"BEGIN!"

"Protection from Energy!"

"Shield!"

Wary of one another's untested strength, both Gwen and her opponent forwent the option to front-load spells, instead choosing to open the battle defensively, electing caution over risk.

Lok's choice was self-evident, creating a shimmering skin of elemental resistance that negated much of Gwen's offensive electricity outright, ensuring that even if he were stunned or blinded, his Earthen Shield could withstand any unforeseen burst potential from the Lightning Mage.

Gwen's choice was both puzzling and astonishing.

Wasn't she an offensive caster? The crowd wondered. What was an Elementalist going to do with a Shield? Especially one under the auspices of air and positive energy, both of which were insubstantial in defence?

"Catapult!"

"Warding Bolt!"

A spiked boulder the size of a ripe jackfruit smashed into Gwen's static-charged Mana Shield. To the surprise of all, rather than shattering the transparent glass dome, the spike came to a crunching halt, turning the impact point opaque with congealed mana. In the next moment, the stone fell from Gwen's half-dome barrier and dissipated into motes of Elemental Earth.

The spectacle would have made perfect sense if Gwen was a Mage attuned to the Mineral talent, or perhaps a spiritually-modified talent of Earth, but she was a lightning Mage! How is it possible that an Elementalist could possess such an impenetrable Shield? If offensive casters could hold their own in a Shielding-duel, there would be no need for Abjurers on a five-person team.

"Stone Spear!"

For a Mage specialised in defence, a tier 2 Evocation was the best Lok could manage without risking mana burn and disorientation.

Four stalactites of compressed granite launched toward Gwen, covering the distance between them in the blink of an eye.

Gwen grit her teeth.

"Call Lightning!"

A miniaturised cumulonimbus cloud briefly appeared overhead before manifesting as a hazy field of electricity.

Her previously conjured Warding Bolt zapped away at Lok, triggered by his presence, leaving behind a dazzling white scar over his reinforced Stone Shield.

Immediately after, Lok's spears struck.

In the past, Gwen had withstood the assault of a tier 5 Magical Beast known as Wonka. Even with the burst of momentum and all its impressive weight, it had just managed to penetrate her non-newtonian barrier, and this was at a time when Gwen wasn't even a trained Abjurer. Now, Lok was just unlucky.

The seemingly deadly spears clattered against her shield, turning its frontal surface opaque before crumbling.

Gwen could see a spiderweb of fissures spreading across the first layer of her double-glazed mana barrier. Thankfully, her weakness became masked by the zinging arcs of electricity that showered the surrounding air spectacularly whenever her Shield shed its reactive energy.

When the Stone Spears failed to penetrate, the crowd gasped, looking toward one another to see if they were all witnesses to the same spectacle.

"Wall of Stone!"

"Ariel!"

All of Gwen's pieces were falling into place.

Ariel appeared behind Lok and instantly transformed into its Mongoose form, its static-charged body turning the Force Cage cobalt's surface with blue-white static.

"EE—EE!"

A blast of fur from Ariel smothered the space where Lok stood his ground, a few tiny darts catching him unaware and penetrating his hastily erected Shield.

Such was the natural advantage of Conjurers, whose strength in numbers had to be endured or negated. Gwen's problem was that her education was yet incomplete. She had forgone Summon Elementals for Dark Tentacles and the defensive Faithful Hound, neither of which was of much use against a turtling Earthen Mage.

Lok cursed under his breath. He hadn't wanted to demonstrate his other abilities, but there was no helping it now. Slowly but surely, the electrical discharge was finding its way through the dart-like fur and numbing his body.

"Lighting Blast!"

"Blank Mind!" The Mage activated his latent mental powers.

Gwen felt a deluge of psychic energy bypassing her Mana Shield and assail her consciousness. She became at once dizzy and confused as if injected with a sluggish agent that hindered her thoughts. It was a familiar feeling which she loathed more than anything in the world.

Fight it! An inner voice screamed as her body faltered. It was just as well that her Warding Bolt continued to fire, and her Called Lightning was falling into a steady pace of randomised electrical blasts. On the other end of the arena, Ariel sensed its Master's distress and directly assaulted Lok with a frenzy of blows, becoming a blur of whirling claw and flashing teeth against the Magus' Shield of stone.

Though Gwen could feel a part of her mind becoming cloudy and unfocused, she maintained control through force of will. From experience, she suspected that if she had lost her mind, Caliban would likely escape and attempt to make a feast out of every Mage in the club. She could just imagine it now, Caliban eating Lok before thrashing itself bloody upon the Force Cage.

Lok, meanwhile, had felt his spell connect with Gwen's mind.

He had anticipated her to fall limp, to cease her attacks, to beg or kneel or at least be held, even for a fraction of a second.

Instead, even after his mana became consumed, there was nothing. There was no feedback, no adjoining reciprocity that allowed him an estimation of his target's paralysis.

It was as though he had cast Hold Monster on a pet rock.

Then he felt the connection between himself and the spell cease, signalling the end of the Enchanter's hold on his target.

His Stone Shield was already a blaze of electricity that cascaded from top to bottom, turning the surface of the Force Cage a bright, brilliant blue. Where the Mongoose's fur had struck his shoulder, he was already feeling a numbness coming on.

Whatever had happened, his spell had gone to waste, and Lok wasn't foolish enough to flaunt his mind-flaying abilities in public. He had no desire to be gang-pressed into the Military for the second time, especially in a place like China, where the PLA kept a close eye on all Mind Mages.

Were they at a stalemate then?

But he was a Magus! The girl was sixteen, seventeen?! Mayhap younger? For a Magus to draw the match with the girl was no different from losing. He had to do something, anything, to ensure that his Master did not suffer any more loss of reputation.

Gwen, meanwhile, felt the mind manacles of the Mind Blank spell dissipate. She felt overcome by a seething vexation, having to fight her impulse tooth and nail to prevent herself from resorting to conjuring the Void. With a fully charged Void Bolt, Gwen was confident that it should bore a fist-sized hole right through the Stone Shield and into Magus Khun's chest— but that was neither here nor now.

"Stone Skin!" Magus Lok incanted loudly.

Unexpectedly, her enemy made the first move to break their stalemate.

Lok must have lost patience with his terrapin tactics and wanted to finish the match and salvage Dai's lost honour.

In an instant, the Mage became "The Thing" from an infamous Marvel franchise, only covered in layers of grey-blue granite, slowly moving towards her with the certainty of a glacier.

As for the Mind Magic, Gwen was still reeling from its impact. She was indignant and confused. Why hadn't Yuu called out the Magus for using an illicit spell? Was it legal for tier 1 Mages to employ mind-altering effects? Or did paralysis not count as mind-control?

Heedless of her woes, Lok came closer, trying to corner Gwen at one end. Gwen had no idea what the man intended, but she wasn't about to lose the advantage of distance. What if he had a melee-touch, mind-altering Enchantment that could control her? What if Caliban escaped?

In desperation, she chose the only spell she knew that would work on stone.

"Flashbang!"
"Flashbang!"
"Flashbang!"
"Flashbang!"
"Flashbang!"
"Flashbang..."

She held a dozen of the unstable crystals in her hand, vibrating dangerously in their volatile fragility.

What would happen when a dozen of her most disruptive spell erupted at once? How many times could the magnitude of a single spell increase with each reverberation? Gwen was no physicist; she could only speculate about the multiplicative effects of detonating sound and light in an enclosed space.

Faced with the advancing Mage, she threw the volatile shards toward the ponderous form of the despairing Lok, whose stony face twisted in dreadful anticipation as the crystals flew toward him in slow motion.

"CLOSE YOUR EYES!" Gwen advised the crowd, retracting Ariel to her side as she covered her ears, at once reinforcing herself with mana.

Above her, Magus Yuu reciprocated her command.

As the crystals ignited, Gwen summoned yet another Shield, a thin Void skin, within her semi-circle dome of non-newtonian particles.

BUNG! The resulting "Flashbang" may as well been a localised supernova.

The Force Cage grew white-hot as though it momentarily held the interior of a dying star. Violent, reverberating sonic energy and dazzling incandescence rocked the underground chamber. Were it not for the sheer power of the protective barrier, the observers were sure that the M would have erupted, perhaps launching off its foundations and landing piecemeal throughout the bay of The Bund.

After the concussion, the flare finally dimmed.

Unfortunately, though the Force Cage had tempered the thunderclap, there was no helping the phosphorescence.

Those who'd anticipated the flash felt their sight returning after several seconds. Those too slow to react became blinded for half a minute.
Those who'd refused to heed Gwen and Yuu's advice wailed and beckoned for Minor Restoration.

When the confusion finally ceased, those with enough vision left to see turned their attention back toward the duelling floor.

They had their answer.

The Lightning Mage, Gwen Song, appeared entirely unaffected by the explosion. She stood to attention, steadfast in trying to maintain a triple-set conjuration of Familiar, Warding Bolt and Call Lightning.

Magus Khun, meanwhile, had ceased moving entirely.

Sheets of granite fell from his body like a stone statue crumbling in a timelapse. Twin streaks of blood oozed from where his ears were just visible beneath the Stone Skin, flowing profusely past his cheeks.

Above, Magus Yuu swayed on his feet for a moment as his wits restored themselves.

Opposite the fallen Earthen Mage, the Lightning Sorceress dispelled her summons, then dropped to one knee. Her chest violently rose and fell as she panted profusely from the effort of managing a dozen spells in quick succession.

"THE VICTOR! MISS GWEN SONG!"

The voice of Magus Yuu rang across the club. The announcer felt as though he was in the midst of a fantastic dream. What a world, what a night, what a Bout! To think that junior Mage could defeat a Magus, and a retired Mind Reaver at that, with incantations no higher than tier 3 to boot!

Slowly, boos and groan began to spread among the losers who had betted on Lok, taking solace only in the pretty sorceress who had provided them with a blood-boiling Bout. Mayhap, years later, they may even be recounting to their peers that they were there when a new Magister began her ascent to power. Conversely, a small number of participants in the room was jubilant with joy and exaltation, throwing crystal credits at Gwen's feet.

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED? Gwen wanted to take a victorious stroll through the arena space, but she felt too breathless to speak, and adrenaline rushed to react.

Forcing herself to stand, she patted down her skirt, turned to face the crowd and curtsied, bowing to each side.

Another round of cheers resounded, followed by an encore of cascading crystals. Gwen had intended to show herself as the humble victor, but it appears there had been a miscommunication of sorts. Still, she wasn't about to turn down free money.

Then Dai joined her on the duelling floor.

He approached her directly and bowed deeply, placing a hand upon his heart in a show of sincerity.

"You have proven yourself beyond doubt, Miss Gwen," he announced to the crowd in a volume audible to all. "For sparing Magus Khun, who is my bodyguard and my dear friend, I want you to know that I owe you a favour. If there is service that Dai Fung of the Clan Fung can perform in the future, please do not hesitate to make a request."

