“When was your last meal?” Sapna asked. The wrapped box appeared heavy and unwieldy, but the Daksinsthani artificer carried it with no problem.

“Last night,” Nox answered. “I got out of bed late this morning and ended up missing breakfast.”

“I know you and young Lady Edelweiss share a bed. We don’t have to pretend that she’s not the reason you skip breakfast.”

Nox shrugged. “I need to get everything ready for the semester’s start. She’s got a lot on her plate, too. The mornings are the only time we get any alone time together.”

“You don’t have to justify anything to me, Nox. I’m not your mother. You two are young, and if her father doesn’t care that she’s cohabitating with you outside of marriage or a betrothal, my opinion shouldn’t matter.” She paused, glancing at Nox. “I don’t mean to come across as a crabby old hag. These things weren’t accepted or appreciated when I was your age. Perhaps I’m just jealous that I didn’t get to experience cohabitation before marriage. You have the opportunity to learn about your partner and test your compatibility. Maybe I would’ve made wiser decisions if I had the same opportunities.”

“Were things a lot stricter in Daksinsthan?” Nox asked.

Sapna nodded. “I envied the women of Ruipur, Baruipur, and Mohirat. The tri-cities enjoyed a lot more freedom than my more conservative birth city. Many think the Ratras are forward-thinking people because of our artisanal innovations, but my parents, aunts, and uncles weren’t as liberal. On the bright side, it encouraged my generation to be a lot more liberal, enjoy several freedoms, and travel. You wouldn’t have been born otherwise.”

“Thank you, I suppose.”

The Ratra woman rolled her eyes.

“That wasn’t sarcastic or disingenuous,” Nox told her. “I respect you being here and all you and your generation did for me and the other living Ratras. Thank you for also being here and helping me. The Galleria owes a good deal of success to your store and overall contributions.”

“That’s what family does, grand nephew,” Sapna said, smiling. “We help each other out in the Ratra clan. You inherited our bloodline’s creativity and talent for innovation. Perhaps it skips a generation.”

“That’s not nice. Mou has invented several empowering brews. I hear my father was a great alchemist, too.”

“They were above average. Their creations are modifications and improvements on the already existing. None are as unique as your Trap Foam. It's a shame the Trade Empire claimed the invention's patent. Who would’ve thought to amplify and modify a common beginner’s mistake into a potent trapping and construction brew?”

“Construction brew?” Nox asked.

“Boy, you need to market the concoction better. It is not just a hunting and delving tool. With the correct marketing and a handful of modifications, your foam could be turned into emergency construction material in war and disaster zones. Not everyone can afford earth or stone Shapers.”

“I’ve used Trap Foam to block pathways while delving but never thought of how to use it outside of combat and dungeons. It turns brittle after a few hours, but I suppose that’s easily tweaked.”

“Use some of your slime knowledge and turn it into something that solidifies in preset shapes. Then, patent the creation and watch the gold roll in.” Sapna chuckled. “You might soon end up the richest Ratra that’s existed since your great grandfather’s time.”

The pair descended a set of stairs at the back of the store into the Galleria’s basement. Nightly Brews also had similar entrances to the level. Nox didn’t know about it when he acquired the property. They proved excellent at ferrying stock between workshops, storerooms, and displays. Mou and Sapna had turned it into a lot more. It contained treatment rooms for the alchemy store, and the Artifice had a repair and modifications room with a journeyman and apprentice on staff.

“So, what classes are you taking this semester?” Sapna asked as they paused at her office. She secured the box in a warded cupboard and then locked the door behind her.

“Beginner Manipulation and Advanced Wardcrafting on top of the usual three,” Nox answered. It was his third and final semester taking Understanding Binary Systems and Advanced Mana Theory.

“Finally, taking a practical class? What changed?”

“The research department helped me make a few breakthroughs last semester. I think I finally understand to start work on my first planet.”

“Do you have a spell in mind?”

Nox nodded. “I’d rather not discuss it until I’ve put quill to paper and have a concrete idea or runescript to present.”

“Do show me when you’re ready,” Sapna said. “I’ve been trying to isolate the runes for spatial magic forever. I’ve never encountered a star without a spellform in the center. It's a unique bit of magic your old friend left you. I’m looking forward to whatever you do with it. Spatial mages are rare, and individuals willing to share its secrets are even rarer.”

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“Of course. I’ll give you whatever you want after what you’re going to do for me.”

“Careful with such promises. Not all family will be nice enough not to take you for all you’re worth.”

Nox laughed. “You probably never met the Gedges or Grandmother Mercer. Despite how you’ve treated me this past year, you’re already far better than most of the family I’ve had.”

“I’ve been nothing but nice to you,” Sapna replied, eyes narrowing. “I might be harsh, but it all comes from a good place. You’re a talented Ratra man, and I don’t want to see you wasting your talents. This business and the delving nonsense is beneath a man of your abilities. You should dedicate yourself to alchemy and spell weaving.”

“Yes. Yes. Thank you for telling me the same again. And I’ll remind you once again that I can do more than one thing at a time. A man needs a goal. If my ambitions to destroy Sundarshahar help me achieve magnificent things, what’s wrong with it? I might never get strong enough to get there, but I might as well dream.”

