"You can't be serious," Leon said, shaking his head and leaning back in a chair. Sophia said nothing, staring at me with narrowed eyes as she considered my proposal.

"I am, sir. I believe it is an excellent opportunity that you should consider taking. You could both earn valuable resources if you perform well, and more than that, a victory would gain prestige for your family." I replied, my arms behind my back.

Leon fell silent, but Sophia cleared her throat softly.

"Let's say we agree. We still need five people to enter. Do you know three more apprentices that would agree to help us?" she asked. The glint in her eyes told me she meant two, not three, but it seems she wanted me to say as much.

"I will be one, my lady. I might be ill-suited for direct combat, but I have a mind for strategy and research that would let us prepare well for any potential challenges. Records of past tournaments, including challenges and winners, are kept in the Library, and that should help me anticipate what we will face. And in combat, my preparations would let us adapt to changing circumstances, hopefully giving us a valuable advantage."

"And the other two apprentices? I assume you have candidates in mind?"

Pausing, I glanced between the twins, noting that Leon had lost his unsure expression and had a hint of interest in his eyes.

"Simon Helton is my first pick. He has been improving his abilities, and developed a few potent water magic spells. I have also found that he is a natural at controlling battlefields, and would work well in a supportive role. I would also note that his alchemic and enchanting expertise would be invaluable in our preparations." I responded, running through my prepared explanation.

"And the fifth?" Leon asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Do you recall my friend Amelia, my lord? I have come to trust her, and she is a very skillful combatant, particularly in close-quarter combat. By my reckoning, we have a deficiency in this area, and her assistance would cover a vital weak point. And if we are ineffective in melee range, I suspect most of our competitors would share this weakness."

"Can we trust them?" Leon continued, concern coloring his words.

I took several seconds to consider his question before giving a firm nod. Although Amelia was clearly keeping some secrets to herself, I still felt I could trust her. She had ample opportunity to betray me already, and considering she had interacted with Leon directly, she had no reason to use me as a way to influence the Esttons. If that was her goal, she could quickly have jumped to Leon and tried to befriend him.

"Yes, sir. I have known them both for months now, and have kept a careful eye out for any untrustworthy traits. Neither have given me reason to suspect their intentions, and both would work well on a team." I replied curtly.

Leon and Sophia exchanged glances, and Sophia nodded after a few seconds. Turning back to me, Leon gave a grin and said, "It seems we have a deal. We'll have to begin preparations as soon as possible, and figure out what other apprentices plan to enter."

I smiled, bowing my head and replied, "I can handle that, my lord. I will begin finding out about our competition. Would you be able to meet in two nights time, after classes? This would give me ample time to begin my research and inform the other team members."

The twins agreed, and I took my leave, satisfied that one problem was on its way to being solved.

Hiding my identity by this point was impossible, and my fame had already spread. But Professor Morell once said something that stuck with me.

"Every person in the world exerts a sort of influence due to their power, prestige, and renown. I often visualize it as a light, casting its rays down upon the world. If you want to master what I am teaching you, you can't be the ones that shine a light."

I had already failed at that, with my actions in the wilds and my growing reputation. But every light creates a shadow, and the brighter the light, the deeper the darkness. I would help the Estton's win this tournament, and make them shine as brightly as the sun. And into the shadows they cast, I would escape into obscurity once more.

Returning to my room, I found Simon standing outside, a conflicted expression on his face. I hid a sigh, opening my door and gesturing inside with one hand. Nearly as soon as we entered the room, he turned to me and began speaking in a rush.

"I'm sorry, Vayne, but I'm still not sure I want to enter this tourney. I feel like I've improved greatly, but..." he trailed off, rubbing the back of his head.

I remained silent, waiting until he looked back up to me before giving Simon a reassuring smile.

"I did not ask you out of pity, Simon. You are a great mage, a better one than me in many ways. But you have told me before that you want to grow as a mage, and learn from your mistakes. This is your chance to prove if you meant what you said." I commented, knowing this was a risky move. I had helped Simon improve for months partially in the hopes he would accept this offer, and if he refused, it would be difficult to replace him.

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Staying silent for several minutes, Simon finally took a deep breath and looked up to me, nodding once when we locked eyes.

"You're my friend, Vayne. And I wasn't lying when I said I wanted to change. I'll help you."

Smiling, I reached out and grabbed his shoulder, attempting to project confidence and reassurance to him.

"We are going to meet after class in two days to discuss the team dynamic and establish a training schedule. I will need your help preparing as well, but we can discuss that later."

Simon let out a nervous chuckle, before glancing back at my door and moving to leave.