Gwen wasn't sure what the etiquette for accepting a concession of defeat was and so offered her hand. Shockingly, Dai took it and kissed her ring.

The crowd grew wild with cheers and applause.

Just as Gwen tried to speak, Dai turned to the club and lifted Gwen's hand in a gesture that made it seem as though they were BOTH victors.

You sneaky little! Gwen could only marvel at the smoothness of Dai's recovery. Here was a man groomed from birth to play to a crowd. What thickness of skin the man must have!

"Please play along." A glowing Message spell bloomed beside her ear. It was Dai. "I will double the winnings I owe you, an apology, and as a gift to our future friendship.

"Fine," Gwen answered the young Master.

"Wonderful. I'll have the club bring it to you."

Dai bowed again, then quickly retreated, overseeing his bodyguard's medical care, roleplaying the benevolent Master full of concern for his underling's welfare.

Gwen left the stage to return to her cousins.

As she descended from the duelling floor, men and women reached out and touched her arm and felt her hair, causing Gwen to shiver with discomfort. Canto had endured the same treatment, though the man had seemed to enjoy it. She hadn't thought much of it then, but now it was happening to her. Gwen just hoped that some mug didn't get too enthusiastic with their tactile devotion.

"Oh. My. Mao!" Tao's friends were beside themselves.

"Master Gwen!"
"Mistress!"
"Masterful Mistress! Please take me as your disciple!"

Gwen declined playfully. She would rather not have a group of rapping disciples helping her produce an MTV video.

Little-Dog and Mack-Daddy returned with a fresh round of beverages.

"Ganbei!"
"Ganbei!"
"Ganbei!"
"Cheers!"
"Ganbei!"
"Ganbei!"
"Ganbei!"

"Thanks," Tao intoned seriously, wiping the foam from his lips. "For what you did to Frederick out there."

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"It was nothing." Gwen pulled her cousin in close and hugged him. "Feel better now?"

His fellow B-Boys gulped their drinks enviously.

"I am impressed, Gwen. You did great." Mina's voice had an edge of relief to it. "I can't believe Dai folded. He's a tit-for-tat kind of guy, even if he's an arrogant idiot most of the time. Now, if anyone wants to mess with you, they'd first have to ask if they want to piss on the Commissioner's son, especially if you intend to call in that favour."

"True, AND I got some funds for my living expenses in Shanghai," Gwen laughed. "More shopping tomorrow?"

Mina couldn't help but notice that Gwen's eyes lit up like electrically charged HDM crystals whenever she tittered about money.

"What's the score?" Tao regressed to his inner-city vernacular. "How much ya win for smacking a bitch up?"

Gwen tried to do a quick calculation in her head.

As if on cue, Magus Yuu appeared beside them, flanked on either side by two girls with such audacious fashion that Tao's eyes protruded from their sockets.

"Caught you at the right time, it seems." Magus Yuu grinned affably. "Wonderful match! A marvel! Truly inspirational!"

"Thank you for the kind words." Gwen bowed her head politely.

"Your winnings." Magus Yuu handed over a card. "Please attune yourself."

To their surprise, Gwen didn't know what to do. After an awkward moment of confusion, Mina aided Gwen by informing her that she needed to pour her Astral mana from her Elemental Gates into the card.

"You channel your mana into the card, like so…" Yuu demonstrated a simple cantrip.

Gwen performed likewise, and the number 3534 showed up.

"3534 HDMs!" Tao bit back tears.

His friends, likewise, were beside themselves.

Gwen had never held so much money in her second life.

Tao and Mina had to pinch one another. In one night, over two duels, their cousin from Australia had made more money than an NoM would see in a lifetime. In two hours, Gwen had made more crystals than Mina and Tao's annual allowances put together.

Granted, she had risked her life and limb, but the speed and volume in which their cousin acquired currency were terrifying.

"This here is a little contribution from us, from the House of M," Magus Yuu added, passing over a golden card imbued with intricate scrollwork of dragons in flight.

"Woa—" Mina couldn't help but bite her lip.

"What is it?" Gwen received the card carefully, balancing it on her hand.

"Contribution Credits!" Mina hissed. "They're the currency of favour from the Towers!"

Gwen had heard the term before from Richard, but she had never seen these 'Contribution Credits' in the real world.

"More precious than Crystals, rarer than Creature Cores." Magus Yuu tapped the card gingerly. "There are ten credits contained within, enough for a few small but challenging requests."

Gwen had no idea what Yuu meant, at least for now, but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Two cards, one crystalline and the other golden disappeared into her Storage Ring.

"One more thing," Yuu persisted. "As a young woman with a great deal of liquid currency, we would like to extend an invitation to you, from the House of M, to attend an Auction of Rare and Magical goods in a week."

Mina's ears perked up.

"Gwen, you have to go! He's talking about the legendary Underground Auction hosted by the House of M!"

"I would love to attend." Gwen had no idea what this Auction portended either, but if Mina wanted to go, there must be some merit involved. "May I bring guests?"

"Of course, Miss Song. We shall look forward to you gracing us with your presence once again." Yuu dipped his head. "For now, please enjoy the evening, or should you feel so inclined, issue another challenge."

"I am tapped out, for now." Gwen was out of the tricks she was willing to reveal, meaning her night had come to an end.

Magus Yuu thanked her again before disappearing into the crowd.

Gwen returned to her companions. They sipped their drinks and discussed the duel, though the music remained far too loud for engaging conversation. Several groups of men and women now hung around their perimeter, trying to make their way past Tao and his friends to speak to Gwen.

Then a bright blossom of Divination magic bloomed next to Mina's ear.

"Shit!" Mina's almost spat out her Daiquiri.

"What's wrong?" Gwen's face was as flushed as pink pippins; unlike the juices she had earlier, her celebratory drinks were alcoholic.

"Shush!" Mina answered the call. "Yeye?" she spoke sweetly into the Message. "Yes? Yes, Gwen is with me. Where are we? Oh, you know, young people places."

Gwen watched as Mina suffered what looked to be a torrent of invisible abuse.

Yeye, Gwen tried to think. That means Grandfather— OOOOh shit!

Mina tore the bracelet from her wrist and handed it to Gwen as though she'd just ripped a writhing leech from her arm.

"It's for you."

Gwen took the bracelet with trembling hands, hoping she sounded sober.

"Grandfather?" she answered sweetly into the Message device.

The corresponding voice flushed every ounce of excitement from her blood.

"Come home. Now."

"At once!" Gwen passed the bracelet back to Mina, holding the device between two fingers as though it had just tried to bite her.

"Well?" Tao asked blithely.

"Well, nothing," Mina sulked, already imagining the scalding.

"What's happening?" Tao persisted.

"You're getting a beating," Mina informed him with absolute sincerity.

"WHAT!?" Tao checked his surroundings. Was Frederick Lin still around? But even if he were, Gwen would protect him, right? She could kick the guy's ass twice over.

"If Yeye demands whose idea it was, he dragged us out here," Mina assured Gwen of their plan B. "Peaches is such a trouble maker, always taking us girls out to seedy places."

"Naturally." Gwen studied the siblings with a grin. She missed Percy dearly. How nice it was to have siblings!

Mina's madcap vehicular mayhem ended when they finally reached the model citizen's village of the Plum Flower. It was almost midnight, and the gated compound took on the quietness of a rural village, punctuated only by the sound of trickling water and frog song.

The trio stalked the perimeter of the Song compound before entering the cross-shaped courtyard. Unfortunately, the silhouette of a stocky old man awaiting their arrival informed them that their hope of a subtle return had failed.

"In the Communal Hall," Guo announced stoically.

Gwen, Tao and Mina stepped over the wooden threshold and faced the open space of the hall. It was now a vacant space furnished with a red carpet runner, accentuated by two chairs and a wooden chaise, adjoined by a collection of antique-looking melee weapons embellishing the interior walls.

"Where were you?" Guo stopped once he reached the middle.

"We went to a bar and enjoyed some food," Mina told the half-truth.

"I don't know," Tao played the idiot.

"M on the Bund," Gwen replied. "We engaged in some underground fighting."

The other two turned to look at Gwen with painful expressions.

"Tao took us there," she added hurriedly. Was she supposed to pretend to be deaf and dumb? Was that the siblings' survival tactic? Did they have any idea who their grandfather was and how many spies he controlled?

Tao's grimace resembled a man wounded by an unexpected shiv in the kidney.

Guo sighed.

"Hand—"

Mina and Tao extended their hands.

Puzzled, Gwen did likewise.

Guo materialised a length of vicious-looking bamboo.

SNAP!

Tao sucked in his breath, allowing the pain to diffuse throughout his body.

SNAP!

Mina clenched her jaws as a strip of flesh across her hands began to welt. She had to force herself to restrain the restorative power of her Positive Energy.

SNAP!

Having never in her life been slapped or punished by Morye, Gwen flinched and retracted her hands.

"HMMM—?" Guo's displeasure at her withdrawal was a deep-throated growl.

Gwen winced, swallowing nervously. For an adult, the juvenile, corporal punishment was shamefully challenging to endure. She extended her hands again.

SNAP!

Her palms were on fire.

It was only then that Guo launched into a rant.

"THAT'll teach you all for 'street fighting'! You could have been injured!" he barked. "Ingrates! Do you think it was easy raising you?! You all want to fight so much? I'll send you to the North! You can fight the Undead all day and all night!"

Gwen held her tongue in check.

Guo fumed, watching the three nurse their swelling hands.

Unexpectedly, he then turned to Gwen and began to speak more tenderly.

"You won against the Grandson of the Huashan Lins."

It was a statement.

That was quick, Gwen thought to herself. Between her victory and their desperate journey home, it took about thirty minutes for the news to travel to old Guo's ears. Did that mean he had sent someone to keep an eye on her? Was it through a Scry, or was it an old school tail and tackle? So much for privacy.

"I did," Gwen affirmed.

"Then you managed to defeat Lok Khun, the bodyguard of Dai Fung. A Mind Magus," Guo continued.

"I did," Gwen again confirmed the events of their enterprising evening.

Mina and Tao regarded Guo strangely. Why the cryptic routine of rhetorical questions and answers?

"Come with me," Guo commanded Gwen to follow. "You two, go home."

Tao's face split into an enormous grin, barely able to believe he would not ensure an hour-long lecture.

"Reflection essay on why you were defeated, a thousand words," Guo added before Tao could make it out the door.

Tao sobbed. His sister had already escaped, too smart to stick around and be an eyesore.

Gwen followed her grandfather into the room where they'd previously held the family meeting. Guo took a seat and motioned for her to stand to attention. She couldn't help but notice that she was standing a lot these days; China was not a country where different generations sat together.

"Give me a moment." Guo fiddled with something on the tea table.

The gadget was a prismatic crystal pyramid that gleamed as it caught the light. Intricate Glyph work in silvery scripts covered its base, from which concentric, symmetrical bands covered the slanted panes in set intervals.

