Spring really came back with a vengeance. Adion thought as he enjoyed the morning sun’s warmth on his face as he was walking through the streets of Cyalis. He was heading to check up on Perk and Tib before he was supposed to meet up with Sell.

I’m looking forward to training together with Sell again. It makes everything more fun. I still have to meditate and train my aura control by myself, so I will focus on those things whenever I’m not with her. I especially can’t relax my aura training.

He had spent the previous day talking with his grandfather about the aura sense of Soul mages. He was worried that he would be surrounded by a lot more Soul mages than he had initially thought, and it was only a matter of time before one of them decided to take a look at his aura more closely.

His grandfather had told him that his aura sense had developed a lot. But if that was thanks to the Grand Soul Clarity pill or his advancement was uncertain. The fact was that his core now wasn’t only something physical but also part of his soul, something only possible to accomplish with a great sense of one's soul. And aura was inseparable from the soul.

Adion’s grandfather could now very easily control his own aura to only show what he wanted. However, it wasn’t absolute and could still be improved. The soul and aura are very complex, and not even Fellion knew all about his own aura.

When Adion asked his grandfather to try and sense his aura, he could feel that Adion was hiding his strength, but he wasn’t able to pinpoint exactly how strong he was. Perhaps if he was given more time or when he gained more experience with his improved aura sense, he could tell exactly what he was hiding. This made Adion sure that, just as he suspected, he couldn’t count on being able to hide his strength from a curious Soul mage.

But when it came to Adion’s space core, his grandfather had no clue how to find such a thing in Adion’s aura. His grandfather hadn’t had much practice in sensing other’s elements before, so it wasn’t very strange that he couldn’t sense his element without practice. He hadn’t even been able to say for certain that he wasn’t a fire mage. But he was able to tell that he should have been able to feel it if he actually had a fire core, making the only possible explanations that either Adion was very good at hiding his fire core, or he didn’t have one. Most Soul mages would probably assume the second option was more likely.

My space core is probably safe. Not even Fellion could tell what my element was. He only knew it was an element he had never felt before. But that isn’t much better.

As I am now, a Soul mage searching through my aura will probably be able to tell my strength, and if they are suspicious about my fire core, they will be able to tell that I don’t have one.

I will have to stay away from Soul mages as much as I can going forward. And I have to keep training my aura control. It won’t make a difference in the short run, but that’s no reason not to give it my all.

Unfortunately, Adion’s grandfather had also strongly advised against Adion taking a Grand Soul Clarity Pill before he was ready to advance to the Soft Soul stage. The pill wasn’t like the Merillian Soul Peach. It was created with the intent of helping mages ingrain their core into their soul, something that would be dangerous to try and experiment with in Adion’s situation. Taking the pill and making use of the effects would also take a great amount of Will, and Adion was far from matching the Will of a peak Diamond mage.

If I take the pill now, my Will wouldn’t be able to handle it. There is no knowing what kind of side-effects would result from it. Better to forget about it and develop my Will and aura control slowly.

Adion reached the inn where had rented a room for Tib and Perk and made his way to their room. He had visited them after his admission with his brother to get his backpack, but that was three days ago, and he hadn’t had time to talk much with them.

Adion knocked on the door to the brother’s room and felt how Perk rushed to open it.

“Boss, you’re back!” Perk said with a big smile. Tib also made his way over to the door when he heard his brother.

“Boss, welcome back,” Tib said, palming his fist in greeting.

“Sorry for my absence. I’ve been busy,” Adion said, stepping inside the room, “So, how have you been?”

“We’ve been good, boss,” Perk said, “We’ve continued to train hard by ourselves, like you told us.”

“We’ve also been around the city a little and looked for information,” Tib said.

“Oh? Already? Find out anything interesting?” Adion asked.

“Well, we heard how your grandfather has managed to become a Soul mage. Congratulations, boss,” Perk said.

“Where did you hear that?” Adion asked.

“We overheard someone talking about here at the inn,” Perk said.

Seems like even in Cyalis, something like this grabs people’s attention.

“Anything else?” Adion asked.

“We asked around a little about the different auction houses like you asked us to,” Tib said.

They have already started on that?

“From what we understand, the best option if you want a trusted place to auction off something of high value, you should go to Appos Auction House,” Tib said.

Appos? It’s the family that the Soul mage that visited Grandpa yesterday belonged to. They should be too strong to scam their customers.

“I have heard of the Appos family, they should have quite the reputation to uphold. Have they sold something like the Elixir of Life in the past?” Adion asked.

“We’re not sure of the exact value, but they have sold artifacts and natural treasures that, from what we understand, are considered priceless,” Tib said.

“We couldn’t find out how trusted it is exactly, but like you said, the Appos family is a big Noble family that wouldn’t want their reputation tarnished,” Perk added.

Maybe I should ask around a little myself. If I could safely sell the Elixir of Life, I would get more money than I would be able to spend. I’m running a little low at the moment. I could even buy a place for Tib and Perk to stay in the city and perhaps expand our operations.

“You’ve done a lot better than I expected,” Adion said with a pleased smile, “I’ll reward you when I get the money from the Elixir of Life.”

