As soon as Amy was given the go-ahead by Felin, she turned her focus inwards and towards her visualisation of her mana pool. It required barely any effort at all now to send a mana stream up her brain stem, splitting it into two as she went, her Apprentice control leaps and bounds ahead of what it was before as a Mageling. While a Mageling is barely a Mage at all, an Apprentice Mage is still a Mage after all is said and done, Amy thought, thinking back to something one of her School teachers used to say.

It was when she reached the brain itself with her mana that she encountered a bit of a problem. What part is the occipital lobe again? Felin said it's at the back and above something that looks different. I suppose this little wrinkly base thing near the stem is what looks different? She guessed, her internal mana sight interpreting what her brain was like the best it could. Moving her focus upward, Amy landed on what she guessed was the occipital lobe, attempting to interpret the mana resting dormant within it the best she could.

The mana inside was vague at best, Amy unable to get any distinct Concept from it at all, only being left with a vague sense of familiarity as she gazed upon it more and more. In fact, a sort of feedback loop began to form as she stared deeper, before finally realising what that familiarity was. I seem to be... sensing my own sensing, if I got that right. If that odd feeling is what I think it is then this is definitely the occipital lobe. I guess... I should just start then?

Not believing any pretences were needed, unceremoniously, Amy connected the both ends of the split mana stream to the lobe. Instantly, a strange dizziness seemed to seep in. It wasn't any familiar sickness like she sometimes had riding a carriage or train, but rather something deeper, more internal. The kind of illness one could only get by messing with the part of your body that makes you, you. The vertigo only intensified from there, the fact that she had closed her eyes making it somehow worse. It was when Amy almost succumbed to the dizziness, giving up and going to Felin for help that something inside her sharpened. A strange feeling of balance radiated from her mana pool, resonating with the stream running through her brain, and the mana inside it already integrated from her ascension. A full loop was formed, and with it, focus returned.

Even with the vertigo lessened, its presence was still disorientating so Amy rushed to work quickly in its short lapse, with her faculties somewhat back. Infusing the mana inside her brain with her will, the mana itself changed, akin to an attunement to an Element. But no; it wasn't to an Element. It was to something far more ephemeral than that. It was... It was...

As Amy suddenly realised, it was to her.

Its Concept was vague, entirely undefined to even mana itself. And yet, it was a glimmer of something to be. Is this what Felin means about becoming an Element? I mean, I already knew about mana attuning to me when I gathered it for my ascension to Apprentice, and all the little increases in my mana pool I've been enjoying these last couple weeks. It just hasn't seemed to have clicked until now. Your self starts to make its mark in the mana as a Concept, before blossoming into something far greater upon Ascension? Even if I didn't figure it out before, I imagine I would've guessed the truth about Ascension by now, looking at this. Beforehand, the progression from Mage to, well, godhood, seemed so foreign. But now...? I think I get it.

Whilst Amy was stuck deep into her thoughts, her mana had not been idle. Although its very Concept slowly began to shift towards her self, it was mainly infused with that of Perception and Vision, seeking to resonate with the mana buried deep in the lobe, awakening it to its proper function. The loop of connection it had formed, pulsed, mana coursing through it several times in cycles of a sort. Each cycle slowly drudged out more activity from Amy's brain, and in turn lessened the dizziness just that much more. The cycles continued on until a breaking point was reached, when the mana was slow to her response, slow to connect, and slow to cycle. Almost like a well-worked muscle, her brain seemed to ache and pulse, burning with a strange and foreign kind of pain. It was that which made her hesitant to continue on past the pain despite the issues she had experienced just beginning the process. Something told her though that this pain was to be expected and - like a well-worked muscle - it needed to rest.

Mana drained back from her brain, seeping into her mana pool, the illness and dizziness retreating with it.

"Congratulations," Felin greeted upon Amy's return to reality. "It was a bit shaky near the beginning but you managed a single round in the end."