A thrum of mana lit up the strange device's core, then a projection of light formed a vaguely humanoid shape in front of Gwen.

A Lumen-Projector! Gwen flinched when an image sprang into being a meter away. She had heard about these things since forever. Back on the Frontier, it was rumoured that every middle-class tier 1 household had one. It sent and received real-time "Illusions" or whatever passed for Television in this world by empowering it with crystals.

When finally the glowing figure came into sharp focus, and Gwen felt her mouth form a perfect 'O' of surprise.

"GUNTHER!" she exclaimed, rushing forward to embrace the illusion only to miss and make a spectacle of herself.

"Gwen, my Sister-in-Craft." Gunther's chiselled profile and noble mien filled her body with familial warmth. "I hope—"

"Is it CONNECTED?" another voice interjected, pushing Gunther from the projection. A flash of auburn hair followed by an uncommonly beautiful face appeared, illuminated by a pair of lapis eyes rich with emotion.

"Alesia!" Gwen squealed with delight. "Can you see me!? Can you hear me?"

Alesia rolled into view, seated in a wheelchair propelled by some unknown artifice.

"Gwennie!" Alesia squealed excitedly, decorum be damned, not at all careful that she was a thirty-year-old woman. "Oh my God! It feels that we haven't seen each other FOREVER."

"I KNOW!" Gwen articulated her excitement with every limb she possessed, giddy with barely contained excitement. "You can't know how happy I am feeling right now! I can't even think straight."

Besides the projection, Guo appeared shocked by their overt familiarity. His expression was of one who finally accepted Gwen's word, though the new information wasn't something the old spy liked.

Gwen had to stretch for a moment because she had indeed pulled a muscle when she tried to catch herself from again hugging the illusory projection. Though the crystal possessed a limited field of view, the illusions were very much life-like.

"Where's that old man!" Alesia suddenly demanded. "I'd like to give him another piece of my mind!"

The room grew deathly quiet.

"Hey! Oi! What are you doing! Alright, fine—!" Alesia's disappeared.

Gunther reappeared in the illusory projection.

"Gwen, are you alright?"

"I am fine, brother." Gwen bowed respectfully, tilting her head and arching her back.

"That's good." Gunther smiled warmly. "I heard you've been engaging in local street fighting. I hope that's not your idea of a good time or 'being alright', as it were."

"How did you know about that?!" Gwen asked incredulously.

Gunther smiled secretively. "On a more serious note, Gwen, how do you like Shanghai?"

Gwen glanced at her grandfather, whose face was as expressionless as always.

"It was scary at first, but I am getting the hang of it," Gwen informed her brother-in-craft. "How're things in Sydney?"

"Chaotic, messy, but we're managing," Gunther replied. "Your Opa sends his regards."

"Please tell him I am alright."

"I have already."

"How's my brother? And mother, for that matter? Have the refugee transfers started?"

"It has, though Percy is the reason for our inter-city communication," Gunther informed her, his tone taking on a severe timbre.

"Oh?" Gwen felt her premonition tingling, though not from her Divination.

"Indeed," Gunther intoned. "Magus Song, may I speak to Gwen alone and inform her of our agreement?"

"You may."

Guo paused to look Gwen in the eye, then left without saying a word.

"Gunther?"

"I am going to inform you of recent developments first. Then we are going to discuss the details. Is that alright with you?"

"Please, go ahead," Gwen affirmed cordially.

"Your brother, Percy Song, is coming to the Song Estate to study with Magus Song."

"Okay." Gwen had expected that much.

"You do not seem surprised," Gunther observed.

"Not at all. I was wondering the when and how, but not the 'if'." Gwen pursed her lips. "How did mother react?"

"Livid at first, but then sufficiently satisfied by the exchange." Gunther shook his head as if recalling an unpleasant memory. "She caused a scene at the registration office, as you can imagine. That was where Magus Song's men caught up with them. I had my people there as well, knowing what happened to you. After a less than cordial encounter, Magus Song and I became acquainted."

Gwen could very well imagine Helena causing a public spectacle while beside her, two teams of Tower Mages, one from the PLA and the other from the Commonwealth, faced off. In between their death stares, the standoff would be punctuated by her mother's ceaseless wailing, not unlike a cat running its claws across the length of a chalkboard. After a few minutes of her incessant screeching, both teams would lose all faith in their ability to resolve the matter and call for support.

"I believe it best for Percy to be given to his Clan, to be trained in controlling his Quasi-Negative arts."

"I see, that's good."

"If you are alright with the arrangement, then it puts my mind at ease," Gunther responded with evident relief. "Next, you will be beginning University in Shanghai as soon as you are able."

Gwen responded by nodding.

"Is there nothing that would surprise you?" Gunther seemed displeased somehow by her nonplussed reaction. "Why don't you inform me of my next piece of news?"

"That, I do not know." Gwen grinned winsomely. "Do tell."

"I shall, but first, details regarding your university education," Gunther continued. "I have offered to sponsor you through the Shanghai - Pudong Tower, but I am afraid the Commonwealth has limited reach outside of its old colonies. After an extensive conversation with Magus Song, it seems that you will have to attend selection trials for the Gifted and Talented to apply to your two target institutions, Jiantong and Fudan."

"That's a reasonable condition."

"I would expect as much. Both Universities lie at the epicentre of magical theory-crafting in the region of South-East Asia."

"One problem," Gwen pointed out awkwardly. "I am a high school drop out. How can I apply for an elite university?"

"Not a problem." Gunther broke into a mirthful smirk. "I have asked Bartlett to finalise your graduation certificate, and it should be making its way to you with Percy. Congratulations, Gwen, you were valedictorian of your graduation year."

"I am?" Gwen could see that Gunther was entirely serious. "I so am."

"How do you feel?"

"Would you believe me if I told you I feel like I graduated decades ago?"

Gunther laughed heartily.

"The final article is that I am sending Richard Huang down to Shanghai with Percy."

"OH MY!" Gwen's eyes grew round with pleasure and happiness. "That's wonderful news!"

Gunther made the satisfied expression of finally having seen the face he was expecting since their conversation began.

"Indeed. I am afraid the both of you will have to figure out your tuition fees, but I can at least provide you with the certification for enrolment. In that regard, I must say Richard is better equipped. I am still puzzled as to why he had stayed in Sydney. He could have left with Prince's, or applied for a Section 8 Visa for the Gifted and Talented. I suspect it may be something to do with you, Gwen, or maybe his parents, or both."

"When should I expect them? Where do I pick them up?" Gwen intoned with giddy expectation.

"Magus Song has arranged transport and escort. I would assume very soon, given the ISTC stations."

"I'll ask Grandfather then, how's Yue and Elvia?"

"Still in transit, I am afraid, though their families have been informed. Your Opa had a big party planned for you all, you know, though I am afraid that may now be indefinitely delayed."

Gwen's face paled at the implication.

"I won't be returning to Sydney?"

"Not for a few years at least, not until you graduate," Gunther informed her a matter of factly. "This is to be expected, of course. You are about to become an invaluable asset. Until you resolve your allegiances, I am afraid you're temporarily under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China."

"But…" Gwen felt stunned by the unfortunate news. She had thought Gunther would have been able to arrange for her to travel to Sydney, perhaps for a week or just to visit once a year.

"Silly girl!" Gunther suddenly chuckled, laughing at her dismay. "You can ask Yue and Elvia to come to you as well!"

"I can?"

"Indeed, after all, only you can help them."

"How?"

"Connections, resources, and Contribution Credits." Gunther spelt it out for Gwen one after another.

"Connections as in knowing the right people to stamp the right documents. Resources to grease the wheels of bureaucracy, and finally CCs to get the Tower to enact on your behalf."

"I have CCs right now!" Gwen blurted out. "I have ten!"

Gunther burst into laughter.

"I am afraid immigration for a single Frontier Mage begins at 1,000 Credits," Gunther pointed out cheerfully. "With 10 CCs, you can probably issue a gathering quest for some tier 3 ingredients for alchemy."

"Oh," Gwen felt her charmed bubble disintegrate.

"Chin up, Mädel." Gunther consoled her. "Three years of University will pass in the blink of an eye, assuming you pass all your examinations and Field Trials."

Thinking of her Evee, Gwen felt infused with a burning conviction. Three years? It was nothing! For Elvia, for Yue, she could fight the world! She exalted her speculative future. With her talents, she could surely gather the CCs needed to bring her friends over for a reunion. What were a mere three years when she had the surety of rubbing Elvia's cute little face and kissing her cheeks as her reward?

"One final thing," Gunther interrupted Gwen's internal revelry.

"Yes, Brother?"

"There is another opportunity to execute the plan our Master had intended for you in the Inter-High."

Gwen listened intently.

"Should you be accepted into Jiantong or Fudan, there is an international University Competition held for second and third years, overseen by the Tower Masters of the Mageocracy, stationed in Brussels. Master knew them well and even presided over many a competition."

"Right," Gwen's voice grew husky when she thought of her Master, lying cold and dead under Sufina's Heart Tree.

"Good," Gunther explained. "As before, this is your chance to shine. If you should demonstrate that the Void Element can be harnessed for the good of the Tower, for Mankind, then you may become a celebrated member of our Order. Maybe even invited in time to come to possess your very own demesne. Such is the prestige of distinguishing oneself in that austere competition."

"Is it difficult?"

"It's one of the most competitive student contests in the world."

"Did you…"

"I did."

"How…"

"I was voted MVP but lost the competition."

"Oh." Gwen pondered the immensity of the competition's field of challengers. Just how challenging was this competition if even the mighty Gunther Shultz had to face inevitable defeat.

"How about Alesia?"

"She-"

"SHUT UP!" Alesia's voice returned. She'd been listening in on them.

"She GOT DISQUALIFIED!"
"— NOOOO DON'T TELL HER!"

"Hahaha..."

Gwen was happy that the two of them seemed to be getting along. Did her fellow Apprentices 'get together' yet? How would Jonas feel about that? Gwen whispered a benediction for Poor Jonas' unrequited love, feeling her heart sigh sadly for the old Romantic and his doomed, solitary amour.

Gwen waited until Gunther and Alesia had settled themselves.

"I have something to say," she said solemnly. "It's about our Master."

Her sibling-in-craft's faces grew solemn as well.

"I found Master's body in the Grot, along with Sufina."

Her siblings listened with rapt attention.

"Master's remains have been kept in stasis by Sufina. She has asked that one day, the three of us go and visit her together."

"Master…" Alesia's voice choked up.

"We will." Gunther's voice became cold steel. "We will bring him the head of Elizabeth Sobel."

"On a silver platter!" Alesia's eyes glowed an ochre-orange.

"I concur," Gwen iterated their mutual commitment.

"Then it is decided," Gunther reiterated for all of them.

A moment of silence passed as each of them allowed the vindictive promise to be digested wholly, with the oath of cold vengeance fortifying their resolve.

