“What does an apprenticeship normally entail for you?” Yuriko asked after she put down the cup. The tea blend held fruity notes, but as she let her senses linger on the tea, she detected deeper notes that complemented the initial taste and a discordant point that made the rest of it taste much better in comparison. Only when she took one of the pastries and ate it did she realise why the discordant taste was there. It was to complement this one. Hmmm.

“Lady Yuriko?”

“Hmmm? I’m listening.”

She had devoted a couple of strands of consciousness to listen, several strands to watch their surroundings using sight, Chaos and elemental sense, hearing, and intuition. The rest were focused on the tea.

What Laura said earlier was, “Apprenticeships below the Magus level are common. That’s how it used to work in ancient times, but the academies changed things a bit. Now, apprenticeships are regulated by contracts.” Laura wet her lips with tea, and her ears quivered in excitement.

Compared to other Sha’ledras, Laura was actually quite slim. Her exposed upper arms had a hint of definition, but not quite the bulging muscles she’d seen with the tribesmen that were part of the first patrol or the ones she encountered in Synkrasia. She sighed as she recalled Faeril and his grandfather, Vaeril, who had been lost to the Femorant Queen. That one had disappeared when the plane fractured and there was no way to know if they survived.

“So what contract do you wish and what will you–we–gain from each other?” Yuriko asked.

“I…” Laura hesitated. “Uh, what do you wish? A standard contract is usually between a Magus and a Novice or Apprentice, but I’m already a Magi. Also, I’m part of the Orthodoxy which limits what knowledge I can share. I can only offer you my service in exchange.”

“Hmm, I’m more interested in your foundational knowledge,” Yuriko freely admitted. “I…we are not from the Arcadia Region, after all. Perhaps our base of knowledge is much different.”

“I see. I do have an extensive Grimoire, and more than two-thirds of the spells recorded within are not restricted by the Orthodoxy of Bright Elements.”

“That’s good,” Yuriko said with a smile. “But what do you hope to learn from me?”

Laura licked her lips, hesitated for a long moment, then said, “Radiant Light.”

Yuriko’s eyebrows rose. Laura wanted to touch the Radiant Ennoia? Shaking her head, she said, “I cannot teach you how to touch the Radiant.”

The woman across from her wilted. “I…”

Yuriko interrupted her. “You should know Ennoias cannot be directly taught, yes?”

The other woman frowned. “Ennoia? Oh! Do you mean the Elemental Truths?”

“Truths?” Yuriko hummed. “Yes, I suppose that is an apt description.”

“I understand that, Lady Yuriko.” Laura’s enthusiasm returned. “I don’t mean to ask to be taught your greatest secrets. It's just that the Primordial Element of Radiance is not easy to reach. I wish to learn and hopefully master Radiant Light through your intercession.”

“Hmmm, so what would you have me do? Radiance is something I…learned naturally.”

At those words, Laura’s eyes widened so much that Yuriko was afraid that her orbs would pop out of their sockets.

“Truly?” she gasped.

“Yes. Well, I suppose I can allow you to immerse yourself in my Radiant energy.”

“That would be great! Natural Radiant energy is filtered by too many things! Getting it as close to the source is best.”

“Alright, then what I want from you, other than access to your Grimoire,” Yuriko smiled. “And, well, companionship. We are new to this place and many things are unknown to us.”

Laura nodded, her cheeks flushed red with excitement. “I will. I’ll do everything you need or want.”

Chuckling to herself, Yuriko added, “Then I’ll leave the process to you.”

“Yes!”

Laura paid for their afternoon tea and parted ways. Yuriko told her that they would head to Niria Academy tomorrow at Cillian’s request, and they could meet there by noon.

Outside of the Moonlight Radiance, Yuriko closed her eyes for a moment and touched the threads connecting her to Gwendith and Heron. They weren’t in the square, but farther out into the city. The Adventurers’ Square was set in the middle of both volcanoes. The city was of a higher elevation than the surrounding plains. The twin peaks were the sole mountains within a hundred longstrides, and Yuriko could see a tall mountain range in the east.

She walked towards the west, back to the riverside docks and the Wind Darter. They had taken a carriage to go to the guild building, but now, she intended to stroll. The path was easy enough, and even if she got lost, her connection to her Chaos Lords would give her direction. The threads of her Mien allowed her to determine status, direction, and distance, but only to a point. Within the same plane, probably, and it depended on the strength of the connection.

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The turn of the Seasons had brought about warmer weather, so it wasn’t quite as nice to keep her overcoat on. Bresian fashion was similar enough to Imperial that she didn’t really stand out…well, except for the fact that most women who weren’t soldiers or adventurers wore skirts or dresses. Those who did wear trousers wore a style similar to what Damien usually wore, palazzo pants which were voluminous enough to hide the shape of their legs. Yuriko’s trousers were the slender kind that showed off the shape of her thighs and calves. A conscious choice to avoid Damien’s style.

And if she doffed her overcoat, she might scandalise the people here. Huh. Or they might not really care. Well, she was wearing a white blouse underneath, anyway. Hmm, she really should wear the dresses Gwendith gave her. The traveller’s clothes weren’t all that protective at her level—she only kept using them out of habit.

Anima perception was detectable by Magi, it seemed, but not by their lower-level counterparts. If she thinned her Anima enough, it should still remain undetectable. She felt a bit restless not having her perception aura, after all, and it wasn’t as if she was trying to hide. Her Tranquility Mien soothed who might get disturbed by her touch.