Sapna didn't speak anymore on the topic. Instead, she led him through a maze of corridors and into an operating room full of rune-covered tools, artificed devices, and a trio of healers. Much to Nox's surprise, he found Mou among them. His aunt and the senior Adept alchemist wore sterilized clothes and a heavy leather apron.

The two women spoke while Nox studied the artificer's latest bit of work. Four six-inch long pieces of rune-covered metal sat on a trolley. Nox recognized the material and runework. Sapna had created it from the salvage of Ratra’s Bow. Each piece looked like a narrow spearhead cut down the middle. Nox closely studied Sapna's modifications. Several additional pieces of metal and wire sat around the four segments. He struggled to recognize a good deal of the scripts.

Nox liked having Sapna around. He had a lot to learn from her. Once he got a handle on wardcrafting, Nox hoped to learn the basics of artificing from her.

“I didn't know you were helping with the surgery,” Nox told his aunt when she approached. The pair hugged. Even though they lived and worked in the same estate, often days passed without them crossing paths. He liked to give Mou room outside of working hours so she could spend time with her husband and children. Nox got the feeling that some of them were struggling to settle after the move and weren't particularly pleased about it.

“I wasn't going to let that crazy old bat slice you up without supervision,” Mou said. “I swear she sees you more as a grand experiment instead of a family member. It's all an excuse so she can play with her father's—or was it grandfather's creation—and advance her craft.”

“She claims to have done such surgeries before, and we have some of the city's best healers on staff. I'll be fine. Just so you know, if anything goes wrong and I don't wake up, the banking guild has all the paperwork. Everything will go to you—”

“You're going to be fine, Nox,” Mou interrupted, breaking eye contact as she helped him remove his coat and shirt. “I don't want any more of this talk.”

“No. This is important. House Edelweiss has four years left on their brasserie contract, so let that continue as is.”

“Stop—”

“Please let Joey live here until he finishes at the university, and I'd appreciate it if you watch over Ingrid. She is beyond talented and deserves a decent chance at life. And—”

Mou clasped a hand over her nephew's mouth. “You can trust me to follow your wishes if something untoward were to happen to you. Please don't remind me again. I'm here to ensure you come out of this alive.”

“Enough melodrama,” Sapna said, joining the pair. She took Nox's left hand and jabbed the middle finger with a needle. It drew blood, but he didn't flinch. “Nothing has changed since the last check-up then. How’re your motor skills and mana flow?”

“I'm pretty clumsy with the arm unless I'm paying attention,” Nox replied. “The little improvement is more due to repetition than the nerve treatments. As for mana flow, using any circuits past the elbow feels like I've been struck by lightning.”

Instead of taking his word for it, Sapna and Mou donned a pair of rune-etched goggles. The senior alchemist cast a weak Galvanizing Touch and touched Nox’s left forearm. He yowled like a cat and reflexively pulled the limb back.

Sapna sighed. “I was hoping we wouldn’t have to be too invasive. I see now that we don’t have much of a choice.”

“Will I be fine for—”

“Yes. Yes. Your nosy aunt is here to ensure you’ll be fine by next Sixthday and the semester’s start.” Mou winked at Nox from over Sapna’s shoulder. He resisted smiling. “I can’t let the one useful Ratra end up dead or scarred. A good-looking artisan gets more sales and popularity.”

Mou had Nox lie flat and raise his arm to an elevated section. She painted a line around his forearm, just above the elbow, marking the first incision point. Meanwhile, a healer rolled out a trolley carrying a glass vat. At first glance, pale brown rubber appeared to float in it, but Nox knew it was artificially grown skin.

Over the past year, he had grown used to the mana-burn pattern. It started with the original injury he suffered in Sundarshahar. Then, the lines extended toward his left hand. Occasionally, they bent at right angles, carried on for an inch or half of one before correcting themselves and continuing toward the wrist. It wasn’t the prettiest sight, but Nox appreciated their geometric nature. Despite the ugliness, he was proud of the scars. They were a sign of all he had endured and accomplished. People with injuries like him rarely made it to where he was now.

“How long will the surgery take?” Nox asked as his aunt drew more lines on his skin.

“Given all the brews and healers we have at our disposal, it shouldn’t be more than half a day,” Mou replied. She leaned closer and lowered her volume. “How are you feeling? I could mix a bit of Spirit Caller’s Tea into the anesthesia if you’d like.”

“I thought I’d be terrified,” Nox said. “But now that the time is here, I could be surer of it. Even if a tenth of my mana circuits are fixed, and I can use Crystallize Essence without any pain, it will be enough.” He smiled, giving his aunt a reassuring forehead kiss. “I’ll be fine. I’m looking forward to gaining some feeling more than anything. If this lets me get back to delving, that’ll be a bonus.”

“If Sapna’s creation works, you’ll be a delver again in no time.”

“Or, you’ll end up with a potent self-protection device,” Sapna added. “I hear like a hawk, you know.”

“Do hawks hear well?” Nox asked. “I thought eyesight was where they excelled.”

“Shut up and go to sleep already. I don’t want to slice into you while you’re still awake.”