Yellow eyes watched him.

Aster stared back.

Creepy.

He was in a gigantic building, the ceiling translucent and the floor separated by various landscapes. Aster sat on a patch of grass, eggs laid in front of him with chickens walking around, egg shells cracked and littered across the field. Large lakes and tall trees crowded the environment, animals of all kinds running about with calm fervor.

Griffins, Rocs, Thunderbirds, hell, he could see a Hydra bathing. None of them competing, none of them eating the other or fighting for territory. It was defiance of the natural laws in an exponential scale.

He couldn't help but marvel at the enormity of it all.

This was one of a small set of ecosystems dedicated for Beast Tamers, a subclass of Wizards that specialize in using different Familiars for a set of practical uses. They were highly valued depending on the creatures tamed.

Aster's dragon laid lazily in the building. The King of the Sky's dark blue scales were littered with scars. Its neck and face, in particular, had deep gouges and dents courtesy of its adversary. Healing spells had no effect, the dragon's natural magic-resistant body working against it.

"Amazing."

The soft, mesmerizing voice caught his ears, his head wandering to the prominent blue cloak. In front of the dragon laid one of the professors, Atalante. She offered to care for the dragon when it became apparent that its new size was too big for any normal lab. How nice of her. Most wouldn't host a dragon in their domains. It was too dangerous with a long potential list of risks associated with a beast of legends.

Suspicious. He couldn't help thinking of her motives despite the woman's warm persona. Call him pessimistic but doing things just because it's the right thing to do was too rare for him to not question.

He wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth though. He agreed easily and the almost white-haired and purple-eyed professor seemed to take pleasure in treating his dragon's wounds and providing shelter.

The woman looked at him. "You grew this dragon in a week?"

"Yes." Aster eyed her soft enthusiasm warily. He had never seen someone so nice before, but then again, his experience in that field was almost nonexistent.

"Astonishing." Atalante smiled. "I don't see any biological defects at all and a quick Mind Scan shows a healthy and developing brain." She took a breath. "I've seen it been done before but with Chronomancy."

Time magic. Of course.

"I don't know Chronomancy." No skill whatsoever when it comes to the magic of the past, present, and future.

"Then how did you do it?"

"Magic."

She laughed. "Not so forthcoming with information, hm?" Atalante hummed, not at all insulted. Too nice! "I can understand that."

"I'm just here to check on its health." He crossed his arms. That beast saved his life and it was the first ever dragon he hatched. He wanted to scan and study it. Biological Manipulation was a risky field and wanting to see if anything abnormal happened in the beast was only fair for both parties.

"And I've been assigned to take care of him." Atalante smiled. "He's a male by the way."

"I knew that."

"Mhm." Atalante didn't look like she believed him. "Biological Manipulation couldn't identify a dragon's gender? For shame."

"It can." Aster clicked his tongue. "I just didn't bother. Finding out a dragon's gender would occupy the time I could have used to prepare for the duel." Honestly, he had a week. If he had more time then maybe he would find out but he had to use his time correctly.

There was too much on his plate. Research in the background, teach Diana when he can and train with Emilia everyday.

Atalante giggled. "If you say so."

"I do say so." He narrowed his eyes. "At least my magic can do more than just dominate beasts."

"Beast Taming is a bit more complicated than that." Atalante grinned, not bothered by the slight. She was intrigued if nothing else. "My field is separated into multiple sub-branches. Some Beast Tamers use pheromones, some use the Mind Arts, and some exploit existing biological phenomenon like imprinting. There are a lot of ways to tame beasts."

Aster blinked. Huh. Interesting. "What do you use?"

"A combination of all of them." Atalante smiled. "I love animals and depending on the specimen, I would use a different technique each time."

"You wouldn't use the most efficient spell?"

"I would use what's best for them." Her purple eyes shined slightly before fading. She laughed lightly. "It is a bit odd, I admit. Most Wizards would do what's easiest."

