“Nova.

Aether practioners, especially Shapers, love to use nova spells as defence and offence, but most don’t know the name’s origins. In all fairness, few have seen, let alone read about, the life cycle and death of stars.

Nova spells might be the perfect example of how simplicity is often the best option. They’re instantaneous, don’t require targeting, block incoming attacks, and often injure anyone unwilling to flee.

The best mages learn to turn their novas into more, Shaping the product of the spell into more. All who have the relevant tools should always keep one such piece of magic in their arsenal.”

—Dean Myrina Woodson, Archmage, The Last Druid

Joey Greengrasse often struggled to comprehend how much his life had changed in just under two years. He had gone from street rat and thief to one of the most respected mages in the city. In fact, he had overheard some using the word hero and savior. It felt strange and alien. The party, Nar, and Kris had helped him along the way, but Joey told himself that he deserved some of the credit as he prepared his newest spell for demonstration.

His late mentor had told him that, as a warlock, he only needed to maintain a strong bond with his patron. Nar would teach him spells in exchange for completing assigned tasks. Then, Joey would only need to master said spells to achieve his full potential.

At first, he followed Kris’ advice. It felt fantastic to be powerful and independent. Everyone told him that he was good. However, after watching his companions progress he didn’t feel good enough. The logical half of Joey’s brain told him that it wasn’t a fair comparison. Nox’s contract with his dungeonborne friend had granted him a rare piece of magic and a binary star. If that wasn’t enough, he had multiple sigils, and most considered him a prodigal alchemist and Spell Weaver. None of his benefits came for free, and Nox had to fight tooth and nail for most of it. Despite their differences, Joey admired the man and understood why Kris had taken him under her wing.

When they first met, Alexander was an immature summoner with a contract ill-suited for combat. He made up for his shortcomings with determination and creativity and had proven himself as someone deserving of the gift of druidism. Alexander had barely taken his first step on the path, and he was already far stronger than most of his rank. Even before then, Alexander functioned excellently as a scout, intelligence gatherer, and strategist.

Finally, there was the love of his life, Caitlin. At first, he thought family connections had helped her contract with the legendary existence that was Ygg. Time had taught him that she had achieved all her growth and power—except the latest advancement—using her own strength and ingenuity. Being a Woodson gave her more opportunities than most, but she was the first in three generations to gain an elemental from the world tree and successfully bond with it. Most of her family walked the path of a minion master. They used summons or created golems like her mother, Lorraine Woodson, and stayed out of danger.

Meanwhile, Caitlin Woodson amazed the world by deepening her bond with her tree elemental companion to the point that they unified as armor. No frontline mage or aether warrior Joey knew could do the same as her. He didn’t count Brianna as a true companion yet. She had not long joined them, and he barely knew the woman. The initial strength and fire she displayed had also lessened over the past few weeks. Joey couldn’t tell whether something had happened on the night of the operation or her earlier bravado was all for show.

April often reminded him that comparing himself to such abnormally gifted individuals was beyond unfair. Despite the truth behind her words, Joey couldn’t help but feel that just relying on the tools that Nar gave him wasn’t enough. So, he took Advanced Barriers and Shields to improve his ‘nova’ spells and found himself on the cusp of developing something new and potent. Over the past three semesters, Professor Stefan Lorenzo had become one of his favorite teachers. The man graciously replaced Kris as his mentor too. Joey regretted mentioning the spider signet to Nox. Since then, the party had him investigating one of his favorite people.

“If more people realized that Feather Fall was a gravity cantrip, hundreds would be trying to make it the center of their mana system,” Diya Lorenzo commented, studying the spell script. “Have you shown this to Professor Sen? You might not have taken Intermediate Spell Weaving, but given all the techniques included here, she’d pass you in a heartbeat.”

“I haven’t,” Joey said thankfully. “The qualification might not be a bad idea. It’ll open up a lot more options for me for my final two semesters. Do you really think it's good? I might just dedicate my next planet to the spell. Having access to gravity magic without my patron’s assistance sounds incredible.”

“I like the look of it, but I’m not sure it's a spell well suited for the course,” Stefan Lorenzo said, looking over the script once more. “Why don’t you do a demonstration—” He paused for a moment, tracing the center of the spellform. “Maybe try a version where you sub out your invisibility shroud’s Fae Fire with this.”

Joey’s eyes widened as he understood what the man meant. He swiftly nodded, sketching the advised spell. It was unlike anything he had seen before, and the prospect reminded him of Lillin’s gravity armor. Joey had always wondered how she achieved something so terrifying and possible. Then, when he discovered that she was a dungeonborne, it all made sense. He didn’t think anything of the sort was possible without her unique magic or inhuman physiology.

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Advanced Barriers And Shields took place in the university’s training rooms. They had sufficient wards and durability to ensure the structure didn’t suffer any damage while testing conjured defenses. Once Joey reached the center of their testing space. Professor Lorenzo activated the devices planted in the walls. Spell scripts activated and shaped stone spheres shot toward the center.

