While Gust got out of sparring class a few hours early, it was only so he could head to the alchemy ward. Something in his wrist was broken and Gust treated it gingerly. He’d already cycled some mana to the area, and it was eating into his already low reserves. The pain was manageable… until one of the healers roughly set the bone back in place and wrapped it tight.

That healer was none other than Alice. She winced as she wrapped his wrist, explaining, “Sorry, I was just transferred here recently. Is that too tight?”

Before Gust could answer, Henrietta nodded. “There’s bound to be some discomfort, Alice. We’re setting a bone, not wrapping a child in a blanket. You need to stick to procedure and worry how the patient is feeling afterward. They’re mages, they should be able to endure a bit of pain.”

“Of course! I just want to be sure I’m not making it worse.” She wrapped tighter, and gave Gust a weak smile when he winced.

Henrietta just nodded and walked away to tend to a concussed student. Despite the older woman’s admonishing, Alice relaxed a moment later. She bit her lip and spread her mana sense over Gust’s wrist as she focused on her work.

When she was almost finished, Gust offered a quick, “Thank you.”

Alice nodded and pursed her lips. “Have you been practicing your Shintotsudo? I was expecting to see you around more often.”

“Sorry about that. I’ve… had a lot going on. But yeah, I’ve practiced it a few times. When there wasn’t anything more pressing.”

The mousy girl shook her head. “You won’t make much progress if you don’t rehearse your forms at least once a day.”

“I know, I know,” the young man said reflexively as if it were his mother admonishing him. When Alice pouted, he added, “You must have pretty amazing meridians then, huh?”

The girl’s face reddened and she returned her attention to Gust’s wrist, pouring mana into it and cycling it back into her hands. It was the same process he watched Henrietta use on Myles. Despite Alice’s apparent lack of experience, the mana flowed like a raging river and Gust felt a strange discomfort as the process helped him heal. His face must have reflected the strange sensation, because Alice smirked.

“I guess I do, but it’s just about the only thing I’m good at. Ever since I started working here, I’ve felt out of my depth. The healing process is easy for me, but I’d never bothered with alchemy. Who knew it would involve so much math?”

Gust shrugged. He hadn’t dabbled in alchemy at all, and didn’t plan to, but he had taken a chemistry class before. If they were at all similar, he could understand how getting the ratios of reagents exactly correct was vital to the craft.

“You could ask Jonas for some tips,” Gust replied without thinking. He regretted it when Alice’s eyes widened.

“He’s a first level student!” she whispered, appalled. “If anyone saw that, I’d never hear the end of it. No, I just need to spend more time at the library.”

“That makes two of us. I work there now, actually.”

“Oh, great!” She lit up with a wide smile. “You can help me find the books I need.”

“Well, I haven’t really started working there. My first day is after Shen.” Gust felt mildly uncomfortable even mentioning the name ‘Shen.’ His mind flashed back to the monster outside Saith’s window and its strange resemblance to his little sister’s artwork. There was something else on his mind, though, and it helped him ignore those uncomfortable thoughts. “Where’s Myles? I thought he’d be in here.”

“You didn’t see him? He left just before you arrived.”

Gust shook his head.

“Well, you’ll see him around. He’s not a mage yet, so his healing process will take a while. He’ll have to come back every day for another session or two, but he’s back on his feet.”

“Perfect. I’ve been meaning to talk to him and Locke and, if they’re working together now, ]I can do it at the same time! Thanks again for the healing.” But as Gust tried to rise, Alice shoved him back into bed. He was surprised at how weak he felt. He couldn’t put up even the slightest fight.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“Oh no you won’t!” Alice laughed. “Remember what I said about making sure your bones heal properly? You’ll be spending the night with us! Every few hours, someone will come around to make sure the bones haven’t shifted and give you another round of healing. Don’t worry about anything else! You won’t have the strength to do much until the morning, anyway. Don’t make me chase you down! Because I will,” she added in a threatening tone, smiling as she left to work on someone else.

A few boring, restful hours later, the girl returned to check on him. “Congratulations, by the way. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of someone at your former level taking down a beast. Myles didn’t make it out in quite as good shape, but he got into the school because of it so I guess he can’t complain.”