"A round?" Amy asked blearily, rubbing her eyes and taking in her surroundings. After her work on her brain, something seemed ever so different about the way her room looked. It would've barely been noticeable if not for the fact she had just enhanced her occipital lobe, and so she made a connection instantly. This is my vision improving. I don't really need to squint anymore, not that I did much anyway. Everything's just a little bit more in focus than before.

"A round of mental enhancements consists of several - usually a dozen or so - 'cycles' of mana running through the portion you are improving," Felin described. "Repeatedly completing rounds of enhancement results in noticeable and permanent changes in that part of the mind."

"I already see a bit of a difference now," She said, flicking to her mana sight. The omnipresent Mana Ocean was just as enchanting as always, indecipherable flows and channels dancing in the air. And yet, those strange flows, shapes and Concepts hidden in the Ocean's depths seemed just a little more... understandable to her than previously. It seemed so much... clearer.

"Good. From what I could see, the round wasn't the best, but it got the job done from the sounds of it. As long as you get over that beginning hurdle better, you should be able to manage a proper round of enhancement next time," He said.

"I did do the right thing then? I was scared I had messed something up there," Amy smiled, returning to mundane vision to look directly at the cat standing up in mid-air.

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"Besides the starting hiccup? All well and good. Next time though, try to focus less on direct 'Elements' and more on obscure 'Concepts'," Felin commented. "I think I saw things like Perception running about in there and while that is useful, it is also quite close to the actual Perception Element. When you focus on the Elemental over the Conceptual too much you run the risk of actually corrupting your brain's infused mana away from being attuned to you. The Conceptual influences on the other hand only do just that; influence. It guides the mana present into doing what it should be already doing, not into something else."

"Understood," She nodded. "What should I do now?"

"Focus on consolidating your gains from this round of enhancement. As I said before, for a successful Apprentice, no matter what part of their brain they concentrate most of their enhancements on, they will do almost a hundred rounds of enhancement per portion of the mind. Each round is extremely important to your development and cannot be too rushed or flawed."

"What do Apprentices focus on though? Should I direct most of it towards my memory? For Record?"

"While you could do that, until you fully devise a proper path for yourself going forward it's recommended to remain a generalist. The maxim of an Apprentice is a "Mind to Wield". The Apprentice must enhance and improve their mind so that, when wielded properly, can fully develop the path ahead until they are certain enough of it. It is the Journeyman's task to actually construct said path however."

"I don't have a path yet, at least I don't think so," Amy murmured, "So what does consolidation actually entail?"

"It's mainly meditating upon and recognising the changes you've done to yourself. When you've altered something about yourself, no matter how small, it can be hard to get used to that fact. Your body must be taught to recognise what's different and adjust accordingly, not just flail until it gets something right. This is even more important when you're doing multiple rounds of enhancements in a single session, taking breaks in between to ease off."

"Like, instead of just doing the occipital lobe, doing another part too?" Amy asked worriedly, trying to imagine the pain of multiple parts of her brain hurting and not just one.

"You can do that, but it's recommended to focus all of those repeated rounds on one part. It makes it easier to consolidate later when you're only focusing on one aspect that's different, rather than multiple simultaneously."

"Got it," Amy said, scratching her cheek. "If I did want to look at enhancing my memory though, what part should I do?"

"Well..." Felin trailed off, looking unsure. "My former contractor didn't go too into that sort of stuff, and the only reason I know of the occipital lobe is because he always prattled on about it to whatever Apprentices he was teaching. And, well, from my appearance alone it should be obvious enough that I'm not too knowledgeable about human anatomy."

"So you have no idea."

"Yes, I have no idea," Felin sighed, discontented.

"And here I was thinking you some sort of master of human psychology when you first started prattling on about it and here you are, not knowing a thing," Amy teased with a cheeky grin.

"Bah! Enough of it," He swiped at the air in annoyance, turning away. "I simply taught what I knew the best I could. It's not my fault you were fooled."