“We were just doing our job, boss,” Tib said.

“And you’ve done it well,” Adion said with a nod, “But make sure that you don’t forget about your training. That is your main priority at the moment.”

“Mm,” Perk and Tib nodded.

Adion spent some time answering questions from the boys about his situation at the Academy. He also gave a few tips about how to make the most of their time when they were training, such as making sure to meditate first thing when they woke up and always pushing their aura to the limit before going to bed in order to temper their Will and hide their aura better.

“Well,” Adion said after almost an hour had passed, “I have to get going. You know where I’ll be staying for the time being, so send me a letter if anything comes up. Otherwise, just focus on training. We can begin focusing more on information gathering once we have the money.

“Alright, boss,” Perk said, “Good luck in the tournament.”

“Mm,” Adion nodded and stepped out of the room.

“I’ll make sure to form a core soon,” Tib said.

“Don’t rush it,” Adion warned, “And let me know before you try anything.”

“I know,” Tib nodded.

“Good,” Adion said, “Continue working hard.”

Adion went down the hallway as Perk closed the door behind him.

Once out on the street again, Adion started walking towards the public Academy where he was going to meet up with Sell. He noticed a carriage at the side of the road with a driver offering to take people around the city. It was a common business in Cyalis, as the city was too big for walking without wasting a lot of time.

“To the Academy, please,” Adion said as he handed some coins to the driver.

“Straight away, young master,” The driver said and took off as soon as Adion entered the carriage.

It took a little more than 20 minutes before Adion arrived in front of the gates leading to the public Academy. He knew from before that it would cost a lot of extra coins to take the carriage inside, so Adion walked from the gates to the plaza.

I wonder if she is already here? Adion thought to himself as he walked with hurried steps. He wasn’t late, but he didn’t want to keep Sell waiting more than necessary if she was early.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

As soon as he arrived at the plaza, Adion spotted Sell. She was standing outside one of the luxurious restaurants facing the plaza, and she was accompanied by Rellitha and her two friends.

What are they doing here?

“Sell,” Adion called out as he got close, “Sorry I’m late.”

“Adion,” Sell turned to look at him with a smile, “No, I was early.”

“You’re meeting Adion?” Rellitha asked.

“Yeah, bye,” Sell said and walked toward Adion, away from the group of girls.

Adion nodded in greeting to Rellitha, Hether, and Klissa, and turned to walk away with Sell.

“Wait, where are you going?” Rellitha asked.

“To the Academy,” Sell said without turning around.

“That…” Rellitha seemed to be at a loss for words while Klissa and Hether giggled beside her.

“Let’s hurry out of here,” Sell whispered as she pulled on Adion’s arm to follow.

“Why? What’s going on?” Adion asked.

“Rell is just really annoying,” Sell muttered.

“How so?” Adion asked.

“Just asking a bunch of questions all the time,” Sell said with a slight blush, “And she and her friends wouldn’t leave me alone while I waited for you.”

“Is she suspicious of us?” Adion asked.

“Probably,” Sell said, “But it’s not like she knows anything. I’ll just ignore her, and I’m sure she’ll tire eventually.”

“Right,” Adion mumbled, looking back to Rellitha and her friends, who were still watching them as they walked away.

“Anyway,” Adion said, “Are you fine with visiting Prago before turning in our classes?”

“Mm,” Sell nodded, “We have plenty of time. Do you know where he lives?”

“Aiden checked for me last night,” Adion said, “He apparently lives in the West Dormitory.”

“That’s not very far,” Sell said, “I know the way.”

“Good,” Adion said.

“How was it yesterday? Was your grandfather happy?” Sell asked.

“Yeah, he was very happy,” Adion nodded, “But it was a busy day for him. A lot of people came to visit. We even had a Soul mage come by.”

Adion went on to explain how his family was going to join Cyalis and how there was probably going to be a ceremony welcoming them to the local Nobility once everything was sorted.

“That will be good for you,” Sell said with a pleasant smile, “Nobles have a lot of privileges, and being a Noble of Cyalis even more so.”

“Yeah,” Adion said, “It’s probably for the best. I’m just a little worried about how many Soul mages I’m going to run into. I thought I’d be pretty safe from encountering them since most professors are Diamonds at most, but if I have to go to a ceremony like that, I imagine the place will be crowded with Soul mages.”

“Probably,” Sell nodded, “But will it matter? It’s only for a night, and if you don’t give anyone a reason to, I doubt they’ll scrutinize your aura very much.”

“Maybe,” Adion said, “But it’s still a big risk. I might have to make up an excuse not to make it.”

“That will be hard,” Sell said, “You only have four family members. If you are missing, people will wonder where the Gifted fourth member of the family is during such an important event. That might just make things worse.”

“I didn’t think of it like that,” Adion muttered, “But you have a point.”

“Well, it’s still some time away,” Sell said, “We’ll have time to think about it.”

“Mm,” Adion nodded.

It didn’t take much longer before Adion and Sell made it to the West Dormitory. The big building didn’t look much different from where Adion lived, and he already knew exactly which room Prago was in.

