Relia sat with Akari on the back porch of the Darklight estate. Flames danced in the outdoor fireplace, and a thousand footprints covered the surrounding snow.

They’d trained out here every morning since the start of Midwinter break. Relia had always trained harder than her peers; she had to if she wanted to survive. But motivation was a funny thing, and she’d started training even harder once she’d learned the truth about her condition.

Now, survival meant more than milking life for one more year. It meant advancing with her friends, all the way until the end. With that in mind, the whole world felt brighter than it had before—full of hope and possibilities. And of course, Akari needed no burst of motivation. Something deep inside the other girl pushed her toward greatness. Something that even Relia didn’t understand.

She took another long drink of water and leaned closer to the fireplace. They’d worked up a sweat during their sparring session, shedding their heavy layers of clothing down to their pants and their tank tops. Now, the cold weather was making itself known again.

“You’ve gotten faster,” Relia said. “I could barely keep up with you today.”

Akari grinned. “Guess that’s what happens when you dance with Artisans.” She’d developed a new technique after the qualifying rounds. Somehow, she could move her portals in midair, opening and closing them without spending more mana. No Space Artist had ever done this before. It was something new—unique to her spacetime aspect.

Relia just wished her friend had learned it under different conditions. If it hadn’t been for her, then Elise never would have—

“Hey.” Akari waved a hand in front of Relia’s face. “Stop that.”

Relia frowned at her. “Stop what?”

“That.” Akari gestured at her face. “Stop moping around and looking sad.”

Darn it. Her friend had gotten a lot more perceptive this past year. Or maybe she’d just gotten more talkative.

“I can’t help it,” Relia said. “Besides, I never tell you to stop when you’re sad.”

“Let me know the next time I’m moping, and I’ll stop.” Akari took a long swig from her combat drink—a mix of mana, water, and electrolytes. Her face softened when she lowered the bottle. “Look, we’ve all done stupid stuff, okay?.”

The wind picked up again, sending a wave of goosebumps across Relia’s bare arms. “Maybe, but I always feel dumb around you and Kalden.”

“That’s bullshit,” Akari said. “Kalden almost poisoned that water tower, and I would have gone along with it. You talked us out of that. Then we met Zukan and Arturo.”

Relia shrugged in vague agreement. “Then I messed up when I tried to recruit Elise. I put you in danger. ”

“I already said I forgive you. So did Kalden.”

“Are you sure you’re not mad?”

Akari gave her a frank look. “Now you really are being stupid.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“We’re Combat Artists,” Akari said. “That means taking risks.”

Relia shook her head. “But this was my fault. I should have known better . . .”

“Well, now you know.” Akari took another drink, draining the rest of her plastic bottle. “So you can stop acting like a sad puppy. No one’s gonna make you sleep outside for one dumb mistake.”

Relia bit her lip. Maybe Akari was right. So many people had pushed her away because of her aspect, and she didn’t know how to react now.

They sat in silence for a while after that, watching the snow dance in circles around the back yard. A few flakes even hit the porch, and it wasn’t long before Relia reached for her hoodie again.

Akari reclined back in her own chair, unbothered by the cold. Her top had ridden up slightly, and she ran an idle finger over the flat spot where her belly button used to be. She must have gotten bored, because she eventually reached out a hand, formed a portal, and pulled out a stack of books.

Azul’s ashes. Had she been holding that portal in her bedroom this whole time? Relia had beaten her every time, but Akari was fighting with one hand tied behind her back. At one point, she’d even maintained all five portals with no mental chunking. Even some Artisans would struggle with that.

Akari closed the portal as if it were no big deal, then she leafed through her notebook. “I’m trying to figure out my next spacetime technique.” Relia nodded, and Akari passed over the notebook. “What do you think?”

Relia blinked. “You’re asking me?”

“Kalden’s been busy,” Akari said with a shrug. “So has Elend.”

Relia stared down at the notebook. Akari had listed each technique by name, but they weren’t all self-explanatory “What’s displacement?” she asked.

Akari chewed on her pencil as she considered that. “Remember how they moved us out of the qualifying rounds? It’s like that. You swap the parameters of two things without opening a whole portal.

That sounded useful. Akari had done some amazing things with portals, but those tricks would get less effective as more people saw her on TV.

“My dad was an expert at this skill.” Akari tapped the side of her head. “That’s why I asked Elend for another dream Construct. I was hoping to remember some of our lessons.”

Relia nodded as she scanned the rest of the list. “Pocket dimensions? Aren’t those more utility focused?”

“Not with time mana.” Akari gestured out to their training grounds. “Imagine me wrapping the whole yard in one big time loop Construct. I could fight you once, rewind time, then try again. You wouldn’t even know I did it.”

