“First, let’s talk about the problems with your original plan. I was quite pleased to hear from Ms. Brighton that you had already identified a few. Our previous attempt at an untiered emplacement ritual was handled by myself and Doctor Stirling. We used a modified ritual, planning to heavily control the mana on our end. This backfired on us, as the emplacement ritual is very difficult to alter once it's started.” The Dean paused at this, letting Alex think for a second. None of this information was new, but hearing the Dean describe things could be helpful. The man was far more focused on Tier 0 than any of the other Imprinted and would know more than the Stirlings.

“I do not remind you of this to dissuade you from going through with your plan. Simply to advise caution. As I said, we came to the same conclusion as you.” The Dean stated after making sure that his warning had sunk in, “The emplacement ritual is ultimately a flawed tool when approaching untiered Mana Body creation. David and I discussed the matter yesterday and agreed that a slightly better than ninety percent chance of success was not acceptable. The events that your friend has titled density surges will prove much safer, thanks to David’s mana type. This time, David will oversee events personally, and he will make sure that any who gain too much Connection manage to enter the path.”

That was a lot of information. The Dean’s previous solemnity wasn’t discarded, but he spoke about David’s power with pride. Alex wasn’t surprised to learn that David would be personally overseeing the events, Anthony had implied as much, but it was still reassuring. David’s control over his Domain was part of his myth, those Skill Guidances he had received from his Tier 0 Achievement had all gone towards sharpening his mana and later Domain control. Combined with numerous other rewards all funneled towards patching up invisible flaws and minute improvements that only made a difference because they were one of many changes, the man could do things that seemed impossible even to the other Imprinted.

There were tales from shortly before he left on his journey across the continent. Stories of the man tearing mana out of the bodies of monsters that opposed him. Giving atmospheric mana a type through sheer control, instead of relying on runes or his soul’s insight. Dispersing a mana storm with his Domain. His accomplishments in Trials were another matter entirely. He had prepared for decades before he attempted an Imprinted solo clear, but he had succeeded when he tried.

And that was before he’d spent decades roaming the continent and presumably clearing trials for additional rewards.

If David was there, maybe Alex’s most ambitious plans could work out. If he managed a Legendary Mana Body before entering Tier 0 and received the upgrade, Who else could have achieved such a thing without the penalty for outside interference? If he was the first to accomplish the Mythic feat, what was the limit for such an Achievement? Unique to the Planet? Definitely. To the Cluster? Probably.

To the Realm? Who could say?

The Dean interrupted his train of thought, “We hope to have you, Ms. Brighton, and the young Mr. Stirling build your Mana Bodies and enter the path tonight. You will act as a proof of concept, with David and Doctor Stirling both present to guarantee safety.”

Alex was stunned for a moment at the news, and it took him a second to respond, “That’s moving quickly.”

“This opportunity will not be restricted to your group of friends. I was in the process of preparing announcements when I was drawn here, although a clone has completed the preparations. After you all succeed, those announcements regarding a change in graduation plans will go out. All faculty and seniors will be expected to gather in the Arena for an announcement tomorrow evening.” There was no if, the Dean was completely confident in their success. Alex assumed that this wouldn’t be allowed if he wasn’t.

“You’re having everyone do this?” Alex asked, surprised.

“They will have the opportunity, should tonight go well.” The Dean replied. “We have successfully eliminated all but the slightest risk. While it is not quite as safe as waiting until you enter the path, David’s presence can guarantee your survival if something goes wrong. It would be blatant favoritism to go through all this trouble only for you when all students can benefit from the greater Achievement.”

The wider implications struck Alex. This was happening because of him. He’d found the issue that no one else had seen, clarifying the mess surrounding David’s Achievement. He’d only been thinking about the opportunity for himself, and later his friends when they expressed their own interest, but the Imprinted didn’t think so narrowly.

He kind of felt bad, for not realizing how important this opportunity could be for other students. Spreading it around while the Dean and David made up their minds would’ve been rude, but he still should’ve realized. Instead, he’d been too busy thinking about himself. Now that the Dean had opened his eyes, he was struck by the conflicting emotions of pride at the impact his realization would have and shame at his self-centeredness.

“That’s incredible.” He settled on saying, “I had no idea…”

The Dean seemed to see right through him and smiled at him, “Don’t go thinking you’re selfish for keeping this to yourself. We’re quite happy that you and your friends didn’t spread the idea around. If we hadn’t been able to find such a solution, it would’ve been quite awkward to explain to students why this newfound cheat wouldn’t be used until after their time when we could refine the method.”

“You should be proud,” The Dean continued, “This will have a bigger impact on the city than Deng Jing’s ascent to Tier 3.”

