When I woke in the morning, a solution had not magically appeared in my mind. I had hoped clearing my head would help my thoughts, but only the very beginnings of a plan had begun to form. I needed a few weeks to get it ready and sort the details, but I could start laying the groundwork on my day off.

Shaking my head, I took my usual supplements before heading down to meet with Sig before classes. I still needed to get exercise in for the day, and this would let me apologize to him as soon as possible.

When I arrived, Sig was already performing his typical moves in a sleeveless shirt. He glanced at me, nodding once before turning his gaze forward again. I stopped a few feet away and bowed low, bending at my waist in a single smooth motion.

"I apologize for any disrespect I showed you yesterday. My mistakes are my own, and I should not have used them to take your class anything less than completely seriously."

When I straightened, Sig was staring at me with narrowed eyes. After a minute of silence, he shook his head and waved one hand.

"Don't worry about it, kid. I owe you a bit of an apology myself. Not for calling you out on coasting, I stand by that. But I could've worded it a bit better, and that's on me."

Shaking my head, I smiled at Sig. "I can understand why. I should have been more focused and serious about our training. May I ask you something though?"

Sig snorted before replying, "I can guess what you'll ask, but go for it."

I considered what to say for a few seconds, knowing I had to be careful to avoid any potential insults. Sig was hard to offend, but it seemed apparent this was a sore spot for him.

"Why do you emphasize martial combat so much? I can understand being decent with a staff or running without gasping like a miner, but still. I know guards who care less about their skills with a weapon."

Sig's posture became tense, and he turned his gaze down to the ground, standing in silence. Minutes passed before he finally took a breath and looked back up to me.

"Why don't we take a walk? Training can wait until tomorrow." Sig said, walking away before I could reply. I followed, struggling to keep up with his quick stride.

Sig led us both outside of the Academy, moving along the stone pathways which were empty this early in the day.

"How much do you know about graduation from the Academy?" he asked, as we walked along the white cobblestones.

"Not much, honestly. I know most mages find work quickly after graduation, but I am not sure of the specifics."

"I figured as much. It depends on the mage and their skill sets. Good alchemists and enchanters often find work here in Volaris, working with shops, or starting their own businesses. Some mages who demonstrate administrative skills will get assigned jobs assisting in the training and development of mages with the Academy. Influential nobles, or students closely related with them such as yourself, will return to their families."

He paused, gazing far off into the distance.

"My best friends and I, we were all great in a fight. The five of us were the best duelists in our year, and every one of us expected to reach master before thirty. Our first assignment was simple. We got reports of spies from the Wandering Cities who were attempting to set up a settlement next to the Emerald Groves, likely to expand their territory. The dunes they dwell in are inhospitable, and the fertile lands up north would be invaluable."

That sounded unlikely to my ears. Even a child knew better than to go near the Groves. It was a mass of dense trees, bushes, and underbrush that was next to impossible to navigate. And beyond that, monsters and beasts dwelt there that even Ferren did not cross.

"What happened? Did you find their settlement?" I asked, lowering my voice as I spoke.

"We arrived and set up a base camp before starting our investigations. The next few weeks were boring, and we didn't find anything, not at first. And then, one day, it all went wrong. Whoever they were, they tore through us like we were nothing. I was the first to fall in battle. I woke up in Volaris, weeks later, without two of my best friends. And I brought back a souvenir for my troubles."

Sig reached down and pulled up the hem of his shirt, revealing a gnarled twist of scar tissue and muscle. The mass ran along his side, twisting up to his collarbone and around to his back.

"Years of careful training and a small fortune and treatments have brought me back, but it could only do so much. I can barely cast magic, and in truth, my position as a journeyman is an honorary title rather than one I deserve for my prowess. I hate feeling weak, though, and a good ax in hand is better than nothing. And sometimes, I wonder if I could've saved my friends, had I been a bit better of a warrior. Not a good habit to get into, but hey, I'm not perfect!" Sig said, his voice rising at the end as he gave a forced smile.

"That sounds horrifying, Sig. I am sorry," I answered, nausea mounting as I imagined what he must have experienced.

Though we were not close friends, picturing Simon or Amelia dead from battle sent a stab through my chest. I could not imagine what Sig must have experienced.

"I didn't tell you that hoping for pity. You asked me a question, and since you are my student, I think you deserve an answer. I can be hard on you, but that's because I think you could be something special. You have an ego on you, and you have a lot to learn, but you have potential." Sig said, as he crossed his arms.

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Though I hated to admit it, he was not wrong. My ego was my most significant fault, and I knew I had to learn to let go of it. But that was easier said than done. After a second, I realized he was staring at me, waiting for some sort of answer.

"Thank you for telling me, Sig. I promise I will make sure not to take your training lightly. I made a mistake not getting my rest and working a bit too hard, and I will avoid that in the future."

Sig laughed, slapping my shoulder with one hard hand before replying, "I'll hold you to that, kid. Just know, class tomorrow will be twice as hard to make up for today's easy day."

Before we returned to the Academy, I paused and turned to Sig. "What happened to the spies from the south?"

Sig shrugged before replying, "Not sure honestly. It went to someone way above us, and I never heard about it again. I would bet Elden lead a team up there, after what happened to us. The group we encountered was much more dangerous than we had expected, and the King seemed to take personal offense to the losses."

I thanked Sig again for telling me his story, and made my way to my first class of the day, his horrifying injury still in the back of my head. I had felt losing my freedom or morals fighting endless wars was the worst outcome, but becoming crippled and unable to learn magic might be worse.