"You know that's not what I was getting at," Amy shook her head. "I guess I just have to somehow learn it all myself."

"The... Mage association building. Perhaps you could find the information there," Felin suggested, turning serious again.

"I could, but I'm still technically supposed to be in Triesen. It's not been long enough since I left too to say my holiday request has been properly processed. If I show up at the association library, flashing my ID, some clerk might throw a fit somewhere that I'm not where I'm supposed to be."

"Who cares about that! It's just some random mortal thinking-"

"None of that, Felin, you already know what I think of you calling people mortals," Amy frowned, glaring at him from the bed. "Plus, a single 'mortal' clerk throwing a fit can still cause me to be questioned by some Mage enforcers, even if it is only light questioning. Any sort of interrogation at all is going to reveal some things, and if they discover you I don't know what I'd do."

"I don't like your path being hindered by such a meagre thing like bureaucracy, my dear Apprentice," Felin lamented. "It's just so... unnecessary!"

"Bureaucracy is what makes the world go around nowadays, Felin, you simply can't avoid it," Amy said, giving a light smile. One, though, that slowly vanished while a thought crossed her mind. "Although... it feels wrong to do this to a... friend? I don't know if he thinks I'm a friend. Either way, if I just ask William about this, he could probably get me access into the archives. Worst case he can't, I can just say I'm interested in some Mind Mage stuff and want to know about the brain. There's nothing wrong about telling them that either as I'm just telling the truth... a bit of a twisted truth, at least."

"Now you're thinking like my Apprentice, Amy," Felin smirked gleefully, bearing his upper fangs. "A Fae Wizard must think in those sorts of ways, to exploit and distort, and through it obtain supremacy."

"Is that the Concept behind Fae then?" Amy asked attentively, seeking insight from an actual Fae.

"It's a certain side of it, yes," Felin relented, still being mysterious about it. Hesitating before continuing, he said, "Be careful however, my dear Apprentice, of acting too much like a Fae. You... you don't strike me as a Fae, Amy, and you shouldn't either. To be Fae is... to be cruel and unforgiving. To be adamant in your arbitrations and carry them through, no matter how severe. To be... well, not entirely like you."

"I shall be weary, Felin. Don't worry about it," She said, smiling softly, not really taking it too seriously.

"Be extra vigilant in your case, Amy. Your high Fae affinity means that you might indeed end up acting like that, whether you want to or not," Felin warned, narrowing his eyes at something unseen in the air. "Be wary of being too judgemental. Be wary of being too conniving. Be wary of rhyming-"

"I'll be fine, Felin. Trust me," Amy insisted, getting up to pet the Archfey's soft head, ruffling it.

"...Alright," He eventually acquiesced, shaking off her hand and walking off. "If you're planning on going today, though, you best hurry up."

"Probably yeah," Amy sighed, peeking past the curtain to spot the time. Just before lunch. "Probably for the best I dismiss you too, just to save on mana and so that no one notices the connection."

"Indeed, for the best," He said, expecting it. Turning around to look at his Apprentice, Felin waved, "Goodbye my dear Apprentice."

"Goodbye; for now," Amy added. "I imagine I'll have a lot more to talk to you about later today."

"For now, then," He smiled back.

And with that, dissolving into swirling shapes of virid green mana, Felin was gone.

Shaking her head, Amy turned her attention back to her FPG, specifically the messenger section of it. Fortunately, she had learned how to use it when she messaged William back last time, so she navigated to his name a lot quicker than last time. It wasn't long before the message was drafted, and then swiftly sent.

[Amy Wachlund: Would you like to go to the association archive for lunch? I don't think I can get in with me supposed to be still in Triesen.]

And it wasn't long before his answer came in either.

[William Becker: Sure! Just give me an hour or so. Need to do something.]

"Hmmm..." Amy pondered, sitting back onto the edge of her bed, legs rocking. "What should I wear?"