He nodded. Despite himself, he grinned. "Wizards would use the most efficient spell to cast compared to other branches that could do the same effect but with more effort." Biological Manipulation was a victim of the modern Wizard mentality.

"It's not bad." Atalante defended. "It's logical and expected. Wizards live longer but we aren't immortal. Using our limited time to learn as much magic as humanly possible is a sound decision."

"You don't agree."

"I don't." Atalante nodded. "It's fine to follow the path already paved, but I've always believed in making your own while enjoying the time you have." At his silence, the professor blushed. She laughed. "I'm rambling, aren't I?"

"Not necessarily." He smiled. He could empathize. "I agree."

"You do?" Atalante blinked.

"I believe in paving your own path." Aster shrugged. "If there weren't Wizards that expand on already existing knowledge then where would the common practitioner be today? Those kinds of Wizards, those that build on the foundation given to us are what I want to be. A pioneer of magic, to make a new road that others will follow." He smiled. "Enjoying what I research is just the icing on the cake."

She stayed silent as she pondered his words. When a grin tugged at her face, it blossomed into a dazzling smile. She laughed, her voice echoing throughout the spacious room. It was infectious and he couldn't help but chuckle along. His dragon huffed and the other beasts turned towards the source of the sound.

When she finally stopped, she looked at him with a genuine fondness that surprised him. "I think I misjudged you, Aster."

"I think the same could be said about you, Atalante."

She laughed. "Indeed." She caressed his dragon. The beast grumbled but otherwise allowed it. "I am still curious about how you tamed him." Her purple eyes watched him carefully. "I understand a Hermit's desire to keep it a secret, but maybe I could give you something in return."

He perked up in intrigue. "Explain."

"I don't want to learn Biological Manipulation." Atalante shrugged. "I just want to understand. This is a new technique that hasn't been recorded by any Beast Tamers. I've scoured books for any similar spell and nothing came up." Her face turned curious. "I offer an exchange of notes. I am an expert in the biology of all kinds of animals. I could aid you in your research."

Tempting. The anatomy of different animals was diverse and different despite some common factors. Being a Beast Tamer, it was pretty much a requirement to learn about different creatures. He hummed, eyeing his dragon who looked content in Atalante's care. She could assist in scanning his dragon and could give sound advice about adding enhancements.

On the other hand, he was always used to researching alone. He lived in an isolated hut for the majority of his life with only Oleander assisting in his research from time to time.

However, Atalante empathized with his views. She could understand him and she was a professor so she wouldn't get lost from his ramblings. Her input could significantly speed up his goal of understanding Biological Manipulation.

She could even make the egg spell and altering the chicken anatomy better and faster.

The pros heavily outweighed the cons.

Aster nodded. "It's a deal." He could ignore his discomfort for the sake of improving his magic. There needs to be sacrifices and what's one more compared to the dozens he made while living in Fernum-Magnum.

The professor, of white hair and alien, purple eyes, smiled once more. "I look forward to working with you."

"Do you mind if I bring Diana as well?" Aster asked. The blonde noble could always use some more experience in the field. Should be good for her.

"Not at all." Atalante shook her head. "She's a good student. I had the honor of teaching her my field before."

"To check her affinity?"

"Indeed." Atalante smiled sadly. "Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be."

"Heh. Well, it's a good thing Biological Manipulation is more of her thing then." Aster grinned. "She got the better deal of the bargain."

Atalante laughed. "Defending your pupil, hm Aster?"

What.

"O-Of course not!" Aster glared at the smiling woman. Hey! What happened to the nice professor he was talking to before? Where did this sudden snark come from? "I'm defending my magical field!"

"If you say so."

Ugh. Why does he even bother?

XXX

"I have a test coming up."

Aster paused, blinking. "Pardon?"

"The students are partaking in a test of their own." Diana sat in one of the tables in his lab. Books were stacked neatly, the blonde noble reading one of the larger tomes with the precision and speed of a diligent worker. Hard-working indeed. "It's not anything on your level, of course, but its a tradition in Fernum-Magnum to give these to different classes throughout the year. It's designed to keep us on our toes."