Frost Nova acted as Nox’s primary defense against physical projectiles. He was sure they wouldn’t hold up against the attack. Gravity Vortex succeeded where it would’ve failed. The rapidly shifting waves started a foot away from his body and helped deflect the attacks. Some redirected them to the ground, and others turned them toward the walls or ceiling. The spheres rolled away from him before eventually sinking into the floor.

“Gravity Vortex would’ve done you a world of good a few weeks ago. Broken bones. Friends slashing friends.” Professor Lorenzo nodded, signing the ledger he carried. “This is a sufficient advanced barrier, and you’ve displayed enough shield spells to satisfy me. On a more personal note, take up a few more Shaping courses next semester. Instead of Frost Novas and icicle explosions, a thick and compressed ice shield could do you a world of good. Maybe work with your patron to figure out some of the random things Djinn Fire does for something more potent.”

“But you still want me to try out the gravity armor?”

The man studied the spellform thoughtfully for several long moments before answering. “On second thought, no. We slapped it together far too hastily and without much thought. I think you need layers of self-reinforcement or shielding first. Otherwise, the spell might break you.”

“So, months of testing first.”

Lorenzo nodded. “That’s crux of academia, research, and development. Take the rest of the semester for your stealth and investigation classes. Consider my course complete, and I’ll talk to Diya.”

“Just a moment, Professor,” Joey said when the man turned to leave. Unlike when the stone spheres shot at him like cannonballs, he struggled to steady his heartbeat. “There’s something I wanted to ask you.” Professor Lorenzo glanced back at him, an eyebrow raised. “It’s about the ring you wear.” The man stiffened. “And Perry the Spider.”

“Where did you learn that name?” The words came out short and low.

“Nox met him while we were away. It was at the Oakheart estate. He gave Nox a ring much like yours and asked him to look for people with the trinket if he wants to speak again.”

“And Nox wishes to speak to Perry?”

“I do too, Professor. And you.” Joey hesitated. “You’ve been great to me ever since Kris passed, and I’ll always be thankful for the guidance you’ve provided, but I have questions. It's about the spiders and your affiliation with them.”

Stefan Lorenzo frowned. “Do you not trust me, Joey?”

“I do. Or at least I want to. But we found several spider rings among the ritualists. A few of them had the crest tattooed on their shoulders and inside of their wrists too.”

“That can’t be right.” Lorenzo glanced at the door. He double-checked that it was closed and ran his fingers along the frame. Silence runes flashed. “This discussion is for your investigation’s benefit only. Since neither you nor Sir Ratra brief the city council on this subject, I assume you want this under wraps for now. Correct?”

“I only want to find out the truth behind whoever is behind this mess before the Imperium or anyone else can do their cover-up, Professor,” Joey replied. “I know you couldn’t have been behind the abductions and murders. But please. Any information, even the irrelevant and useless, could prove useful.”

“I don’t know anything about the tattoos. People in my organization don’t use them as identifiers. In fact, permanent and easily recognizable marks are discouraged. We can remove rings when necessary, especially when hiding our affiliations is in our best interests. Tattoos make that impossible.” Lorenzo paused. He swiped his right hand over his left, and the ring disappeared. Joey didn’t see the man remove it. Instead, it disappeared. In his experience, only sleight-of-hand artists who specialized in pickpocketing fools and street magicians displayed such abilities. “The rings, on the other hand, are a whole nother story. We have just over a dozen agents spread around the city. Two of them disappeared a few months ago. A couple of others didn’t report last month as they were supposed to.”

“So, it's possible they’re turncoats and have joined another organization?”

“Or they got close to something juicy—like the recent murders and abductions—”

“You’ve been looking into those too?”

“Of course. It's what we do.” Stefan Lorenzo sighed. “I know this is hard to believe, but having turncoats in my organization is impossible.”

“Impossible is a strong word—”

“I mean it. Impossible. However, someone killing my fellow spiders and stealing their rings? That’s happened before.”

“It's important that Nox and I talk to Perry,” Joey said. “Perhaps it's time you bring this up with him too.”

“You’re not wrong.” Stefan sighed. He cut his fingertip and squeezed out a drop of blood. The professor ran the crimson on his finger along the inside of the signet ring. The trinket hummed, and the silvery metal behind the spider flashed. “This is how you activate the ring. Just inject a mote of mana afterward to finish the process. Perry will contact me once he’s ready. Have Sir Ratra do the same to expedite the process.”

“Will do, Professor. I understand this is a sensitive matter. Thank you for entertaining it.”

“It’s quite alright. I appreciate your candor.”

“For the record, I always knew you couldn’t possibly be involved in this mess. You’re much too good a person.”

“What are you basing that on, Joey Greengrasse? What do you know of me besides the fact that I teach at Woodson University?”

“Not much, but after growing up on the streets and relying on my instincts to survive, I know you’re one of the good ones.”

“Don’t be fooled. Everyone has their secrets, failings, and dark sides. It's best to err on the side of caution.”

“I almost always do.”