Petra massaged Gwen's stuttering legs as her cousin squirmed and groaned.

"I am not a spell-bank, you know. Unless we're Adventuring, I don't stock up on those spells," Petra chided Gwen, who moaned as her masseuse's fingers worked over the inflamed flesh. "Transmutation Utility doesn't teach you the physiological and morphic aspects of these spells, so be careful with the revised Incantations. We can always get you a Transmutation Tutor in the future if you're so keen on getting up close and personal."

"It was an idiotic fancy." Gwen gritted her teeth as Petra worked over a knot.

"Turn around," Petra commanded.

Gwen flopped over like a slab of grilling fish flipped by a chef. The sorry sight of her suffering made Petra laugh as she began work on her hamstrings, working her way down to the quads.

"Is the Druidic Essence helping?" Petra asked. She had advised that Gwen focus on circulating her emerald Essence through her body to take advantage of its regenerative properties.

"OW—" Gwen took in a breath of cold air. "I-I can f-feel the soreness fading away, but you're doing God's work, Pats."

Earlier, her cousin had quite a shock when she opened the door to find Gwen transformed into a mass of convulsing flesh caught between the sofa and the coffee table. It wasn't until she poked Gwen with her foot in the buttocks that the girl began to scream blue murder.

"Three more days to go, and you get your break," Petra advised her. "Feel like doing anything this Sunday?"

"I think I am going to r-r-rEST!" Gwen whined when Petra pressed an elbow over her gluteus. "Delicately, Pats! You're breaking the girl!"

Gwen felt a sudden tingle as her Divination senses pinged.

"Er—Pats?"

Above her, Petra snickered.

Thursday.

Gwen had practice, followed by Management coursework, followed by practice.

It was only thanks to her abnormally large mana pool and her Druidic essence that Gwen was able to pile together two sessions bisected by her Gen-Ed, which served to restore her mana.

From 0900 to 1200, she took to the practice field and focused on repeating her Conjuration incantations. First, she warmed up on cantrips, then moved her way up to Dimension Door, and finally on complex manifestations.

For her advancement toward the fifth tier, Magister Wen had prepared a new Incantation for Gwen, contributed by Magus Kumiko.

Based upon the altered Invocations used by Master Kilroy for Dark Tentacle and Faithful Hound, Wen had reverse-engineered three tiers of Summon Elementals: Minor, Lesser, and the namesake fifth-tier Summon.

At first, Gwen was disparaged that she was forced to acclimate her method to the mundane variety. When she mentioned this to Magister Wen, the helpful Magister intervened, showing Gwen that higher spells were the same formulas, only with more support structure.

Confidently, Wen informed the Void Conjurer that there was no reason why her Sigils couldn't process the usual formulas in Kilroy's Signature style, at least until tier 6, beyond which she would need to tap into supplementary mandala arrays developed especially for her altered-School.

The rest was a matter of familiarity, accuracy, stability, and speed.

Of all these qualities, speed was paramount to combat.

The time it took to manifest magical phenomena varied from Mage to Mage. Gwen's staple escape spell, Dimension Door, was tailored especially for Magister Kilroy's speed and took just over a second at her present stage of expertise. Faithful Hound, a defensive spell with many conditional modifiers, took almost two minutes. Comparatively, Dark Tentacles took about four to five seconds, while sustained barrage spells such as Warding Bolt and Call Lighting each took two to three seconds.

Gwen's display was well above an average arcanist but still far below an expert.

And the difference between a novice and an expert, Magister Birch explained, was their theory work.

For example, according to Magister Birch, the difference between "Summoning spells" and "Conjuration spells" isn't their similar function, but Spellcraft history.

Conjuration originates from the Latin term _conjuratio_ , a phrase popularised during the shift between the Dark Ages of Middle Europe to the Golden Age of the Florentine Renaissance. For Europe, it was an epoch with many concurrences: the splitting of the Papal States into the warring factions of the Romagna; the birth of ocean-faring sorcery which began the age of colonisation; the rediscovery of Roman and Greek Faith Magic; the renewed interest in the notion of Republic—all of which made for haphazard progress. During its apex, Conjurers such as Johann Georg Faust, a German arcanist, discovered how to bind elemental forces onto human anima, allowing Humanity to 'control' and 'communicate' with creatures they once worshipped as divine.

Meanwhile, Summoners, or spells that 'summon' creatures or things, were founded under far less academic circumstances. Archives as ancient as Egyptian hieroglyphs told of 'summoning' ancestral spirits, divine avatars, elemental gods, and so on. The phrase itself is a corruption of the Latin _evocatio_ , appropriated by the School of Evocation to mean the _summoning_ of raw elemental power. For Conjuration, a Summon thus represented the translocation of semi-sentient and mindless creatures compelled, but not controlled, by the Summoner.

Unlike early Conjurers, Summoners infamously called forth all kinds of mayhem and chaos by accident. From Succubi-beings that toppled nations to accidentally calling out Elder Elementals from the Plane of Fire to the spread of Vampirism—most of Humanities' mishaps had ambitious Summoners at their centre.

Birch's was a lesson well taught, for his warning closely matched her observations of "Summon Elemental", her new spell. When activated, a flood of leaping, howling, hooting creatures launched toward one's enemies, appearing and disappearing as her mana ran dry.

What interested Gwen was also the selection of "creatures". The _minor_ creatures for "Minor Elemental Swarm" were swarms of sparks that flew toward her desired direction. The more mana she channelled, the greater the duration and volume of sparks that manifested. If she was willing to OoM, she could sustain the spell for a whole five minutes, thanks to her abnormally large mana pool.

Gwen then attempted the tier 4 "lesser" variant but could only sustain the spell for a minute. Interestingly, the sparks now resembled insects or at least a host of creatures that moved like a swarm.

As for the tier 5 variety, she had so far no success, only raging headaches from mana feedback.

Nonetheless, it was good practice for her progress toward the next tier of expertise. Every moment of pain, nausea and suffering were all a part of conditioning her mind for the exponential complexity of interwoven Glyphs.

For the growth of her Void Magic, Magister Wen had explicitly warned Gwen to leave her curiosity well alone until they could gather sufficient data. She had no desire for Gwen to be recorded in Spellcraft history as the first Void sorceress to waste herself during a mundane session of enthused practice.

When she exited, sweat-soaked and pallid from the privacy of her practice room, she was met by several of her peers from the Conjuration class.

"That's Gwen Song," she heard one of the students whisper under their breath.

Gwen looked up toward the group waiting along the exterior corridor and prepared herself to greet them. However, she instead received disparaged glowers ranging from interest to loathsome stares.

When she came close enough to inspect her antagonists, she saw their colour matched practice equipment and enchanted uniforms, as well as their similar facial features.

Either these were a troop of six brothers and sisters—or these young Mages belonged to the Clan-Sects infamous to China's magical community.

Gwen pulled her gym towel tightly around her bare shoulders, covering her collarbones.

"Clanners", as Petra called them, saw all outsiders as the enemy, and they jealously guarded their secrets while hypocritically coveting the skills and talents of Mages they saw as inferior. These folk, Gwen reminded herself, were the very ones that Michio Lee wanted to crack open like an egg to scoop out their secrets.

As the group approached, Gwen lowered her head and kept her gaze downcast, mindful of the slight tingling of her Divination Sigils.

The group passed.

Someone snickered.

Somebody else whistled.

Unsurprisingly, someone cracked a lascivious joke.

Gwen swallowed the humiliation. Lucky for her, several of her subjects had Mid-Term exhibition matches, and some of these folk were in her classes.

As such, her revenge was best served cold.

"Miss Song, it's good to see you," James Ma, Professor and one of the overseers of their scholarship interview, greeted her as she entered the auditorium. "Is Mr Huang not with you?"

"He's Adventuring until next week, Sir," Gwen replied meekly, not wishing to appear to possess the come-offish air of the Mages who thought themselves superior to the NoM scholar.

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The professor seemed more relieved than disappointed at Richard's leave of absence.

"I suppose we all have our priorities. Very well, take a seat."

Gwen sat.

Mayuree joined her a few minutes later, and the two cuddled up near the front. Unlike herself, the Diviner held no interest in Gen-Ed and needed only to pass the course. Comparatively, Gwen scribbled like a madwoman as Professor Ma dived into the history of magical governance.

"Following the Leviathan Accord by Meister Thomas Hobbes, Non-Magical Humans were given rights of their own, becoming an integral part of human society," the professor spoke with a clear, articulate voice. "To trace the history of Hobbes' writing, one needs to acknowledge the French Meister and father of modern political philosophy, René Descartes; himself informed by classical predecessors such as Plato and Aristotle, who saw the merit in providing Non-Mages with a fighting chance at making themselves virtuous in a Human society."

Gwen tried to imagine Plato, who also happened to be a fabled wrestler, as a Mage.

"Note that during antiquity, Mages were divine heroes, sons and daughters of the Pantheon of Gods, so we mustn't anachronistically judge their limited understanding of egalitarianism."

James Ma was an excellent lecturer, possessing a distinct aptitude Gwen admired. His gold-rimmed glasses glinted as he spoke, and the cadence and intonation of his speech made the somewhat dry lecture far more interesting than its subject matter.

Unfortunately, very few of her peers shared her sentiment for social history.

The class was meant to be three hundred strong.

Right now, there were about a hundred of them in the lecture, and half of them were either listening with dazed expressions or quietly engaged themselves with private affairs hidden in the back row. As an NoM, Professor Ma couldn't challenge the students bodily, meaning he had to do his best with passion and rhetoric, hoping that at least a few of the Mages graduated with enough knowledge to have some sympathy for their NoM brothers and sisters.

The first lecture was on Rights, or more precisely, on the "Universal Guarantee of Equal Rights to all Human Beings." Nonetheless, the passionate lecturer may as well be playing guzheng to the proverbial oxen.

"It was the British Oxford Think-tank, headed then by the Meister John Locke, who first roused the idea of universal human rights for all. He stated that human rights should be an existential creed—a moral principle, enshrined and protected by all."