"You've been chosen?" Aster's hands glowed with magical energy, the aura transferring to the egg on his hands.

"Among others." Diana nodded. "Alice, Beatrice, and Galahad have also been chosen." She tilted her head in contemplation. "Another one of my friends - James - as well but you don't know him."

Alice? Beatrice? Galahad? Aster wracked his brain. Wait. "You mean the tiny girl and the twins?" He hasn't talked to them in a while. Too busy trying to destroy one of their professors.

"Yes." Diana flipped a page. "The college has given us a few weeks to prepare in advance and we don't know what it will be." She eyed him. "Last year, we allowed citizens and sponsors to watch us compete. Gives Fernum-Magnum more media attention. Mostly positive. It's pretty much what you did on a larger scale but less difficult."

Huh. "Why are you telling me this?"

"You've given me a lot to work with last week despite preparing for your duel." Diana flipped another page. "I've been visiting almost daily, taking notes when I could, learning as much as I can, and I've completed most of my reading. I believe I am ready for a bit more."

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"You want to learn enough to work with Biological Manipulation during your test." Aster smirked.

Ha! Nice try. He could see behind her gilded words. Trying to get to the accelerated course? Prove it with action, Diana! Hermits desire cold, hard facts not fancy words!

Diana clicked her tongue. "I understand the need for a solid foundation, but I would like to try Biological Manipulation again. My first try was a total disaster, but I believe I am ready to try again."

"Go ahead." Aster shrugged. If she thinks she can then why should he stop her? He grabbed a nearby egg and tossed it towards her. "Be my guest," Aster smirked, "but clean up your mess when you're done. I don't want a repeat of what happened last time."

Diana gave a small scowl but otherwise focused on the egg.

He went back to working on the microorganisms trapped inside his container. After combating both of his challenges with different sets of spells, he decided that he's going to need to find a way to use Biological Manipulation readily in case of any more fights.

Bacteria?

Viruses?

Mutants?

Maybe it doesn't have to be an aggressive skill. Passives? He could insert animal traits inside him. A dragon immune system or magical resistance would be extremely useful abilities to have. Altering his body to have high-speed regeneration? There were animals like that. The only problem really is that it was risky. So risky that one wrong move could potentially kill him.

He wrote down the thought. With sufficient testing on another subject, maybe he would try it out.

Human enhancements, in general, take time to do. Basic improvements are easy but anything that could make a difference needs further thought and consideration. Hm...

There are hormones that he could forcefully utilize for combat, adrenaline being the most obvious one. Hormones, however, are dangerous in that there are multiple hormones that trigger different reactions in one's body like other hormones. Some that he would not need for combat. He made a mental note of its potential nonetheless.

He also had bacteria in his gut that were vital for the human body's survival. At one's birth, these helpful bacteria enter the body, the immune system and every aspect of a human's biology adapting to accommodate these new allies. He could manipulate them.

However, that would mean that one wrong move could kill him. They were one of the most important ecosystems of his anatomy and mutating them could cause major problems for his health.

There's also the strain that he created for the duel...

A pathogen that hunts and devours a Wizard's power.

It was currently a prototype. He needed more resources to even create another one, resources that more sponsors could supply. Fernum-Magnum had amazing tools that could advance his research, but any of the obscure ingredients he needed, only high-ranking professors could access and he doubted Oleander had reached that yet.

Hmm...

Maybe lining hi-

BOOOOM!

"Gods damn it!"

"Failed, huh?" Aster smirked. He turned towards his student, her blonde hair disheveled and eyes sparkling with uncontrolled blue magic. The egg laid on the table cracked into several pieces.

"What am I doing wrong?"

"You're impatient," Aster noted. He should know. Training with Emilia taught him that. "Don't force it. Guide it instead. You can't bulldoze through this type of magic. Nature's laws will not bend easily, its rules have stood proudly for generations, even before humans roamed the earth." He grinned encouragingly. "However, they aren't unbreakable. With enough work, even the greatest of rules can be broken. It just needs to be...persuaded."