"One last thing," I said, and Simon stopped halfway out of my room, turning back to me with a curious look.

"Thank you." I continued, giving him another smile before turning around and looking out of my windows. Behind me, I heard the door shut with a quiet click.

I looked out over the city, wondering not for the first time if this could be a mistake. I was playing a dangerous game, and it might be safer to just fade back into obscurity, or accept my fate. Pushing aside that spineless line of thought, I shook my head before turning on one heel and exiting my bedroom.

The night was still young, and I had plenty of work to do before I could rest. And I needed to brush up on all the rules and regulations of this tournament before our meeting.

Two days later, I found myself outside the door to an empty class, ready to meet the others. I held four packets of paper in one hand, and after a moment to collect my thoughts, I entered the room.

My four teammates were already sitting inside, conversing quietly with each other. I noted that Leon stood unusually close to Amelia, and I felt a flare of jealousy before pushing it aside. I was not in a relationship with her, and regardless those sorts of emotions were useless.

"Good evening," I said simply, bowing my head respectfully to the group. When I straightened, Leon was shaking his head, and Amelia looked amused at my formal demeanor.

"I apologize for being a little late to our meeting, but I wanted to get these finished," I explained, handing the packets to the other four apprentices, before stepping back.

"Those contain information on the tournaments, including rules, regulations, and common challenges. Combat is always one of them, but often they will include tasks that require creativity, intelligence, and skills that most mages would lack. For instance, several years have included a puzzle challenge, where teams are given a task to finish with only vague clues to guide them. Another favorite involves dropping teams into a dangerous location and seeing which can survive the longest." I continued, pausing and glancing around the room.

"I recommend that we spend the next week or so demonstrating our full abilities to one another. We should also spend as much free time together as possible, including meals and leisure activities. This should help us grow closer as a group, which is our most prudent choice available.

"Why? I can understand introducing each other and practicing for fights, but why would we spend more time together than just that?" Leon asked, looking genuinely curious. I was somewhat surprised by his question, and it took me several seconds to reply.

"In a direct fight against other apprentices, we will struggle to compete. Many older students enter, and although our rankings will be adjusted based upon age and experience, we cannot hope to compete in that field. Therefore, the most effective course of action is to prepare as much as possible for other likely events. Teamwork is invaluable regardless of what we face, and learning to work one another is our smartest choice." I answered, folding my arms behind my back.

Sophia looked up and said, "You mention that we get three magic items each brought into the challenges, but your notes say we should consider which two items to acquire. Why?"

"Each of us will have to acquire and use limited-range telepathic enchanted equipment. Although individual challenges have occurred, the majority will involve the entire team. Instantaneous, silent communication over short distances will allow us to coordinate and plan quicker and safer than verbal communication. Not to mention, it will give us an extra advantage of surprise against any competition we meet."

Sophia seemed to accept my reply and nodded several times.

"I will also need a full list of your spells, magical skills, and any other useful talents you may each possess. Forgive me for the intrusion into your privacy, but the more information I have available, the better I can prepare."

Amelia looked concerned and, after a few seconds, said, "What about the other students? Challenges are one thing, but how can we prepare against other apprentices when they likely know better than to show off their skills."

If I ever saw Flynn again, I might have to thank him since his demonstrations in the wilds gave me an answer to that question. I doubted the vast majority of nobles bothered to develop their own skills but instead followed their ancestors' footsteps.

"I am a decent hand at sensing mana, and understanding which element is which. That, combined with gossip from other mages and what skills their relatives have shown, should let me build a reasonable understanding of their own skillsets. It will not be perfect, but it might give us an edge."

The group nodded along, seeming a bit more confident than I hoped, and I looked to Leeon and Sophia. They exchanged a glance, before Leon nodded with a grin.

"You seem to have an answer ready for all of our questions, Vayne. It seems my father chose well when he decided to make you our advisor."

I felt the same hot flash of guilt at his kind words, before stamping them out with a mental grunt. That was nearly as useless of an emotion as jealousy, and I had no desire to waste mental energy on those sorts of regrets.

"With your leave, my lords, I will begin assembling information on the other apprentices. Please, read over those packets several times to familiarize yourself with the contents. I plan to assemble more as my research continues, but this is all I have managed to pull together so far."

After more discussions on some specific examples that I had included in my dossiers, we ended our impromptu meeting around an hour later. The other four apprentices looked tired, likely ready for bed, but I knew it was still several hours before I could sleep.

Returning to Cortos' chamber with a large stack of books on group-focused magical strategies and spells, I stretched my back out before settling into one chair. Time to see what I was working with, and how I could turn a group of five inexperienced apprentices into a dangerous squad of mages.