After hours of reading, I felt tempted to check in the mirror to see if I had physically turned green with envy. The cultivation methods Sophia had access to made my options look mediocre at best, and confirmed my suspicions that techniques had advanced a great deal since Cortos' death. 

Some of this had to be a case of magical knowledge advancing, but I suspected it was mainly due to a lack of necessity. I was the only living Aether mage, and our scarcity meant Aether-specific techniques were rare at best. 

One Thousand Bolts was all about raw power, focusing on gathering insane levels of mana, very similar to Endless Horizons. Where they differed was in their effectiveness. Endless Horizons required careful focus, gradually collecting mana and using the increasing volume to expand core size. One Thousand Bolts instead created a sort of swirling vortex of lightning mana in the core of a user. 

While at first, the method required constant upkeep and focus, over time, this vortex would become self-sustaining. As a result, a practitioner would experience nearly continuous growth of their core, and this would let them achieve massive stores of mana over time. I could see the utility for Sophia, and if she wanted to become an Archmagus, she would need as much mana as possible to condense.  

Thunder's Crash brought an unusual element that I had not heard of in any other cultivation method. While any mage would eventually develop innate control over all mana of their aspect, such as fire mages influencing both surrounding fire mana and natural flames, this method took it to the extreme. Practitioners gained unusually well-honed control over lightning, and a true master could create or disperse storms at will.

The key to this method was to connect your core to the outside world, through intense meditative exercises. Regular practice would eventually cause the user to become more deeply connected to the world around them, and over time would develop into its signature elemental control. 

Although it seemed impractical for single combat, Thunder's Crash would be extremely effective against armies. After an, sending an entire thunderstorm against your foes would be difficult at best to defeat. If I could, I might have to try and convince Sophia to focus on this method. I hoped to become powerful enough to not rely on any allies, but it would not hurt to prepare contingencies. 

Finally, Heavenly Lightning claimed to be capable of "raising the users lightning to a divine state." Sifting through the annoyingly mystical wording used, I found that the technique would increase the raw power and speed of a mage and turn their lightning a piercing white color. The poetic terms used disguised an incredibly efficient purification technique that would scrub the mage's body clean at a much higher speed than any method I had seen before. 

While cultivating, mana would flow down the channels and core, ripping apart corruption and impurities with ease, before being expelled outward with each breath. Without any of these impurities clogging the body, mana could move unimpeded, improving both power and speed, while also turning the lightning a brilliant white shade as a side effect. Unfortunately for me, the technique required lightning mana to work correctly, though I still copied the method for my notes. 

I needed to research lightning magic and mana more to be sure, but I suspected there was a way to practice at least two at once. It would be exhausting and require a fortune in alchemic resources, but Sophia wanted answers, and I could not create miracles. Heavenly Lightning and One Thousand Bolts combined would make her an absolute terror on the battlefield, and with her family's backing, she could become at least a master. 

And if I could apply some of these techniques to my development, all the better. I had initially dismissed studying other elements in detail as a waste of time, but I was beginning to change my opinion. Magic was a picture, and only by taking in all of its aspects could you reach full understanding.  

The next morning, I got dressed in loose clothes before heading downstairs for my daily workout. I hoped to find Sig and Amelia down there, and as I entered the exercise room, I was not disappointed. They both stood where we usually met, Amelia already moving a staff through warm-up movements.

As I came closer, I noticed that Amelia had cut her hair shorter in the past month. When I left, her hair hung down to her shoulders, though she tied it up during training to keep it out of her eyes. Now, it was just long enough to cover her ears. I liked the look, though I pushed away any thoughts of that nature, at least for now. I was here for training, not flirting, and I needed to remain focused. 

"Well, look who it is, the mighty wolf-slayer!" Amelia shouted at me as I approached, a grin on her face. She gave a mock bow before straightening up again. 

