Quietly closing the door to Nythis's home behind her, Jade stepped out into the crisp morning air. The first rays of sunlight were just starting to break through the forest canopy, shining glimmering spotlights on various areas of the treetop village. It was shaping up to be a chilly day, but Jade hardly noticed the cold. Her body buzzed with warm, vibrant energy that tingled through her veins, making her steps light and eyes bright. She felt good. Far better than she had any right to, after a night involving so little sleep and so much… exertion.

Okay… she admitted to herself. Maybe this body has some perks after all.

Based on her initial impression of the chaotic druid, Jade had expected Nythis's home to be disorganized and cluttered. When she arrived with her the previous night, however, she had discovered it to be neat, tidy, and cozy. The elegant home was grown right into the side of a large tree, incorporating several of its long branches and connected to the rest of the village by a hanging bridge. Unsure of local social norms and expectations Jade had been a little nervous, but her hosts' casual friendliness helped put her more at ease.

Travay, Nythis's partner, also turned out to be a practitioner of druidic magic. He was a handsome, athletic elf who seemed happy to do more listening than speaking, a trait Jade suspected served him well with Nythis as a companion. They shared a pleasant dinner, asking her many questions about Earth. The pair were fascinated by the idea of a society without magic, prompting Jade to give explanations of modern technology and how it was used.

After dinner the pair invited her to spend the night with them, but Jade had been conflicted. A handful of factors had her hesitant to be intimate with anyone, let alone a couple she was still getting to know. Foremost among them was wariness over unintentionally hurting people with her drain power. While she could dial back the effect, stopping it completely wasn't something she was sure she could do. Nythis waved away that particular concern, reminding her again that they each knew healing spells.

The risk of accidentally siphoning the life out of her partners aside, Jade only had a limited amount of experience with casual flings. It wasn't that she was averse to them but rather that, between university coursework, a part time job, and an unending obsession with achieving peak athletic performance, she'd never had much time for those pursuits. More than one relationship had ended with her partners realizing that they weren't her first priority, or even in the top three.

In the end, Jade decided to go through with it for three reasons: First, because she needed to learn more about how her transformation affected her ability to have intimate relationships in the future. Second, although she'd never willingly tell Naomi she was right, Jade really did need to find a better way to alleviate the distracting impulses that had been growing for the past couple of weeks. Finally, and certainly not least, because the pair were both fun and ridiculously attractive.

Seriously, how is that fair? Jade thought, making her way through the quiet village towards the gondola that would take her to the top of the cliff. Body image issues were one area she'd never struggled with, but now she was starting to understand. No human physique could compete with the otherworldly elegance of elven physiology. Looks weren't everything, but she'd dare anyone to spend an hour in Lysara and then tell her with a straight face that they weren't a factor.

Fortunately, Jade could cheat. She shifted back into her demon form with a thought, feeling her features shift to become more graceful. It was subtly different from the type of beauty the wood elves of Lysara possessed, sharper, and with a hint of danger, but she could live with that.

She paused on the loading platform, waiting for the next gondola. It seemed word had gotten around regarding her involvement in the stronghold expedition, as none of the other early risers were giving her unusual appearance more than a curious glance. Jade found it hard to stand still while so full of energy, and she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet.

I have to do that again…

No demonic lust influenced that thought. For once, it was thoroughly sated. The results had been promising. Reining in most of her impulses to drain energy hadn't been too challenging, they'd all enjoyed themselves, and she'd come out feeling ready to take on the world.

"Who knew druidic magic was so versatile…" She mused as a gondola came to a halt in front of her. She stepped aboard, the operator closing the door behind her. "Those vines…"

Maybe she could discreetly pick up another spellbook before they left town.

It wasn't until she was halfway up the cliff that Jade realized she'd voiced those thoughts next to the elf manning the loading platform. She groaned, covering her face with her hands. That wasn't going to help her reputation…

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Nythis lay sprawled atop a collection of soft pillows, auburn hair splayed around her in a tangled mess, gingerly rubbing her temples. Travay was sitting on the bed beside her, next to a pile of discarded clothes, stroking her hair. He looked almost fine, if a little tired, which was completely unfair.

"Would you like me to go get you a recovery potion?" He asked sympathetically.

"Only if you can do it without stopping." Nythis said, leaning into his hand. The dull headache she'd woken up with was slowly retreating under his gentle massage. She squinted up at him. "Can you heal me again?"

"You aren't injured, dear, it won't help. You just need to rest."

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"Why do you look fine?" She complained, nestling deeper into the soft pillows.

"Because I have a self-cleansing spell." Travay reminded her. He gave her a sidelong look. "And because one of us doesn't know how to pace themselves."

"Are you calling me impulsive?"

"Yes, dear."

"Can't argue with that." Nythis grinned, and then winced. "I regret learning fire magic over recovery spells." She groaned.

"You're the one who invited a succubus over." Travay pointed out. "You can't say I didn't warn you."

"I didn't hear you object."

"Of course I didn't." he grinned back at her, scratching the top of her head. She closed her eyes, sighing in relief. "It was a wonderful idea, and she was a lovely guest. I just came better prepared."

In lieu of replying, Nythis made a gesture and muttered an incantation. A supple green vine sprouted from the floor beside the bed, rising from the already cracked floorboards. She directed it to reach into the kitchen and wrap around a pitcher of water, knocking over half the items on the counter in the process.

"If you want anything, I'm happy to get it for you." Travay said, sounding amused.

