Tala still felt off, but from what Master Grediv, Mistress Vanga, and another Paragon that Master Grediv had brought in to examine her had said, that was to be expected.

Not that they had experience with someone severing the existence-connection to their own body.

If that’s actually what happened.

Tala couldn’t quite tell if that is what had caused her current state, or if the murder-eye’s attack—whatever it had been—had caused her current state.

Effectively, if her own defense was at fault, her existence had been altered so that she lacked a body below the bottom of her sternum.

Even so, her genetics and magic had still had the imprint map of her lower body, so it had been rebuilt quite effectively without much difficulty.

She wasn’t quite sure how or why the natural magics associated with her lower body had been maintained, but her theory—which Mistress Vanga and Master Grediv thought was reasonable—was that her natural magics were tied more to her soul than to her body, and her gate hadn’t been touched by the existence magics.

She really hoped that it never would be.

Regardless, her body had been regrown, and yet, the result still felt off to her.

Even after being reinscribed within Kit, nothing felt quite right.

It’s like picking up a new weapon of a type I’m not used to.

-That’s a great analogy!-

…I know you’re trying to be positive, but this whole situation is rather awful.

-I know…-

At the moment, Tala was walking through the Alefast market with Kedva, supervising as the girl continued to get used to her magically enhanced physiology.

This day, specifically, they were having Kedva get used to moving around and acting normally as the power faded, and she slowly moved back to being equivalent to a mundane human.

“Test,” Tala said calmly at the appropriate interval.

Kedva pulled out a series of needles, moving from the dull equivalent of a thin rod toward a construct needle that would easily pierce even Tala’s reinforced skin.

They would have used one of Sole’s needles for the top of the range, but they were just too long for them to be practical to use in that way.

Each of the needles that they did use was mounted in a spring-loaded device so that they’d exert the same pressure, almost regardless of how hard the girl pushed.

That was necessary given Kedva’s falling strength. Otherwise, it would have been almost impossible to get good results.

With practiced efficiency, Kedva tested down the line on one of her fingers, until she got to a needle that easily pierced her skin.

She told Tala which one worked, but mainly, Kedva was trying to integrate into her own mind how she, herself, felt with the level of enhancement she still had.

The needle test complete, Kedva moved to the next test.

“The fifth weight, please.” Kedva held out her hand, and Tala formed iron across the girl’s palm and added weight up to the requested amount.

Kedva moved it around a bit, then sighed.

“No, this is too light. The seventh, please.”

Tala added more weight, and Kedva moved it about once more, then nodded. “This is the right amount.”

Tala pulled back the iron and smiled. “Alright, then. Last test.”

Kedva then colored slightly even as she stepped a few yards away to get a bit of space. She then squatted down before springing upward.

It was a respectable leap, but still within human expectation, even if on the upper end.

She landed, blushing more deeply. “That’s embarrassing… Couldn’t we have done this somewhere more private?”

A few people had glanced their way, but no one was staring.

Though, there was a young man who did seem to be paying them a bit more interest than average.

He wasn’t focused on Tala, so he likely hadn’t recognized her as a defender.

Tala shook her head, her eyes on Kedva. “You can’t let others watching affect what you are capable of, but regardless, check.”

“Fine.” She glanced at her finger. “Needle-prick healed.”

Tala nodded, “Now, the tests are done. Is anyone staring at you?”

Kedva turned to look around, shaking her head. “No, I—” She stopped, frowning. “Wait, I think he might be?”

As if on cue, Tala felt a bit of magic, that was at once oddly familiar and incredibly hard to sense.

What?

She spun around, wanting to see with her eyes what her threefold sight had already found.

The young-looking man who had been staring at Kedva stood a dozen yards away, hand lifted toward them.

He was an Archon, but only Bound. Even so, as his magic crystalized, Tala took note of what type it was.

Void and kinetic? At the same time?

Tala was thrown off because, more than anything, the working he enacted was like a marriage between part of her magic and part of Rane’s. It felt like some of the clashes that they had when sparring, and that caused an odd dissonance within her brain.