"Gwen, can you ask Magus Song to return?" Gunther intoned softly, holding his trembling emotions in check. Alesia did not fare nearly so well and so left the vision-caster.

"Yes." Gwen left the room and found her Grandfather alone in the stone garden.

"You have finished speaking?" he asked softly. "Is the arrangement agreed upon?"

"It is," Gwen whispered in return. "Gunther would like to speak with you again."

"Alright."

Watching her grandfather go, Gwen stood by her lonesome self in the garden and shivered.

Revenge.

What a strange and alien phrase.

To murder.
To take a life.
To deliberately seek out and destroy another human being and exalt in the fact of having done the deed.

"O fie. Hold, hold, my heart. Remember thee. Poor Ghost, while memory holds a seat. From the table of my memory, allow me to wipe away all my trivial fond records, and thy commandment alone shall live—"

The words from her old world were now fragmented and incomplete. She was beginning to forget it all, losing track of the life she once had. Now she was the Avenger incarnate, whose blade shall weep the blood of her enemies, whose sport is to make mincemeat of hated flesh.

How much of her would remain Gwen, and how much of the Gwen she knew was left to give?

Only the future would tell.


Gwen slept restlessly in her new spartan room, tossing and turning, irritated by the rough cotton sheets and the stolid air. When morning came, she vowed to upgrade her accommodation with thread-counted linen duvets and cooling glyphs. She was, after all, a woman of means now; there was no point denying herself life's simple pleasures.

When she again dug into the rough linen for a catnap, a knock came from the door.

"Gwen?"

It was her grandmother.

"Babulya, one second!"

She emerged a few minutes later in a bare-shouldered maxi that ran the length of her body until it reached her ankles. A simple belt tapered the fabric around Gwen's waist, allowing the pleated folds to adhere to her hips. Her long hair formed a tightly knotted ponytail.

"Good morning, dear," Babulya's voice was soft and comforting. "Come, much to do today. We're going to get you checked up and registered. But first, the most important meal of the day."

When they arrived at the banquet hall, a dozen and more people were present— her grandfather, babulya, herself, aunt Nen, and a host of the house's staff, mostly in military uniforms, were busy chowing down on sticks of fried dough and slurping on rice congee.

"Good morning, Grandfather. Good morning everyone."

Guo nodded, then continued slurping piping hot porridge.

It was another culture shock. People here spoke when they ate, ate when they chatted, drank soup with their mouth full of rice, and luxuriously slurped, chewed and swallowed whenever the chance presented itself.

Gwen found a place to sit and took some congee and golden dough from a communal basket. The pairing side dish was a strange-looking egg sliced in half.

"Egg of Mandarine Duck, salted in brine," Babulya pointed out when Gwen gave the strange, oily yellow core a curious poke. "Very rich in mana and nutrients. Do try it."

Not wanting to disappoint, Gwen retrieved the yolk and placed it in her mouth. It was salty, fishy, semi-raw and tasted strongly of egg that had gone slightly off. She quickly drank some congee to wash the taste from her mouth, politely vocalising a few appreciative slurps so that she fitted in with the noisy crowd.

"How do you feel?" Babulya asked, her wizened eyes blinking expectantly.

"I feel… fullness? Vital?" Gwen marvelled at the unexpected satiation of her Astral Body. "What's in this porridge?"

"It's called the Congee of Eight Treasures." Her Babulya chuckled. "Frontier cuisine, especially western cuisine, doesn't have ready access to produce harvested in the Wildlands. As someone unused to the food here, you will quickly absorb the additional mana boosts offered by the rarer ingredients, though it will take a few years of fine dining to catch up to Mina and Tao."

Gwen nodded, though she didn't think that she would have less mana capacity than the people here. Was there a numeric capacity for measuring such a thing? She felt no reason to withhold her curiosity.

"Babulya, how do I know what my Mana capacity is?"

"You will have your answer soon, dear." Klavdiya pushed over another bowl. "Eat."

Gwen wolfed down another bowl. With her Void-assisted appetite, she was a girl who could eat the world. After a third bowl, her abdomen could be kindly described as having a food baby.

With breakfast done, Klavdiya led Gwen outside, where a dark sedan with military plates awaited them.

"Second Army PLA," Klavdiya informed the driver, then reclined in the large leather seat. Compared to herself, her Babulya was dressed in a cotton mandarine jacket. She appeared very prim and proper, though in a way that projected humbleness.

"Ma'am!" The driver saluted smartly, starting the vehicle.

The interior of the saloon was roomy and spacious. Gwen noticed that when the door closed, it cut off almost all sound from the outside.

"Can you tell me about where we are going?" Gwen inquired.

"An army hospital," Klavdiya repeated as the car gently took off. "Your babulya happens to be one of the seven directors."

Gwen's lips puckered to form a little "O".

"It's not much to boast, dear. There are not many of us left these days from the original members in the '50s. A few dozen families, that's about it. Any one of us who desired a position like this would have been offered one eventually, assuming we're in the right field, of course."

"Babulya, can you tell me more about yourself and grandfather?" Gwen inquired carefully. "If it's too intrusive, you don't have to."

"No, I'd love to tell it," Klavdiya replied kindly. "What do you want to know?"

"Well." Gwen tried to think of a delicate way to phrase it. "Is Yeye a spy of some sort? A secret agent?"

"Ha! He's not a Grey Ghost if that's what you were suspecting." Klavdiya quietly laughed to herself. "He has quite a few titles. What do you know about the PLA?"

"Nothing," Gwen confessed. It wasn't as though she had a Bachelor of Political Science or Asian Studies.

"Then I'll keep it simple." Babulya patted her hand assuringly. "Your Grandfather is a commissioned secretary under the Ministry of National Defence, meaning he's something of an intelligence big-wig, about three rungs from the top. He is also the Deputy Secretary of Internal Security and Anti-Reconnaissance Division, which means he has to sign off, though not plan or execute, missions involving counter-intelligence. Finally, his actual job is being the Chairman of the Confidential Communications Committee, which serves as one of twenty-four counsels for the Secretariat Committee, the governing body of the Communist Party of China here in Shanghai."

Gwen nodded, then shook her head, then nodded again. Klavdiya may as well be speaking Russian.

Sensing Gwen's confusion, her Babulya tried to think of an appropriate analogy.

"He specialises in counter-intelligence and internal security," Klavdiya added after shaking her head, distilling Guo's position to its lowest common denominator.

"Okay," Gwen nodded emphatically. "This may sound rather presumptuous of me, but if Grandfather is that power, then do we have any enemies? Several of the youngsters seem less than friendly towards Tao and Mina. If I had to say, fight them— I wish to know who I need to—not fight."

Klavdiya chuckled to herself, stifling a laugh. "What a bloodthirsty little minx you are, Gwen. Nothing for you to worry about dear, Guo is not a factionist. Just remember a few golden rules."

"Yes, Babulya?"

"Should you be so inclined to duel. No killing. No maiming. No permanent injury. AND that applies to NoMs as well. We are not the Mageocracy, after all."

"Which means?" Gwen contemplated a bothersome hypothetical situation. "No Void Magic?"

"Yes, No VOID, at least until you can control it with absolute confidence. If you inflict a mortal injury on someone with Void, expect their family to be beating down our door, demanding to put you in the military court."

"But I CAN use it, assuming I use it safely?"

"I would avoid using it in a non-official capacity, dear." Klavdiya's eyes were full of kindness. "Are you so eager to show the world your skills?"

"I don't know," Gwen confessed.

"That's alright. Use it when you have to. There are not many like you, and none with access to both Yin and Yang elements, but you need not fear for yourself. The Tower exists to protect talented Mages like yourself, be it our Tower or theirs."

"How so?"

Klavdiya chortled. "Unless you wish to be a rogue Mage, you will automatically become a Tower Mage, although the choice of PLA or the Pudong Tower is up to you, certainly your grandfather would want you to join the PLA, but that would mean committing resources and support, which he will not do."

"Why is that?" Gwen asked quietly. What was wrong with investing in herself?

"Why?" Klavdiya patted her thighs, causing Gwen to blush mightily. "You lack the yaytsa to inherit! But your brother Percy does!"

Gwen's babulya cackled to herself heartily, enjoying the moment as Gwen grew flustered.

As for Gwen, she could only chew on her lip.

A woman can't inherit and can't pass on the family name, so they're not worth spending resources? What bullshit! She fumed. In a way, she understood the logic but felt repulsed by the misogyny.

"Why fret, dear." Klavdiya squeezed her hand. "You are the Apprentice of Henry Kilroy, are you not? The Sister-in-craft of the Morning Star! Why would you care if Guo Song to try and limit your horizons? If it's a matter of resources, did you not make three thousand HDMs in a single night? Are you incapable of making more?"

Gwen relaxed.

"You're right," she replied after a moment of contemplation. Her babulya was correct; she was pedantic and greedy. "Thanks for putting that into perspective, Babulya."

The interior lights kicked in as the exterior of the car dimmed. They were now entering a superstructure that spanned across a pentagrammic array of highways and underground passes. A few lumen globes grew in gradual brightness until their faces were just visible.

Outside, Gwen deduced that they were traversing through a tunnel network.

A glowing green sign indicated an underground entrance for staff. The sedan slowed, then pulled into a circular parking bay guarded by olive uniformed guards with combat wands strapped to their thighs.

Granddaughter and grandmother alighted the vehicle, where Klavdiya received another round of salutes before being escorted toward the lift.

The levitation platform penetrated several strata before it broke through to the surface, allowing Gwen to finally take in the entirety of the structure they were now entering.

The Second PLA Army Experimental Hospital was a superstructure overlooking a byway of five roads that met within its interior. It contained a Military Hospital, a Civilian Hospital, a Veteran's Hospice, a Recuperation Ward, and most importantly, housed the PLA Medical Research and Development Division.

Beyond the superstructure sat a profusion of NoM apartments and their underground commercial districts, crowding the horizon like a meadow of brilliant tomato stakes. Below the two women, the multitudes of milling people looked like termites swarming a perforated stump.

Gwen grew nervous when Klavdiya led her into an intimidating laboratory.

It was stark white, sterile in every aspect— white walls, with shapeless opaque lights embedded into a featureless, white ceiling. White, polyurethane-like surfaces made up white tables and benchtops, underneath which was a profusion of stainless steel made up chairs and tables, trolleys and dollies. The machinery was likewise a combination of ceramic white on brushed galvanised steel.

"I appropriated the lab for a few hours, for your privacy," her Babulya assured her. "You will need to put on a hospital gown; there's one in the cupboard there. It's just you and me, so help yourself."

"Can I keep my inners?" Gwen inquired, hoping the answer was yes.

"No." Klavdiya shook her head. "Don't be shy. The equipment is designed to work without interference. However, you can keep your rings on. They shouldn't be a problem. For future reference, you would have to remove items possessing body-enhancing, regeneration, or obfuscation capabilities."

