Levin raised a vial of ink to eye level, examining it closely for any impurities that may ruin its effectiveness. The vial contained a clear liquid, within which floated specks of ever-changing color. The ink was mesmerizing to view as each of the countless floating specks shifted through the full spectrum of colors, each one obeying its own rules and patterns for which color to become next.

Levin firmly believed that this ink would shock to the core any runesmith who laid eyes upon it, because it was unlike any ink that could be created through traditional brewing. Only someone like Levin, who could process inks from a chemical perspective, would be capable of creating an ink like this.

As he stood staring at the ink, careful analysis slowly turning into admiration of his own ability, the faintest hint of sunlight began to creep into Levin’s room. He had been up all night in order to complete it by today, and had spent the rest of his funds in the process. It was costly to advance his runesmithing by throwing massive amounts of resources into a meat grinder of data. But then again, that sort of trial-and-error was how ordinary runesmiths did it.

Levin yawned and rubbed his temples. It had been a while since he’d stayed up all night, and even longer since he’d kept his Y-Link engaged throughout the night. A dull ache filled his head, and he wasn’t entirely sure if it was from overusing his Y-Link or forgetting to drink water as he worked. Probably both.

“Crap. I’m late,” Levin thought as the sunlight grew stronger.

He immediately turned to leave, tucking the vial of ink into his robe as he headed in the direction of Pilip’s lab. Despite being late, Levin felt no need to rush, since Pilip had only ever been present in his lab at daybreak twice. The sun had begun to fully peek over the horizon by the time he made it Pilip’s lab, but there was no one present, as he expected.

Levin sighed in relief at the empty lab. Master Pilip had been early yesterday, but today was a return to normal. He was quite generous, though, so Levin probably would have been fine even if he had arrived after his master. Even so, he felt the need to be punctual, especially considering all Master Pilip had done for him.

The early morning began to stretch on, and Levin wondered where Master Pilip could be. The plan was for them to go to Lethridge again today, retrieving the final batch of Chaos Buds they needed. That was the only reason Levin had been up all night and spent the rest of his money. He figured today of all days Master Pilip would be up early, but apparently the man really did like to sleep in.

After the trip, Master Pilip would have everything he needed for the final Chaos rune ‘Bolt’. Levin wasn’t sure what that spell would be, since Master Pilip wouldn’t let Levin read the Book of Reeds, but it would certainly be useful for revenge. And strengthening his Chaos Source meant he could use his spells more times in a row – a discovery he had made last night while waiting on inks to brew.

Levin was deep into a yawn when Master Pilip finally arrived, the mid-day sun shining bright outside. He looked worn and haggard, even more tired than he had yesterday. And strangely, he didn’t seem particularly excited for their trip to Lethridge, despite what it meant for his career.

It had clearly been another late night for Master Pilip. Levin didn’t get the impression Pilip was actually that hard of a worker most of the time, but he really was quite dedicated to the Chaos project. Likely he was working on a report late, or – wait. Was that alcohol?

As Master Pilip walked past Levin, who bowed in greeting, Levin got a clear whiff of something alcoholic. And it smelled quite strong too, though he had never drank himself so he wasn’t completely sure. Either way, the real story suddenly clicked into place. Master Pilip was simply hungover.

“Sorry, Levin,” Pilip said, pouring himself a glass of water and downing it all at once.

He refilled the glass again, sipping from it as sat down with a grunt. He closed his eyes, leaning back in his seat as he addressed Levin.

“I know I said we would go to Lethridge today, but I just don’t feel up to it,” Pilip said.

Levin groaned internally. So he had stayed up all night and burned through the rest of his cash for nothing? Ruined all because Pilip was celebrating?

“So I was hoping you would go alone. Lieutenant Aiyame already knows you, and she has the list of materials. And I really don’t want to sit in that carriage for a few hours right now.”

Levin’s eyes went wide. That was not what he had expected. But it would make his life a lot easier, so the answer came out easily.

“Of course, Master Pilip.”

Pilip nodded, taking another sip of water, and Levin turned to leave.

***

"The plan is finally in motion," he thought to himself as he exited the gates of Inuvik Academy.

There was no need for Levin to request a ride from a coachman, as he didn't need a horse-drawn carriage to descend the mountain. Instead, inside the stable was a fine black steed, one that warmly responded to Levin's presence.

"Nini, we'll be able to avenge your companion soon," Levin said quietly as he gently petted the horse while leading her out of the stable. “But there’s something we need to take care of first.”

