The next morning, my eyes snapped open just as the light of the rising sun hit my closed eyelids. As I sat up in bed, I felt strangely alert and awake, with none of the drowsiness I usually experienced in the morning. When I stood, I noticed that my body felt limber and loose, as if I had stretched already.

Opening and closing my hands several times, I wiggled my fingers and toes, double-checking to make sure nothing felt amiss. I grinned when I realized that I felt fine, possibly better than I ever had in my life. I reached down, touching my toes without any problems, before placing my hands flat on the ground and flipping up into a handstand.

Balanced on my palms, I lowered myself down several inches before straightening my forearms, feeling the familiar strain on my muscles. Taking a single breath, I twisted my hips, returning to my feet with a grin.

Although I would have been capable of the same thing before yesterday's experiment, it was now definitely less strenuous. Even more than that, it was not limited to just my muscles. I would swear my senses had grown sharper if my newfound sensitivity to light was any indication. It was too soon to see what other possible changes happened to me, but so far, I was thrilled.

Still, these improvements ran contrary to everything I knew about mana. My teachers told me that mana was a dangerous, destructive energy and that no human body could withstand its power. But if this was true, why was I feeling better than ever after absorbing so much yesterday? By all accounts, I should feel horrible, possibly even bedridden.

Closing my eyes and examining my body for what felt like the hundredth time, I found it much the same as last night. Every mage had a slightly higher concentration of mana in their bodies, but I could tell mine had increased. The energy concentrated primarily into my bones, but I could feel the diffused power running through my blood even now.

The previous day, after my change in Cortos' chamber, I had gone to the Library and retrieved several books on bodily augmentation magic. Every book there stated that it was a dead-end field, heavily frowned upon and fraught with risk. Horrifying stories of mages trying to strengthen their bodies, only to burst organs or cause cancerous growths to spread like brush fires, all served as cautionary tales.

Going on the next best lead, I retrieved a tome on magic beast growth and evolution. I chuckled when I remembered just a few weeks prior I considered the topic a dead end for my development, and now it might have become my most important topic of research. If I had no human subjects to study, I would have to use them as a template to understand what was happening to me.

I was not a doctor and had no real interest in or knowledge of the intricate processes that drove a living creature. Due to this, most of the details and explanations in the book escaped my grasp. Despite this, I was able to follow along well enough to understand that there were several aspects in common with nearly every creature.

During their early lives, every beast started relatively the same despite their vast differences. Ambient mana absorbed by them gradually pushed out impurities from their bodies, enhancing their physiologies. Senses sharpened, organs functioned better, muscles and bones grew more robust, and an immunity to common diseases and toxins was common.

After this, most species diverged sharply in their capabilities. Some would only apply their mana to gaining increasingly incredible physical strength and speed, in apparent defiance of physical limitations. Others would develop and improve magical abilities, gaining powers similar to human magic. Still, every single one could absorb mana throughout their lives, applying it into their bodies without any adverse side effects.

I assumed that based upon the descriptions that I was in the earliest stage. But I had no idea of how long this would take, how strong I would become, or how to progress further. And although, based upon my survival, I suspected I could follow this path and be fine, I still felt some trepidation in blindly jumping into altering my body.

My stomach growled suddenly, breaking me from my musings, and I decided to put aside my theories for now. First, I would get a meal and head down to meet with Sig, to test the full breadth of my improvements. Then, I could sit and give myself a headache trying to solve this mystery.

After finishing my meal, I left for the exercise hall, finding Sig already working out a full hour before we usually met. Not for the first time, I marveled at the man's grace and agility despite his size. Briefly, I wondered if this process could somehow heal Sig of at least some of his injuries, but shook my head and dismissed that thought. It was entirely too early to be making those sorts of optimistic dreams.

"Guess you couldn't wait to get started?" he asked, grabbing a towel and wiping off the sweat covering his face.

I chuckled, nodding, and picking up a practice staff, moving through a few warmup exercises.

"Of course not. I want to beat Amelia in sparring eventually, and I could use the extra practice. As they say, practice makes perfect."

Sig gave a fierce grin, conjuring up another of those spheres we had been using the past few weeks. I had gradually worked up to blocking or dodging between twelve to fifteen orbs, depending on the day.

"Good answer," he replied, gesturing to the sphere.

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Walking into the boundaries with a confident grin, I spun my weapon and batted aside the first half-dozen with no trouble. Usually, I had difficulty after around nine, but when I deflected the tenth with little effort, I felt my grin grow wider. This certainly beat traditional exercise, and I felt almost intoxicated at the improved physicality I felt.

A realization tempered my satisfaction, and I purposefully moved a hair too slowly, letting the fifteenth orb clip my shoulder. Staggering to my knee, I swore under my breath, appearing to any onlooker as though I had made a mistake.

"Keep your focus up, Vayne. You were doing great for a while, but you got a bit too cocky, and trust me, that always ends poorly." Sig commented from a distance.

I straightened and nodded with a focused expression, although inwardly I was glad that he appeared to be fooled. If I suddenly jumped too far ahead in terms of physical abilities, it would be extremely suspicious. I was still growing, and some of it could be attributed to developing skills or regular exercise, but such a sudden change was unnatural.