She had wandered out of the main streets since those took a roundabout route to get to the docks. The bustle in the streets lessened though there were a few pedestrians, some wagons, and people on Steelds or horses. The houses looked a bit more careworn and lived in. Children ran around playing in the alleys.

She smiled at a gang running away from a harried dog, though from their laughter, and the animal’s wagging tail, they weren’t in any danger. The kids rambunctiously made their way through the obstacle-filled alleyways and over a wooden fence even before the dog could get within five paces of the slowest tot.

After they dodged the canine, they gathered in a dead-end alley and decided to play hide and seek. Yuriko leaned against a brick wall while watching and listening. They were using the local tongue but it wasn’t all that difficult to figure out the associations. She decided to put her mind to learning it and polishing up her Wojan as she didn’t like relying on a single language in a bilingual country.

After an hour of quiet observation, she was somewhat surprised to realise that the local dialect wasn’t all the obtuse. She managed to pair up the Wojan use words and from there, extrapolate everything else from context. Strange—she didn’t really have an ear for languages before.

Or maybe it was because her mind had been refined, too. It was easier to remember things, and whenever she visualised a memory, she found that it was as crisp as though it had just happened.

Well, that set of kids was about to head home, so she got going, too. She was a couple of blocks from them anyway, though she might have looked like a fool while loitering. The few youths that approached her to strike up a conversation, she rebuffed gently and sent them on their way. Hmm, a few of them were certainly a bit attractive, but she didn’t want any entanglements at the moment.

By dinner time she had arrived back at the docks, having enjoyed her taste of Nirlith City.

__________

“Lieutenant Coinoch, please enter,” the attendant said after entering the sitting room that Cillian had been left to wait for the past couple of hours. He held in his annoyance at the delay, since more than likely the Dean was busy. Not with the Academy’s day-to-day business, but probably with research, politicking, or maybe he was indulging in a game of Shatran with the Vice Deans.

He followed the attendant, someone who had graced the halls of learning even while Cillian had been a student. Blanca Ferron was a Khuni Tribeswoman and an Advanced Magus with an Ice Elemental mastery, and she had been one of his teachers on fighting opposed elements half a decade ago. She still retained her somewhat youthful looks, but Cillian was sure that it was her calm, emotionless demeanour that prevented wrinkles from forming on her forehead more than anything else. Even her long ears, which were used by hare beastkin to express emotions as well as for their incredible sense of hearing, were always controlled tightly.

Lady Ferron ushered him into the Dean’s office, but it wasn’t His Grace, Lord Carlos Varro who was there. It was the Vice Dean, Her Grace, Lady Olivia Biera behind the desk. The near centenarian still looked just a bit older than Lady Ferron’s looks, and her dark hair was tied up neatly in a bun, which waggled to and fro as she went through a pile of papers that she signed and stamped.

Lady Biera looked up when he entered and motioned for him to take a seat in one of the armchairs in front of her desk. Cillian approached and offered a bow.

“Greetings, Your Grace. It might be too much to hope that you recognize one of your former students?”

Lady Ferron said, “Cillian Coinoch, Fire. Graduated fifth.”

“Ah.” Lady Biera grunted. “I remember. Coinoch, huh? Is Enrique still mucking about in the army?”

“Yes, Your Grace. Colonel Enrique is stationed in Greyith Fortress.”

“That useless out camp? What’s he guarding in the middle of the Republic, eh? I’ll right him to return here and take up his old teaching position.”

“Ah, I’m sure he’d appreciate the letter, Your Grace,” Cillian said diplomatically knowing that his father would sooner take a post in Briarwin School of the Five Elements rather than work under Lady Biera again.

“Hmmm, well, out with it. Your messages were more than a little vague. I’ve not the time to waste.”

“Of course, Your Grace.” Cillian took a deep breath, then continued. “In my duties stationed in Duskfoot Guard, my patrol encountered a group of foreign Magi who entered from the wasteland. There were six of them on a flying ship, four were at least Magi. One the same rank as I, and their leader… she is at least a True Magus. And her element is Radiant.”

Lady Biera was only half listening, but by the end, her attention was completely on Cillian, such that her stamp missed the paper and blotted on the oak table. She didn’t notice though and was just about to shift to the next form before Lady Ferron stopped her. Even so, she only put her tools down.

“Radiant True Magus? You’re sure?”

“No, my Lady, my senses are not that sharp. Still, those are my observations as well as what I heard from the adventurer Vigilant and branch master during our journey.”

“I see.” Lady Biera pushed away from the desk and stood up. She gestured for Cillian to follow as they moved to a side room. Inside was an ornately framed mirror on the wall. It was about three paces by three and reflected the opposite wall that was covered by curtains. “We shall see who and what you’ve found.”

Cillian nodded as he stood in front of the mirror. Lady Ferron drew the curtains back and revealed a wall inlaid with a Weaving Circle.

“You may begin.” Lady Biera said and Cillian nodded. Since the Vice Dean did not know what Lady Davar looked like, he would have to start the cast, and she would finish. His part of the scrying was only a couple of circles long, hence fifteen nodes, and most of it would be descriptors.

Gritting his teeth, he calmed his breathing and hoped to the Gods Above that he didn’t disgrace himself as a Nirian Alumnus.