"Stop scratching me, and I'm putting that fire magic to use." Nythis replied, shooting him a mock glare.

"Yes, dear."

Her lapse in focus resulted in the vine knocking a shelf of the wall. She winced, the noise sending another pang through her temples.

"Whoops."

Wisely, Travay continued to rub her and didn't comment on the mishap. Shifting her attention back to the task at hand, Nythis manipulated the vine to pour water from the pitcher into a cup. The spell wasn't very precise, so most of it missed and spilled onto the floor, but enough ended up where she needed it. Setting down the pitcher, the druid used the vine to retrieve the cup, careful not to spill any of its precious contents. She plucked it from the conjured plant, drinking deeply as she released the spell.

"That's better…" She sighed, closing her eyes.

Maybe I'll just stay in bed today…

They lay together for a while longer, the growing light of day slowly illuminating their bedroom. Eventually, as Nythis was finally starting to feel some improvement, her partner spoke.

"So… We're inviting her over again, right?"

She grinned.

"Definitely."

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Jade reached the swordsman's clearing just as the sun became visible through the trees. The echo of the memory she had recently relived lingered in her mind, an unpleasant reminder of flaws she preferred to ignore. With her world hanging in the balance that wasn't an option anymore, regardless of how her demonic instincts stoked those inclinations. An entertaining evening with new companions had been a pleasant distraction from the trials waiting for her but, now that her unruly supernatural urges were under control, it was time to focus on what mattered: Getting stronger.

Serrethis was once again tending to his garden. The elf wore a cloth robe that reminded Jade of a Japanese yukata, tied about his waist with a simple sash. Jade stopped a short distance away, waiting as he pulled weeds from the soil. Seconds turned into minutes as the elf continued to work, giving no indication that he'd noticed her arrival. Patience had never been one of Jade's strengths, and she soon found herself shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.

Although she was sorely tempted to speak, her intuition told her that would be a mistake. She'd seen enough movies to recognize a 'test of self-restraint'. Gruff, seasoned teachers like this always started by demonstrating the value of patience to their young and impulsive students. The lesson would undoubtedly be a recurring theme during their training, and Jade was self-aware enough to realize that she needed the practice.

With smug satisfaction at figuring out the old man's game, Jade closed her eyes and started going through one of the basic meditation exercises Aylin had taught them to help control their auras. She opened her senses to the currents of mana surrounding her, swirling like flowing water. Clearing her mind, Jade brought them to a state of stillness, smoothing out the ripples in her aura. Maintaining a mindset appropriate for meditation soon proved challenging, however, as distracting memories of the previous night's fun continually resurfaced to break her concentration. Jade's mind began to wander, recalling how Travay had-

"Oh! You're here."

Jade's eyes snapped open to see a chagrined Serrethis looking at her. She flushed, realizing that her aura was a chaotic, turbulent mess, and quickly worked to calm it.

"Sorry." He grumbled, favoring his good leg as he rose to his feet. "I can get absorbed in my work. Next time, say something."

Wait… That wasn't a test?

Sure enough, she could taste Serrethis's embarrassment at leaving her waiting. Jade resisted the urge to drop her face into her hands. Outsmarting herself was not the most auspicious start.

"Got it. I mean, I will." Jade hastily amended, not wanting to compound the issue by relying on the Labyrinth's sketchy ability to translate colloquialisms.

Even though it hadn't been a test after all, she couldn't shake the feeling that she'd failed one anyway.

"Before we begin, I'd like to make something clear." Serrethis said, regaining his composure. "I do not waste time training people how to use a weapon or employ their magic. It isn't worth the time, there are far more important things a warrior needs to succeed in the Labyrinth. Do you know what they are?"

Jade gave the question some thought before venturing a guess.

"Courage and Judgement?"

"Half marks." Serrethis grunted. "Courage isn't nearly as important as good judgement and proper aura mastery. Well trained aura senses can give you critical insights into your opponents, while denying them the same advantage. And that is only useful if you exercise good judgement on what to do with the information."

"Are you saying skill with weapons and magic don't matter?" Jade asked skeptically.

"No, but you don't need me to show you how to swing a sword. The Labyrinth imprinted those skills on you when you chose your class, all you need is enough practice to ingrain the knowledge into your body." The elf gave her an assessing look. "That Mystic Order woman tells me you can manifest aura blades already. For someone with a trained mind-body bond, realizing that martial knowledge won't be an issue. Powers are even easier. They're soul imprinted, so they're ready to use from the moment you learn them. That makes how you use them the deciding factor in your success."

That made some amount of sense, but it left Jade wondering what form their training would take.

"Normally." Serrethis continued. "This type of training takes months and begins with extensive conditioning to train the mind to act in concert with the body, but you've already reached that state."

"How long will the rest take?" Jade asked. "We can't stay here for long, not with what the Labyrinth is doing to our home."

"Three weeks." Serrethis declared, raising a matching number of fingers. "That is the minimum amount of time needed to achieve any true improvement. Even that will be pushing it."

Three weeks would put them at just before when the permanent Labyrinth gates were supposed to open to Earth. It was longer than Jade had wanted to delay in Lysara, but it would give she, Luis, and Naomi the chance to venture straight home when they left, before embarking on the next leg of their journey. She'd need to run it by them and make sure her companions were satisfied with the training they were receiving here as well, but it could work. She said as much to Serrethis, who nodded.

"Then let's begin."