"Note that Human Rights, in sharp distinction to the two-tier system of Mage and Non-Mage laws practised around the world pre-17th century, refer to the 'RIGHTS' to which a person is inherently entitled. This right is inalienable regardless of nation, location, language, religion, ethnic origin or any other status. This 'right' is an egalitarian, universal constant, the very thing which separates us from the Demi-humans. It is a rejection of the proposals made by Meister Darwin."

Mayuree snuggled against Gwen's arm, opened a bleary eye, and closed it again. Unlike for Gwen, the lecture was for Mayuree a sweet lullaby.

Gwen eagerly jotted down the keynotes to Professor's Ma's informative representation of what she internally termed the NoM-Mage Apartheid.

"Some of you will one day be given a demesne to govern on the Frontier. As steward representative of your Tower or Provincial governorship, you will hold the power of life or death over the citizens under your care. You may be the protector of a township, the Arbitrator of a district, the Paladin of a Tower, or even the Tower Master him or herself, presiding over millions of lives."

"It is then, and only then, will you realise that all humans, NoM, Mage or otherwise, bear the burden of upholding the rights of their fellow citizens. Yes—holding so many lives in your hands may prove a stressful affair, but it is necessary for the survival of mankind. _Think!_ Why else does Humanity persist today as the most prosperous terrestrial race on Earth? The Mermen far outnumber us. The Elven race possesses far greater knowledge of Spellcraft. The Dwarves are more industrious and wiser. And the Dragonkin are to us, what Gods are to insects. BUT, why is it that Humanity, whose practice of Spellcraft only began in earnest during the Spellcraft Revolution at the turn of the 19th century, have such dominion over the continents? Why is it that we, who are weaker by all accounts, continue to survive and prosper, despite the fall of Frontier and city, year after year?"

As the lecturer's voice rose, the entire lecture now grew attentive.

"It is because of Good Governance!"

The lecture's interest instantly waned.

"The rule of Law! The respect for NoMs and Mages! The working together of all of Humanity! That is how we survived! We have produced more Mages in the last fifty years than all of Humanity's histories put together since the time of the Magi Moses and the coming of the Prophet Jesus Christ! Right now, more Mages are serving in the frontlines, the cities, studying to become Magus and Magisters like yourselves, than any other time in the history of the human race!"

" _Good governance_!" the professor reiterated. "That is the greatest power of all and the most difficult thing to master in the world."

Gwen completed her notes with a flourish. Her eyes glowed with passion and enthusiasm. Ma's lecture was fantastic! Such wisdom! Such sagacity! Such foresight! Gwen felt giddy with ambition, her skin crawling with goosebumps.

She could do it! She could bring forth a democratic utopia if she inherited a demesne! At the very least, she could make her subjets no longer suffer the yolk of unemployment and existential nihilism. She would endow her people with purpose and produce! She would make the Mages see sense in raising the NoMs toward meaningful participation in society!

But that was for a very distant future.

Right now, she was short on rent.

"Finally—there will be an excursion to District 108 and District 35 in Week Six." Professor Ma pulled out an image of a sprawling hive city shot from the air. Gwen recognised it as a 'forest' apartment block for NoMs on the Third Orbital Ring. "If you wish to participate, sign off a Security Clearance form 10-B outside the drop box beside my office."

After the professor concluded the lecture and finished issuing homework reading and reports, Gwen shook herself from the revelry of new knowledge and turned to wake Mayuree.

The girl slept sweetly beside her, curled up like a kitten, a sliver of drool leaking from one corner of her lips and forming a silvery thread across Gwen's dark yoga pants.

Gwen watched the Diviner's eyes flutter slightly.

"Is it time for lunch?" Mayuree asked groggily.

"You bet it is." Gwen chuckled, helping her companion into an upright position. "Let's go get some fish'n chips. I got another three hours of Evocation practice after."

Friday.

The Tower technician that came to install her LRM Projector was a young bloke who grew increasingly sweaty in the presence of the "Flower of Fudan" and her cousin.

Unlike the bloke's interest in herself and Petra, Gwen found herself drawn to the technician's work, particularly the magical tools he used to melt the concrete, embed the mana cables, then re-seal the lot.

When finally the LR Message Projector was completed, Gwen thanked the man and gave him a few LDMs as a tip, which he politely refused.

"It's an honour," the young man explained, still starstruck from the looks of his breathlessness. "The order came from the Pudong Tower itself."

He then showed her how to power up the device and left his card if she had further need of his services. Gwen sent the man away with a smile, then stood for a minute to admire the international communication device.

Now, she could talk to Yue and Elvia, not to mention Gunther and Alesia. With a bit of patience, she could even commune with Opa and set Richard up with his parents.

But first, she had her final class of the week, Economics.

As before, the Gen-Ed for Economics took place on the upper campus. Gwen quietly pushed through the door and snuck into the lecture hall; happily, the professor ignored her.

Mayuree waved, and Gwen walked up the aisles until she reached her companion.

"Hey there, Kitty." Gwen waved to the girl beside them.

Kitty gave a half-nod, then turned back to her note-taking.

Currently, the lecture was on the history of currency.

"… The first instance of Mana Crystals used as currency was undertaken unknowingly by the Church-Templars from the 12th-century Crusaders escorting members of the nobility on their pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Though the four major Crusades against the then indomitable Elemental Sultanates between the 12th century and the 14th century remained a failure, it nonetheless opened up the Mediterranean to commerce and travel, consolidating Papal leadership, galvanising medieval romance, philosophy, and of course—Economics."

The topic was right up her alley as she scratched her notes with an expert hand. Gwen was by now getting used to her data slate, which was just like a Kindle Paper-White, only powered by arcane mystery. Nevertheless, Gwen reminded herself that any technological device of sufficient advancement was no different from magic. The people of this world may call meteors from an alternate dimension—but her world had smartphones and the internet. A Mage may be able to conjure an amorous Incubus of some kind, but could they stream Gangnam Style their Message devices?

Below, the lecturer was unaware of Gwen's smug superiority.

"As it was near impossible to transport precious metals and large volumes of coinage, High-Density Mana Crystals, then the currency of Wizards, Warlocks and Sorcerors, became popular as a trading currency. Across the aeons, mercantile empires then rose and fell with the onset of disasters both natural and supernatural. Too much hoarding of crystals attracted Magical Beasts sensitive to such things as Dragons, while too little led to ambition and conflict. It was only after the Undead incursion of WWI that the newly formed League of Nations established the World Banking Regulations Body, where the G9, a collection of Western Nations, joined by the U.S from the New World, brought legislative recognition and fiscal management to crystal trading."

"As is common knowledge, Mana crystals, as a resource essential to Spellcraft and Magi-tech, is generated from Astral Rifts. HDMs are longitudinally perpetual but finite in volume due to the difficulty of harvesting them. As the backbone of a resource-backed economy, it is a perfect commodity currency. At any period, there is a finite volume of crystal producing regions, and this reserve is set against market trends and needs of our Tier 1 economies. Such predictability then affords the LDM and the HDMs their role as the currency choice of not only Humanity but Demi-humans as well."

Eureka! Gwen heard her old, economics-major self cry out.

_Crystals are friggin Petrol-Dollars!_ No wonder the fiscally infantile economy of this world never collapsed! Before the Americans created a stranglehold on petroleum in her world, the world economy pre-WWII was rife with instability, exploitation, economic bubbles, and fiscally irresponsible governments printing currency like toilet paper. That was the whole hog! Why could the U.S quantitatively ease their economy almost indefinitely after the GFC? Why was it that the U.S could outspend the G19 on military single-handedly? It was because it had an infinite capacity for inflation without upset—for the only way to drastically devaluate the U.S dollar was to unpin its stranglehold over crude oil! So long as other economies used petroleum in their lifeblood, the Petrol-Dollar was immortal! In her old world, the banking industry had drunk the milk of carbon-paradise, and to exit its embrace was death.

Comparatively, "Terra's" economy functioned on the stuff of legends, the Crude of the Gods! Clean, self-perpetuating, virtually infinite Crystals growing from the Earth where the foundation between the Prime Material and the Astral grew thin!

It was as though the Reserve Bank was the Earth itself! A self-capitalised reserve bank with infinite capacity and zero interest rates! The financial systems of this world could operate like an inebriated motor-hoon, and they still wouldn't veer into bankruptcy.

Here, the only way for a nation to lose everything was to lose its Mages and NoM labourers, thereby its capacity to extract crystals.

No wonder no one saw the need to keep the NoMs employed and productive.

No wonder almost all gainful employment involved venturing into the Wildlands and fending off the encroachment of the wilderness, the Magical Beasts and the Demi-humans.

No wonder the socialism in this world treated the NoMs like bodies bred to fill gaps.

No wonder the capitalists had little regard for creating hegemonic conglomerates.

No wonder slums like Blackheath were a dime a dozen in Sydney.

In its particular way, this world had already reached a self-perpetuating equilibrium; its macro and microeconomics balanced by a resource that was infinite and self-regulated.

No wonder—Gwen felt a sudden sadness overcome her weary soul, no wonder only the NoMs engaged in disorganised finance. No wonder the Frontier was rural and exploited. As a Mage, all she had to do was open up new vistas on the Frontier and all the currency that grew within her demesne—

Ws her's alone.

For the lack of a better phrase, her money would fall from thin air!


Gwen felt intoxicated when she stumbled out from the lecture, followed closely by Mayuree.

Her MBA! Less valuable than Yue's ability to provide Firepower! Firepower! Firepower!

She stumbled back to the apartment like a ghost and buried herself into the soft linen folds of her bed. EVEE! EVEE! EVEE! She chanted like a Mantra. This whole time she'd imagined herself taking to economics like a duck to water, now she felt like a cat that'd accidentally slid into a cold bath. She wanted to hug something so badly! But she wouldn't receive Evee's Glyph until her companion's communication device was authorised. She could try to contact Alesia or Yue, although 3 PM might be a little too early considering the timezone.