Gust frowned at that. He was sure Myles harbored a similar distaste for mages as his sister, even if it wasn’t as extreme. He doubted the man was happy to be separated from Philo, and Gust meant to apologize for that as soon as he found the school’s newest student.

“Not happy with your progress?” Alice asked, confused.

Realizing he was frowning, Gust offered an explanation. “It’s not that, I’m just frustrated. Even if I’m stronger, someone with more experience can still beat me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.” Alice nodded to herself for a few seconds, only responding when Gust prodded her with a, “What’s up?”

“Well, I was thinking… I wouldn’t mind an opportunity to practice my healing. And you need to get some extra sparring in…”

Gust couldn’t help but laugh. His wrist shook between Alice’s hands. “Are you offering to beat me up and heal my bruises?”

“It’s not like you won’t be fighting back,” the girl mumbled. “But I’m sure you’re busy. You have a lot going on, after all,” she mumbled.

As she started to rise, Gust grabbed one of Alice’s hands. He winced and immediately let go, not realizing he was reaching with his injured hand. “Wait! I didn’t mean to be rude or anything, it just seems like every way to improve myself also involves pain. And no small amount, either.”

Gust recalled his sparring matches with Locke. Neither of them had been injured, but Gust always ended up covered in dirt and welts. If Alice was two levels above his last partner, Gust knew he was in for even more serious injuries. Oh well, at least it would help him learn faster.

Besides, the school tournament was only a few weeks away and Gust wouldn’t be facing first level students, even the best of them like Keziah. He would be going up against someone like Theo or Levi. Gust needed experience against stronger opponents, and someone at the third level of Pathway Establishment was the perfect partner.

After accepting her offer, and promising to visit at least a few times each week, Gust laid back to sleep.

In the morning, Gust ate his breakfast with one hand in the courtyard, hoping to find either Locke or Myles. Neither showed up, nor did they cross his path as Gust idly looked for them. He considered finding Locke at home, but that gave rise to images of the ground vibrating with insect life. He wanted to make up with Locke, but approaching an irritated insect cultivator in the middle of all his hives and nests sounded like a bad idea.

When he accepted he wouldn’t be able to find those two, Gust headed to his father’s old home. Or, more specifically, to the edge of the field of mana surrounding it. He sat just inside that silver dome. Gust’s wrist pained him as he assumed his Demon Blades in the Void cultivating position, but it was quickly drowned out as sword mana poured through his meridians.

The cloud of silver mana around his core slowly replenished as Gust spent most of his day cultivating. He moved slightly closer and while he noticed the pain level increase, he barely noticed the change in mana flowing into his body. It wasn’t very satisfying, but Gust knew the pain would never go away if he didn’t learn to endure it. The closer to the sword he cultivated, the greater ratio of sword mana to pure mana, and therefor the greater the pain. That was a fact he could not avoid.

Gust stayed there until the sun set, then found Alice outside her house. She wasn’t willing spar until his wrist was fully healed, but she held the injury between her palms and gave it another, shorter round of healing. It was a tiring process for both healer and patient, and she wanted to save energy for Shintotsudo.

Almost as soon as the first round of forms completed, Alice nodded proudly. “You really have been practicing! Other than that wrist, your form is looking much better. It’ll take a few months before you see any major differences, but trust me, it’s worth it! Henrietta’s a fifth level student but my regenerative cycling is already faster. She’s still better, Mistress Olovina wouldn’t just let anyone run her ward, but that has more to do with experience than cultivation.”

“This patient has no complaints,” Gust commented and Alice shot him a smile. She lit a lantern as the sun went down, but Gust didn’t stay long. Between healing and cultivating, it had already been a long day.

On his way home, Gust stared at the moon with a slight smile. Fewer stars dotted the night sky as the moon grew nearly full. It wouldn’t be long before he could cultivate the second method Saith taught him. The Wolf Star Howling Body.

Gust didn’t know anything about Yin mana, except that its presence peaked during the full moon. It was one of the topics he wanted to search for during his time in the library. This alternate cultivation method relied on using that energy to transform his body, providing the strength he would need to wield his father’s sword. With a weapon like, Gust might even be able to challenge the Masters.

Once he learned how to use it, of course.