That dissonance—coupled with her current physical state—slowed her reactions even as a void-black sphere shot across the distance between them, dozens of times faster than an arrow fired from a warbow.

Tala still reacted more than quickly enough to harden her aura around herself, forbidding it from impacting or affecting her.

The issue was that the small ball had actually been targeting Kedva, who was a couple of paces from Tala at the moment.

Rust!

Kedva, to her credit, tried to shift out of the way, but the projectile tracked the minute movement she was able to make before it arrived.

Tala was already reaching after it with her will and aura, aiming to negate any effects that she could, but the void-orb jerked to a stop less than two feet from the girl, seeming to extend its power over Kedva, utterly freezing her in place.

Less than a second after the magic had taken effect, Tala’s aura crushed the Archon’s authority over his own working and snuffed the magic out.

In that moment of control before she destroyed it, she got the final pieces to understand.

A void of kinetic energy? Drawing in all such energy from relative movement within a non-centered volume? Is that how void is supposed to work?

-I’m… I’m not sure?-

Would that work to bypass magical defenses?

Maybe, but if nothing else, it was an effective non-lethal fight-ender when acting against anyone magically lighter than the Archon who used it.

Speaking of which, the man was striding their way with confident assurance.

He reached into a pocket of his Mage’s robes, and Tala immediately focused on what he was reaching for, using some of her magical weight to push perception closer to him, through the weak interference of his aura.

Only then did she see what he was grabbing.

Oh… well, this is awkward.

The man pulled out a badge of office, and Tala could see it clearly then with her own eyes.

Mage Hunter. This man was a Mage Hunter.

Seven more void-orbs were already spinning around him as he stopped before Kedva, ignoring Tala for the moment.

“Do not break your restraints, arcane, or I will have to be more forceful. Your disguise is cleverly done, but you failed to hide your magic properly.”

Kedva immediately looked to Tala, utterly confused.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

The poor girl probably didn’t even know what a Mage Hunter was. There would probably have never been cause for her to interact with one, even obliquely. Even so, there was concern and not a small amount of trepidation in her voice, “Mistress Tala?”

That was all she got out before the orbs began to exert a pulling magic on her once again, somehow locking her in place just as before.

Yeah, enough of that.

Tala’s aura rolled outward, toward the man even as he was turning to look her way.

At least he was clever enough to lock her down before investigating what she was looking at and who she was talking to.

-Yeah, rather than turning his back on the person he’s trying to arrest.-

“Who—” He cut off as he saw Tala, seeming to recognize her.

At the same moment, her aura flowed over the Mage Hunter and Kedva both, before compressing inward and fully encompassing the magic draining Kedva of her kinetic energy but not disrupting it just yet.

He seemed to put together the name that Kedva had said, “Mistress Tala? The defender?”

He was clearly confused, and Tala wanted to end the misunderstanding. “Yes, Master Hunter. That young woman is not an arcane. I am releasing her restraints once again.”

Only then did Tala fully break the workings, and Kedva drew in a gasping breath once again.

Since she was more focused on him, Tala saw something transfer to the man from the broken magics, and he moved to the side with blinding speed, even to her enhanced vision.

She was still easily able to track him, but it was surprisingly fast for a Bound. Almost as fast as Rane could dodge at that level of advancements. He must have absorbed the kinetic energy in order to use it himself. Nice.

The man didn’t attack again, simply having used the captured energy to reposition himself so that he wasn’t between the two unknowns. His new placement allowed him to see them both at the same time.

A full two dozen void-orbs sprang into being around him, his inscriptions blazing with power as he seemed to activate his magics to a greater extent. Even so, he didn’t attack.

He has good restraint in unexpected situations.

“I am Mage Hunter Tai, Mistress Tala. I have notified central dispatch. Please use the moments before my backup arrives to explain yourself.”

Well, let’s see if we can de-escalate things.

-Hurrah! Our greatest strength.-

Tala sighed, feeling her body groan at even the mild strain put on it by her use of aura control up to this point.

Shouldn’t using my aura not have anything to do with my body?

-All soulbound, all interconnected.-

…Fine.