Gwen changed behind a screen, emerging a moment later a little colder. The XL gown was still too miserly for her tall body, but the XXL would have been too loose for her shoulders, leaving most of her flank exposed.

"Very good." Klavdiya pointed to a platform and told Gwen to stand between what looked like two magnetic prongs, one pointed at her head, the other at her abdomen. "Relax."

There was a thrum as something thrust against her diaphragm and her belly. Gwen felt a wave of permeating mana penetrate her body.

On an off-side screen about waist height, a three-dimensional illusion of Gwen materialised. It was life-like, though transparent. Upon closer inspection, Gwen realised that it was a projection of her astral form overlaid with her physical body.

"This is a sonogram projection." Klavdiya tapped a few Glyphs that only she could see, her expression the very face of professionalism. "Now we can get to work."

Gwen attended her Babulya as she incanted arcane invocations beyond Gwen's knowledge, watching Klavdiya's fingers dance across runes and glyphs both visible and ethereal, a few of which she recognised from her grandfather's workshop.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"So, let me explain." Klavdiya directed Gwen to another platform, where she became backlit by a blinding sheet of bright perspex humming with Positive Energy. "Do you know how magical healing works?"

"No." Gwen felt she was saying that a lot these days. "Well, I know the theory, but I have a feeling the Frontier left a lot of details out."

"Oh, you poor kitten!" Klavdiya gave Gwen a motherly hug, her small stature and Gwen's hospital gown making the encounter more intimate than necessary. On Gwen's end, receiving the doting affection of her matriarch was strangely jarring. Klavdiya wasn't her mother, but she gave off an effect far kinder than any embrace Helena had ever delivered.

"Magical healing is not a substitute for natural healing," Klavdiya spoke as they separated, sternly taking her by one arm. "At least without supreme knowledge of the human body and its anatomy down to the structure of the cells."

She enlarged the illusory Gwen's body with a flick of her wrist, where red lines ran through her imaginary form like spider web fissures.

"Look at these," Klavdiya pointed out. "These are fault lines where new and old flesh has fused."

Gwen nodded.

"They are what we call Positive scarring, meaning that the imperfect regeneration of your flesh has grown cancerous."

"C-Cancer!" Gwen blurted out. "No!"

"Your injuries are extensive." Klavdiya clicked her tongue. "In the battle with the Skin Changer, you must have lost a significant portion of your organs and a considerable section of your lower muscle mass, as well.'

"I… I have CANCER?" Gwen tried to wrap her mind around the news. After all the bullshit she had gone through, and she now has cancer?

"Why? What's wrong?" Klavdiya looked at her granddaughter strangely. "That's what happens when you overheal."

Gwen's eyes grew misty with despair.

Klavdiya regarded her panicked granddaughter wordlessly. "Lie down; this is going to itch."

Gwen laid down on the white linen examination table, blank with the dire news.

Klavdiya tapped a few Glyphs. A few mechanical injectors pierced her quivering flesh with their precious cargo of alchemical solutions.

"True Restoration!"

A gentle warmth suffused Gwen, turning her skin translucent with a carefully controlled array of Positive Energy that seemed to permeate every pore.

"There— it's done."

"What's done?" Gwen felt suddenly and inexplicably healed.

"Your cancer." Klavdiya slapped her granddaughter on the thighs.

"Oh?" Gwen suddenly felt quite stupid.

"A lesson to be learned," her babulya continued. "Avoid excessive healing in the field. With each healing spell you receive, your body's resistance to the spell grows, and the chance of malignancy increases. If you subject yourself to too many low-level healing spells, there may be irreversible damage to your body that not even tier 7 spells can restore. There's a reason Frontier Combat Mages have unusually short lifespans, though the rarity of upper-tier healers in those parts of the world is to blame, I suppose."

Gwen inclined her head.

"They never told us," she said wistfully, thinking of all the times those around her casually treated every other minor injury with blasts of positive energy or chugged healing potions like it was raspberry cordial.

"Why would they? It's not as though anyone could refuse magical healing. Does the Frontier even have facilities for the NoMs, for the natural and mundane restoration of the body? Do you know how much resources that would take?"

Gwen shook her head. She wondered if Elvia knew or if her friend had been too much of an Acolyte to be told such a secret of the trade. Her Master and siblings probably knew as well but thought little of it since they could arguably access high-level healing, which meant Gwen would have received this treatment sooner or later. In the end, despite the convenience of magic, it still boiled down to a stratified society of the rich with access to the best medicare, while the poor were left straddling their battered bodies unto the grave.

"Gwen." Her grandmother sensed her doubt.

Gwen turned to regard her babulya, seeing the older woman's eyes grow damp with care and concern.

"Your Path, my dear granddaughter, will be a Path of Conflict."

Gwen felt the sagacity of her grandmother's words soothing the turbulent anxiety haunting her since her troubled conversation with Gunther.

"Think of all the fighting you will be doing, Granddaughter: the wolves, the lions and tigers, the hyenas, the foxes and the jackals; you will fight the Monsters across the land, air and sea, the Demi-humans who will think you a threat. You are going to fight allies. You may even fight family."

The last word made Gwen wince unpleasantly.

"If you want to attain what Magus Shultz and de Botton expects of you, of what I imagine you expect for yourself, then the road ahead is a never-ending path of what the Buddhists call Asura, the Path of Violent Reckoning. There will be no rest. No solace, not even when you're spent and bloody and desire nothing more. With your talent, your blood, you will become a locus of envy, jealousy, wrath and lust. Can you understand that?"

Gwen replied that she did.
She had survived the Mermen incursion.
She had lost loved ones to conspiracy.
She had killed and murdered.

A year and a half ago, she would have quoted back Shakespeare, but what she had experienced had gone far beyond the realm of make-belief.

"That came out far more seriously than I expected." Klavdiya apologised. "To get carried away at my age…"

"Babulya, your advice is very sound," Gwen confessed.

"I am glad to hear it, dear." Klavdiya took Gwen's hand and guided her from the Healing Table. "Now, for some volumetric measurements of your current abilities. That's why we're here, after all."

A yellow-jacketed folder materialised on the stainless steel surface of an examination table, indicating the presence of a built-in spatial storage system. Klavdiya retrieved Gwen's portfolio from the envelope and scanned the numbers.

"Miao did an extensive survey with your biometrics." Her babulya placed the file onto the table for Gwen's purview. The Comprehend Language of her Ioun Stone did its best to translate the medical jargon, but much of it remained a jumble.

Gwen moved onto another set of machinery. This time, the mechanism resembled a chest extension station at the gymnasium. Klavdiya instructed Gwen to place her hands on the handlebars, arching herself over an L-shaped bench.

"Okay, we're going to take the average of three attempts," Klavdiya informed her. "The Spectrometer is to get a volumetric reading of your Mana Pool."

"What do I do?" Gwen's ears perked up.

"Channel for ten seconds, as much as you can. Three Times. The machine operates much like the Awakening Stones. It will send a guiding mote into your astral body to generate a statistical representation of your capabilities. Just relax and remember to let the mote return to the machine."

The Spectrometer began to thrum.

"Ready? Three. Two. One. Channel."

Gwen gathered her focus and imagined herself pushing the mana in her body outward, much in the same way that Mana Shields manifested. Around her, astral energy poured from the aether, gushing through her mana channels. Where her palm touched the handlebars, she could feel a mote of Divination invade her Astral Form before quickly disappearing.

Klavdiya watched the indicator rise and fall as though it crested upon a moving wavelength.

"Calm yourself," she advised. "Long, sustained manifestation."

Gwen tried again.

Then performed the same exercise a third time.

"How's it looking?" Gwen asked her grandmother eagerly.

"About 132 VMI, that stands for Volumetric Mana Index."

"How does it measure up, I mean," Gwen rephrased her question coyly.

"What do you think?"

"About average?" Gwen tested the waters.

"Ha!" Klavdiya chuckled.

"You're teasing me!" Gwen nagged her grandmother winsomely, both keen and curious to find out.

"Alright, it's impressive."

"How impressive?" Gwen pushed for clarification.

"Well, to give you some perspective. Tao is sitting around 60 VMI, Mina about 65 VMI. The boy you fought, Frederick Lin, should be sitting about 70 VMI. I don't know about your father, but Jun is a marvel at 440 VMI. Your grandfather hasn't been in combat for some time, and his last checkup was 280 VMI. The requirement for an intermediate Mage to gain employment under the Shanghai Towers is 90 VMI. What do you think that means?"

Gwen crunched the numbers. "Why is mine so high?" she inquired, a dreaded hypothesis forming within her mind.

"I am sure you have an idea, dear." Klavdiya patted Gwen on the cheeks.

It was true then.

Assuming her meagre diet of semi-magical and mostly mundane produce, she should be sitting around 40 VMI after a year and a half of training. What this meant was that she had an excess of 90 VMI that Caliban had acquired. The junior Mages at Blackheath would have provided 5 to 10 each, while Faceless likely supplied the lion's share.

When her late Master was teaching her tier 4 Conjurations, she had felt that her pool was insufficient to sustain all of her Conjuration effects concurrently. Yet, during that Bout with Lok, she had only just broken a sweat after almost four minutes of sustained firing from her Orb, Cloud, and Summon Familiar. Furthermore, she had noticed that her non-newtonian shield had felt extraordinarily dense. Lok's Earthen Spears had only just cracked her outer shell.

Now she knew why.

"I am curious as to why I've never heard of VMI in the Frontier," Gwen asked.

"It is forbidden to export Magitech to the Frontier, dear," her grandmother answered patiently. "But the Frontier does fine without it. Spellcraft itself isn't an exact thing, strange as that may sound."

"I see. What else?" Gwen was beginning to realise why Richard desired to be out of the Frontier so eagerly.

"Affinity!" Klavdiya took Gwen to another station, one holding a large crystal ball that resembled an Awakening Orb. "Hand on the stone, channel Elemental Lighting thrice, then we'll reset for Void."

"Alright," Gwen placed both hands on the stone and waited for Klavdiya's command.

"Three. Two. One. Channel."

The stone crackled with an electrical discharge.

"Again."

The stone flared.

"Once more. Good."

A shunt of mana belonging to the Enchantment school cleared the crystal ball, returning it to its crystal clarity.

"Now for Void, as much as you're able. If you feel faint or weak, just let me know. I shall have a Restoration held in reserve."

"Okay, Babulya."

Gwen took a deep breath. It had been some time since she had hollowed herself out channelling the Void.

"Ready? Three. Two. One!"

Gwen's face paled as the surge of Void matter pushed past the threshold of safety provided by Amuldj's blessing. She felt her vitality ebb away as dark motes of blackness filled the Awakening Crystal, filling it with a maelstrom of elemental entropy.

"Restoration!" A contraflow of carefully attuned positive energy flooded into Gwen's body, repairing and mending the parts of her physique weakened by the inundation of Negative Energy. "Can you manage one more time, dear?"