He threw another egg. She took it.

"Try again but maybe this time, at least try to understand what Biological Manipulation is about."

"To manipulate." Diana clicked her tongue.

"Indeed." Aster smirked. She gave a quick glare but otherwise complied.

Now, onto his new set of combat spel-

BOOOOOOOOM!

"Already?!"

"It's the blasted egg's fault!"

Hey now, don't blame the egg. "That's a new low, even for you Diana."

His student mumbled a few curses under her mouth before sighing, her face flushed and resigned. "C-Can I have another?"

"Another what?"

"Another egg." Diana grit her teeth and gave one of the least genuine yet convincing smiles he had ever seen. "Please."

"Please what?" It was still amusing to see her expressions though.

"Please sir."

He threw the egg, the woman sighing relief before catching the egg. She nodded in thanks. He waved it away, his form focusing back on the container in front of him.

Now, about those spe-

BOOM!

"Are you actually serious?" Aster looked at Diana who in turn was staring at the destroyed egg in dismay.

"It was the egg, sir!"

"What did the egg ever do to you?"

"J-Just hand over another one." Her face was completely red.

"Yeah no." He hugged his clutch as if scared that she would harm them. It's alright chickens, Diana won't harm you again. "Go back to reading. I'll help you when I'm done with my experiments."

"Give me the egg, sir." Her hands reached for the ones on him and he backed away.

"No."

"Give it to me please."

"Diana," he faced her, his expression serious. "I want you to improve and in time, I am confident that you will master the spell but until then, this is for your own good." He paused. "And for the chickens. Essentially, I don't want you to commit chicken genocide."

"I'm not committing genocide."

"Yet."

"Look, teacher, master, the greatest Wizard of all time, whatever." She took a quick breath in frustration. She held her hand out. "Just give me one more egg."

"No, you look. I appreciate trial and error and all that jazz." Aster carefully placed the clutch on his table. "In fact, I encourage it but the fact that the eggs blew up in mere seconds prove that it'll take dozens of attempts before you can perfect it." He gave a warning look. "Just read. It'll decrease the casualties that are no doubt coming when you try again."

"I am more than prepared."

"The broken egg shells say otherwise."

"Then give me something else to try." Diana's voice croaked. "I can read when I am not in the lab. This is the only time where I have you to help me when I am struggling."

Aster paused.

She was not wrong per se. She could catch up in her reading during her free time. She came over on an almost daily basis and so far in the past week, she'd been doing nothing but read. He could understand impatience, he was in her shoes before. He thought he could utilize melee in a week and in a way, he did under the expertise of the blonde professor but he was nowhere near her level. A week can't change that.

She wanted to measure her progress. He could understand that. It's too early in their tutorship for any real change, but maybe they could measure it in a way that could assist him.

He sighed. "Fine." When the student perked up, he raised his hands. "One catch though. No eggs."

"Wha-"

"There's another way for you to study Biological Manipulation." Aster grabbed a sealed container nearby. "I've studied a bit of dragon anatomy and discovered some interesting things."

He gave her the container.

She looked curiously. "What is this?"

"Dragon cells."

"Dragon cells?" Diana breathed quietly, her eyes widening as she held the container with more care. She looked inside the translucent top. "Alive?"

"Alive with enough nutrients and comfortable conditions to continue growing." Aster held a few papers towards her. She took it, her form surprised at the barely readable handwriting. "Here's my notes. It details what I discovered and what I did to them."

"What?" Diana blinked. "Wait, what do you mean?"

"These dragon cells are immortal." Aster shrugged. "Dragons have an unknown lifespan but recent research shows that their cells ignore the theoretical Cell Limit. They have no limitations to their cell division basically making them live for a really long time - possibly immortal."

He tapped the container.