"Gwen, are you okay?" Mayuree peeped up on the other side of the bed, eyeing her companion worriedly. Gwen opened a bleary eye, and Mayuree saw a predatory glint spark from Gwen's hungry gaze.

"Gwen? E—eek!"

Gwen arrested the unsuspecting Mayuree and hugged her fiercely, feeling the softness of the girl under her as she rested her chin on Mayuree's soft head of dark brown hair. The girl grew beetroot, turning rigid as Gwen held her, unmoving, for five whole seconds.

"Okay!" Gwen breathed out, releasing Mayuree from her enveloping arms. "Thanks, Mia, I needed that."

Mayuree's chest rose and fell. Her mouth moved several times to make a sound, but the petite young woman felt like a Displacer beast and took her tongue.

Gwen sat upright on her bed.

"Sorry," she apologised.

"It's alright. Are you okay now?"

"I am okay."

"What was that about?"

"Nostalgia? Impulse? Sentiment? When I was in Sydney, a friend, Elvia, was close to me. She was a dear little thing, a tiny blonde angel. She's a healer, but she's gone off to England to study abroad." Gwen sighed and met Mayuree's amber eyes. "You reminded me a little of Elvia. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, no." Mayuree's complexion resembled a cooked lobster. "I am still in one piece."

"Great, I am glad to hear it!" Gwen chuckled, then felt the call of the Void. "Are you hungry? I am famished."

"Coming up then? Ah-lei can make us something. Anything you like."

"If it's not too much trouble."

"Ha! Of course not!" Mayuree replied richly.

Well, not for you, Gwen thought sardonically, unable to help herself. Still, there was no point wasting Mayuree's generosity; it wasn't as though Ah-lei would be freed from the labour of making lunch for her young Mistress if she didn't attend.

Gwen bounced off her bed, sending the small Mayuree tumbling away.

"Is western okay?" Gwen inquired, offering the girl a hand. She regretted the puerile act she had committed earlier, but she had felt in a childish mood. It was just one of those days. Maybe her anticipation for the conference with Elvia was subconsciously altering her habits. Now and then, whenever she missed her Evee, her insides felt like the interior of an ants' nest.

"Whatever you want." Mayuree grinned at her friend. "Whenever you like!"

_Beep-KeeeEEE—HUUUUUU- PSSSSSST- Ka-ka-ka—Ssss—HSSSSS!_

The LRC Device made an infernal noise that resembled two cats mating violently. Having survived the days of dial-up, Gwen found the sound more endearing than grating; she knew that the din of kitty-love was, in fact, Divination glyphs in search of a target.

_Click—_ a projection appeared of a woman in a red cotton nightie.

"Jesus Christ, who the fuck is this? Do you know what time it is?" A bleary-eyed Alesia scowled at the projected image.

"Alesia?"

The vision of offended femininity turned her face toward the prism.

"Gwen?" Alesia's brows took on a life of their own.

"Hi!" Gwen made a mental note that this particular Glyph was Alesia's home address.

"Oh wow! You got it installed?! Good work, Tiger!"

"How's it going, Sister?"

"Recovering, chugging along. How about you? Bloody hell, you look right buggered."

"Erg, how bad does it look?" Gwen placed a finger under her eye to prod her eyebags. "I guess I've had a big week."

"You look like something a drunk dingo dragged into the camp, haha!" Alesia laughed at her own Outback humour. Gwen joined in, genuinely appreciating the outback humour.

"Well, you're looking rather nice. Nightie and all. Waiting for somebody to slip into bed?"

"Sure, in my dreams. How about you, huh? Shaking your tail feathers at all the young fellers up there in Shanghai?"

"Oh, I was flat on my back all week—thanks to a week of CLASSES! Christ. It feels like tests have taken over my life. I assure you, Sister, I have had no time for the lads."

"I find that had to believe," Alesia chided Gwen's rebuff. "Surely there are some hot hunks in Fudan. It's a tier 1 city! There's sure to be a yummy someone to catch your eye, yes? You're young! Live a little, don't sleep on a cold bunk!"

By now, Gwen was beside herself. Trust Alesia to act the old wand! Wasn't she the thirty-something virgin? A female Wizard? The gall of this woman to mock her young and innocent heart! Speaking of which, Gwen was suddenly reminded of how her Sister-in-craft and Gunther are getting along.

"Enough about my amorous adventures, how about you, Sis? Are you and Gunther now making the beast-of-two-backs?"

"—Wow. Christ, Gwen." Alesia reprimanded her churlishly, her face glowing. "How do you come up with this stuff!"

"Um—are you saying you haven't progressed at all? Fine, I give consent! There. What are you waiting for?"

"He's busy, and that's not an excuse either, just the reality," Alesia's voice took on a more serious note. "But, we're together now, at least."

"Oh ho ho!" Gwen made her eyebrows wiggle expressively.

"No! Get your mind out of the gutter," Alesia blasted back in good humour. "He's worried about my health. You know, he still cooks for me sometimes."

Gwen felt the sting of being single. Gunther's cooking was divine. "He's running the reconstruction of an entire city, and he's got the time to cook for you? Girl, you have to jump that bone before some other hussy gets him!"

"Gwen!" Alesia rocked backed and forth. "You've become such a naughty girl! How many boyfriends have you had?"

"I've been living cleaner than a nun in a cloister," Gwen replied tacitly.

The two women traded a few more jabs before moving on to the matter of Gwen's subject selections, of which Alesia approved.

"I can be your Transmutation tutor in the future," Alesia announced confidently. "Anyway, since we missed your birthday, Gunther and I have sent you a care package. It'll take a while to clear Customs, though, especially in China. I hope it gets there in one piece."

"I'll look out for it, thanks, Sis!"

"Anytime, Sis!" Alesia's smile was so warm and inviting Gwen felt her heart flutter. "Anyway, you know these LRC calls cost an HDM per minute, right?"

"What?"

"Ahahaha!" Alesia snorted. "I hope you're not low on funds!"

"I'll get a job," Gwen said miserably. So much for all-nighter calls with Elvia or Yue.

"Okay, I'll let Yue know it's set up. And get someone to chase up Elvia. It's a two-way charge, by the way—bloody Diviner-Communication companies. Probably run by vampires. See you later, Tiger!"

"See ya," Gwen watched as the device died.

She looked at the clock.

15 HDMs.

Yes. It was time to look into part-time jobs.

Saturday.

Gwen emerged from Magisters Wen's session feeling like a cat stuck in a tumble dryer. How absurdly long was her week? She hadn't felt that kind of elongated distortion of time since she was training under the schedule set by her Master.

Yet, now with half a day to herself, she had no idea what to do.

Petra was busy.

Mayuree was off to see her family.

Richard worked like a madman.

Neither Mina nor Tao was available.

She couldn't just call babulya out of the blue and ask her impossibly busy grandmother to keep her company.

Her father was out of the city. Her uncle was probably saving the world on a secret mission.

Percy? Gwen baulked at the thought.

It was so strange how complicated life seemed when one had a family. In old Sydney, she could spend whole weekends cooped up with two cats that kept her company, a good book on her Kindle, and a bottle of Mexico's best-distilled agaves by the sideboard. Paper White in hand, she would lounge languishingly on the porch overlooking the ocean, a Tequila Sunrise sweating against the Australian sun, a kitty or two nuzzling at her ankle. Later, when her body grew stiff, she would do a little yoga and meditate to the sound of the ocean.

She thought of all this.

Then returned to the training hall.

And on the seventh day, Gwen rested.

As Petra and Richard were both out, she called for takeout.

After receiving looks of pity from the NoM delivering a family-sized lunch, she sat down by the kitchen table and ate by herself. She then cleaned up, switched on the LRM Device, then sent a Message for Yue to call her when she was back in town.

Then she went back to sleep.

At 5 PM, she left the apartment and jogged around the neighbourhood, from University Boulevard down to Guoding, from Guoding Rd to the second campus, then doubled back through the tree-lined centre of Fudan to the Guanhua Towers. From there, she took a sprint down toward her apartment, then cooled off in the garden. Her muscles, so disastrously worn out by her experiment with Transmutation, had rallied around her Druidic Essence.

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As she materialised a towel and wiped her face down, she saw a Blue-Green utility vehicle with the label "Greenland Construction Group" imprinted on the side panel. A familiar figure stumbled out from the passenger side, spoke at length with the driver, then stumbled toward the entrance.

"Richard! Jesus! Are you alright?" Gwen rushed over to her cousin.

Richard looked as though he'd lost five kilograms overnight. His face was sallow, and his skin had a sickly tinge. He peered up at Gwen with eyes that were on the verge of exhaustion.

The kind-faced old guy in the Van gave Richard a look of empathic misunderstanding and a thumbs up before driving off and honking the horn twice.

"Yo. I am back."

"Good God, Richard, what happened?" Gwen caught her cousin.

"Just a little incident, nothing too serious." Richard immediately attempted to diffuse her anxiety. "I just received a few Cure Moderates, so ol' blood-bag is right as rain. Don't you worry?"

"Dick!" Gwen wrapped his arms around her neck to support her friend. "This is not a laughing matter! Where did you go? Who was that in the car with you?"

"The foreman, he's got another two blokes in back, but I think they should pull through."

"Jesus, tell me what happened."

They entered the lift.

"Nothing catastrophic, if you must know," Richard articulated tiredly. "Damned River Mermen didn't uphold their part of the ceasefire. They collapsed an upper section of the Dam we were working, flooded the entire lower-valley past the Yellow River up South-East Nantong."

Gwen could almost imagine the raging torrent of water-bearing down on her cousin, bringing with it construction concrete, boulders, rebar, and other debris.

"Are you wounded? Do you need more healing? I could ask babulya or Mina to come."

"No, it's fine." Richard had no desire to leave unfulfilled favours in his wake. "Boss shouted me two potions already. I am just a little dizzy, is all. The healing took a lot out of me."

Gwen wasn't a healer, but she could tell Richard had sustained a potentially fatal wound.

"Oh, a few cracked ribs, contusions, internal bleeding, that sort of thing. But everyone lived!"