Gwen focused her mind and again performed the feat, feeling herself weaken as her vitality waned. Her face became pallid and pale, her skin slimy and grey with the sweat of exertion. It took all of her conviction just to stand upright.

"Greater Restoration!"

Her grandmother liberally exhausted her mana on Gwen. Even half-conscious, Gwen baulked, knowing that each casting of Greater Restoration consumed almost a dozen HDMs worth of rarified components.

"4.45 for Lightning," Klavdiya jotted down the figures carefully. "I am surprised to say that your Void is 4.03."

Gwen had felt that her Affinity with the Void had increased significantly but hadn't expected it to almost double from taking in a single Faceless and an elementally ambivalent centipede.

"So, you are sitting effectively at Void 4, Lightning 4, both impressive statistics."

"How do I..."

"...Measure up? Above average, though for the fact that you possess two Elements, I would venture to say that you are already beyond reasonable comparison. After all, the number of Mages who currently possess two pure-strain elements number no more than a dozen in Shanghai. There are a few young ones as well, but certainly, your kind makes for a rare breed."

"There're others like me?" Gwen wondered aloud.

"Not exactly." Klavdiya tapped the table. "I recall a Clan Mage, Fei Ling Yi, the First Disciple of the Kunlun Clan, who wielded both Air and Ice. The Twin Element talent is a rare occurrence that happens once every so often in the inheriting branch. However, it has been a decade since the Kunlun Clan disappeared. As for you…"

Gwen's babulya presented her palms in exasperation.

"I don't think I've never heard of someone awakening in oppositional twin elements. It goes against all our current Astral Theory. If you ever choose that discipline in University, you would understand. It is not too uncommon for siblings, or even twins, to awaken in oppositional elements, for creation favours a dichotomous pairing, in Yin and Yang, Water and Fire, Earth and Air."

"So I am a curio," Gwen stated quietly.

"Don't fret. You have us and your brother-in-craft," Klavdiya assured her. "Although, if you want to volunteer, your Babulya is more than keen to take a poke around in your Astral Body. Would you like to know how you came about?"

"Sure," Gwen nodded. "There's one more machine, so another test?"

"Indeed."

Klavdiya directed Gwen into the final machine. The Glyphs were familiar to her, for she had seen them many times under Henry's instructive tutelage at the Sydney Tower.

"This is… a Cognisance Chamber?"

"More or less," Klavdiya helped Gwen into the harness, a soft leather strap that wrapped around her wrists and waist. "It'll give us some insight into your body's affinity for the different schools of magic."

"I think I know what I am proficient in already," Gwen volunteered.

"Nonetheless, we need to issue a transcript," Klavdiya informed her. "Why do you think we're here? The tests are not for satiating our curiosity, dear; this is so you can apply for University!"

"Oh? Oh!" Gwen realised the penultimate goal of their exercise. She had hidden her abilities for so long that it felt more natural not knowing her Affinities and talents. "Babulya. Thank you for doing this for me."

"Well, the numbers speak for themselves. I am just jotting in the details." Klavdiya smiled benevolently at Gwen and gave her a squeeze on the arm. "Relax, you don't have to do anything. Just keep your arms and legs inside the oscillator when it spins."

The tubular mechanism that held Gwen began to hum, filling the air with Divination energy. Another set of arms bearing a Diviner device began to circle her body.

A set of scripts poured from the console.

"Alright, let's see here," Klavdiya poured over the list. Her eyes became wide with wonder. "Goodness gracious!"

Gwen craned her neck. She wanted to see as well.

Klavdiya read it out one by one.

“Evocation, 3.28.”
“Conjuration 4.05.”
“Transmutation 1.50.”
“Abjuration 1.05.”
“Divination 1.01.”

"This reads like I had crammed four Mages into the same machine," Klavdiya marvelled, puckering her lips thoughtfully. "Five schools, Gwen. I don't know what to say."

"It's Caliban," Gwen explained. It appeared that she couldn't just pad her Affinity with corpses. Her Transmutation had been less than tier 1 previously, and after digesting Faceless, a minimum Tier 6 Transmuter, Gwen had only an increase of .5 in her efficacy. For her, the more Affinity she absorbed, the less effective her "Consumption" effect became.

"But your Conjuration and Evocation seem to be a double Awakening," Klavdiya pointed out. "That and you possess twin, oppositional Elements."

"What does that portend?" Gwen implored her grandmother.

Klavdiya's eyes fell upon her.

Gwen's heart skipped a beat. Did her Babulya suspect? Could she know about the Twin-Soul?

"I suspect…" Klavdiya began.

Gwen gulped.

"That you may have had a fraternal-dizygotic twin that died in the womb, and I suspect that your body, while an embryo, likely absorbed her," Klavdiya's hypothesised was thankfully based on her decades of Medical-arcana experience.

"That would also explain the Yin and Yang," her Babulya offered expertly, her voice growing with confidence. "I am sure of it, though we would need to conduct extensive tests on yourself and your mother, to be sure."

"I don't think she'd agree to that," Gwen pointed out.

"Nor do I wish to proceed," her Babulya shook her head. "Speaking of your mother. Do you think she and Morye could get together? Having a divorced spouse here in Shanghai always complicates one's social standing. The major families, the Clans, the Houses, the state itself, is very particular about the family unit and viability of one's bloodline."

"Not a chance, not to mention Mother has a new husband."

Klavdiya's expression grew instantly cold.

"What, Hai not good enough for her?"

Gwen glanced downward, finding sudden interest in the sterile floors. She would preferably not contribute to the momentum of their current conversation.

"Well, at any rate, we are almost done." Klavdiya carefully labelled and filled in each document. "Lastly, I need some of your blood."

She produced a syringe and six small vials. Gwen winced and extended her arm, from which her Babulya painlessly and professionally withdrew six ruby-red vessels of sanguineous fluid.

"These will be sent to the Tower to generate your Visa and Passport, Academic ID, Public Practice of Magic Licence, and Adventuring Permit. Remember, Gwen— Astral attunement is your best identification. No one can pretend to be you, not even a Skin Changer— unless they can consume your Astral Body."

Gwen shivered at the thought.

"Thank you, Babulya," she replied earnestly, realising the sheer amount of red tape that Klavdiya had just circumvented for her. From the moment these documents entered into the system, she would become an official citizen of Shanghai, no longer a vagrant hobo from the Frontier who had wandered into town. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"It's alright, dear, just make sure you make us proud." Klavdiya smiled gently and uttered an incantation that seemed to drain the life from all the machines. "I dare say that we've spent the better part of the day here. You kids still have to leave for Hengsha Island tomorrow. I am sure your Grandfather is receiving the newest members of the family as we speak."

Gwen felt a sudden palpitation of the heart. "Percy is here?! Richard too?"

As if on cue, a crimson Message spell bloomed like a lotus beside their ears.

"Speak of the old devil," Klavdiya chuckled. "Guo?"

"I am taking the two of them home now." Guo's familiar voice came through the Message. "Are you done?"

"Just finished," Klavdiya replied sweetly.

"Good." Guo's voice was much softer when speaking to his wife. "I'll see you soon."

"I desire a kiss, dearest," Klavdiya suddenly demanded of the stoic old man, watching Gwen trying to stifle a giggle. She winked.

There was a moment of futile internal struggle.

"Muah!" A puckering sound came from the other side of the Message.

The two women broke out into uncontrollable giggles as the Message abruptly ended. Gwen and babushka tittered, then cackled, then finally broke into uproarious mirth until they held their stomachs.

"Alright, alright," Klavdiya urged Gwen to change into a demure attire. "Let's go see this heir of ours."

Gwen picked herself up from the floor.

Percy! She felt her heart aglow with warmth. And Richard!


The scant traffic at noon meant that Gwen and Klavdiya were home in record time.

Gwen burst through the gates and ran into the courtyard, her eyes frantically scanning for her brother and Richard.

"In the training hall, Mistress Gwen." An NoM servant indicated to the training grounds. Gwen tried to recall the sweeper's name but couldn't and so bowed, then made purposeful headway to find her kin.

As she came close, she grew aware of ripples of indeterminable mana, as familiar to her as her own, emanating from the interior. Gingerly, Gwen opened the heavy, oaken doors, sliding them to one side.

Happily, she met the expectant sight of a young man looking very much like a young Morye summoning a stream of Elemental Salt from thin air. Besides her brother were two other figures; one was her grandfather, looking stoic and stern, and the other was the welcoming sight of Richard grinning broadly at her entrance.

"Richard!"

Gwen felt confounded by an emotion that she could hardly contain. Ignoring her grandfather's displeased scowl, she ran towards Richard and leapt at him with open arms. He caught her by the waist, and they met in midair, with Gwen wrapping her arms tightly around Richard's neck.

"Oh God, it's so good to see a familiar face!" she uttered felicitously, feeling all the tension drain from her body.

She then turned to Percy and embraced him, pushing her brother against her body like a plush toy.

"Percy! Percy! Percy! How I've missed you!" she gushed with jubilance, ruffling his hair and gifting him a sloppy kiss on the forehead.

Percy was not expecting his usually mature sister to affect such an outburst of unbidden emotion. Her brother mumbled a greeting under the threat of suffocation, then his face turning a deep crimson from the public display of affection.

Gwen then tried to get them all into a group huddle, but Percy declined. She laughed, realising her brother was at a tender age where affection and attention were loathed and loved in equal measure.

Klavdiya then came through the door, her presence as luminous as ever.

"Grandmother!" Percy walked robotically towards Gwen's babulya before bowing from the waist like a boomerang. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise, let's take a look at you," Klavdiya replied in a matronly manner. "Raise your head, dear."

Percy did so; his dark eyes, inherited from his grandfather, studied his grandmother while Gwen watched their interaction. As with Gwen, her apparent youth seemed to catch Percy off guard. After all, her grandfather looked like a grizzled old veteran, while here was their grandmother, looking not a day past forty.

"So much of Hai in you." Klavdiya measured Percy with her eyes. "We will be spending plenty of time together in the future, dear. You may return to Guo."

"Yes, Ma'am," Percy answered stiffly before returning to the centre of the room.

"The boy has potential," Guo informed his wife satisfyingly. "He has demonstrated a strong Affinity with the Salt, and I suspect he should be a Transmuter or an Evoker, either of which should do nicely."

"Of course." Klavdiya shot her husband a knowing look. "I have Gwen's numbers as well. We'll talk later."

Gwen watched her grandparents' interaction with interest, but her primary focus was still on her brother and her cousin, united at last.

"How was the trip here? Did you feel sick after the Teleport?"

"Oh yes, very unpleasant," Richard confessed. "Felt like someone reached into my gut and jerked my appendix. Percy projectile vomited as soon as we arrived. Spectacular stuff."

"Richard!" Percy flushed.

"Well, you look fine, little man!' Gwen squeezed her brother's shoulder. "You've grown taller!"