We continued to practice for several hours, joined halfway through by Amelia, who gave me a smile and nod. At least it seemed we were back to a relatively happy relationship, which was fine by me. I had enough problems, and adding romantic woes to that list was the last thing I wanted.

Cleaning myself off and changing into something thicker, I made my way out of my room and through the entrance hall. If I wanted to get to the bottom of my changes, I needed to examine what happened to a magic beast as they absorbed mana. I was not opposed to replicating the process and growing more powerful, but I had no desire to do so without any guidance.

After several minutes of searching, I stopped in front of a long, flat stone building with barred windows and a heavy metal door. A hanging sign depicted the outline of a dragon breathing fire, and I smiled before stepping through the door.

They were a rare sort of supplier, primarily buying and selling magic beasts for interested parties. However, I also knew these shops would typically carry body parts as well, usually to feed carnivorous creatures who preferred mana-dense meat as meals. Hopefully, they would stock their bones as well.

"Afternoon." the burly man behind the counter said with a nod. One hand ran a cloth along the shining wooden finish, and I noticed that most of his exposed skin was covered in dozens of pale white scars. Behind him were dozens of small cages, several lying empty but most filled with beasts. I could feel the buzz of mana coming from their bodies, different from the sensations I felt from a mage.

"I am interested in purchasing the bones of a magic beast. Preferably, it should be as young as possible, and from a species that uses mana to reinforce its body. I only need a single bone as well." I stated, folding my arms behind my back.

Raising an eyebrow, the man slipped the cloth into one pocket before walking around the counter and through an archway into the back room.

Although I could use Fortuna as a template, I was worried his more advanced age and evident magical abilities would overly complicate the process. When I had a better grasp of what was happening to me, I could examine other species and expand my knowledge.

After several minutes of waiting, the man returned, placing a two-foot-long bone, likely an arm or leg bone, onto the counter.

"Four gold even," he said tersely, sounding more annoyed than anything else. Maybe he was unhappy at my unusual request, though I doubted I was the first mage to ask for something like this.

I hid a grimace while digging into my purse, retrieving the coins after a second. I still had a few unfilled mana crystals from the previous semester and managed to make a bit more gold the last few weeks, but this would make up most of my savings. Still, I needed to understand this process better, and my channels should let me fill crystals far more rapidly regardless.

An hour later, I sat at a table in Cortos' sanctum, carefully examining the bone in my hands with my senses. After a half-dozen passes, I felt confident I had gained a passing understanding of what happened. It felt as if the mana had fused with the bone, likely strengthening the structure. It felt like it lacked an elemental alignment, though it was challenging to say for sure.

Turning my senses inward, I focused on my forearm bone, carefully examining it and comparing my findings. From what I could tell, my own body was similar to the magic beasts bone, but with much less mana present inside its depths. So, it seemed the end result was almost identical, but that did not help me understand what steps to take.

Was it just a matter of shoving mana into the bone, and hoping it stuck? Considering what I saw yesterday, this was plausible, but I was also using a potion to increase mana absorption and improve healing. Both of these effects might have played a key role in my success and survival.

And with Iron Forging, and Cortos' array thrown into the mix, there were too many variables to consider. That left me with only one option, at least at this point. Perform the same experiment as yesterday, and see if I saw the same improvements to my body.

I still had enough blood to create the Philter three more times, and a few weeks of filling crystals should give me enough gold for the other potions. I would need to get Simon's help again, but if he got curious, I could use the Esttons as an excuse.

If all went well, I would have a way of improving my body, inefficient and expensive though it might prove. And at worst, I could temper my body by leaps and bounds, saving myself years of plodding progress. I could always figure out this mystery later, after I left Ferris, and if I was able to freely wield my power at that point, all the better.

At that last musing, I grabbed my sword-staff and extended it with a thought, before walking into the open center of the room. Pulling hard on my energy, I conjured a Mana Shell and anchored it to my core, feeling the drain subside to a manageable level. Spinning my weapon in a blur, I swung it hard, slicing through an imaginary foe before leaning backward, flourishing the weapon around me and stepping back.

Spinning to stab another potential target, I took a moment to cast a Flicker Step, reappearing ten feet to my right. Even as I finished that spell, I spun my weapon, freeing up my left hand, aiming two fingers out at the far a wall. A second later, an Arcane Beam sliced through the air, powerful enough to kill a man with one well-aimed blast.

I used Flicker Step again, aiming to land where my first imaginary foe would have been rising from the ground, stabbing down in what would be a killing strike. I could just barely feel the start of strain on my body, but these results were more than I could have hoped to achieve. Between my physical improvements and the leap in my tempering, I suspected I could now kill the wolf that scarred me without taking a single injury.

I let out a sharp bark of laughter, feeling the same intoxicating feeling of exhilaration at the sudden jump in my abilities. For too long, I had fought like a third-rate apprentice, too terrified to use my full power and relying upon trickery to survive. Now, it seemed I finally had the path to start fighting like a real mage.