"These cells, however, I manipulated. Even with their immortal-like properties, I messed up their cell reproduction to an enormous degree. They will continue cell dividing but a bit more rapidly and recklessly. These are almost like dragon cancer cells." He frowned. "Not exactly cancer but close enough."

"Why are you giving these to me?"

"This is your assignment." Aster nodded to the item. "You can't leave with it, but you can play around with these when in the lab. With sufficient conditions they divide at an impressive rate. Cancer cells have a pretty long lifespan outside of their host if taken care of - even more so with this species and strain. If it explodes or dies - we can regrow this strain easily." He waved his hands around the container. "Think of this as your practice dummy."

"Living cells." Diana murmured. "A different aspect of Biological Manipulation."

"Yep." Aster went back to working on his experiment. "I want you to discover properties of these cells that differ from bacteria, viruses, and the like. They are completely different from the other organisms I've worked with." He patted her reassuringly. "Who knows, maybe you're better off with the complex Eukaryotes.'

"Maybe." Diana grinned. She nodded towards him. "Thank you for the work, Mr. Spinel."

"No problem." Aster grinned. He focused on his experiment.

Wait.

He paused, waiting for a few minutes for the signal. When he heard no explosions, he sighed in relief. Good. She didn't screw this one up. He could finally go back to thinking about new combat spells. Thank the gods.

XXX

This was a trap. He was standing in a disaster waiting to happen. There were no other ways this was a good thing. He must be dreaming. No, he needs to be dreaming. This can't possibly be happening.

He froze, his body straightened and in place as if the room was littered with land mines. To be fair, the situation wasn't that different.

"How do I look Aster?"

Yep. Definitely a trap.

He turned to Oleander who was wearing sunglasses, a white button-up T-shirt, and informal black pants. His best friend looked the part of a tourist. The man gave a thumbs-up when he looked his way. What. He then turned to the source of the previous words.

Emilia had a modest yet stylish sky blue dress, white knee-high boots with more bare skin than any Hermit - past, present and probably future had ever seen. She's not even showing a lot. It was Aster's inexperience with women that were causing trouble. In fact, her subtle apparel was an attempt to tone down her looks.

He's not sure that it was working. For the past weeks, his image of Emilia has always been linked to that signature Fernum-Magnum outfit the entire school wore. Seeing her in her casual clothes...

Well, he's not really sure what to do.

"Aster?"

"..."

Shit! What should he say?!

Oleander moved to intervene. His friend's smile was too sly for his liking. "Aster thinks you look great."

Thanks for being a good friend, Oleand-

Wait. Don't say anything suggestive!

Emilia laughed.

"Is there any reason why you're both dressed like that?" Aster shook out of his stupor. He eyed their appearance with a more keen scan, noticing even more items on their person. The Witch Hunter carried a small purse and Oleander adorned a leather satchel. Emilia placed her own sunglasses inside her bag.

"We're going to the city, of course." Emilia smiled. At his confused look, she giggled. "What? You thought we're just going to let you stay in your lab forever?" Yes. She shook her head. "I thought it'd be nice to take a trip through Fernus. Oleander told me that you've never been there before."

"You've only seen a glimpse of the city," Oleander added, "and that was only when we walked straight to Fernum-Magnum. I figured that we could have some time to relax and look at what the capital of magic has to offer."

"Why are you bringing this up now?"

Out of all the things they could have brought up, why the city and why now? After finally getting through most of the problems that corrupted his stay, why should he leave his safe haven instead of going straight back to his research?

"Headmaster's orders." Emilia smirked. He groaned. Ugh. Of course. "Our boss is currently distracting the media so that you could get accustomed to the city life."

"If you're going to change the image of what a Hermit is then we should prep you as best we can." Oleander smiled. "Besides, we gave the entire institute a few days off while they rebuild half the campus that you destroyed." Oleander raised an eyebrow. Aster coughed lightly. "Even the students are going to enjoy themselves so why can't we?"

"I am coming along to safeguard your health." Emilia smiled warmly. "But I won't lie when I say that I haven't had a big break from teaching in a while. It'd be nice to explore Fernus once more."

