productive. By forcing himself to find new, creative ways to expend his mana, his combination spells only increased in deadliness. His casting speed increased rapidly and he found his imagination soaring for new things to try.

Yir, who had flown by the practice room at one point, told Jake she thought there was a war going on within it because of all the explosions and thuds she heard. Several fairies had also poked their heads in, a few hanging around to watch the show. Yir wasn’t quite wrong, as Jake’s mind projected such an event in front of him and there were plenty of targets to simulate it. It was also quite loud. After using fire and rock magic too much, Jake would hear ringing for a few minutes once he was finished.

Books full of knowledge.

Yir and her assistants. Mentors with answers and ways to feed his quizzical mind.

Other Mages who acted like role models and distant walls to overcome.

A practice room with a space that could handle any spell he could cast, with enough targets to rival that of a Maedra horde.

And all of the time he could ever ask for.

This was the Library. This was the Blessing Lady Ferynith had gifted to Jake, and he was beginning to understand just how important it was to him. Just three months ago he had viewed his place only as a place full of books where he could read about outlandish magic he had never heard of. He had thought it to be an endless supply of amazing stories and wondrous things. He had viewed Yir as the fairy who could, like Chul, teach him a great many things. He looked forward to meeting all of the different Magicians that might commute its shelves and the fairy assistants were always willing to offer a hint or two. Most of all he wanted to learn everything there was to be learned.

Some of his early assumptions had been correct. There were certainly a lot of strange magicians and more topics than he could ever hope to learn. However, those magicians weren’t all friendly or worth talking to. Each had their quirks, their passions, and their strange tastes in things. Yir was far too busy to teach him anything, the fairies all had their tasks to complete, and the Library’s teachings weren’t endless.

At some point, Jake would come to a crossroads. He would outgrow this place. His magic would continue to progress, his desire for greater things pushing him beyond the containment of the small practice room. The towers of books would be reduced to only one or two specific things at a time. His time here would lessen as he also came across texts within the Overworld that could solve his problems.

The Library was eternal, a blessing. But, it would also come to hold him back. He knew that. He learned that. His desire for more would drive him away from this place. That made it so much harder to continue to practice. He was jealous of Yir, of the other mages. Their elements were set in stone. Their limits had been reached, predefined, or their peak was already within their grasp. If they even cared to push themselves that far. Their interests weren’t so broad and their lives were already well spent. They were content with peacefully making use of the Library as just that. A library to read within and savor. They didn’t use it as a tool for strength, power, and growth as Jake did. He was just beginning his path down the road of magic so of course, his brain was more of a sponge.

Yet, he was jealous. The other mages seemed more at peace whereas he felt frantic and stressed. The few he came across all had smiles on their faces, except for that Seraphym. They were all content with only reading the one or two books they found. They were all content with the small, narrow holes of research they could indulge themselves in. They all had found their niche and had settled right into them.

Jake couldn’t find one of those. He wasn’t satisfied with learning just one or two elements. He didn’t like the idea of limiting himself to only one capability in combat. It made him feel weak. He felt as though he could be exploited. By diversifying his casting ability, Jake found himself able to prepare for any situation, for any opponent. He even learned how to use a sword for close-quarters combat and taught himself how to use magic at the same time. Versatility meant a higher life expectancy against the Maedra.

A niche would get him killed.

Jake cut off his magic as he felt his chest shiver. His consciousness faded for a moment in the middle of his casting. He cut off the outward flow as he recognized what it was. Using mana, Jake accelerated the restoration of the practice room. He picked up his books and returned them to their proper stacks before he began walking for the mana sigil at the entrance. Using his sensory magic, he sought out Yir. She wasn’t close by but she was sitting towards the top of the tower on a rail. Reading.

As he stood at the bottom of the atrium, he peered upwards. She was but a small blip of light in the distance but he chose to wave anyway. He couldn’t tell if she waved back since she was so tiny so he kept his arm wiggling for a little bit extra before heading over to the sigil. He stepped up to it, triggered the spell, and then he was gone.

His eyes popped back open to get a full view of Yae’s face from just inches away. The sudden opening of his eyeballs must’ve frightened her. She squeaked as she pulled away. Tul and Xul both started to laugh from below as they watched.

“Told you!” Tul said between gasps of air as he enjoyed his joke. Yae rumbled, annoyed, and climbed down the ladder on the wall.

