In the following weeks, Flynn seemed to keep to himself. Occasionally, I caught the vengeful, hate-filled look on his face before returning to his more charming appearance. If he did not despise me, I would almost want to ask where he learned to act so well. Still, my leverage was more than enough to keep him in mind.

I had purposefully name-dropped Remley's Record, hoping to spark Flynn's curiosity. If I did not, it might prove difficult to predict his actions. He may suspect that I was lying or bluffing and make a move that would force my hand. By giving him the spell's name, I ensured he would research it himself and learn that I was not lying. It would move him onto a course of action that should be easier to predict.

Of course, once he began reading into the spell, he would eventually find out that the enchantment was temporary. The crystals used had to be carefully modified with magical interference and alchemic treatments to form the intricate filaments that would contain the magic. Higher-quality stones were naturally more perfect and stable and could hold recordings for years, or even decades, but I was forced to use a much cheaper, imperfect sample.

Even with Simon's help making the crystal, he estimated I had around three months before the recording began degrading. Flynn might not know the exact timeframe without looking at the stone personally, but he would undoubtedly realize my crystal was a lower-quality sample. Eventually, he would decide that the risk had passed enough to attempt some sort of retribution, though it was impossible to say what form it would take.

Thankfully, as long as he suspected I had evidence of his treason, I could keep him in line. In the meantime, I could prepare our team for the tournament, which proved a more immediate concern. Any member of a well-ranked team received valuable rewards, and although I was unsure how I could keep them for myself, it was an enticing idea and one that may prove essential.

Flynn had said something to me during our confrontation. He noted that even with access to all of Ferris's resources and wealth, I still failed in my original future. If I continued on this path, would I die once more? I doubted I had Cortos' resources in that timeline, but if I delayed too long at the Academy, I suspected it would not matter.

In short, I needed to perform well in the tournament, for my own sake if nothing else. With all this in mind, I had thrown myself headfirst into assisting my team over the past weeks. Using my knowledge of their skills and magic, I developed a relatively simple but hopefully effective battleplan.

Leon would be the long-range combatant, with his bow magic giving him the most significant reach. In mid-range would be Sophia and Simon, using their more malleable magic to adapt as needed. And in close range, Amelia would use her close-quarters focused ice magic and her martial skills, moving in on opponents and neutralizing them whenever possible.

Finally, I would watch and observe as far back as possible, careful not to get drawn into battle. Just in case, Leon and Sophia had given me permission to practice Mana Shield and Arcane Bolt, though ideally, I would avoid direct combat altogether. With the help of my mana sensory skills and strategic knowledge, I could adapt our plans on the fly, giving us an advantage that few other teams could match.

And if I happened to notice any interesting magical tricks from other teams along the way, all the better.

Standing in the back of a training room, I watched the others with my eyes and mana senses. Leon stood several steps away, his bow in one hand, an arrow sitting on the string undrawn.

"Sophia, apply your lightning magic to Simon's water whip, holding it inside the stream. Keep the power low for now. Both of your priorities should be to get the spell synchronized." Leon called out, as I carefully observed.

Although he yelled out the instructions, it was my idea in the end. Many combat squads combined spells with a high synergy to improve their effectiveness, and I felt water and lightning were a near-perfect combination.

Sophia moved her hands through several gestures, purple bolts streaked with white dancing along her arms. She held the energy in place for a moment before letting it leap into the long whips of water Simon had conjured, crackling along its length. The effect was intimidating, and I suspected most mages would prefer to avoid being struck by such an attack.

"Excellent. Okay, Simon, use your whip to disable the nearest enemy. Sophia, prepare another attack, aimed at mid-range combatant to keep them from assisting their ally. Remember, we won't have the advantage in power, so we need to separate and overwhelm our opponents." Leon said, turning his attention towards the targets he indicated while slowly drawing an arrow back.

The lightning infused water lashed forward, slamming into the target hard and throwing it a dozen feet away. Black scorch marks covered the front of its body, and I noted that we might have to reduce power to keep from severely injuring our opponents. Potions and magic could heal many injuries, but death was inescapable and entirely against the rules. Although the others would likely escape serious consequences, my much lower social status left me far more at risk.

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Simultaneously, as Simon's attack landed, Leon sent an arrow at the furthest "foe," hitting it high in the shoulder, sending the wooden dummy spinning. Although I doubted it would pierce a well-constructed Mana Shield, it would still discourage most mages from moving closer. An instant later, Sophia sent a powerful blast of lightning at a third target, occupying a mid-range position, setting the target ablaze.