"Struth, Dick." Gwen deposited him on the soft sofa. "How are you now?"

"I feel like shit."

"What do you need? I'll get it for you, anything."

"Got something to eat?"

"I'll call take out."

"I need… meat. Something with iron in it."

"You got it!"

As they waited for takeout, Gwen demanded Richard relate every detail.

In pursuit of Contribution Credits, Richard had answered a Quest from his foreman for a clean-up crew to clear out Magical Monsters from their construction zone.

Richard's team spent two weeks clearing out the monsters with limited success. As with anything involving large masses of water, creatures tend to hide in the nooks and crannies of the meandering river. Even with Lea's ability to displace liquid, they struggled with completing the Purge request.

On the fifth day, Richard's party ran afoul of Gill-Gobs, or Mer-Goblins, ravenous little creatures resembling Goblins with jaws built like that of piranhas. These creatures were hyper-aggressive, with a tendency to swarm when the pack grew too large for their underwater warren or when their homes were destroyed—which was the case.

Richard held off a dozen single-handedly, but there were well over a hundred, each more agile in the water than even Richard with Lea's aid. Again and again, he regenerated Shields for himself and his allies, pulling them from the water, but even so, they were overwhelmed. Richard did his best, but it wasn't until help arrived in the form of a construction Golem dropping ten tons of gravel that he had his hair-breadth escape.

By the time he swam to shore, Richard was wounded all over his body and soon lost consciousness thanks to blood loss. After that, he woke up in Shanghai Metropolitan Hospital.

"Bloody oath..." Gwen felt her tear ducts loading up on Water Bolts. She had considered the possibility of Richard becoming injured before, but this was a return ticket to the afterlife and back, and it had come out of nowhere! She wasn't one for tears over the odd broken bone, but Gwen couldn't prevent her mind from spinning like a top when she considered that, but for a healing potion, she might have lost Richard.

"It's only to be expected," Richard tried to assuage her growing paranoia. "Who doesn't get injured while Adventuring?"

"But not like this! You almost died!" Gwen knelt by her cousin's side and cupped his face. "You're not allowed to die on me, do you understand? Under no circumstances can you die."

"I understand." Richard closed his eyes and gave her an assuring smile. "I didn't mean to put myself in that much danger. It was an unforeseen accident."

Gwen wanted to say something akin to 'never again', but she wasn't a naive waif anymore. If she desired Richard to accompany her on the IIUC tour, it was with absolute certainty that their life and limb were on the line.

When the food arrived, delivered by the same NoM from lunch, Gwen sat by Richard's side and tore up his order of baby-back ribs, feeding her cousin by the spoonful.

Petra arrived an hour later, just after 7 PM.

"I went and collected a Lesser Restoration from Babulya." Without knocking, she opened the door and strode toward Richard with a Spell-cube in hand. "Dropped by the hospital as soon as I got your Message. Mina's on-route as well."

"I'll be fine," Richard chuckled painfully. "It's just a scratch."

"You were almost worm-meat!" Gwen protested.

"Nonsense!" Petra allowed the spell to diffuse Richard's body. "He'll be fine after some bed rest."

A warm glow suffused Richard's body.

"Well, that's nice." Richard breathed out. "You don't realise until after the fact how much healing takes out of you."

"It's possible to die from healing, as stupid as that sounds," Petra advised. "Your boss means well, but he's an idiot. Two potions could have hollowed you out entirely. How badly were you wounded?"

"He couldn't have gotten you a Restoration?" Gwen interjected critically.

"You should have asked for a transfer to the 2nd PLA Hospital," Petra continued.

"Too true, Richard. Babulya would have taken care of you."

Richard shook his head.

"I'd rather not owe them anything, the Songs, I mean."

Her cousin's answer caught Gwen off guard. Hadn't she boasted only weeks ago that she'd broken free, weaned off the teat?

Petra slapped Richard on the back of the head.

"Don't be a prideful idiot!" she scolded him, her eyes glancing at Gwen. "You think Babulya cares about that? Don't think so little about our grandmother!"

"Okay..." Richard gave a half-hearted promise.

"Promise me you'll ask Babulya for help next time," Gwen demanded.

"Of course," Richard replied. "Thank you, both of you."

"Where's Lea?" Petra asked curiously about Richard's usually very inquisitive Spirit.

"She's tired, resting," Richard assured them. "Defending the others took a lot out of her."

Which meant whatever attacked them had been strong enough to destroy Lea's morphic form. Gwen realised. Richard wasn't telling them the whole truth.

_Clack—_

For the second time, the door opened without being knocked on.

"Richard!" Mina came into the room and made a beeline for the Water Mage. "Oh, Mao! You look terrible!"

Her cousin immediately revved up her best healing spell.

"Mina, He's already got a—" Petra tried to stop their overzealous cousin.

"Restoration!"

The mid-tier spell consumed the ingredients in an instant. In the next second, a surge of excessive Positive Energy forced the immortal part of Richard was out of his body.

"Richard!"

"Richard!"

"Richard!"

"Too… too much Restoration—" Richard's eyes were rolling toward the back of his head as the Positive Energy ravaged his physical form.

The girls watched the Water Conjurer convulse.

"Dick, are you alive still? Should I call Babs?" Gwen asked carefully.

Her cousin pulled himself up by the armrest and regarded the three girls. Gwen found herself kneeling by his side. Petra stood impatiently by the other armrest, one hand resting on her hips. Mina's eyes were misty with anxiety.

"Er..." Richard awkwardly moved his legs.

Gwen grew instantly distracted by Richard's growing haleness.

Petra followed Gwen's gaze, her face transforming from worry to passivity, then into her usual frigidity.

Mina's face took on the warmth of molten magma.

Gwen supposed that it was only natural. After all, Eros and Thanatos were the Freudian forces that constituted the human condition.

"Too much healing," Richard muttered weakly. "All the blood has gone from my head."

But there was no one to answer him.

The door slammed, and the girls were gone.

On Tuesday week, Gwen received her Sustenance Bangle—two of them. One white and one black, colour matched to her Familiars.

As instructed, Gwen channelled her Conjure Familiar through the wrist-rings, first calling forth Caliban, who emerged in its serpentine form, then Ariel as a horned marten. Even in its principle shape, Caliban was monstrously large, well over seven feet of obsidian glass sculpted with interlocking, semi-transparent chitin. Ariel, thankfully, juxtaposed Caliban in its fuzzy and adorable docile form, staring at the world with golden eyes sparkling with curiosity, sniffing its surroundings with its dark nose.

Her fellow students had their Familiars out as well.

Eunae with her doe.

Ji with his tiger-cub.

Bao, with his waterbird.

Ming, with his floating koi.

And Lu with his sweet-as-anything Lightning Hawk.

They kept a distance away from Gwen, who stood with a cute marten over one shoulder, and what looked like an abominable amazonian armoured earthworm coiled around her white ankles.

"Acceptable." Instructor Chen finished inspecting the lot of them. "Now, we go for a walk."

The troop began to shuffle out from the underground, emerging into the daylight of Fudan's secondary campus.

The Bestiary students immediately caused a stir as they stepped into the public space, drawing eyes from all over. Mages and passersby from the surrounding area began to gather as they gleefully pointed out the unusual nature of each Spirit and approximated their owner's origins.

Then the crowd fell silent as Gwen emerged with her twin Familiars.

"SHAA—!" She could sense Caliban's burgeoning hunger through their empathic link.

Caliban did not ask for permission before it slithered away and made a line for what Gwen presumed was a Positive-Energy channeller. The fresh-faced young man was pointing at Caliban and saying something to the tune of 'Wocao! What the fuck is that?!" when the serpent about-faced him.

"Caliban! Back!" Gwen commanded her pet.

Caliban reared to its full height like a cobra, almost a meter and a half off the ground, and attempted to halt itself before it ran into its unfortunate victim.

"Arrrrragh!" The young man understandably screamed like a woman.

"Eeee!" his girlfriend joined in soprano.

"EE-EE!" Ariel scolded Caliban.

"Shaa—Shaa—" Caliban sang.

The crowd understandably went wild.

"Caliban! No! Come back!" Gwen pleaded with her wild Familiar.

But, it was too late.

A volley of relatively harmless Magic Missiles struck her Void Familiar, causing it to open its carapace and actively demand from Gwen the vitality needed to activate its combat form. Before she willed it to back down, the Bangle kicked in, and Caliban was gone. When the culprits realised they had attacked someone's Familiar, they quickly fled the scene, with the crowd breaking into scattered cheers and mocking jeers.

The rest of her classmates looked over at Gwen with expressions of disbelief, schadenfreude, and amusement.

Instructor Chen pinched the bridge of his brow.

Gwen felt an ardent desire to flee the scene right there and then, but her pride did not allow such a pitiful display of surrender. She made sure that despite the beetroot complexion of her face, she was in complete control of her body language. Placing one leg in front of the other, she regally rejoined the others, wearing Ariel like a minx-scarf around her neck.

"Pitiful," Instructor Chen snorted mercilessly. "Go home and meditate. Work on bonding sessions. Run routines until they learn to stay by your side."

"I could manage with Ariel," Gwen retorted defiantly.

Chen shook his head.

"Go home," he commanded.

Defeated and humiliated, Gwen stalked from the scene, aided by her new mastery of Expeditious Retreat.

The rest of Week 2 began with a bang.

Ariel slept smugly on the thousand-thread count bed sheets.

Caliban slept in a cot that Gwen had purchased and was covered with a plastic tarp. The netherworld worm had a tendency to drool in the middle of the night, and the first night she'd shared a bed with it, she awoke at 1 AM with a pool of viscous goo collecting across her chest and arms as the sleepless serpent meandered back and forth listlessly.

Then, on the second night, she realised an even bigger problem.

Caliban, a thing of the Void, did not sleep.

Like a bleary-eyed mother, she had awoken in the middle of the night, startled and upset, to find Caliban wandering the bedroom, snuggling up in her clothes or digging up her trash. By morning, it had consumed three pairs of thankfully non-enchanted intimates, including a favourite bra.