“Dinner time, Jake,” she muttered under her breath as she stomped away into the kitchen area. Jake didn’t know quite what happened but from what he saw the boys must have told Yae to wake him up. It did take Jake a minute to get back to the sigil. That time frame must have made Yae curious, or she just wasn’t ready for him to suddenly spring back to life. The other two had grown used to it but Yae hadn’t been the one to wake him yet.

“Real funny you two,” Jake sighed as he kicked his feet over the edge of his bed.

“It was just a joke,” Tul grinned as he waved it off. The two finished clearing the table of their game and then Xul hopped to his feet to help Yae. Tul removed the rug from beneath the table, exposing the little pit beneath it.

As they worked, Jake stared at the floor. He wanted to test something but it would take a lot of focus. He pushed mana to his feet and carefully, very carefully, focused wind magic around his heels. He wanted to originally just jump off the bed as he usually did. Could he use magic to soften the impact? Or maybe, could he float down to the floor?

Two swirls of wind appeared at his feet and he could feel the weightlessness of his legs as he wiggled them. He took in a slow, deep breath, and then hopped off the edge. At first, he lingered. He floated there for a brief moment but the thin amount of wind couldn’t support him. Quickly, he plunged to the ground. He grit his teeth and shoved more mana to his heels, increasing the wind strength just before he hit the floor. Doing so saved him the harsh smack but it blew away the blankets and cushions, and it nearly knocked Xul over as he walked past.

“Hey! No magic inside!” Yae shouted angrily. Though he’d heard her, Jake’s eyes were focused on the floor.

It was a success, somewhat. His landing hadn’t been smooth but it was soft and light. He had even floated in the air for a few moments with the wind beneath his feet. He wouldn’t consider it to be “flying”, but it was close. If he used the magic properly, he had a feeling he could make it work.

“Sorry, Yae. I wanted to try it.” Jake grinned as he hurried to clean up the mess he made. Yae scowled at him, as if considering scolding him, but she gave up and turned away.

“Stop being a child and come eat,” she sighed, plopping down on her cushion. She swatted Xul’s hand as he reached for a few pieces of meat. “No, wait for Jake,” she hissed. Xul groaned and rolled his eyes.

After tidying up, Jake snatched his cushion and took his seat beside the table. He lit the fire by their feet to warm the space and then they patiently waited to be distributed their share of food. Yae had cooked a meat stew with a thick gravy and plenty of vegetables. She had become quite skilled at her craft. With the few tools she had, she was creative at achieving the dishes she wanted to make. The boys reveled in her progress. They were practically salivating like starved dogs by the time she finished portioning out the food.

However, just before she gave the okay, Jake glanced at Tul. He nodded, and the two both picked up their bowls and leaned over the table to Yae.

“What are you-Hey!” She barked. The two ignored her. They took a portion of their meals and gave them back to her. As always, she shorted herself and her portion was far less than theirs. Xul looked confused so he probably hadn’t ever noticed.

“What’s wrong with you two?!” She hissed, picking up her bowl as she threatened to return the food. Jake patted the top of her head and she glared at him for it.

“You don’t eat enough, Yae. You always give us plenty but you never have a full plate yourself, so eat.” Jake ruffled her hair and then sat back down, keeping his bowl out of Yae’s reach. Tul did the same, refusing to put his bowl down as she turned to him. Xul shrugged and held up his bowl as if saying he would take it. Tul and Jake both glared daggers into his very soul.

Xul retracted the bowl.

“Idiots,” Yae rumbled as she started to eat. Jake and Tul chuckled together as they too began to enjoy their meal.

The group of four talked about their days and shared their fun little experiences, but attention eventually found its way to Jake. He seemed distant when it came to chatting. On any other day, he would be talking about his fighting in the Hall, or Xul would be peppering him with questions about it. Tonight was different. Tonight was the last night he would spend as an unrecruited scout. Tomorrow, he would report to a Red Team.

“I was recruited,” Jake finally admitted after the three finally stopped talking entirely. Xul’s jaw opened partially as he stared, and Tul blinked a bunch of times.

“R-Recruited? That’s a good thing, right?” Xul stumbled through his sentence. Jake shook his head. Yae tilted her head down and folded her hands in her lap.

“It’s a red team, and it’s not a good one.” Jake set down his empty bowl and his utensils. Like Yae, he placed his hands on his lap.

“What do you mean? All of the Red teams are fine. They’re just a bit more dangerous, but we know you’ll do fine.” Tul waved off the danger as he continued to eat his meal. There wasn’t much left as his small spoon scrapped at the bottom of the bowl.