-But regardless, you’re tensing yourself and physically shifting while remaining ready to react. I believe that that is what’s causing your soreness.-

…You could have led with that.

Tala decided to ignore Alat for the moment. “As I said, Master Tai, I am Mistress Tala.” She squared up to the Mage Hunter. “This is Kedva, a gateless human.”

Master Tai shook his head, huffing a laugh, “And I’m the Chief Defender. I felt power coming from her. I still feel power leaking from her. Gateless don’t have magic. She does. She even broke my restraints on her.”

“Well, yes and no.”

He frowned. “Explain.”

“Yes, she has magic. No, she didn’t break your workings, I did.”

“You did? Why don’t I sense your aura?”

Tala frowned. That was actually a good question. She wanted to answer something to the effect of ‘you weren’t looking for it?' but she could tell that wouldn’t be well received. “Well, I’m trying to not use it aggressively. I’d hate to affect the passersby.”

Master Tai grunted at that. “That might be the case, but it still doesn’t answer the question: You claim she is a gateless with magic. Do you also have a flying pig?”

He chuckled to himself at the seeming absurdity of Tala’s claim. Then, as both women gave him incredulous—bordering on offended—looks, he seemed to replay what he’d just said.

“Oh! I don’t mean that you are a pig… or like a pig… or…” He hesitated. “Wait, no. I’m not apologizing for a perfectly fine analogy. Certainly not to an arcane.”

Kedva raised her hand and quietly said, “Not an arcane.”

He looked to her and said, “So you say.”

At the same time, Tala shook her head and said, “That’s not helping, Kedva.”

Master Tai narrowed his eyes as he looked back toward Tala. “You are not being very convincing.”

“I’m not trying to convince you?” She felt genuinely puzzled. “I am telling you the truth. Your belief of such doesn’t factor into it.”

He laughed, then tried to hide his smile. “That’s… that’s actually fair.”

Tala sighed. “Master Tai, I am exhausted. This woman is human, and her magic is known by Master Grediv. I’m sure that once—”

At that moment, six Archons appeared around them in a circle, magics primed for battle.

There was a momentary pulse of power, then one of the figures stepped forward. “Mistress Tala?”

“Yes?” It took Tala’s tired mind a moment to recognize one of the other Defender unit leaders. “Oh! Master Akra. I didn’t know you worked in internal security.”

“Only occasionally.” He smiled. “So, what’s this about an arcane in the city?”

She sighed. “It is just a misunderstanding.”

Master Tai cleared his throat, bowing deeply. “Master Akra, I am the one who made the call into dispatch.”

Master Akra looked between them, then sighed. “You think Mistress Tala is involved in an arcane coming into the city? Really?”

Master Tai shook his head. “I make no such accusation. I was simply calling in backup because that arcane is within the city.”

He pointed to Kedva, and she leaned to the side, as if to dodge the accusation.

Master Tai followed her movement, continuing to track her easily.

She moved a bit faster, but he obviously still kept pointing at her.

Tala huffed a laugh, before barking, “Kedva!”

The girl froze.

“Stop that. It makes you look ridiculous.”

“Yes, Mistress Tala.” Kedva blushed, looking down in obvious embarrassment.

Tala turned back to Master Akra. “She’s human, a gateless.”

Master Tai scoffed. “And I’m the Chief Defender.”

She gave him an incredulous look. “You know, that’s the exact same snarky example you gave last time.”

He shrugged, unapologetic. “I’m responding to the same ridiculous claim, and it is still just as true.”

She sighed, returning her attention to Master Akra. “This is going in circles.”

Master Akra nodded in agreement. “So it seems. Master Tai, why do you believe that this young woman is an arcane?”

“She’s using magic. You can see it as well as I. She’s almost out now, but it’s still obvious.”

“Oh!” Tala turned to Kedva. “Test.”

The girl—who had almost recovered from her most recent embarrassment—colored, looking at the ring of Archons around them. “Now?”

“Now. We need this datapoint. He’s right, you’re almost out.”

Carefully, Kedva pulled out the needle apparatus.