That did help, and Alex’s grimace turned into a real smile at the praise. This was going to make a measurable difference for the city. He and Becca had eschewed the minor guidance of the Rare achievement when they discussed how much better Epic would be, but Alex knew that they’d undersold the importance. Five points of Connection was no joke.

That Achievement would increase the number of graduates from their year who reached Attuned. The Uncommon bodies would go from unlikely to ever reach Tier 2 unless they later gained a Rare Achievement to mages with a real chance. Most students who couldn’t get a Rare Body in the thirty minutes offered by an emplacement ritual wouldn’t be able to do it in an extended time, either. Jess was one of the rare exceptions.

“There is another thing we must speak about,” The Dean interrupted Alex’s thoughts. “I mentioned that David will be making sure that anyone who gains too much Connection will either stay on task or enter the path. That rule will include you.”

Alex winced, “Can’t I at least try?” There was no point trying to hide his idea of gaining a mana type amid the density surge. Becca had probably told the Dean. Even if she hadn’t despite her dislike of the idea, Plato had been monitoring their time in the library and would know.

“Letting you try is how we have a repeat of Monica Stirling, Mr. Moore,” The Dean’s face softened, “Ambition is valuable, but too much is crippling. If you attempt to gain insight, David will act. He will try to keep you on task, but if you resist and reach for a mana type he will make sure you enter the path instead. He hates using Inspire to force people to do his bidding, but he will do it to save a life.”

Alex frowned, heavily. He was not a fan of the idea of the city’s strongest protector slapping him with mind-control magic. It made the Dean’s previous reassurances about the privacy of his thoughts feel less than worthless. What did it matter that they didn’t read his thoughts if they would just control them?

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Inspire wasn’t meant to be used like that, at least according to the stories, but he couldn’t say he was surprised. After what had happened earlier, it almost felt like manipulating weaker mages came naturally with power.

David would force him to abandon his plans. The thought stung, and a rebellious comment was on the tip of his tongue. He extinguished the harsh words before they could be said. The Dean didn’t seem to like the idea of mind-controlling a student either, but he would not change his mind because of a tantrum. This was what he had meant when he said that David’s mana type mitigated the risk of density surges.

Alex took a calming breath, if they wanted to control his actions, they would find that he wouldn’t just accept it. This was his path he was starting, not theirs. It was his risk to take. Warning them that he wanted to take the risk against their recommendations would only let them prepare.

“Do you know why we limit Mythic Achievements, Mr. Moore?” The Dean asked, seeing the discontent on his face.

“No. Sir.” Alex didn’t manage to hide his displeasure.

“Think about it,” The Dean prompted, “What are the two Mythic Achievements that are most frequently mentioned?”

“The Unique - Cluster Achievements that upgraded our planet,” Alex replied. Realization dawned as the Dean nodded his agreement, “You don’t want the planet to upgrade again?”

Alex was deeply confused by the realization. Everyone knew that the primary goal of any planet still in the 1000-year Arrival Period was to reach Tier 5 and stabilize the mana. Why would the Dean want to avoid an upgrade?

“Allow me to explain,” The Dean began, “For the Tier 1 upgrade, any Mythic Achievement would’ve upgraded to Unique - Planetary and been sufficient. David just overachieved with his speed. For the Tier 2 upgrade, a Unique - Cluster was required. For the Tier 3 upgrade, two Unique - Cluster Achievements are required.”

“So the planet won’t upgrade even if I get a Cluster Achievement,” Alex nodded along, “What’s the problem?”

“The problem is that our first Unique - Cluster Achievement is already spoken for, and it’s one that we won’t delay. David is closing in on successfully pushing his Domain to Tier 4, meaning that the mana surrounding him will naturally rise to Tier 4 as a result of his presence.”

“How is that possible?” Alex was surprised by the idea of the achievement. Mrs. Stirling had needed to concentrate to forcefully raise the tier of the mana in her environment to Tier 3 for Councilwoman Deng’s Imprinting. Did that mean she didn’t even have a Tier 3 Domain? He didn’t bother to ask how they knew it was a Mythic Achievement, they’d probably had it confirmed by Plato.

The Dean smiled, “He has worked at it every day for 150 years, Mr. Moore, I assume you understand why that Achievement takes precedence?”

“If he can raise the mana to Tier 4, he can reach Tier 4. And he can help others do the same.”

“Precisely, we will not be making the same mistakes a second time, Mr. Moore. When the planet is pushed to Tier 3, there will be a team of Ascenders ready to face the Tier 4 trials on this continent. They will never be allowed to overflow in the first place, I can’t let you get in the way of that.”

“I understand, sir.” Alex sighed. That put a significant mark against his plan. If he succeeded, it wouldn’t be a good thing for the city. It would risk putting them on a timer before they were ready to be on it. Tier 4 trials took a century to overflow, but it had taken 150 years for one of the city’s Imprinted other than David to reach level ninety-nine. They hadn’t been focusing solely on progressing, but he doubted any of them abandoned the desire to get stronger.