“I’ll wait outside,” Sell said as Adion opened the door to the section where Prago had his room.

“Hm? Why?” Adion asked.

“It’s inappropriate to go inside a boys' dormitory,” Sell said.

I didn’t even know that there were boys' and girls’ dormitories. But I guess that makes sense.

“I’ll try to be quick then,” Adion said and went inside.

Prago’s room was on the first floor so Adion found the room quickly. He knocked on the door and spread some of his space mana around him as he waited.

That’s Prago’s aura. Good. I don’t have to come back later.

“Yes?” A brown-haired man, a year older than Adion, asked as he opened the door.

“Hello, I’m Adion Remori. I’m looking for Prago. Is he in?” Adion asked.

“Yeah,” The man nodded, “I’ll go get him. Come inside.”

Adion stepped into the common area of the room that looked a lot like his own room at the North Dormitory. The man went to knock on Prago’s private room.

“Prago, Adion Remori is here looking for you,” The man said through the door.

“Adion?” A voice was heard from inside the room. Prago opened the door to his room and smiled as he spotted Adion.

“Adion!” Prago yelled, “I was hoping you’d stop by.”

“I was planning on coming here later but had a question about my class selection,” Adion said, “But it’s good to see you. How have you been?”

“I’ve been good,” Prago said, putting a hand on Adion’s shoulder and scrutinizing him. “Not as good as you, though. How can you have grown even more?”

“It’s normal for men our age,” Adion said, “You should eat more healthy.”

“Tsk, did my grandpa tell you to say that?” Prago asked.

“He did say I should look after you,” Adion nodded, “He seemed most worried about your fighting abilities and romantic life, though.”

“I’m doing just fine on both counts,” Prago snorted.

“Is that so?” Adion raised an eyebrow questioningly.

“It’s so,” Prago nodded resolutely, “Anyway, what did you say about class selection? Oh yeah, what class were you put in, by the way?”

“Diamond class,” Adion said.

“As suspected,” Prago shook his head, “Well, congratulations. I’ll be counting on your credits in the future.”

“Hmm, I can lend you a little because of your grandfather, I guess,” Adion muttered.

“Really?” Prago asked, surprised, “That’s great. I’ll teach you runes in return.”

That doesn’t sound so bad.

“What class are you in, by the way?” Adion asked.

“Stone class,” Prago responded with a straight face.

“Stone?” Adion asked, shocked, “I heard from Termon that you were put in silver class. How did you drop so low?”

“I dropped to bronze class during the tournament,” Prago said, “And then I was challenged and ended up all the way down in iron. After that…well, it’s been a year full of challenges, and I didn’t want to waste time on them, so I just conceded every fight and focused on my studies instead.”

“That…how do you get credits then?” Adion asked.

“I get credits from performing well in my classes,” Prago said, “Nothing much to a student in the diamond class, perhaps, but it gets me by.”

“Haaah,” Adion sighed, “Whatever, we’ll talk about it another time. I just stopped by to get your opinion on a good class for me to take as an introduction to runes.”

“Alright, I can help with that,” Prago nodded with a smile, “Do you have a list of your options?”

Adion pulled out and handed Prago the booklet of available classes.

“Hmm,” Prago mused as he looked through the different classes on runes, “You should take as many as you can, really.”

“Only one,” Adion said.

“What a waste,” Prago muttered. “Very well, in that case, just take ‘Runes - An Introduction.’ You’ll have no way to keep up in any of the other ones.”

“That’s what I thought,” Adion nodded, “I’ll ask for your help again once I’ve passed this one.”

“Alright,” Prago nodded, “I’ll be happy to help.”

“Thanks,” Adion said, “Well, I’d love to stay and talk some more, but we’ll have to do that another time. My girlfriend is waiting for me outside.”

“Your girlfriend is?” Prago asked.

“Mm,” Adion nodded, turning to leave, “I’ll come visit after the tournament again. And we can talk.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Prago said and ran up to Adion, “Let me take a look at this girlfriend first. Shouldn’t you introduce us?”

Should I? Well, Prago won’t tell anyone. And he already knows my girlfriends is called Sell. He’ll figure out her identity sooner or later. But there could be other people around, and Prago doesn’t seem like someone who can control his reactions very well.

“Another time,” Adion said, “We’re in a hurry. And we are kind of keeping it a secret, so I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone.”

“A secret?” Prago asked, looking at his roommates’ rooms. Adion had already surrounded them by a thin film of space that he held Authority over to quiet down their conversation, something he basically always did when talking about anything sensitive. So he wasn’t worried anyone had overheard.

“Mm,” Adion nodded, “You’ll understand later. Just remember to keep quiet about it, okay?”

“Okay, you can count on me,” Prago said with a serious look.

“Right,” Adion smiled, “Thanks. I’ll see you after the tournament, then.” Adion waved goodbye and left the room.

“I’ll make sure to go there and cheer you on!” Prago yelled after him before closing the door.

Oh, yeah. He doesn’t know I’m Gifted. Well, it will be a nice surprise, I guess.