Comparatively, Ariel had controllable bouts of curiosity and mischief, whether running into traffic to investigate a particularly loud vehicle, harassing student Mages for Crystals, or zipping across sidewalks to startle the innocent sausage vendor.

Following Instructor Chen's advice, she began taking both Familiars into the garden to run routines with a "shadowing" technique.

Start. Stop.

Start. Stop.

If they succeeded, then it was LDMs treat time.

Sit. Wait. Hold for 10 seconds. Reward again!

Unlike unintelligent pets, Familiars have an Empathic Link with their Masters and thus, what the Master wished. Therefore, she had to establish unambivalent dominance to polish up the mental control of her pets.

Ariel trained like a duck to water, but Caliban remained easily distracted and skittish.

According to her Instructor, there was little else for her to do but keep desensitising her pets to external stimuli and creating a strong sense of discipline and routine. If she could get her Familiars trained in their passive form by Week 7, she could move on to Combat Training. If not, he would advise her to give up on being a Creature Mage until such time that her Conjuration becomes sufficiently forceful to compel her Familiar into absolute obedience.

However, taking that route meant her Familiars need always be weaker than herself by half a tier. As such, Gwen had no intentions of giving up. Whatever it took, she was determined to pin Caliban's dogged will under her stiletto heels.


By the third week, Gwen could take Caliban out for a jog without inciting a public incident.

At the same time, it didn't take long for a new 'Great Mystery of Fudan' to circulate the campus.

"If you go to Gouding Rd and Unversity Bullevarde around 8 AM, you may see a ghostly gweilo beauty jogging with a Mongolian Death Worm."

It was an absurd rumour, of course, but then Lumen-Pics began to circulate of a beautiful girl in varying sports-tops fleeing from a monstrous Death Worm.

Thankfully, Gwen was by now blissfully immune. If passersby wanted images of Caliban, who was she to deny them? She was in public and on common land.

Her routine traversed through Fudan's shaded avenues, where the early spring's wind hung heavy with moisture as it blew through blooming sycamores and mulberries, filling the air with the fecund scent of future fruit. With an elfin grace, she meandered between the dappled trees, her hair swaying from side to side. Fellow joggers, able-bodied and clean-cut, nodded as she passed, then fled Caliban at thrice her cadence.

Her monstrous 'Mongolian Death Worm' trailed closely behind, slithering across the pavements with its rasping, chitinous underbelly raking the pebble path. Despite lacking a 'face', the worm seemed to sense its surroundings, avoiding the occasional pale-faced pedestrian too weak with revulsion to flee. Occasionally, when the armoured creature grew tired, it split its obsidian carapace four ways and panted from its lamprey's mouth, drooling profusely as its tentacled tongues tasted the air. That was when the sidewalk became a private resting area.

Occasionally, Chengguan stopped them—though the city guards were polite to a fault, more often asking Gwen for a Lumen-pic to show their colleagues.

As Lumen-recordings of the woman and worm spread, Gwen's infamy grew. At first, Gwen would presume the news of her Void talent would catch the popular imagination, but alas, it was Gwen's cohabitation with the 'Ice Queen' that set tongues wagging.

Were she and Petra an item?

Was THAT the reason why the Flower of Fudan refused to date anyone?

_No, no, they're cousins._

_Oh, thank Mao._

Or so it goes.

Over time, the stress of Caliban's constant company grew numb.

In Conjuration, Lily and the unfortunately phonic Pu took only a few days to acclimatise to Caliban's presence. From Gwen's perspective, the physical interaction with Caliban must have been a real thrill, for Lily squealed with such delight that half the lecture must have turned their heads. Consequently, a new vogue began in her Conjuration classes. Every student and their Familiars wanted to touch Gwen's Mongolian Death Worm.

As to why they kept calling Caliban a "Death Wor", Gwen could only search her audience's eager faces for answers they did not have. But—she was okay with the misnomer. She was fine with anything so long as people were willing to give Caliban a fair go.

Evocation was a more significant problem.

Overstimulated by sound and the flurry of rough magic and volatile elements in the air, Caliban had unsummoned itself twice in as many weeks when it escaped her mental leash and fled into the fray, or tried to investigate some Mage only to be blasted by flame, ice, magma, air and stone.

Spell Shaping degenerated into a hot mess.

The first time she showed up with Caliban, she cleared half the lecture. Micho Lee, the Magister presiding, became so upset that he made Gwen sit in the far corner by herself. Then, after news had spread of Caliban's obedience in the subsequent week, the problem became curious students trying to attract Caliban with LDMs. When Caliban got overexcited and opened its carapace to catch a shard, it cleared the lecture again. After a third incident, Magister Lee personally Banished Caliban.

It was an impressive spell—but the show of force also incapacitated Gwen for a whole evening.

Ariel, meanwhile, took advantage of the situation to win hearts and minds, stuffing its mouth pouches full of crystal fragments.

For Bestiary, Chen grilled the students on their performances and recorded metrics for control, obedience and compliance from each student's Familiars. Caliban waffled below average, while Ariel shone like a beacon.

"That is an uncommonly intelligent beast," Chen remarked. "That Evocation-channel ability is something else, as well."

Happy that her 'good boy' received recognition, Gwen ruffled Ariel's fur and snuggled it against her bosoms. The marten purred and whined, licking her face with its little pink tongue.

At the same time, the marten had struck up a friendship with Luyi, Eunae's doe, though both of them seemed to antagonise Wanli, Lu's Lightning Hawk.

Thanks to Ariel, Eunae had taken fondness of Gwen as well. Unlike herself, the timid girl remained uncomfortable around the men, especially the braggadocio Lu. As Gwen watched the lithe healer manipulate her Familiar, she couldn't help but think of Elvia and her Sprite, Kiki. _What were they doing now?_ She wondered. _When would they install her LRC Device?_

The one Conjurer who remained aloof of their group was Lu Fung, which wasn't surprising. Lu came from a wealthy Clan, he had a rare Affinity, and he owned an aerial mid-tier Spirit.

When Eunae complained to Instructor Chen, their teacher told them an interesting factoid. According to Chen, the side effect of Lightning affinity manifested as quickened metabolisms and an irrational sense of pride and possessiveness.

_Oh?_ Gwen attempted a little introspection. Was she proud? Indubitably, though no more than her favourite femme, Elizabeth Bennet. Was she possessive? Which woman wasn't? Metabolism? She doubted her absurd ability to digest enough food for three adult males was a product of Elemental Lightning.

At any rate, Chen persisted in his hypothesis.

"Lightning is closest to the mentality of Dragons," Chen spoke as if that explained Lu's bratty braggadocio. Gwen could only presume he meant Chinese Dragons: four-footed serpents with tiger paws, eagle claws, demon eyes and fish scales, sailing through the heavens without equal.

"Yes, I meant the Shenglong," Chen clarified. "The one said to possess the Kunlun Mountains."

"Oh? Is there dragon-kin about the place? Can we harvest Draconic cores from the demi-Dragons?" Gwen asked a critical question for her Creature Core munching Ariel.

"Don't," the Master Creature-Mage hewed her enthusiasm with a single stroke. "Dragons are avaricious and licentious. There's not a species of creatures within a hundred kilometres of that nest which ain't half-dragon something. Imagine a pack of lightning-breathing half-dragon rabbits, half-dragon flocks of geese, or draconic fish. The whole damn range is guarded by Hobs as well: Draconic Hobs."

"Are they—"

"Are they dangerous? What do you think, little Miss? Magic slides off their scales like water off a duck's back."

"But surely—"

"You wouldn't want a Dragon Core anyway," Chen interrupted her. "If another Dragon senses that you've captured, robbed, usurped, or fed your Familiar one of its species, prepare for heavenly retribution. No one. And I mean NO ONE fucks with Dragons for a reason."

"How about—"

"BUT—I suppose a pseudo-draconic Core is fine. I mean, there's a shit load of them, whole bloody mountains worth!" Chen laughed. "Good luck getting one, though. They're resistant to magic and near-immune to lightning. What are you going to fight them with—Oh right, you're _Void_ as well—Look, focus on training, alright?"

Friday night of the third week, Gwen sat with Richard in her living room.

The two listened to the demonic trill of the modem, aka her LRM Device, singing its song of unholy Divination. When the device finally connected to Sydney, they were treated by a vision of Alesia, invariably in red.

"Okay, Tiger—Dick's folks are here. Call me if you need me."

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It was a session Gwen had arranged for Richard. She had planned it since his return from Nantong.

"Richard! Oh my God, Richard!" Aunty Tali burst into uncontrollable sobs as soon as Richard's image appeared to her in Sydney.

"My boy! How's life in Shanghai?" Kwan's eyes were red as well. "Gwen, it's good to see you're doing well. Has Richard been taking care of you? Is he being good?"

Gwen made polite small talk, then retreated to her room to give Richard some privacy. Petra had already withdrawn for their benefit as well. The walls were thin, though, made from pre-fabricated fibro, meaning everyone caught every word between her cousin and his doting parents.

In the living room, Richard spoke of recent events, his adventures with Gwen in the Dungeon, his work, and his progress on gathering the necessary CCs. His parents grew into a frenzy of worry, bidding Richard that they were in no rush and that his priority should be his safety. It was all very heartwarming, nurturing in Gwen a prickling, resentful envy as the call progressed.

"Gwen!" Richard called for her.

Gwen emerged to see Opa. Her kindly Opa, gnarled like an old branch but hale as sunshine, standing before the crystalline projector.

All her accumulated discontent diffused at once.

'Opa!" Gwen cried out. "Opa! Opa! Opa!"

"My cute cucu perempua!" her grandfather's familiar voice rang out. "I've missed you so, little one!"

She couldn't embrace the illusion, of course, but Gwen made an effort.

"How are you? What have you been doing? What is going on over there? Where have you gone? How are the Songs treating you? I heard there was a Dungeon? Duels? University! Scholarships?!" A barrage of questions assailed Gwen from Opa's thick lips.