“What?” A nervous chuckle escaped Relia's lips. “That sounds like Grandmaster-level stuff. No way you can learn it in one semester.”

“Yeah.” Akari’s mouth made a thin line. “Probably not.”

The next few techniques were Cloaks, which might take even longer to learn. Most people learned their Pure Cloaks intuitively, but they had years of natural selection on their side. Aspected Cloaks were far more complicated, especially when you invented a new type of mana. There were endless mana flow combinations, and those could take years of testing to get right.

“I’d go with displacement.” Relia finally said. “It’s Missile-based, so it’s the easiest by far.” Akari frowned, and Relia held up a hand. “Let me finish. Mobility is your biggest strength right now, This will make you even faster.”

“I’m more worried about my weaknesses,” Akari said. “I can’t take a hit or do any real damage.”

Relia shook her head. “You’ll never be a tank. Plus Zukan and I already fill those roles. I mean, just imagine if Arturo spent all day training his Cloak techniques. Who would built the equipment?”

“Yeah.” Akari let out a long breath. “That’s what Elend said.”

Oh, so she had talked with Elend. She just didn’t like his answer.

“Maybe I can learn two techniques at once,” Akari mused when Relia handed her the notebook.

“You only have so much mana in a day,” Relia said gently. “Plus we’re about to have another semester of classes, and whatever team training Elend puts us through.”

“Sure, but what if Glim models the mana patterns for me? I heard she does that for Elend.”

“I don’t think that will work.” Relia pressed a hand to her chest. “You need to feel a Cloak technique in your own body. There aren’t any shortcuts for that.”

“Not yet,” Akari said.

Blue light flickered in the the glass slider door that connected the patio to the estate. Glim took shape there a second later, dressed in a heavy parka, a knitted hat, and scarf.

“Hey!” the mana spirit waved at them. “Elend wants to see you guys inside.”

Relia got to her feet, shooting Akari a look when Glim vanished back inside. “You think it’s time?”

“It better be,” Akari said. “Barely seen Kalden for two days.”

Relia gathered up her jacket and hat, while Akari opened a portal and tossed her own things back into her room. They pulled open the glass slider door and found everyone gathered around the breakfast nook. Elend and Irina sat on the barstools near the kitchen, while Kalden sat stiffly on the long padded bench, looking almost as nervous as she felt.

Akari stepped around the table and plopped down on Kalden’s lap as if she owned the place. Some of his tension drained away as he wrapped one arm around her waist.

Relia approached the table more cautiously, and Kalden slid a box across the wooden surface, small enough to hold a ring. Relia accepted the box and pulled open the delicate hinges. Light shone from within the gap, and she found a glowing blue pill, half the size of her thumb.

Soulshine.

“It will take a few hours to break down,” Kalden said. “And you should let someone know if you have any side effects. Especially burning or loss of mana control. Not that I expect anything, of course.”

Relia blinked back sudden tears as he spoke. She always got this way when people did things for her.

Irina got to her feet and handed Relia a glass of water. “Elend and I looked over his work this morning, and it’s as safe as it can be.”

Relia stared down at the pill. She trusted Kalden and the Darklights, but she’d avoided soulshine for most of her life. Elend had tried to steer her down this path when they’d first met, but she’d stubbornly refused. After all that, it felt weird to give in.

Then again, no one would ever advance if they couldn’t change their beliefs. Her friends had their challenges, and she had hers. Relia brought the glass to her mouth, took a good long sip, and then slipped the smooth pill between her lips.

She half expected to feel different, but that was silly. Soulshine worked over several weeks, and Kalden even said it would take hours to feel the effects. Still, he kept staring at her as if he expected something to happen.

“Well, it definitely tastes good,” she said with a thumbs up. “Sort of familiar, too.”

“Makes sense,” Kalden said. “I used your own mana to make it.”

Glim made a horrified sound from the mirror. “I thought humans hated cannibalism.”

“It’s not cannibalism,” Kalden said. “Mana flows through our bodies, but we aren’t made of it.”

“I’m made of mana,” Glim said with a serious face. “Are you saying you’d make a pill out of me?”

“Ignore her,” Elend said. “She’s been making the same joke for thirty years.”

Irina cleared her throat. “You’ll want to cycle as much as possible over the next few days. Physical movement will help, too. As much as you can manage.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” A slow grin spread across Elend’s face. “I have big plans for your team’s training sessions.”

Relia nodded to them, then bowed to Kalden. “Thank you. I know this wasn’t easy, or how you wanted to spend your time.”

“This was the best use of my time,” Kalden said in a tone that brooked no argument. “We’re in this together, right?”

“Master by twenty-one,” Akari said as she hopped off his lap.

“Master by twenty-one,” Relia echoed. And for the first time in her life, she actually believed those words.