Master Tai was obviously suspicious, tensing at the action, but since Master Akra didn’t seem to mind, Master Tai didn’t say anything further.

Kedva and Tala went through the three simple tests while the Archons watched.

Once the girl had landed from a rather average vertical leap, she gave Tala a questioning look.

Tala nodded and smiled. “Good, that should be all we need until you're completely dry.”

“Yes, Mistress Tala.”

Master Akra cleared his throat. “Now, care to explain?”

“She’s using magic that she absorbed.”

“Like an arcane?” The unit leader asked, frowning.

Tala shrugged, “Yes.”

“Ha!” Master Tai grinned broadly. “See? She’s an arcane.”

She sighed. “No, she’s not. He said ‘like’ an arcane. She’s a gateless human who is learning to use magic like an arcane would. We have this registered with the city.”

Master Akra nodded, pulling out a slate, finding the indicated documentation and reading it to confirm before handing the slate over to Master Tai.

The young Mage Hunter just stared at the construct after reading the document. “Well… Rust.”

Master Akra took the slate back, turning to Kedva. “Young lady, while you are not required to carry documentation, it might be prudent to do so for everyone’s sake. I apologize if this makes you feel… singled out. Once again, this is not a requirement, only my personal suggestion.”

Kedva bowed deeply. “I appreciate the advice, Master Akra. I will consider it.”

He nodded. “If you choose to go that route, get it certified so that no one thinks you faked it.”

“Understood.”

Master Akra turned back to Tala, bowing. “Mistress Tala, a pleasure as always.”

She bowed in return. “Master Akra. Are we still on for our lesson next week?”

“Assuming you’re up for it, absolutely. Your physical recovery shouldn’t interfere with aura training. Even so, let me know if you’d like some more time for any reason, even if simply to be with your friend during his recovery.” His eyes flicked to Master Tai before he continued, clearly guarding his words. “The experience he went through is uniquely difficult. I’m sure he’ll be glad for your presence whenever you’re able.”

She smiled gratefully. “I will let you know, thank you.”

After a short exchange with Master Tai, the other Archons departed.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Master Tai bowed to both of the women. “My apologies for my mistake, Mistresses.”

Tala smiled. “It’s understandable. I appreciate your vigilance, along with your restraint. It would have been frustrating if you’d tried to harm her.”

Kedva cleared her throat. “Umm… I don’t think that I’m a Mistress?”

Tala hesitated. “Huh. I think you’re right.”

Master Tai tilted his head to one side, seeming a bit stressed. “What moniker should I use then? I would hate to add unnecessary rudeness to my list of missteps today.”

She grinned. “I think Elder Kedva would be most correct.” She hesitated, then frowned. “Or Child? Definitely one of those two.”

Kedva grimaced. “I do not particularly like either.”

Tala laughed. “I didn’t expect that you would, no.”

Master Tai bowed again. “Regardless, Mistress Tala, Elder Kedva, my deepest apologies for the misunderstanding.”

They both expressed their forgiveness, and the Mage Hunter turned to go.

Kedva clearly didn’t care for being called Elder, but she was obviously not about to correct the man.

There really isn’t any better title for her that I can think of.

-Yeah, me either.-

Before Master Tai could take more than a couple of steps, however, Tala called out to him, “Master Tai?”

He hesitated, turning to look back, “Mistress?”

“Would you be willing to discuss your void magic? I have not come across many practitioners of that esoteric branch, and I think that I could learn something from you, but only if you are willing.”

His hesitance lasted for only a moment longer before he faced her fully and nodded, “I need to finish my shift—I’m on duty patrolling this market at the moment—but this evening I am at your disposal.”

She grinned widely. “Great! Thank you.”

They set up a place to meet up, before Tala and Kedva bid him farewell and headed back toward Kit.

“Let’s get your final readings then fill you back up.”

“Yes, Mistress Tala.” After a block or so of slow progress, Kedva glanced toward Tala. “Mistress Tala?”

“Yes, Kedva?”

“Thank you. That was rather… terrifying.” Kedva shuddered, visibly affected by their recent experience.

Tala gave the girl a genuine smile. “I am happy to have been able to help.”