“It's the Pharos squad.” Jake didn’t want to say the actual name. He planned to remain vague to not draw too much concern into the room but Yae had other plans. She said the name outright and she stared at the table while she did.

The room fell silent. Tul set down his bowl and Xul swallowed hard. They looked across the table at each other, and then they both looked at Jake.

“H-How? Why? You said a blue-” Tul started to speak, but Jake shook his head.

“They came into the Hall and said it had already been discussed. I report to them tomorrow.” Jake frowned and he began to collect the bowls now that the meal was finished.

“Tomorrow?! Usually, you get two or three days!” Tul was on the verge of yelling. Before his voice could reach that volume, Yae placed a hand on his arm. He caught himself and closed his mouth.

“I don’t have a choice. There’s going to be an escort at the gate.” With all of the bowls, he stood up. Yae did as well and she extended her hands. Jake nodded and passed her the dishes.

Tul clenched his fists and looked down, unsure of what else to say.

“Pharos squad, huh?” Xul muttered finally. He folded his hands on the table and leaned forward onto it. “Not the best of teams to go to but I guess it’s not a bad choice for you,” he mused.

“What do you mean, Xul? Pharos is a bunch of weirdos. They never follow protocol!” Tul hissed through clenched teeth as he glared across the table at his brother. Xul shrugged and planted his cheek in his palm.

“Think about it, Tul. Jake knows magic. He’s fought the Beasts. He came from the Surface. He’s not like us. If any team were to take him, it would either be a team that had no choice or those whack jobs. I’d rather them than some random White squad that’s short on people, you know?” Xul stared at Jake for a few moments before turning his eyes over to Tul. “Besides, it’s a Red team. That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

“Sure they’re a Red team, but still…” Tul’s voice trailed off as he looked down at his clenched fists.

“Either way, it’s happening. Guess we have to accept it.” Xul shrugged and then heaved a heavy, tired and pained sigh as he made a great effort to get to his feet. He stretched his arms over his head and made his way toward his bed. “I’m gonna get some sleep. I’ll see you all in the morning.” He waved his hand before sliding into the bed, burying his face beneath the blankets.

Tul and Jake both stared at his back as he ran away from the conversation. Xul wasn’t the best when it came to such talks, and he also wasn’t good at expressing his feeling. However, Jake could see the change in his expression. The unease in his eye was clear. But unlike Tul, Xul also understood that such things couldn’t be changed. No matter how much they argued with each other, the decision had been made. Jake was a Pharos team member starting tomorrow, and that was a fact.

Jake had tried to fight it and had even won his bout but he’d lost the political fight before he could even join in. Xul was right. If it hadn’t been for Nuro coming in and taking Jake, Jake would have likely ended up on some unknown squad, wasting his talents and doing nothing but boring odd jobs around the city or in the tunnels. At least this way Jake could assume he would see combat with the Maedra.

“I don’t like it but I guess we can’t change it,” Tul muttered. He too stood up and sighed. “Guess I’ll go to bed as well. Good night,” he turned away, defeated, and lumbered over to the wall. He climbed up to his bed and collapsed into it, curling up beneath the blanket.

Yae returned after cleaning the bowls, two cups of some hot liquid in her hands. She offered one to Jake, who happily received the pleasant gift. She set down the cup beside him and nudged a cushion over so she could be closer to him. Jake sipped the liquid and was happy to learn she had made tea. It tasted sweet and leafy, just how he liked her mixes. It also made him feel warm inside.

“Did they react how you thought they might?” She asked in a low whisper. Jake nodded.

“Pretty close. I didn’t expect Xul to be so docile but I knew Tul would be the most upset,” he whispered as he looked at his two friends. It hadn’t been more than a minute or two, but he could already hear Xul’s snoring.

“Xul would have started yelling if Tul hadn’t first,” Yae admitted. Jake agreed. If Tul had given Xul enough time to react to the announcement, the conversation would have gone a bit longer. “But this is fine. They know they can’t do anything and I know you tried your best.” Jake raised his eyebrows as he looked at her. She sipped from her cup quietly, her eye closing as she savored the warm drink.

“Did you hear about it?” Jake whispered. Yae held the drink to her lips, purposefully, for an extra few seconds before she set down the cup.