Watching Opa's face, Gwen forgot about the 1 HDM call rate. She answered Opa's questions one by one in meticulous detail, everything from Singapore to the Songs, to her Dungeon, her exams, her farewell with Helena, her apartment-hunting and her university courses. When she had finally finished, they were well into the evening.

“Very well, my cucu perempua, remember Opa loves you! No matter what the Songs say, there will always be an Opa here in Sydney waiting for your return."

"Thanks, Opa!" Gwen wiped away some moisture from her eyes. "I'll come back soon, I promise."

Opa's visage went away to be replaced by a very sleepy Alesia.

"Gwen! I am happy that you enjoyed your time together, but all of this is happening in my apartment."

"Sorry!" Gwen apologised. "Please, I release you, O Djinn of Fire, return to your Plane."

Alesia laughed.

"Earlier, I contacted the Pudong Tower, and they said that your care package should be arriving at the Song Estate. My God, ocean freight is so slow."

"My old address?"

"Where you first hole up."

"Ah," Gwen affirmed rigidly. "Okay, I'll call Babulya tomorrow."

"Right, I am going to hang. This whole session will cost you 200 odd HDMs. Are you alright with funds over there? I could… you know."

"I'll be alright," Gwen dismissed Alesia's generous offer. "I can do with some part-time work myself. Even if just to get out and get some air and exercise."

"Kay." Alesia leaned in closer. "Guess what? The "Shard" Tower in London Messaged me today as well. Elvia's LRC Device is slated for installation! I'll send you her Glyph codes soon!"

"Awesome. Cheers, Allie," Gwen beamed. _Elvia! So close at hand!_

"Ha, it's a pleasure, Gwennie," Alesia replied. "Ciao!"

The image faded.

Gwen laid back against the couch and took in the afterglow her Opa's boundless affection. She wouldn't be able to return to Australia for at least three to four years, but she was free to dream and fantasise about the eventuality at her will. What would it be like when she did return? Would Gunther have finished repairing the city? Would it once again be safe? What about the Mermen?

Gwen poured herself a glass of milk from the fridge, heated it with a simple cantrip, then nursed its warmness in her hands. She watched the city blinking below, winking and glowing with all the lust for life that a metropolis of 22 million souls engendered. Arterial highways in streams of red and white formed three massive loops, each larger than then the last, reaching into a cityscape that illuminated the horizon.

She had a parcel to pick up.

Therefore, she would see babulya on Sunday, and maybe, hopefully, Percy as well.

The lesson of the day for Conjuration was "Mass versus Mana transfer over Distance."

Gwen felt lightheaded as soon as the mess of formulas appeared on the illusory projection board.

"The amount of mana expended for mass transfer is inversely proportional to the square of the distance," Magister Birch explained. "Be extremely wary of object density. If you should fail to translocate an object, the feedback will be of equal or greater force."

Translocation was Birch's speciality, and he was helping her recognise the nuance of being a "Transportation Specialist". She recalled Paul, the Translocation Mage specialising in Teleportation and other transit spells working for Alesia. The mousy man had been the one responsible for evacuating the students at Rosebay, not to mention the one who set up the Mandala array that allowed Magister Irene Ferris' team to penetrate the Sydney Tower. Gwen hadn't thought of the Mage as unique back then, but now she knew Paul was an irreplaceable expert.

"The understanding of what one's limitations are, therefore, central to any Translocation Specialist."

Magister Birch had installed two Mandala arrays on either side of the auditorium, one near the entrance to the hall and the other where Gwen and Caliban had been segregated from the rest of the class. The Mandala itself resembled a six-petal lotus drawn onto the floor with glyphs that Gwen had seen before underneath the PLA Tower, at the ISTC when she'd first arrived in Shanghai.

"For small objects, the mana capacity of an average Mage is plentifully enough."

The Magister demonstrated transporting a 5kg cube of iron between the two teleportation circles, filling the dark auditorium with the silvery light of Conjuration.

He then materialised a chunk of what resembled lead from his storage ring. An indent inscribed alongside the knee-height block of mystery metal shows "50kg".

"Unlike living bodies, which can be tuned to project astrally—objects without life must be given a Teleportation Metric Index or TMI. Furthermore, the simpler the makeup of the item you are transporting, the less chance of complications."

The Magister transported the cube back and forth a few times, allowing the students to gauge the volume of mana required. Where the 5kg block had been near-negligible, the 50kg block strained the Magister.

"Now for a cautionary demonstration."

Birch produced an overly complicated gearbox within a glass-cased mechanism and wound up the clockwork. He then teleported the construct between the two Mandalas. After the thirtieth time, there was a clonk, and the box ceased its purposeless function.

"The more mixed material and intricacies are involved in an item, the more difficult it is to transport without the item becoming warped as it travels through the Astral Plane. This phenomenon likewise increases with distance, volume, and weight. There is currently no known way to mitigate Tellestolle's Paradox. However, Translocation Mages can alleviate degradation with minor tweaks, or interface aid from Divination and Transmutation."

The students duly noted Birch's wisdom.

"Now, some material variations."

Birch materialised blocks of hard metal, collated shale, sandstone, a slab of crystal and a chunk of fragile-looking glass.

"Material resonance during the transportation is likewise impacted by distance and mass."

The Magister made the students record the volume and weight of each object, then began a practical on 'teleportation fatigue' and the stress exerted on different materials.

The crystal shattered after the fifteenth excursion, while the sandstone crumbled after the tenth.

"Who here has experienced Long Range Teleportation before?"

No one answered.

Magister Birch pointed to the girl with the Mongolian Death Worm.

"Gwen."

Gwen looked up. Caliban hissed. Ariel flattened itself against her legs.

"You're from the Frontier. How did you get here?"

"Teleportation, Sir," Gwen felt her face glow as a few students in the audience snickered.

"How did you fare? Be honest with us."

Gwen felt pressured to satisfy the Magister. The gaze of her fellow Conjurers made her skin crawl.

"I was sick all over the shoes of my escort," Gwen spoke just loud enough to be heard. "I was disorientated and dazed for almost a day and night after."

"Indeed, thank you, Gwen, for sharing." Birch turned to the lecture. "The human body, capable of channelling mana and responding to the magical energies of translocation, is largely exempt to the small inconsistencies of dislocation and displacement. However, not even the human body is immune to teleportation fatigue. Your organs and innards will be shifted and shunted before being set back in place by the Incantation. The more distance is undergone, the more severe the sickness. That is why long-range translocation must be executed in a place of absolute safety. Even the best of Mages will be disabled by the disorientation of distance."

"My escorts were unaffected by the compression," Gwen pointed out to the Professor.

"As they should be," Magister Birch answered, then walked away.

Gwen stood awkwardly for a few more moments, waiting for an answer before realising none was forthcoming.

She sat back down and ran a hand over Caliban to dispel her annoyance. Ariel ran its face against her other hand as well to quell her upset.

"EE-ee—" Ariel nudged its nose against her palm. From her Empathic Link, the Familiar communicated that it sensed the gaze of a predator.

Gwen subtly turned, then glanced up.

Far above her, seated at the rear, she saw the always silent Lu Fung, dazedly stroking the Lightning-Hawk perched on his shoulder.

Just a week ago, he had entered the hall, the very centre of praise and envy. Then Gwen had walked past him, sat at the bottom of the lecture with her friends, and the world instantly forgot that the fourth son of the Fung Clan existed.

The man appeared surprised that she would so unexpectedly turn to address her. A split second later, he masked his awkwardness with a smile and a nod.

Gwen nodded back, then returned her attention to Magister Birch.

Lu Fung of the Nantong Fungs.

Her dearest hope was that his interest in her was the Netflix and chill kind, and not something... more interesting.


Saturday.

Gwen took a break from biometrics and practice, spending her third semester weekend with her babulya. It had been almost six weeks since Gwen had seen or spoken to her brother, burdening her with a growing sense of guilt.

As for Percy's neglect to call her, Gwen chose forgiveness. The boy was just a teenager seeking affirmation from Guo, thereby possessing excellent excuses like immaturity and inexperience. As such, were Percy's fault was not knowing better, her abandonment of her baby brother would be by choice, one she did not wish to make. She had lost him once in her old life—this time, she wanted to do better.

"Don't fret. Your grandfather isn't home," her babulya assured Gwen as she stepped from the sedan. Gwen had been quiet the whole while because her Divination senses had been grating her, agitating her with an inner itch she could not scratch.

Gwen scanned the courtyard.

"Percy's inside," her grandmother comforted her. "He should be training right about now. Leave your Familiar and pick up the package later."

Gwen nodded, then made her way through the familiar layout of the Song estate. There was no doubt that news of her faux-excommunication had spread, for the servants avoided her as she passed through the long corridor of the siheyuan.

When she arrived at the training hall, there were sounds of exertion audibly emanating from within.

Gwen knocked.

"Come in!" Her brother's voice reverberated. The sliding door pulled back to reveal Percy, son of Hai, heir apparent to the Clan of Song, Guan-er-dai in residence.

"Sis!" Percy appeared startled to see his sister strolling back into her old abode.

The boy—or more accurately the young man—was half-naked, bathing the bronze expression of his Indonesian inherited complexion in snail sheen. It was evident that Guo had been training and feeding Percy well, for her brother looked to have picked up ten kilograms in muscle mass, concentrated across his chest and arms. His face as well, which had always appeared juvenile to Gwen, was starting to take Hai's prominent jawline.

"Who's this handsome young man? Where did my baby brother go?" Gwen broke the ice with a genuine compliment.

Percy grinned, then greeted her formally. His voice sounded deeper as well, more resonant and powerful.

Watching her eyes, her baby brother must have grown conscious of his state of undress. The boy materialised a towel from thin air with a nonchalant gesture, then wrapped its length around his shoulders.

A Medium Storage Ring, Gwen noted. How quickly they grow up.

"How's training going?" Gwen stepped into the renovated training hall. The gym's present state barely resembled the spartan space she had called home for three weeks. All manners of equipment had been introduced to the once empty room, from body-building machines to magic-training equipment. From a glance, one would have thought Percy was training for the Mageocracies' Commonwealth Games.