Without any prompting, Amelia moved forward rapidly, her staff spinning in one hand as she approached the target Simon had disabled earlier. Trails of frost followed the weapon's movement, and she brought down one end hard on its head, a burst of snow and ice exploding outward. Leon and I simultaneously winced at the force, and I made a mental note to strengthen my defenses if we ever came to blows.

"He shouldn't be getting up again," she shouted, twirling her staff while flashing me a smile. I felt the side of my mouth inch upward as I raised an eyebrow, and I heard Leon chuckled under his breath as he aimed another arrow at the distant target.

"Simon, can you move to engage the mid-far target? They'll likely be moving in to support their ally, and we can't let them bunch up. If you can slow them down, that should leave Amelia and Sophia open to finishing off the mid-range enemy." Leon said, loosed another projectile as he finished speaking.

Simon nodded, two water whips flashing across the room at high speeds and wrapping around the indicated target. Lifting it up into the air, he brought the wooden dummy down hard onto the floor, slamming it several times with enough force to knock out most people. Briefly, I wondered if Simon was using our practice to let off some unprocessed anger.

Letting my gaze wander over the room, I nodded several times as Amelia and Sophia sandwiched their foe between them. Although these training dummies could not fight back, the last two weeks had still yielded promising results. Our teamwork and synchronization were improving by the day, and I felt reasonably confident we could perform well when the time came.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Simon's water whip began wavering in the air, telling me that we should call an end to tonight's practice. Simon was usually the first to run low on mana, but I knew Leon would not be far behind him, even with his more cost-effective combat style.

Moving across the room, I placed a hand on Leon's shoulder, who nodded before yelling out, "I think that should be enough for tonight!"

The others stopped, mana disappearing into the air as they gathered around. Leon gave a smile at the group, stating, "Excellent work, everyone. We managed to get some of those major delays down, and kept those far mages pinned down well. In the next week or two, we can try and pair off, two versus two sparring matches. Does anyone have any suggestions or thoughts for now?"

Simon and Amelia both shook their heads, while Sophia remained silent and stoic, seeming deep in thought. After a minute of waiting, Leon looked at me, giving a slight incline of his head that told me I should speak.

"I have a few observations for improvements that can be done, which I can bring tomorrow evening. I did not see anything too significant, but several things could be polished." I said, bowing my head to Sophia and Leon in deference.

"Sounds good, Vayne. Thank you. Alright, tomorrow night, we can start going over survival challenges in the past few years and strategies to deal with them. I know Vayne bookmarked several spells that could prove useful, and I think we should divide the work amongst the team so that we spread out the practice and mana demand. If no one has anything else to say, I think we should head to dinner." Leon said, bending over and retrieving two towels, throwing one to me.

At first, Leon suggested I lead the team, citing my intelligence and training as qualifications. I had immediately declined, partially because I had no interest in the responsibility but mostly because I was a poor choice. Girem often told me the best leaders were not just smart, but patient, open-minded, charismatic, and inspiring.

While he lacked experience and still had much to learn, Leon was the far better choice to lead, due to these traits. I had seen it at our dinners and practices, where the others naturally deferred to him, listening to his orders without hesitation and understanding his intentions almost instinctively. With my suggestions and a few more years of practice, I suspected Leon would blossom into an excellent commander.

During dinner, I listened along to their conversations, but my mind was focused elsewhere. Tonight, I planned to make the finishing touches on the project that had occupied most of my free time for three months. It took Leon four attempts at getting my attention before I finally broke from my thoughts.

"I apologize, my lord, what did you ask?"

Smiling, Leon replied, "Why don't you head up to your room, Vayne? You seem like you've been pushing yourself harder than needed, and you could use the rest. We can meet in the morning before classes."

I debated arguing for a moment, before conceding that he was likely correct. Between training, studying, and working on my side projects, it was not unusual for me to go without sleep for multiple days in a row. Potions and my improved body could stave off the worst side effects, but it was beginning to catch up to me.

Standing, I bowed low before making my way back to my room. When I laid down in bed, I realized that the last time I had slept was two days prior, when I napped for several hours after classes. I knew time was too valuable to spend unconscious, but my thoughts came far too sluggishly without rest.

The last thing I thought of before bed was an idle dream of a day far in the future when I finally mastered body cultivation. If I could go days without sleep now with only moderate problems, I looked forward to when I could discard rest entirely, and dedicate my time entirely to my studies. I suspected that anyone who saw my slumbering form that night would find an eager grin on my face.