Before long, the two were riding smoothly down Mount Inuvik towards the city below. Levin had felt the horse grow closer to him in the past week and a half as he had taken up walking and caring for the horse in Kirima's stead. He knew that he was far from an expert in taking care of horses, but with the assistance of the Inuvik stables Nini was still well cared for.

Wearing his Academy robes, Levin had no issue at the gates of Inuvik City. As he drew near to the Lethridge tower, Levin carefully patted the vial of ink hidden within his robes, simply checking it was still there. His identity token was sufficient to part the gates to the estate, and he trotted Nini inside. Dismounting within the short stone walls around Lethridge, Levin allowed the horse to wander the meticulously cared for gardens inside. Levin smiled as he saw Nini begin munching on a plant while he walked into the tower.

Lieutenant Aiyame looked up as he entered, and raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.

"Magus Pilip didn't come?" she asked.

Levin bowed before replying. It was important to remember he was a servant, and this person one of the highest ranked members of the Academy.

"Greetings, Lieutenant Aiyame. Master Pilip is…preoccupied with work, so I was sent alone in his stead," Levin explained.

"Very well. We received a transmission he’d be coming today, and the request is fully approved. Come with me," she said, walking towards the stairs in the back.

Levin’s second trip was much like his first, with Aiyame unlocking various storage lockers and letting Levin retrieve the contents. His knapsack grew heavier and heavier, the third stage apparently requiring much more supplemental ingredients than the prior two. But as they entered the second highest floor and its bin of Chaos Buds, he still had plenty of space.

But Levin didn’t walk over to the bin. Not yet. Right now was the time to make his move.

“Lieutenant Aiyame, if I may…?” he asked, bowing down and waiting for her response. He knew being as respectful as possible was critical to getting a request like this granted.

She paused, turning to look back at him. “Yes?”

“If it’s not too much trouble, may I view the Lethridge rune array?” he asked, not rising from his bow.

“Didn’t you get a good look at it last time?” she asked with a smirk and a small chuckle.

Levin blushed. “I did, yes, but a rune array as fantastic as this one requires much study. And for someone like me, with no Source of my own, studying the physical formations is about the most I can excel at. I would really appreciate another opportunity to examine it.”

Lieutenant Aiyame looked at Levin silently, considering his words. He hoped his status as a potential innovation in the realm of Chaos magic, and an important asset to Inuvik Academy, would make her more lenient with him than an ordinary servant. In her eyes, this should be a trivial, harmless request, yet Levin still felt nervous he was asking for something unreasonable.

“Very well. But I’ll only give you a minute,” she said, and began walking towards the stairs up to the highest room that contained only the rune array for all of Lethridge.

Levin hurriedly rose from his bow, following behind Aiyame, his heart thundering in his chest. Levin forced his muscles to stay relaxed, trying to walk up the stairs as normally as possible. As he did, he stealthily removed the vial of ink from within his robes, hiding it in his palm. She was in front of him on the stairs, and Levin took advantage of that to slowly pop the cork off of the vial, trembling as he did but managing to not make a sound.

As they entered the highest floor, Aiyame stood to the side, keeping her eyes on Levin as he walked forward to stand at the edge of the rune array. She stood just near the top of the staircase, gesturing for Levin to go on ahead. Levin took a deep breath. Hopefully she wouldn’t read into that.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

He engaged his Y-Link. The rush of stimulus, like his mind expanding, helped to calm his nerves. The task for his supercomputer this time was simple – visualize Aiyame’s field of vision.

Shifting his hand ever so slightly, he moved the vial of ink hidden therein over the edge of the rune array, keeping his movements so subtle that Aiyame would think nothing of them even if she noticed. When the tip of the vial was in position, he rotated his arm, and the liquid in the vial began to drip out. With his Y-Link on, he had the spatial awareness to know with the utmost confidence that as each drip of the ink fell down, his chest, waist, leg, and foot completely hid the dripping ink from the lieutenant’s gaze.

As the first droplet connected with the rune engraved in the ground, it made no sound, instead instantaneously blending in with the existing ink. The lack of sound was a natural byproduct of runes, since the magical binding prevented any sort of splashing beyond the limits of the engraving. A similar phenomenon occurred when he refilled the ink in Cho’s runes. Levin jumped for joy inside – it indicated his counter-ink was mixing properly.

Levin stood there, continuing to look out over the rune in quiet examination while his vial of ink slowly spilled down into it. To Aiyame, he hoped he looked as though he was intently studying the rune, desperately trying to copy it into memory. He hoped she couldn’t see the sweat coating his palms, or hear the jackhammer he had for a heart.