“Good,” The Dean nodded, "Hopefully, you will manage to keep your head while inscribing your Mana Body."

"Isn't it too much of a risk?" Alex asked. He was confused by the Dean's decision to let him go through the emplacement, but didn't want to outright say that.

“No. In fact, you are an important part of tonight’s test run. I do not expect any other students to have particularly structured ideas of what they can do in a density surge, but I do expect many to desire more than just a standard Mana Body. Your research from earlier should be enough to figure out why we are allowing you to chase the Epic Achievement.” The Dean answered.

“Mana’s interaction with desire,” Alex realized, “You expect my stats to spike and want David to handle my emplacement before making the announcement.”

“Close. I expect most students to have their stats raised significantly,” The Dean nodded, “The fear surrounding mana is nowhere near as prevalent as it used to be. Without that, ambition is less tempered. Instead of yearning to survive, you will all go in expecting power. I believe you will be an extreme case. The euphoric power high of a mana storm will convince you that your plan to seek a mana type was perfect, despite what I just explained. If David can overcome your more refined plan, he will have no problems with other students who are just grasping at the air.”

“So you want me to try?” Alex was a bit confused by this new revelation.

“I would be quite happy if you maintain control and remember the stakes,” The Dean replied, “Either way, I am confident you will not succeed, and I am confident you will survive. It is simply a matter of whether David can keep you on task or must force you to enter the path.”

Alex sighed, he could see the thought process. He didn’t like it, but the Dean had to look at the big picture. The realization that he was a test subject wasn’t a happy one, but he couldn’t complain too much. There wasn’t a person in the city who wouldn’t sign up to be a lab rat if the result was an Epic Achievement.

He was caught between frustration at the Imprinted for denying his ambitions and messing with his mind, and appreciation for their assistance. He wouldn’t have a shot at the Epic Achievement at all without them. His only hope would be to perform exceptionally in trials.

“One question,” Alex changed the topic, knowing that the Dean wouldn’t be swayed, “Doesn’t this mean that students will have more time to create their Mana Body?”

“Yes.” The Dean smiled, glancing over at Becca, “The two of you are both very perceptive.”

Becca positively glowed with the praise, and Alex forced himself to smile with her. The Dean continued, “It will be mentioned during the announcement tomorrow night. Students will have the chance to prove themselves with an expanded time frame of ninety minutes over the course of the next few weeks. We expect nearly the entire class to manage Uncommon bodies with the increased time.”

Alex’s smile returned at this, but he didn’t bother too much with the greater implication of over a thousand Rare Achievements. There was something much more important to consider.

Jess’s time on the Rare Mana Body that Becca, Anthony, and Alex were all planning to use was forty-three minutes. Muhammad’s was thirty-seven. Alex wondered for a second if Muhammad would be able to keep his sight Enhancement on top of the attribute unlocks. It didn’t matter too much, regardless.

The whole team was getting the Epic Achievement. And they were going to do it with the best Mana Body the Academy offered.

That should be more than enough. They would all have a good chance at gaining Common insight with the help of a Minor Mana Guidance and two standard versions. Even if they failed, they could just do it at Tier 1. Their future was bright.

Was that good enough for Alex?

With their talk finished, it was time to leave the hospital. Mr. Stirling came with them, not having any pressing matters that would keep him away from his son’s emplacement. The Dean and Plato went back to the Academy, and Mr. Stirling took them to the walls to meet their ride.

Anthony, Jess, and Muhammad were waiting for them along with Mrs. Stirling.

“I’m so excited for you!” Jess exclaimed as soon as she saw them, and Alex took a step to the side as she jumped Becca. She quickly turned to give him a congratulatory hug as well. Muhammad and Anthony followed behind her to give their own greetings.

“You’ll get your chance soon,” Becca replied with a grin, “Did you hear that they’re extending the time since we’re not using emplacement rituals?”

“No,” Jess stood back, “All I heard was that the three of you are doing it to prove it works. How long?”

“Ninety minutes,” Alex answered, and Jess’s face turned contemplative as she considered the implications.

“I’ll have to practice then,” Jess's smile somehow widened at this news.

“You kids can talk later,” Mrs. Stirling interrupted, “I’d prefer to not to be that late for dinner tonight.”

The group made their way up to the top of the walls, chatting as they walked. They were incredibly excited by the prospect of all receiving Epic Achievements, but Alex was a bit withdrawn. The Dean had thrown a lot of information at him, and he was struggling to process all of it.

Alex looked out over the plains that surrounded New Chicago from atop the walls. Today, he would leave the city for the first time.