“I did. One of my friends was a healer for the Hall today and she told me all about your little brawl.” Yae’s eye narrowed a bit as she turned to look at him. “Your flashy display of magic was a bit unnecessary but I am glad you won.” Jake sensed a hint of jealousy from her and he felt that bit of unease return to his chest. He felt like a cornered mouse.

“T-too much? I’m sorry. The girl was a bit too fast. I had no choice but to rely on instinct.” Jake tried to plead his case but Yae rolled her eye. She indulged in another sip of her tea.

“Oh, I’m sure she was so powerful and strong that you had to dance around the Hall with her for almost ten minutes, waving your sword so gallantly in front of everyone for them all to watch.”

Jealousy? This was jealousy, right?

“S-She was pressing me and I wanted to trap her. I had to see what she was capable of.” The pleading continued. Yae didn’t look convinced. She just hummed at him and sipped from her tea again. This time, she took a long drink.

“Either way, I am happy you are unhurt.” Yae softly set down her cup and then turned her eye toward her brothers. “And so are they. No matter where you go, no matter what team you are on. They may be upset with the outcome, but seeing you here is enough. Understand?” Yae finally turned to look up at him. Jake understood. He was well aware of what she meant.

“Yes. I’ll make sure to come back.” He smirked and then sipped from his tea.

“In one piece.” She said.

“In one piece.” He nodded.

“No missing limbs.” She said. Her tone was off.

“N-No missing limbs.” He nodded again, shivering a bit.

“And no permanent scars!” She hissed. Jake turned to look at her and her eye bore into his face. He felt threatened.

“W-What?” Jake felt uneasy beneath her piercing gaze but he nodded his head anyways. “O-Okay?” He held up his hands to show he wasn’t armed and leaned away from her. Yae huffed and sipped from her tea again, emptying the cup.

“Boys and your lack of care. So irritating.” She grumbled, picking up their cups and going towards the kitchen. Jake held up a hand and his mouth moved, but the words didn’t come out. He watched as she began to clean the cups, her hair bobbing a bit as she aggressively rinsed them out.

He… He wasn’t finished with the tea in his cup.

Jake sighed, taking that as a signal that the night was finished. He cut off the fire beneath the table and then reset the rug over the top of it. Yae was climbing into her bed by the time he was finished. He waited until she was comfortable before walking up to the ladder. Just as he grabbed the first rung, she grabbed his shirt.

“Good night, Jake,” she mumbled. He smiled at her.

“Good night, Yae.” She let him go, and he climbed up into his sleeping area. He snuggled into the blankets and then extended his hand over to the window. Using mana, he slowly created a dome around the back of the plant, cutting off the light and plunging the room into complete darkness.

Jake lay in the darkness for a few minutes, listening quietly to the breathing of Tul and the snoring of Xul. He listened for Yae’s steady breathing, but all he could hear was her tossing and rolling around beneath him. Eventually, he heard more rustling. Jake stared up at the ceiling and clenched his jaw, not wanting to let himself sleep before the others were all out.

As he lay there, waiting, he heard a soft click off to his left. He extended a bit of mana into the air and closed his eyes- Yae was on the ladder. Why? She lingered there for a few moments, staring upwards towards his bed. Eventually, she took another step, and then another. She was peering over the edge of his bed at him after a few breaths, staring at him as he feigned being asleep. He steadied his breathing and forced his eyes to remain shut.

Then, she took another two steps and very carefully placed a hand off to his left. She was terrible at being quiet and careful, but Tul and Xul hadn’t woken up. If she honestly thought he was such a heavy sleeper then he questioned her intelligence at this point, but she was moving regardless. As she leaned over closer and closer, Jake tensed up. What was she…?

Very gently, she placed her lips against his cheek. A very soft and very light kiss before she pulled away.

“Good luck tomorrow, Jake. Please stay safe,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. So quiet that Jake thought she hadn’t said anything at all. But just as she finished speaking, she pulled away and quietly returned to her bed.

Jake opened his eyes and stared upward into the darkness. He stared at that black veil for a long, long time, the feeling of her lips on his face lingering. Yae eventually fell asleep, leaving Jake to do nothing but stare straight up. His heart raced in his chest, his mind a mess as he thought of Yae. He clenched his teeth and forced himself to roll over onto his side. He closed his eyes and kept his breathing steady, trying to keep his heart from thumping out of his ribcage. It didn’t help. Instead of sleeping, all he could do was think of Yae.

When he finally fell asleep, all he could do was dream of her.