"I could spend my time better researching new spells for the Headmaster."

"But what about the sponsors?" Emilia crossed her arms. "What about the people? Public speaking and entertaining guests are a valuable skill - something that no doubt you should learn." Hey! Emilia sighed. "In all seriousness, Aster. I admire you and your stubbornness to hold your beliefs, but getting accustomed to the public would be an invaluable skill to have."

"Especially for what you will be facing." Oleander raised his hand, catching his eye. "Emilia and I will try to help you as best as we can but while we can speak on your behalf, people would like to hear your words." He gave a pointed glance. "And by that, I do mean your words. People will trust a man that speaks for himself."

"Action speaks louder than words." Aster met their stares head on. He wasn't much for casual talk, even when forced into it by the facility's staff and students but there was one thing that he believed in, it was that. "I'll show them the spell. Give a small description then ask for donations." He shrugged. "I'll let my magic do the speaking for me."

"They'll let their prejudice do the speaking for them." Emilia's rebuttal caused the Hermit to tense. "Impressive magic is good, grand even but first impressions count. What would they think if they see you dressed as that." She roved his form and he winced in response.

Is there a problem with his lab coat? He thought he looked rather nice in them.

"You're dressed the part of a researcher." Oleander stepped between two, smiling towards him with a calm reassurance. Aster quirked an eyebrow but relaxed. "However, Wizard etiquette would deign the Wizard to dress nicely in formal settings."

"Your Wizard etiquette sucks."

"It honestly does." Emilia chuckled and her casual admittance surprised the Hermit. "It's something of a necessary evil in this case, but its nothing more than just being polite. Citizens dress nicely for similar events because they're expected to and wearing anything else would seem as if belittling the hard work of the host. It's the same thing for us."

Huh.

"Logical." Aster sighed. He could argue about the unnecessary flare utilized for such events, but he figured that was more of social knowledge that he wouldn't understand. "Excluding the lab coat, my apparel is still good for a formal setting."

"It does." Oleander nodded. "It's not enough though."

"What?"

"You need presence. Something that makes you stand out and your clothes are nothing but modest." Oleander grinned, Aster watching him warily as the smile gained a sly tilt. "Usually, with enough confidence, clothes aren't necessary but you're lacking in that."

Aster glared at his friend who took it with graceful ease. "I'm not lacking in confidence."

"When it comes to your magic." Oleander said. "When it comes to people, however, you're constantly defensive and it's rather off-putting."

"Then it's obviously working."

"Aster..." Oleander warned before sighing.

"Oleander." He smirked in response.

"Boys." Emilia chuckled and her input silenced his friend. Ever since the redhead and the blonde found common ground with Aster, they've been on friendlier terms. That still didn't change the fact that she could be scary when needed. She nodded towards Aster. "I agree with Oleander. You're going to need new clothes."

"Emilia no."

"Emilia yes." The blonde smirked. She firmly held his shoulder. Damn. He was trapped. "You need a bit more variety in your clothes anyways. A change shouldn't hurt." She smiled. "Oleander and I will pay for it if it makes you feel better."

Free clothes? Well, if they're payi-

Wait, don't fall for their tricks!

But free clothes...

It's a trap!

Free stuff.

No!

Wait. Think things through Aster. The Hermit looked straight at the grinning devil of a woman in front of him. He sighed. Ah, yeah, there was one important detail that he forgot when it comes to Oleander and Emilia.

"I don't have a choice, do I?"

"You always have a choice, Aster."

"Uh-huh."

"Admittedly, one choice is better than the other."

"Right."

Oleander interrupted Aster and Emilia's banter with a pat on his back. There was amusement in his eyes that caught Aster's caution but otherwise kept his professionalism. "Let's just go."

Aster conceded, instead opting to eye Emilia and Oleander's bags with open suspicion.

"You're paying for everything."

"Sure thing. I don't mind."

Rich bastards.