"I want to be taller than you," Percy replied sulkily. Gwen chuckled. She understood that it was awkward to be so much shorter than one's female sibling. How could a brother maintain his masculine decorum if his sister towered over him every time they went out.

"I think you're out of luck there," Richard interjected. "Maybe Awaken as a Transmuter? You can grow as many inches as required."

Percy glared at Richard.

Gwen lightly punched her cousin in the arm. "Stop that."

"Ah— there's no sport in the kid," Richard snickered as well. "He's too easy."

"How's your family?" Gwen inquired.

"With Surya helping out, they're okay. Right now, they're waiting for me to get some Contribution Credits together."

"Seriously?" Gwen raised a critical brow.

"Yeah, I kid you not. Well, I already promised my parents I'd get them out ASAP. I think the fact that both of your parents are now in tier 1 cities set them off. After all, Kwan has always had a complex about besting your mother in life," Richard added.

"Percy, how's mum?" Gwen turned to her brother. "How pissed was she?"

Percy chose his following words carefully. "Mother says to tell you that she never wants to see you or speak to you again, not on her life."

"Oh?" Despite her prior speculation, Gwen still felt a little stung. Having overcome the previous Gwen's traumatic conditioning under Helena's history of abuse, she now felt more sympathetic toward her erstwhile mother than anything else.

"Yeah, I was there," Richard affirmed candidly. "She was pissed as anything, my God. The shriek she delivered. I thought my ears would start to bleed. She may as well be the new resonating frequency to fend off the Magical Beasts."

"Yeah, I figured." Gwen sighed.

"Percy, tell your sister how you feel about all this." Richard tapped her brother on the arm. "Tell her the truth."

Percy brushed off Richard's intrusive fingers. From the look of his sullen face, the boy wanted to remain mum.

Richard sighed.

"Your brother was up all night, fucking jubilant and whooping on about how he's going to a tier 1 city, Destiny Manifest, that kind of shit." He frowned at Percy. "He may be fourteen now, but he's as much a rebellious little shit as they come."

Unable to retort, Percy blushed a deeper shade of crimson.

"What are they talking about?" Next to them, Guo was unhappy with what his Ioun Stone managed to translate, feeling none-too-pleased that this cousin of Gwen's was heaping criticism on his new, precious grandchild.

Klavdiya patted her husband's hand.

"Richard, come here," she spoke fluent English.

"Ma'am?" Richard presented himself politely.

Klavdiya materialised a cream coloured Ioun Stone from the air.

"Put this on," she commanded, passing the Stone over to Richard.

Richard took the Stone with both hands and bowed expertly. He thanked Klavdiya with impeccable manners, then attuned the Stone without incident.

"I like this young man already." Klavdiya gave Richard a once over with her eyes. "Where did you train, Mr Huang?"

"Just Richard is fine, or Dick, even."

Percy smirked.

"Alright, Richard."

"I trained at Prince's, Ma'am, the Sydney branch."

"A Commonwealth Greater Public School? A fine establishment. We have a branch here in Shanghai, too, though much smaller than your European divisions. Have you completed your studies?"

"Yes, Ma'am. I was on leave and serving as a resident at the college in place of my Military Service. Before the incident, I was awaiting transfer to Europe."

"Oh, how unfortunate." Klavdiya patted Richard on the cheeks, watching his impassive face affect a pleasant smile. "What are your plans now?"

"Gwen is my plan now." Richard looked at Gwen and gave her a toothy smile. "I plan to go to university with her and serve as her second."

"You what?!" Gwen spluttered. "No! Richard, your career is more important than mine!"

"I wanted this," Richard affirmed with absolute confidence. "Not to mention, I have discussed my future in great detail with Lord Shultz."

"You did?"

"He hinted at a possible future Tower opening," Richard replied without any intention of withholding that bombshell. "Though we're not very compatible, I will be satisfied as long as he allows me to serve his interests and vice-versa. The Tower Master has plans for Sydney that will span decades, and I am happy to be a part of them."

"But Richard!" Gwen felt such jubilance fill her heart. It was too much. How could her cousin have so much confidence in her? She felt glad and happy but also considerably pressured, sensing the burgeoning weight of new responsibilities buckling onto her shoulders.

"A wonderful prospect," Klavdiya applauded Richard. "You have my blessing."

"Thank you, Grandmother Song." Richard bowed lavishly in the manner of European nobility.

"Oh my, that takes me back." Gwen's babulya blushed happily. "I hadn't seen anyone perform that bow in decades, not since the old days when we used to have debutant balls."

"You would have been the most beautiful debutant by far." Richard followed through without even pausing for breath. "But then again, Babulya, even now, your unfading pageant remains in bloom."

"I remember that line." Klavdiya applauded Richard. "Is that Ruminov?"

"Yes, from the Second Translation by Wessen," Richard replied.

Beside them, Guo coughed uncomfortably.

Goodness. Gwen marvelled at Richard. What a babushka killer!

"Have they got their IDs yet?" Klavdiya enquired of Guo, who nodded in response.

"Tomorrow." Her grandfather replied.

Their meeting was interrupted by a servant who waited patiently by the threshold of the Training Hall. "Masters, the table is set."

Klavdiya turned to her husband and the grandchildren.

"Well, shall we break for lunch? I am sure you boys are all starving after travelling such a long distance."

"I am indeed famished and would love to accept," Richard said politely. "You are too kind."

Gwen blinked, again impressed with Richard's high society training, something she lacked in either lifetime. Even under Henry, etiquette lesson had been forfeit for training. It was no surprise, as her Master had begun life as a commoner, while Alesia took great pleasure in beating down high society, and Gunther hated sophistry.

Klavdiya seemed immensely pleased with Richard "speaking" her kind of language. She took Richard by the arm and kept speaking to him in low tones that made Guo's face alternate between disgruntlement and vexation.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Grandfather, are you alright?" Percy inquired carefully, wary of his grandfather's growing ire.

"I am fine, Grandson." Guo's face immediately changed into one of benevolence. The effect was so startling that Gwen felt as though she was watching a Shapeshifter change faces.

"Are you hungry?" Guo asked, his voice rich with patience. "Our banquet uses the best ingredients, just for you! We need to make up for all those years of mundane diets. I've prepared some herbal baths as well to help you with your mana conduits. We're booked in for a check-up at your grandmother's clinic too..."

"I am looking forward to it, Grandpa," Percy indulged himself with Guo's shower of attention.

"Call me Yeye." Guo chuckled happily to himself, in a world of his own. Watching it all go down, Gwen felt a little sick.

"Yeye!" Percy shamelessly delivered his flatulent flattery.

"Oh ho ho! Ah hahaha!" Guo guffawed, not at all the Commissioner of Confidential Communications but a doting old gramps. Gwen baulked. The man was laughing! She hadn't thought "Yeye" capable of expressing such human emotions. The way he stared at her had always been as though she was a strange decorative part of the house.

She felt strangely oppressed but knew better than to be greedy. She had received a second chance to know her family, and now she had Richard and Percy back with her too. Wasn't that enough?

"So, what's this Hengsha Island?" Richard asked when then entered the communal hall, where the banquet awaited them.

Gwen told him of their travel plans, briefly explaining who Mina and Tao were, then dismally failed in clarifying what the island meet up entailed.

"Babulya," Ricard announced suddenly. "Can I ask where and what is Hengsha island, and may I accompany Gwen there?"

"It's a meeting of the Shanghai Clans, mostly children from lineage families," Klavdiya explained patiently in that soft, gentle voice of hers. "As a mimicry of the International Inter-University Competition, the Clans make teams that compete for objectives. Sometimes there are even Dungeons from long gone magical or Demi races you can explore. The purpose is to get to know your peers and to give a chance for the well-established families to pick out talented candidates for the future."

"So, a marriage mixer?" Richard instantly read between the lines.

Gwen's dumpling paused in midair. "... What?"

"It's not really like that," Klavdiya confessed. "No one is going to push for anything. It's a very informal affair. Mostly young egos, duelling one another down to size, that sort of thing. Although, now that you mentioned it."

The two of them looked at Gwen, who squirmed under their gaze.

"Gwen," Klavdiya asked seriously. "Did your Frontier school teach Sexual Education?"

"I don't want to talk about this..." Gwen confessed. "How about we talk about Percy?"

Richard interjected. "Now that you mention it, I don't think her school offers that curriculum. Gwennie, I don't suppose Morye gave you the 'talk', did he? The proverbial phoenix and the dragon?"

Gwen's complexion turned the hue of pink pippins. She cringed inwardly. If only her family knew that she wasn't blushing for inexperience, but that despite being thirty in her old life, she was a virgin in this one. With her accusing eyes, she cursed Richard's bluntness. Bloody Richard!

"I'll let Jun know you're coming along," their grandmother said. "Will you protect Gwen, Richard?"

"I won't fail." Richard flashed Klavdiya a charming grin, showing just enough teeth to be winsome but also solemn enough to be serious. "You know, you are my favourite person besides Gwen, Babulya, and I mean that."

"What a delightful young man," Klavdiya muttered with pleasure. "Make sure you settle in properly, Richard. You and Gwen are sharing the Trainer's rooms."

With the matter settled, Gwen turned her attention back toward the mana-rich dumplings.

Dick— she shuddered. What a frightening babushka killer!

* * *

Once lunch was over, Gwen asked Richard to catch her up on the comings and goings of the last week or so while she was first away to Singapore, then spirited away to Shanghai. She had asked Percy if he would join them as well, but Guo dragged his heir apparent away, eager to begin the indoctrination of the newest member of the Song Clan.

Desiring privacy, the two retreated to the seclusion of the Training Hall's courtyard.

"First of all, how's everyone?" Gwen began.

"Surya is doing very well, keeping busy with the refugees." Richard read her mind, as usual. "He's called in his old war buddies, and they've expanded their camp into the adjoining properties, whose owners have decided to move to the other Australian cities while Sydney's Shields are replaced. Tess and Mel are heavily involved in the caretaking, so I guess they're flat out as well."

"Where's mother, right now?"

"She's gone to her husband's. Fabricator Hu has the main branch of his family in Shanghai."

"Oh?" She had expected her mother to be lurking somewhere in the compound and had spent lunch wondering where Helen had gone.

"Hu's a nice guy," Richard added, seeing Gwen's expression. "Your mother will be safe and happy with him. I think Helena needs someone like that to keep her in line. Let me tell you, what I heard and saw at the registrar's office is something that is going to turn me off the sound of a woman screaming for a long time."

"How bad was it?" Gwen asked.

"How bad, you say?" Richard made an expression akin to wracking his brain. "To give you some context. Your mother had been worried about her passport since the incident, obsessed even. She tried to get Surya to pull some connections, even demanding that he contact Magus Shultz. When your grandfather completely ignored her, she became intolerable."

"I am sorry, Richard." Gwen sighed apologetically.