"I've got a lot to catch up on," Percy explained, watching her eyes. "I am repeating a year in Xiao Ming, did you know that? There are three years of Middle School in China. I am supposed to be in second-year, but Grandfather made me start from the beginning."

"Are you much older than your peers?" Gwen asked, wondering if her brother would be bullied.

"I am not the oldest, no," Percy answered with a smirk. "Did you know the school is Co-ed? Thank God, I thought I was going to be stuck for another three years in an all-male campus."

That last comment made Gwen immediately think of their father.

"Percy, if you spend your time chasing skirts—"

"No! No way!" Her brother's face reddened. "As if I have the time!"

"Good. Let Dad be your anti role model," Gwen warned her brother with a crooked smile. "So, how's the magic coming along?"

"I'm officially an Evoker! They told me I am suited to Transmutation too—but I should focus on Evocation for now. Grandfather says Evocation-Transmutation is an excellent combination for Quasi-Elemental Salt. It's the same as Uncle Jun!"

"Wow! That's wonderful!" Gwen wanted to give her brother a congratulatory hug, but the young man was still steaming odiously. "Can I see? Are you able to use Salt safely now?"

"Yes," Percy boasted happily. "All thanks to..."

His gleeful mien froze mid-expression.

Gwen followed Percy's guilty gaze until her eyes rested on his chest.

There, a length of red string ended with a pale coloured pendant in milk-white jade.

The Kirin Amulet.

It was milky white.

Last she recalled, it was jade with strands of marbled scarlet.

"Percy—" Her words halted halfway, for the moment her thoughts grew to envelop the amulet, she felt the ground under her give way.

Fighting the indescribable sense of metaphysical vertigo, Gwen felt her Divination Sigil ignite as never before, petrifying her spine with a solid jolt of adrenaline.

Struggling to control herself, she forced her gaze to lift from the lamb's fat colouring of the Kirin Amulet, noting that the marbling strands of pinkish veins still existed, if faintly.

"C-congratulations." Gwen finally managed to say the words, even though her tongue felt as heavy as a slab of stone.

Watching her brother flinch, Gwen felt an immediate sense of regret. Christ, she thought to herself, how incredibly guilty she must seem—freaking out after seeing him making use of "her" Creature Core. But it wasn't as though she could explain the subtler points of passive Divination to her brother, not when it sounded like a piss-weak excuse even to herself.

"Master, I mean Grandfather, taught me how to use it," Percy said carefully, his body understandably tensing at his sister's queerness. "The Negative Energy feeds into the Amulet and becomes displaced by the Essence held within."

"It… does that?" Gwen circulated Almudj's Essence until she was fully restored and calm. "You can tap into its store of Essences now?"

Percy unconsciously took a step back, just out of her reach. Gwen smiled, hoping her eyes were too bloodshot with the effort she had exerted. Despite the stillness of the air outside, the interior of the training hall was beginning to feel rather hot.

"Yes. I can use the Kirin core." It was a statement, Gwen noticed. A show of determination. "It was painful at first, but I powered through it. I can use it now. Would you like a demonstration?"

"May I?"

"Here, let me show you." Percy moved away from her.

There was a churning of Evocation, a sudden drying of the air. Before Gwen's eyes, the accumulated sweat on Percy's brow instantly evaporated.

"Salt Bolt!"

A sliver of silvery Salt, formed into a razor-sharp crystal, appeared in the air, then shrieked toward the targeted platform. It struck the transmuted surface with a thud, then shattered into thousands of ice-like fragments.

"And I just learned this—Smite!"

The residual Salt scattered about the platform suddenly collated, then erupted once again, sending out a shockwave ringed with jagged salt shards.

After covering the intended area of effect, the Salt faded into the aether. The target, torn and blasted, began to restore itself through its inbuilt Transmutation Glyph.

"What do you think?" Percy turned to her with bright eyes.

It was only then that Gwen realised she hadn't paid attention at all to Percy. Instead, her eyes had remained locked onto the amulet, where the marbled vein of red embedded into the milk-white jade throbbed as though alive. Furthermore, she couldn't help but notice her chest rose and fell with the same cadence as Percy's, in sync with the ebb and flow of mana within the Kirin core.

"Wonderful," Gwen announced hurriedly. She even clapped a few times. "You're progressing so fast!"

"Thanks, Sis", Percy smirked. "Say, I gotta take a shower and finish up here. Do you want to stay for lunch or…?"

"I've got errands," Gwen declined Percy's offer, her mood miles from her usual hospitality thanks to her unintended rudeness.

_The amulet,_ she thought.

_The damned amulet._

It was all she could think about, driving her to distraction. Was it jealousy? Was she envious of the fact that he was using it? She knew it was silly to feel possessive over something she had willingly given up.

"Babulya is still waiting," Gwen added unconvincingly, too preoccupied to even continue her act.

"Alright, Sis." Percy paralleled his sister's aloofness.

"Take care of yourself, Percy. I'll come to visit now and then."

"Thanks."

"See you later, Percy."

"Laters, Sis."

Gwen left the room and walked stiffly from the training hall toward the central courtyard. In between her Divination-driven anxiety and self-loathing, she was reminded of another explanation for the amulet's altered state.

Was it possible that a bit of Almudj was still in the amulet? Was all of Al's Essence spent, or could there still exist a tiny sliver of the mythical beast within the Kirin Core?

Gwen paused by the tranquil water feature to gather her thoughts. She was out of the east wing now, away from the shadows of the white walls and into the light of the central garden.

She closed her eyes for a few seconds, feeling the warmth of the sun on her hair and shoulders. The damned Divination was at peace now, acting as though it had known nothing.

Why had it freaked out?

Could she trust the untrained instinct of her Divination Sigil? What good could come from responding to such a vague and unreliable feeling? She thought of Mayuree and the advice the superior Diviner had given her.

"Don't look into self-premonitions, not if you want to have a life. Let it be. Be ready. If you're wrong, you've wasted your time. If you're right, you've wasted your time."

Likewise, from her old world, Hamlet had offered a similar warning.

_We defy augury: there's a special providence in the fall of a sparrow._

Her problem, Gwen sighed, was that she wasn't Prince Hamlet, nor was she meant to be.

She was fortune's fool.

Percy Song stumbled into the shower, his body shaking with nausea. He hadn't even bothered removing his pants as he stepped into the frigid stream of running water to cool his head.

Instantly, the coldness calmed him, drowning the fever in his brain.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

There was something in the amulet.

At first, he thought it was a part of the ritual. After all, Guo had stated that their predecessors killed thousands, if not tens of thousands, of magical creatures, including Demi-humans, in their Clan's history and that their "souls" were absorbed by the Kirin Core.

The Clan technique that grandfather had taught him was based on the Kirin Core's characteristic—allowed Percy to redirect the 'yin' energies of the Salt element into the amulet to be purified. That way, the Kirin Amulet both protected his body from corrosion and provided him with additional mana, passive empowerment, and enhanced constitution.

In truth, as a Prince-educated Mage, Percy only ever half-trusted the mumbling mysticism Guo fed into him. His "Yeye" was a master indoctrinator, but Percy had already experienced years of that sort of thing in Sydney. Regardless, he played along; it made Guo happy, which was what mattered.

Once his attunement was complete, and training began in earnest, the amulet changed. As he channelled more of himself into it, its jade-green exterior fell away, becoming something that resembled a bone-coloured stone.

Grandfather had become amazed and told him that this showed he was well-suited to the yin-stone. He had even patted Percy's head tenderly as his eyes grew moist with sentimentality.

Percy chose not to tell his Yeye that Guo was wrong and that he had sensed something alien in the stone.

How could he?

What would Guo say if he professed to fear the thing that may or may not be lurking in the family heirloom? What kind of heir would be stricken thalassophobia when the source of that fear was a dead Kirin Core?

Whatever the case, Percy was sure something prowled within the Kirin Stone.

And now he was positive it had something to do with his sister.

When she earlier entered the room, he had felt consumed by an indescribable agitation, overwhelmed by a shapeless, vague longing.

Thankfully, unlike his sister, Percy was far better at controlling his emotions. He knew how much she desired the Kirin Core when her exquisite face turned white, then pink.

He knew because when she left, the feeling subsided entirely.

"It's mine," he said to the running water.

Against his back, the cold shower felt heavenly.

Gwen took luncheon with Klavdiya not far from the Song Estate. It was a good choice, for its signature Xiaoxiang stirfries were surprisingly tasty for a place of questionable decor and hygiene.

Distractedly, Gwen listened as Babulya explained that Percy was doing well in his new school, becoming popular enough to join the SRC.

"Percy's Salt training—Grandfather is alright with the whole fertility thing?" Gwen enquired. Wasn't the old man obsessed about an heir?

Her babulya explained things were well in hand.

"We're keeping a very close eye on Percy, not to mention his Affinity has a long way to go. The Kirin-stone will negate the negative effects as well, becoming more efficient at filtering the Negative Drain with time," her babulya explained.

Gwen couldn't help but recall the first time her father had handed her the Kirin Amulet; she had asked him if it was unique in any way.

"It brings fertility and fortune." Her father had said. Now, Gwen could only sign at her naivety and Hai's irresponsible indifference. How the hell was she to know her dad was dead serious.

"I see." Gwen accepted her grandmother's answer. Why didn't any of them fret about HER potential infertility? Was it because she possessed the druidic essence? Or that she could forsake the Void and choose her Lightning instead? Come to think of it, was she even expected to have children? That idea had consumed Helena, though not for any reasons a daughter should respect.

Children... Gwen sipped her tea absent-mindedly. Even across two lifetimes, the idea of bearing a child seemed entirely abstract. Gwen had no desire for children in her old life. As for her new life, Evee—

She quickly dismissed the thought.

Instead, she distractedly replied to her babulya's thoughtful questions about her lessons and her tests with Magister Wen. Still, the thought of children turned her mind once again to Evee. Christ, she missed Evee. How could anyone miss someone so much, and why was she thinking of Elvia now of all times?