Less than a minute later, the vial had been completely drained, but the rune on the ground didn’t appear any different. All according to his calculations. Closing his hand fully around the empty vial to completely hide it from view, Levin turned back to look at Aiyame. He took another breath. Now all that was left was the closing act.

"This formation isn't just defensive, right? It looks like that section adds a preserving effect for the resources stored in the tower," Levin said, pointing to a spot near the back of the rune array.

Of course, a week of his Y-Link processing the rune array gave Levin a complete understanding of it.

"Ah, very good. Yes, preserving ingredients and monitoring the more volatile ones are also functions of our Lethridge array. It's a shame about your Source, child. If it wasn't for that, you'd have the potential to be a great runesmith," she said.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. I appreciate the opportunity to view what must be one of the grandest rune arrays in all of Trurok," he said, bowing his head slightly and moving away from the rune array. He gripped the empty vial tightly, quelling any trembling.

Aiyame looked pleased with the praise Levin had been heaping on the Academy this whole time. She nodded at him, then turned and descended the stairs with Levin in tow. He tucked his vial back away into his robes and breathed out, his nerves calming. It was done.

They popped open the bin of Chaos Buds, and Levin dumped them into his bag until Aiyame stopped him. With the task complete, they said their farewells, Levin giving another deep bow. Then he left the tower, stepping outside in a rush of exhilaration, and retrieved Nini, who was still happily messing up the pristine garden.

"It's done, Nini," he whispered to the horse as he mounted her and began to leave Lethridge, heading back to the Academy.

Soon, he would get the power he was craving. And with it, Andrew would finally be avenged.

***

The afternoon was fading away by the time Levin got back, the large shadows cast by the towers of Inuvik Academy beginning to stretch off into the distance. With his sack slung over his shoulder, Levin set off to Master Pilip’s lab.

“I did it!” Levin thought to himself. It was all he could think. And each time he did, he felt another rush of adrenaline. It wasn’t just that he did it. It was that he could do it.

He climbed the stairs to Pilip’s lab in a daze, still picturing that long, long minute with the rune array. If he had messed up his concealment, Aiyame probably would have killed him on the spot, Chaos magic be damned. But instead, the place was now primed for the Mage Hunters. All they needed to do now was to wait for Silla.

Levin knocked on the door of Pilip’s lab. He waited a moment, expecting to hear his master’s voice inviting him in. But no response came.

Levin hesitated. He knocked again. “Master Pilip?”

No response.

Levin unlocked the door with his identity token and slid it open, slowly and quietly, then peeked in. If Master Pilip wasn’t here, fine, Levin would drop off the supplies and be on his way. But in case he was, and focused on something to the point he didn’t hear the knocking, Levin didn’t want to accidentally interrupt.

His silence paid off, but not in the way he expected. Inside, Levin found Master Pilip slumped in a chair, snoring away. Naturally. Levin had forgotten about that awful-looking hangover.

“He must have really been celebrating his success yesterday,” Levin thought with a smile.

Levin stepped quietly, closing the door softly behind him. He walked to the center of the lab, where a large table was stacked with every miscellaneous item Pilip would pull out throughout the day. He put the sack down, then took a seat.

Normally, Pilip expected him to stay until he was dismissed. Levin did not want to sit here for however long it took Master Pilip to wake up. He might even be asleep until nightfall. And yet, he felt obligated to stay. Maybe he should wake Master Pilip up?

No, no. The man probably felt awful. The nice thing to do was let him sleep. And besides, Cho was heading over to the Mage Hunters right now, to deliver the good news. Even if he had to sit in here, he wasn’t stuck in here. So Levin should just sit here quietly, and –

Something caught Levin’s eye. A small leather bag, shaped like a lumpy brief-case with a loose flap for a lid. Master Pilip’s carrying case, designed for objects too large to comfortably fit in the pockets of a robe. Such as books.

Such as a very old, worn book that Master Pilip always carried around. That Levin wasn’t allowed to see.

Levin’s breath caught in his throat. Before he even realized what he was doing, he was crouched next to the snoozing Pilip. His bag was resting at the foot of his chair.

“Is this really okay?” Levin thought.

This wasn’t just testing Master Pilip’s generosity. He was forgiving, but the Book of Reeds was the property of Inuvik Academy. It was a precious treasure of Lord Hann himself. For the second time today, if he was caught doing this, even Master Pilip might not be able to help him.