I grimaced, shaking my head and replying, "Please do not call me that. It is not like I defeated the beast with a single mighty blow. It leaped at me and impaled itself on my weapon in the process. I was lucky, and I would prefer the rest of the apprentices to forget the entire incident rather than attribute it to my skill. " 

Chuckling, Sig shook his head and said, "I doubt that's going to happen anytime soon, Vayne. The apprentices that returned have been gossiping, and their stories have spread throughout the Academy. Particularly, the rumor of an advisor who slew a magic beast single-handedly, returning covered in blood and scars. Not many apprentices can claim the same thing, and you have more than a few envious young nobles who wanted to use this trip to make names for themselves." 

I had hoped this would not happen, but it seems I could only get so lucky. Attention at this stage was a problem, and I still lacked the raw power or influence to do whatever I wanted. The Estton name would be enough to keep most people at a distance, but if there were jealous nobles involved, there was too much of a risk of problems.

In particular, I was worried about Flynn Sion. Nobles who felt insulted would often challenge one another to duels for their honor, and although I had not done anything worthy of a challenge, if Flynn hated me enough, he would find an excuse. Leon's warning to avoid him seemed more critical than ever. 

"Regardless, I have you to thank, Sig. Without your training and the weapon you provided, I would currently be a meal for that beast. Any credit for my accomplishment lies with you and your teaching." I replied, bowing my head to him. 

Sig gave me a feral grin, replying, "Speaking of which, I hope you have kept up with your training. I'd hate to think you used your trip as an excuse to get lazy." 

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I involuntarily grimaced, recognizing the look on his face and realizing I was in for a tough sparring session. Turning towards Amelia, I grabbed one of the staves on the ground before flourishing. Although I had not practiced as much as I would prefer with my sword-staff, a wooden quarterstaff felt somewhat strange in my hands now. The weight was too low, and I recognized the minute differences in balance between the two. 

Our first few duels went particularly badly as I began warming back up, but by the fifth time, I was able to move and fight almost well as usual. I had already memorized all the forms Sig gave me to study, and I had practiced them before, but until now, I had not needed to use them in a fight. 

The first time I successfully executed the flowing stances and strikes, turning aside one of Amelia's attacks with an almost careless spinning deflection, I realized how useful the moves could be for my style. Of course, that first success seemed like more of a fluke than anything, and the remainder of our fights consisted of Amelia beating me while Sig yelled out suggestions. 

"Vayne, your weapon is dipping too low! You won't be able to bring it back into a defensive stance in time. Oh, and tuck your shoulder in when you strike. Extra motion wastes energy and makes your attacks less effective! No, not like that! You overextended on your last slash, and it left you open to a counter." 

By the end of our sparring, it was clear Amelia had not been slacking off during my time away. Although I had surpassed her in raw strength thanks to my intense training, she retained the edge in speed and skill, which left her winning most of our duels. After all, it did not matter how strong you were if you were too slow or unskilled to hit your opponent. 

After we finished, I bowed to Amelia, a grin on my face. I had initially begun training with weapons out of necessity, but I had genuinely come to enjoy the challenge of combat. Growing as a warrior seemed unconnected to becoming a better mage, but I had realized somewhere along the line that they were not wholly unrelated. 

Challenges force growth and change, and this trickled down to every part of my life. Learning to perfect my skills with a weapon taught me patience and focus, and this only improved my cultivation as a mage. 

"Breakfast?" Amelia asked me after drying off the sheen of sweat on her face with a towel.

Before I could reply, I caught a hint of my body odor and grimaced slightly. I was about to comment that I needed to clean myself off first, but paused and glanced down at the ring on my hand. A grin came onto my face as I pushed mana into it, triggering the cleaning effect. An instant later, the grime and sweat covering my body disappeared, and I held my hand up to Amelia.

"I owe you more than I thought for this gift. You would not believe how much time you spend in the day cleaning yourself off." I said, smiling at her. 

"Try getting ready for a ballroom dance if you're wearing a dress. I try to stick with simpler outfits, but any time I have gone to a royal banquet, I've had to wear ensembles closer to torture devices than clothing. And my mother forces me to wear enough makeup and perfumes to kill a dog." Amelia replied with a grin of her own.

We walked out of the exercise room together, making our way to a dining hall and taking up a table near one of the windows. I ordered a massive breakfast of meats, fruits, and bread, finding myself ravenous. I had not eaten in nearly a day, focused on my studies, but it caught up to me now. 