"Eventually, Fabricator Hu contacted his family here and managed to cut them in line for an interview at the Immigration Registrar. We were there at the Processing Centre— my parents, your mother, Percy and Hu when Magus Song's men found us."

Gwen hearkened for the explosive climax.

"First, Helena was afraid when the men approached her. When they showed her their MSS identification and told her that they were taking Percy away, she turned completely white. That was when the poor bastards, Wei, I think? And Jung? Made a terrible mistake."

"What did they do?" Gwen asked curiously.

"They mentioned that your father was already in Shanghai and that he will be in contact with her."

"Oh no, they didn't!"

"Oh yeah, they did!" Richard roared with laughter. "Your mother went ballistic. Ape-shit. It was like a sonic attack! Every pair of eyes in the centre, almost a thousand people were staring at us. She was about to claw their faces out!"

Gwen cringed so hard her neck cramped.

"Then Magister Shultz's men came out of nowhere. They confronted Song's men on Helena's behalf."

"Did that go well?"

Richard shook her head, lamenting his lost sanity.

"WELL? Imagine that you're trying to avoid a public spectacle. However, every other sentence you manage to get out, there is a loud, wailing SCREECH that seems to blot out all sound—every time. EVERY DAMN TIME the two parties make a single compromise, there is another SCREECH. I believe that at one point, either of the teams would have just preferred killing your mother right there and damn the consequences."

"I am so sorry." Gwen moaned. Just trying to picture the scene was enough to transmogrify her brain into a mass of migraines.

"So after the fourth or fifth interruption, I can't remember. Magus Song and Shultz's men gave up negotiations and just called their bosses so that they could speak to one another privately."

Richard stared into the middle distance as he purged the memory from his mind. "Well, I am glad that's over. Don't ask me to recollect that ever again."

"...How's Aunty Tang and Uncle?"

"Getting along well with Surya, another reason I, or we— now that we're in this together, need to move fast. As I mentioned before, Contribution Credits."

Gwen reached out and held her cousin's hands. They felt rigid and cold in her hands.

"That's alright, Dick. I'll do what I can to help. We'll do it together. My goodness, your hands are freezing!"

"A little case of the nerves." Richard chuckled nervously. "You know, all my life, I wanted to be in a tier 1 city. Now that I am here, I am not so sure."

"You'll get used to it," Gwen promised. "Say, do you need money? I just came into a great deal of money."

"Oh? You undertook some Quests already?"

"Heehee." Gwen smiled slyly. "I got it from fleecing some rich boys at an underground fighting competition."

"You didn't!" Richard's face lit up, burst out laughing. "That's wonderful! Haha! Oh, you have to tell me all the details! How do the Mages here measure up?"

Gwen explained the Bout with a masterful retelling, detailing the Affinity of the Mages she had encountered and what she had seen so far on offer in Shanghai.

Richard breathed out.

"Good. Nothing too overpowering then, at least at our age and level." He looked immensely relieved. "That's about the same as upper tier at Prince's, for the Members of the Four Houses."

At the mention of Prince's, Gwen's ears perked up.

"You know, why DID you leave Prince's? It can't just be because of money, can it?"

Richard's shoulders sagged.

"It's a question of servitude." He chewed his lip for a moment. "After I was selected for the Four Houses and even made Praetor, I found out that for selection to a tier 1 branch, I must first declare my allegiance to a Noble House of the Commonwealth Mageocracy— something called the Militant Faction. BUT— it's essentially indentured servitude! A decade spent serving as a House Mage! Furthermore, as a Latus Genere, a side branch warden, I can't ever enter the upper echelons' inner circles. If so, what's the point? Why waste my time? I would rather be a free Mage."

"I am not sure what some of those words mean, but I'll support your decision, whatever it may be." Gwen touched her cousin's arm encouragingly, happy that he had chosen to risk his life and limb in Shanghai of all places.

She leaned over and gave him another hug.

"Thanks, Gwennie."

"Speaking of which, did you bring much luggage?" Gwen pointed to her Storage Ring. "Which room's yours?"

Not surprisingly, Richard was staying in the room adjacent to her own, in the training hall. Furthermore, it was no surprise to either of them that Percy was living in the main branch of the house, possessing a bedroom with an ensuite and a separate living area all to himself. It had been Tao's room, but the rapscallion Hip-hop artist had loathed staying at Guo's residence, stating that he preferred death.

"Anyway, let me speak to Babulya. We need to get some serious necessities, trust me on this. Those rooms are going to be the death of us."

"I am in your tender hands." Richard was grinning from ear to ear. "As of this moment, I am a kept man, and you're my sugar-Gwen."

Gwen fell about laughing until her belly was in stitches; when she recovered, she hooked her arm in Richard's.

"Okay! Let's ask Babulya for permission."

The duo found their Babulya sitting inside the Master's suite, sitting with Guo and nursing a cup of tea. Gwen and Richard stopped at the threshold of the door and politely knocked.

"Come in, dear." Klavdiya invited them into the resting chamber, adjoining the master bedroom and Guo's heavily warded study.

"Babulya, may Richard and I go out to shop for some necessities? I wish to acquire some linen and some, er, feminine products."

Guo's eyes glazed over the moment Gwen mentioned the latter.

"Alright, dear, I'll get Lu to bring the sedan around. He can drive you to the commercial district."

"Thank you."

The grandparents watched the pair withdraw.

Gwen's grandmother turned to Guo. On their table was an envelope containing the data from the morning excursion.

"Are you so determined?"

Guo possessed a face full of iron. "My decision is final!"

Klavdiya's brows furrowed, her eyes gazing at the two bodies fading from the courtyard.

"You men and your legacies!" She scoffed, her criticism stinging her husband. "There are no medicines for regret, just so that you know, dear husband!"

Guo said nothing. Instead, he stood from the chair and left his wife to fume.

Klavdiya shook her head, allowing her disappointment to drain slowly away.

"What a waste," she muttered to herself. "What hubris."

* * *

By the time Gwen and Richard returned home for dinner, they were a hundred HDMs down, and Gwen's Storage Ring became inundated with enchanted glyphs for cooling, heating, and circulating air. She had further purchased a dozen conveniences that she never knew existed, such as disposable crystal glyphs that allowed for small but complex magics like Prestidigitation for cleaning laundry.

Soon, their spartan rooms in the training hall become outfitted with new lights, wardrobes, bedside tables, new beds, and fresh linen sheets weaved with supple, flaxen silk from Wildland moths.

Gwen gave Richard a minor Storage Ring, having lost his own when he quit Prince's. She also left him a full complement of Mana, Healing, and Cure Disease and Poison potions that Gwen leftover from her trip to Singapore.

While sorting through her inventory, she rediscovered her Portable Habitat, which she would need to return to Melbourne Tower. Her intention, however, was to use it for as long as she was able. Despite the one HDM cost every twelve hours, she could have a villa all to herself, with a working kitchen and showers too, that she could manifest anywhere.

When the night finally descended, Gwen and Richard further spoke at length about their skills and their abilities, finding ways to improve their synergy should the need arise. When Gwen confessed to Richard about her current complement of Talents and Affinities, her cousin's eyes lit up with anticipation.

"Hold on!" Richard started suddenly. He left her bedroom, then returned a few seconds later with several documents.

"Those are?"

Her cousin coughed.

"Gwen Song, congratulations on graduating from Blackwattle Bay. These are your certifications for completing secondary education at the senior level, as well as completing Preliminary Compulsory Magical Education. I am proud of you, Gwen Song."

Gwen took the certificates and stowed the lot in her ring.

"Thanks, Richard."

Watching his impassive face, a sudden feeling of mischief overcame Gwen, who desired a little retribution for Richard's earlier performances.

"Caliban!" A slurping sound engendered, after which a hellish arachnid from the darkest depth of an Elder God's madness-addled mind materialised from a slit in space-time.

"HOLY MOTHER OF JESUS!" Richard appeared genuinely startled. Without warning, a sprout of water leapt from his body, squirting forth a frothy jetstream, engulfing Gwen and Caliban in a shower of salty brine as the spray pushed them both against the wall.

A spluttering Gwen commanded Caliban to heel, after which a bedraggled mistress and her monster sat demurely, regretting their prank.

Above Richard, Lea was as beautiful and ethereal as ever, her transparent face exquisitely sculpted, with deeply set aquamarine eyes and a high ridge-line nose. Strands of cascading water flowed from her head like a waterfall, trickling with the ambience of crystalline streams. The Undine's pellucid body was just as scandalous as Gwen recalled, for her translucent aquamarine dress left nothing to the imagination.

"Please forgive us," Lea apologised by putting together her palms. "You surprised me, is all. Here, I'll collect the water."

"No, no, it's my fault." Gwen waved her hands to say that she was fine and then produced some of the magical loot she had acquired during the day. One of these was a device for drying clothes.

"Dry!"

Moisture drained from her sheets and her cloth, quickly drying the fabric within a radius of about a meter.

"Cleanse!"

The scent of freshly laundered sheets once again permeated the room.

Two of the Glyph-stones dimmed and died, requiring replenishment from mana crystals.

"SO GOOD!" She giggled gleefully. She loved this world of magic. Goodbye, house chores! Goodbye laundry day!

"Gwen, I know you're rich now," Richard observed dryly as the moisture faded. "But you just spent 8 LDMs. Just so that you know, it costs nothing to ask the NoM servants to change and wash your sheets."

Gwen stuck out her tongue playfully.

Beside them, Caliban flailed its multiple tongues in imitation.

"Shaa! Shaa!"

Lea floated over and patted the nightmarish spiderling.

"You look different," Lea commented as she tapped Caliban's carapace, giggling as Caliban's tongues tasted her wet skin. "Cali is stronger."

"Yeah, a lot has happened," Gwen replied.

Lea coiled herself around Gwen and took in her scent.

"I can still smell the mana on you, the one from before," she noted. "So ancient— May I?"

Gwen channelled a mote of Amuldj's mana to the conduits of her left arm, suffusing her fingertips with a soft green glow.

Lea placed Gwen's finger against her pale blue lips, then began to suckle.

The two young Mages' eyes grew as round as hen's eggs, their faces mutually turning a crimson shade of beetroot.

"I am leaving!" Richard took off from the bed and left the room.

"Nooooooo…" Lea left the room, taken by a reddening Richard. Unless Richard manifested his Summon Familiar formally, his humanoid familiar couldn't traverse more than a few meters from his body.

Gwen chuckled and unsummoned Caliban.

With a moan, she slid into her soft, luxurious, two-thousand thread count sheets made from the ejaculated silk of ten thousand Wildland worms. Now smothered in the lap of luxury, Gwen thanked the Gods of manchester, wiggling her body until she burrowed into the cocoon-like bed.

Tomorrow was yet another adventure.

Tomorrow, together with Mina and Tao, and this 'monstrous' Petra, they would be travelling to Hengsha Island.

But most importantly, she was no longer alone.