Levin’s hand moved with a mind of his own. This was a book with knowledge from a thousand years ago. He flipped open the top of Pilip’s bag, reaching his hand inside and groping around.

Master Pilip stirred in his chair. Levin froze, heart pounding in his chest. This day had been far too exciting for him. Fortunately, Master Pilip went right back to loudly snoring.

Levin’s hand found purchase on a piece of rough leather, and he immediately yanked it out. Levin's eyes lit up at the sight of the book. Pilip had guarded this book carefully, rejecting all of Levin's requests to see it. Turns out, he never should have bothered with asking.

Letting the skinny book fall open gently in his hands, the first thing Levin noticed was just how old the text was. The yellowed pages had begun wearing at the edges, and the writing within was clearly faded from what it used to be. But now that it could be contained within Levin's Y-Link, it would age no longer.

Levin flipped through the pages, scanning and analyzing them simultaneously. The first two thirds of the book contained data that he was loosely familiar with already – the shape for the rune that generated Chaos Source, the ingredients needed, the ink brewing process, and the designs for Wave and Blade. This data was invaluable to his simulations, providing a rare peek into an entirely new field of runesmithing. Levin was actively expanding his horizons.

He continued flipping through the pages. Next was the section that made up the final third of the thin book – Bolt. The next ability he would be granted. First was the ingredient list, which he of course knew from his earlier Lethridge trip. The brewing process did seem more advanced than the prior stages, and it made Levin excited to put into practice the runesmithing techniques within the book. Like the previous two chapters, this one also contained a rune designed to be engraved onto the body.

His eyes went wide at Bolt’s rune. There was an obvious weakness to both Blade and Wave: the range. Blade barely extended beyond his hand, and Wave could only cover about one room’s distance. But Bolt had no such bounds, according to the description in the book. It could travel vast distances, a pure concentrated ball of Chaos energy that could maintain its form.

For Levin, it was like a lightbulb going off in his head. A new idea, for a fifth Chaos rune. One that would be engraved into the ground, like the Chaos rune that generated Source, yet maintain its form over a large distance like Bolt.

Levin closed the book, slipping it back into Master Pilip’s back. He crept back quietly, thinking back. He clearly remembered every moment of that dreadful night with Kirima, even without his Y-Link. He remembered how his Chaos magic had made the defenses of the Academy crumble, but a transmission tablet had called Amaq to them. Chaos could stop that, too.

He engaged his Y-Link, starting a fresh simulation.

***

Atop the mountain that the Mage Hunters called their base, the warriors were beginning to cool down from their daily sparring. Mei sat off to the side, looking bored as Takt ran the others through some drills. Uki was not present, staying within the cavern as usual.

“Is attacking Lethridge really going to work out?” Jess asked. Her short brown hair was tied behind her head, but several strands had fallen out and shifted in front of her anxiety-writ face with each practice swing.

“It will. Trust in your training, Jess,” Takt said.

“Well, it’ll all depend on that bird-mage,” Kana said. She was the tallest of the bunch aside from Takt, and her rapier sliced through the air with ease. “And if he really can take down the rune array.”

“There’s no way he can,” said Yotti, a short, dark-haired young man. “He’s literally got a bird brain!”

“He’s not actually that bird,” Kana said with a roll of her eyes.

“I’m just excited for the chance to finally make real change!” Miki exclaimed, beads of sweat flying from his body with each thrust of his spear.

Nano was quiet, drawing his bow back and then slowly returning to a resting position, without dry firing, over and over in an exercise to build endurance. He was focused on his training, taking controlled breaths as the others chattered.

“What about Silla?” Jess asked, her nervous expression unchanged. “He’s supposed to be entering closed-door meditation today, right? What if Levin isn’t able to destroy the rune array before Silla emerges? We’ll have missed our chance to lure out Azaadi.”

“Uki will have us make a different attack if that happens,” Takt said. “We won’t miss this opportunity.”

“I don’t trust Levin, but I trust Uki, and she trusts Levin!” Miki exclaimed.

“She hardly trusts him, Miki,” Kana said. “The opportunity is simply too good to pass up.”

At that moment, a giant metal bird circled above them once before diving down and landing on a rock above them. He immediately had the Mage Hunters attention, and they paused their exercise.

"The attack on Lethridge is ready to be carried out," Levin said through Cho. “You won’t have to worry about the rune array.”

The shadows of anxiety flickered across all of their faces, especially Jess’s. The attack had just become real.