"So, royal banquets? I am curious how often you have gone to one of those. Not many nobles get invited, after all." I commented after a minute, glancing up to Amelia. 

I had never pried into her family, and she had never offered the details. She had given me some clues here and there, but somehow it always felt wrong to dig too deeply into her personal life. At first, I had not known her well enough to ask, and now I suspected it was a reflection of a desire to become more than just friends. 

After all, any questions about her family only hammered home the fact that we could never become anything serious. 

Amelia paused, staring down at the table for several seconds, before looking back up at me and shrugging. 

"My mother has friends in the right places, and we are old blood with money. And those sorts of parties aren't as exclusive as you might think. They usually have thousands of guests, and I doubt King Lyos takes the time to pick every person to invite." 

She avoided the question, and I noticed she picked at her food with her fork in a manner that suggested she was uncomfortable. Pushing would just make her defensive or angry, and I decided to change the topic. 

"I am sorry I did not come to visit you sooner. I meant to come by, but my lords gave me a task which took up most of my time." I said. 

Waving her hand, Amelia shrugged and replied, "Don't worry about it. I understand you have duties to take care of that take precedence. Though I am curious what your lords wanted from you." 

Smiling, thankful for her understanding, I took several seconds debating how much to tell her. I decided to leave out most details and stick with just the basics.

"I was working on helping my lords grow stronger as mages by analyzing cultivation methods and attempting to decipher ways to improve them potentially. Although I doubt I will find much to improve, I have never been one to admit defeat." I explained, smiling at the end. 

Amelia chuckled, evidently agreeing, before saying, "I can't help out too much, because the method I use is a family secret, but I hope you can figure it out." 

At her words, I realized I had never learned what aspect she used. Amelia and I sparred with weapons only, and the occasion to see her practice magic had never come up. 

"I have meant to ask for a while now, but what type of magic do you use? You seem to prefer weapons, but surely you must use spells as well." 

Amelia did not reply, instead leaning forward and placing a hand on my drink. Aqua colored mana shimmered for a moment, and when she sat back, I picked up my cup, wincing at the cold temperature. 

"Ice aspect?" I guessed after a second of examination, seeing with interest that my drink was not a solid block of ice. She grinned, not bothering to answer my rhetorical question. 

Thinking back on everything I knew about the aspect, I recalled that it was a focused sub-element of water magic and a notably dangerous one. Creating and controlling ice were common, but creating storms and causing sub-zero temperatures and flash-freezing foes were also viable options. It lost some of the versatility than water magic gave, in particular lacking healing options, but it was far more dangerous in a straight battle. 

"Is there any chance you can come help me with Simon during this semester? I promised to try and assist him with magic training, but I am not a water mage. Ice magic is not quite the same, but it is close enough that I am sure you will have more to offer than me." I asked, crossing my fingers mentally. 

"Gladly! Simon told me about what happened on your trip, and it seemed like he was pretty determined to make a change. That reminds me, I meant to introduce him to a friend of mine. What do you think about going into the city next weekend? If they hit it off, I don't want to be stuck watching them flirt." Amelia asked, giving me a look that told me she hoped I would agree. 

"I will need to play it by ear. I still have to study more for my lords, and I cannot say for sure if I have the free time." I replied frowning. In truth, I would like to accompany them, but I could not shirk my duties. 

"I understand. Well, let me know if you can come." Amelia said, the brief frown on her face turning into a smile. 

We finished our meal, and I made my way alone down to the library. An hour later, I returned to my room with a half-dozen books on lightning mana and magic. I also grabbed a thick book on the noble genealogies of Ferris. Although I would not directly pry into Amelia's family, her reaction set off my instincts. 

Pushing those questions aside, I opened the first book on lightning magic and looked down at the pages. If I wanted to help Sophia become an Archmagus, it only made sense to read a book written about one. 

And what better Archmagus than the universally regarded strongest mage to ever live in Ferris? To solve this little problem, I would read the biography of Torros the Titan-Bane.