"Jun!" Her babulya's voice almost sent her reeling. "Over here!"

After the pandemonium of her confused thought about Elvia lifted, Gwen turned from her waking daydream to see her uncle pass through the eatery entrance, hailing her and babulya with one hand raised.

"Captain Song!" the owner, a balding old man, saluted Jun as he passed.

"Good to see you, Corporal Chen. How're the kids?"

"Ah-Wong is doing well, the usual?"

"Please," Jun dismissed the owner politely before arriving at Gwen and babulya's table.

Gwen stood to greet her uncle, but Jun motioned her to sit.

"Ma'am." Jun pulled up a chair. "Gwen."

"Hi, Uncle Jun."

"Just made it?" babulya asked cryptically.

"I had a few minutes to spare," Jun laughed. "But yes, I made it in time."

Gwen's eyes darted between her two elders.

Each time Gwen regarded her stubbled uncle with his circular beard, she wondered how it was possible that two siblings raised under similar circumstances could be so different. Hai and Jun looked almost like twins, with the same envious jawline, the butt-chin, the lifted cheekbones from her babulya, and dark eyes from their grandfather. Yet for all their genetic similarity, one was the most frivolous, allergic to responsibility human being she had ever known—the other was the most responsible person in her immediate orbit.

All of a sudden, Gwen felt struck by a bizarre fancy.

Would nice was it be if Jun was her father? The hypothesis was absurd, of course. She could not possibly imagine Jun being attracted to Helena. On the other hand, being raised by a father who affirmed and cared would have worked wonders for both of her lost childhoods. Yue once joked that she had 'Daddy issues', Elvia found it funny as well, but Gwen's laughter never touched her eyes; she knew her herself too well. A lifetime ago, Dr Monroe had communicated that she was generally physically distant, often emotionally absent, and therefore highly insecure in a relationship. Despite her swaggering, independent, can-do attitude, Gwen truanted regularly, sought cheap thrills and often endangered herself. That was why in the experimental stage of her life, she preferenced older, much older men, and later, the company of the fairer sex.

_So what now?_ Gwen had asked her psychologist.

"Let's start you off on Celexa and Buspar, and we'll go from there? Okay?" The drugs worked, but Freud knows what else was simmering underneath her submerged psyche.

"Gwen, you in there still?"

Gwen's glazed pupils refocused. Jun's worrisome face materialised close to her own.

"Sorry, Uncle Jun," she apologised for her disrespect. Ever since the episode with Percy, she'd felt mired in muck.

Jun exchanged a glance with babulya, who must have passed over a Silent Message of some kind, for when Jun faced her again, he reached out and covered her hand with his own.

"Gwen. You can tell me anything." Her uncle smiled awkwardly, but the gesture was genuine.

It was a simple thing, subconscious, but it was something her father had never done for her. There was always a distance, a pane, a degree of separation; to Gwen, Hai's kindness always seemed rare and unanticipated.

"I-I am alright." Gwen could think of no other reply. It wasn't as though she could complain that she felt peevish and upset that Morye hadn't taught her how to use the Kirin-Stone, or that she desired the amulet returned to her because she was waxing sentimental for a Mythic serpent capable of reducing Shanghai to rubble. Should she tell her uncle that her Divination Sigil was driving her to madness? Her Uncle Jun meant well, but not even he could—

Her mind went blank, for Jun had just pinched her nose.

It was such a puerile act that Gwen felt stunned.

"You don't have to be an adult all the time, Gwen. You're a child. Act like one." Jun held her gaze intact as he spoke. "We're family, right? No matter what father thinks. You're my niece, for Mao's sake. To me, there's only one of you in the world. I want to protect you as much as your Babulya and my brother."

Gwen's rapidly misting eyes met her uncle's immovable gaze.

"I don't care what Guo says - or what your father thinks - or what Percy wants to do with the House. You're a part of MY family. I like you, Gwen. Since I found you in the MSS Holding facility, I've known that to be a fact. I want you to know that I am very proud and happy for what you have done for Mina, Tao, and Petra. My mother thinks the world of you, and I do too. Can you believe that?"

Gwen felt her throat tickle.

Could she believe him?

She wasn't the trusting sort.

"I believe you." Gwen's voice assumed her usual, confident cadence. Her uncle's kindness was like a dose of positivity that she sorely needed after that amulet-induced anxiety attack. "Thank you, Uncle Jun. I am alright now."

Klavdiya exhaled relief.

"Sorry, babulya, I was distracted earlier," Gwen apologised to her grandmother as well. She must have made babulya feel awful.

"That's okay, dear," her babulya returned kindly.

Jun squeezed his niece's delicate hands, his calloused palm brushing her tender fingers. Before Jun could enclose his hand, Gwen retracted her palm from his sandpaper grasp.

Her uncle's hand did not move.

Behind the counter, Chef Chen continued his stirfry masterpiece, filling the room with a warm glow and the air with a delicious scent of caramelising onions.

Gwen touched her wayward hand to her nose.

"Sorry." Jun chuckled. "Did I bruise it?"

"I'll be fine. I've got my Druidic Essence, after all." Gwen wrinkled her celestial appendage cutely. That was the thing about Jun; he was so lovely, and she couldn't tell if the man was two steps ahead of her or if her uncle's benevolence was instinctual. Surely, someone with the 'Ash Bringer' moniker did not acquire such a chilling nickname by being Mr Rogers!

Gwen returned late to the apartment.

Alesia's care package remained unmolested by Customs thanks to Jun's influence.

She had forgotten all about the damned thing because after assuring her of his support, her Uncle Jun had then listened to her worries and anxieties for an hour, going as far as to promise her that he would assist her growth in Spellcraft when the time was ripe.

"How about we go on a little trip," he had teased her. "A little adventure to train, just you and I. I know a place where you can work on boosting your elemental Affinity."

Gleefully, Gwen had told him she would like nothing else.

"That's a promise," her uncle had laughed. "Just you and me, alright?"

Smiling at the memory, Gwen tore at the cellophane tape on the box from Alesia.

"Gwen, what in God's name are you doing?" Petra watched with curiosity as Gwen tried to search for the seam.

"Open the box?"

"Use Knock."

"Oh yeah..." Gwen blushed. "Er... Knock!"

The arcane energies of the Knock spell ran along the edges and unsealed the cellophane ducting within the span of half a second.

Gwen took out the contents.

There was an assortment of goods within, each in individual packaging. Some were cellophane wrapped. Others were in boxes of plastic or cardboard. On top of the items was a letter.

Gwen opened the envelope. Inside was a Message from Alesia, Yue and Gunther. The card itself had a picture of a drunk Koala with a speech bubble.

_"No worries, I am just old enough to get pissed."_

_"Have a happy Sweet-Seventeen!_

_"The very best from all of us who are rooting for you. Your siblings and friends."_

The loftiest package was the first to be unwrapped, revealing an impressive pair of thigh-high, double-stitch, calf-skin boots, its brass heels inscribed with elaborate Transmutation glyphs.

"Use these until you learn how to cast the real deal-" read the attached note.

Petra ran a cubed Identify over the magical boots.

"How delightful, a pair of vintage Boots of Flight!" she cooed delightfully. "It's an older model. These feed off your mana rather than Crystals."

"Perfect for me then," Gwen thought of the savings she could engender.

"Until you OoM mid-flight," Petra warned her, immediately pointing out why the old models were retired.

"I'll be careful," Gwen chuckled. "There's inbuilt Feather Fall, right?"

"As long as you're not OoM," Petra reinforced the warning.

Gwen unfolded the next package.

It was a poncho made from what first appeared to be cashmere.

"Ah, civilian class Optic-Camo." Petra was proving a font of Magical Item knowledge. "Slip it overhead'. Let's see the build quality."

Gwen slipped the cape across her shoulders. The fabric loosely hung over her chest and back until it reached her thighs.

"Activation glyph should be on the right side, inside tag."

Gwen examined the Glyph key.

"Camouflage!" Gwen invoked the keywords.

The poncho shifted in colour until her torso blended into the living room so that it looked as though Gwen was split in half, becoming a disembodied pair of legs and a floating head. It came with a hoodie that covered her head.

"Full body Optic-Camo are military-issue only," Petra informed her roommate before Gwen could complain about the strangeness of having 'half' a chameleon-cloak. "The civilian model will keep you safe from prying predators and beasts from the sky, as well as giving you relative cover if you remain stationary."

The final few packages were foodstuffs from home like jerky and Tim-Tams, as well as dried mangos from Opa's crew down the ranch.

Collating her loot, she apportioned them for sharing with Petra and Richard, as well as their upstairs neighbours.

A pair of Boots of Flight and a Camo-cloak.

That was because she'd told them she wanted to "work" for HDMs. Gwen could guess from the strategic selection that Gunther and Alesia expected her to do more than waitressing.

She had several options where that was concerned.

She could take up a weekend occupation working with the local Adventuring Consortium. However, she doubted Magister Wen or her babulya were about to let her trapeze into the bush with a group of strangers.

Or, she could try the University Dungeoneering Club, which was safer.

Finally, she could make a party of her own—team Cousins, for example—and take up Questing on the weekends.

Of course, all of that would have to wait.

As it was the end of week three, in twenty-one days, she would have two mid-semester practicals and the excursion to the NoM hive city, the ominously named District 108 and 35. On the Metropolitan Map, 35 appeared to be located on the outer ring of the Second Orbital Highway and the Fourth-Intracity bypass. 108 was almost fifty kilometres toward the direction of Hangzhou.

The exams meant she had only three weeks to leash Caliban to her will, make her Conjure Elemental battle-ready, and learn at least another Evocation spell or two to use with Ariel.

As for her Familiars...

Gwen looked up to see Caliban attempting to swallow a mango whole, egged on by Ariel, who was munching on a kiwifruit. Realising that Gwen was watching, Caliban spat the mango back out, smothering the orange-red fruit in grey goo, looking as guilty as a thieving cat.