In Alchemy, Simon and I mixed a potion designed for common diseases and illnesses, which I handled a bit better than most. Of course, that was in no small part due to Simon effectively holding my hand during every step.

Enchanting was the same as the previous two classes, and I was beginning to suspect most of the first semester would be theoretical training and mastering necessary skills, rather than performing real enchantments.

Magic Beasts, we were once again joined by Leon, who sat down with a blank, cold expression.

"Good afternoon, sir. Is there something wrong?" I asked Leon, genuine concern coloring my tone. I was used to a cheerful and upbeat personality, but his expression seemed upset or even angry.

His eyes flicked to me, his mouth twitching before turning up into a smile.

"Nothing at all, Vayne! And Leon, not sir! Just a bit of personal business, nothing for you to trouble yourself." he said with a bright grin. The slight crinkle in his eyes told a different story, but I did not push further.

Although I would prefer to keep Leon on my side, it would be improper to dig too deeply into his problems, at least now. I was beginning to feel I needed to pursue a closer relationship with Leon and Sophia, for when my disguise became obsolete.

If the Esttons did discover my secrets, at least I could work to mitigate the damage. I may not be able to persuade Duke Estton or Girem to allow my training in combat skills to continue, but with Leon's help I might manage that feat. The only path I needed to avoid at all costs was the King or his spies, discovering my talents. Letting lesser secrets out to preserve larger ones may become necessary, and allies could help make it easier on me.

The class was mostly review, with Professor Kendell assigning us a primer on common magic beasts of Ferris to review over the next two weeks. A couple of students seemed unhappy with the assignment, but Professor Kendell gave a smile at them.

"Not to worry, apprentices. After we finish with this, we can start in on the fun stuff. We will be handling live magic beasts. So study hard! These aren't chickens or dogs, and I would hate to have one of you lose a hand!"

We spent Dueling practicing with each other much like last class, though this time, I failed to avoid Amelia and Sophia. Neither seemed to see through my disguise, though it was impossible to say for sure with Sophia. Considering how well she hid her thoughts and emotions, I could learn a lot about lying from her.

On the other hand, Amelia wore her emotions on her sleeve and seemed far more interested in practicing her dueling skills than examining her opponent's face. While she was not as skillful at dueling with magic as she was with a staff, Amelia still moved gracefully, and I noted that she would often dodge my spells rather than block.

When Professor Barlow drew closer, she decided to comment on the habit.

"Girl! Why aren't you using your shield? I gave it to you for a reason, didn't I?" she barked, narrowing her eyes at Amelia.

Turning and locking eyes, Amelia shrugged before replying, "If I use the shield in a real fight, the force would possibly knock me off balance, and it would cost mana that I would rather save for an offensive spell."

Professor Barlow stared at her in silence before bursting into laughter.

"All of you stop dueling for a minute! Take a good look at this apprentice. As of right now, she is probably the closest to competent out of all of you. Tell them what you told me, apprentice."

Amelia blushed at the words of praise and the attention, but she straightened her back and repeated her explanation.

Professor Barlow smiled widely, white teeth gleaming from cracked lips, turned in a slow circle, and sifted through every student.

"You all hear that? Apprentice Amelia here has already figured out something that all of you will need to learn and learn fast if you want to master dueling. She concluded that, for her, dodging was the more effective option than blocking. A conclusion I for one share, though plenty of mages would disagree. Amelia has taken her first step on the path to forming her dueling style."

The rest of the apprentices fell into hushed whispers, several of them directing glares at Amelia, though others looked more impressed. I attempted to look nonplussed, though internally, I was mostly a part of the second group. I had lost enough to her already to know she was a natural in combat.

We returned to practice, most of us with renewed vigor as we continued dueling. Many of the students appeared to be trying to mimic Amelia's dodges, most failing and falling to the ground in heaps. I was one of them, though thanks to my training with Sig, I managed to maintain my balance most of the time.

By the time I walked into Espionage, I was tired but content with my progress in my classes. Professor Morell repeated the lessons from the last session, with the same obnoxiously cheerful attitude as always.

"Not to worry, students, I have near-infinite patience. I'll teach you all to sense mana, or you'll die trying!" he shouted around halfway through the lesson.

At the end of the hour, I thought I barely sensed something on the edge of my mind, though I could not say it for sure. Sensing my mana was effortless, as though I was sensing my arm or leg. But detecting another mage's mana was proving much more challenging. As I went to leave the class, Professor Morell called after me.

"Lock-breaker, wait just a moment if you will! I wanted to check on how well you have been learning the extra assignment I gave you."

I waited until the rest of the class emptied before walking up to his desk, digging into my bag for the practice locks as I moved. Stopping before him, I gave a smile as I pulled out one of the locks.

"I think I have gotten the hang of it, Professor. It was a bit tough at first, but the booklet helped greatly, thank you."

He nodded, reaching out and holding the lock up for examination. Tilting it one way and the other, he looked at me and grinned.

"They're simple ones, mostly good for practice and useless against mages. We have progressed beyond using pin tumbler locks, so don't try using a pick around Volaris. You're more likely to lose your hand to a nasty ward than to get into the building. But, honestly, I lied. I assumed you would learn to pick a lock by now, but I wanted to get you alone."

I raised an eyebrow and tilted my head to the side. "I am sorry, Professor, I am not sure what you need from me then."

Professor Morell smirked, giving an amused snort as he stared at me. Leaning forward, he reached out and narrowed his eyes carefully at me.

"Are you wearing a disguise?"