After I slipped my prize into my pocket, the master led us out of the vault and back up the stairs. As we walked, I examined my surroundings, trying to memorize as much as possible while I had the chance. I debated asking questions about the doors and other potential security measures, masking them as intellectual curiosity about enchanting but decided against it. I had drawn enough attention to myself already.

When we reached the top of the staircase, the master turned to me and smiled, saying, "I hope to see you here again next year, apprentice. Have a pleasant day."

He reached forward with one hand, touching my forehead, and again, I was teleported, reappearing at the far end of the entrance hall, near the main corridor of the Academy. I looked further inside, spotting the other apprentices still gathered around, cheering and staring up at the floating platform of rock. It seems that the award ceremony was not entirely done.

I considered rejoining the celebrations but dismissed the prospect after a moment. The Esttons would be expecting their "prize," and I wanted to get started practicing again. Time was of the essence, and I was not anywhere close to strong enough for everything I had planned.

Turning on one heel, I made my way up the stairs to Leon's room, knocking on the door loudly. Voices from inside told me that someone was already here, and after a few seconds, the doorway swung open, revealing Leon's ecstatic face.

"Seventh place!" he roared, slapping my back hard and pulling me inside, where Sophia stood, half-leaning against the couch.

I coughed a few times, the unexpected move catching me off guard and briefly knocking the wind from my lungs. An outstretched arm tried to wrap around my neck and pull me in good-naturedly, but I dodged the attempt, taking a few steps back from Leon.

"I must remind you, sir, that I am still injured. I will do many things in the name of aiding you, but even I would prefer to not reopen my wounds if possible." I commented with a teasing smile.

Rubbing the side of his neck, Leon coughed, a slight blush on his face, but it cleared after a moment, and he continued, "Sorry about that, Vayne, but I'm excited. We are just first-years, but we managed to get up to seventh-place, out of the entire school. My father will be beyond happy, and it might even put a smile on Girem's face, for once."

"Well, sir, if that does happen, I will personally be shocked. In ten years, I do not believe I have ever seen him smile. I am not entirely sure he knows how." I commented, keeping a stoic face.

"If I did not know any better, I would say you just made a joke at the expense of your mentor, Vayne," Sophia remarked, looking over at me with a raised eyebrow.

Returning her look with a blank face, I replied, "I would never, my lady."

A smirk crossed her face, but after a moment, Leon spoke up.

"This calls for a celebration. A real one! I say tomorrow night we head into Volaris, pay for a private room, invite a few other apprentices and throw a little get -together of some kind.

Sophia and I wore matching expressions of distaste, but I managed to hide mine after a second, though she did not follow my lead.

"That sounds great, sir." I said, and almost in unison, Sophia replied, "No, thanks."

"Come on, Sophia. I know you want to get back to your studies, but we have plenty of time to do that later. I'll make you a deal, later tonight, we get together with Amelia and Simon, and show off our new prizes, see if we can't set up training schedules for over the break, and in exchange, you come out tomorrow. What do you say?"

Staring at her brother, several seconds passed before Sophia nodded, saying, "Fine, but only for a few hours and only a few people, Leon. I have things to do, and I would rather not be out all night."

A broad smile on his face, Leon nodded, and before he could say anything else, I cleared my throat, catching their attention.

"Speaking of training, I have something to give you both my lords," I said, reaching into my pocket and retrieving the notes I had within.

Placing the sheets of paper onto one table, I turned to them both, and Leon raised an eyebrow, asking, "What are those?"

"My prize, sir. Your family has helped get me this far, and I could only assist the team with your patronage. It was only fair for me to give any rewards I received to you, as thanks." I explained with a polite smile.

Blinking several times, Leon took a few seconds to reply, finally stating, "Wow, that is- what I mean to say is thank you, Vayne. This is fantastic. You did an excellent job, and I will make sure to reward your loyalty in turn."

I bowed my head to hide the look of shame that passed across my face. When I straightened, I had schooled my features into an expression of calm, respectful stoicism.

The lie was for the greater good, letting me grow as a mage while sharing secrets with the Esttons that would help them in turn. If all went well, both of the twins would grow far stronger, while I could continue my own private training without issue. Or at least, that was the pleasant lie I told myself to lessen the guilt I felt.

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Sophia walked past me, picking up the packet and flipping through them, nodding a few times to herself. She glanced over at me, and I took that as a request to explain my thoughts to her.

"I looked through those in the vault, and they appear to be diagrams and arrays to speed cultivation, specifically with tempering your body for denser, more powerful mana. I believe this will be essential once you both begin consensing and rising to the next stages of development."

Leon moved closer to his sister, looking over her shoulder and reading along. After a few seconds, he looked back to me, an even bigger smile on his face.

"My father is going to be thrilled. This is the sort of thing that helps out not just us, but our descendants for decades to come."

At his words, I wondered if Cortos would have approved of my choice to share his secrets with others. He would most likely be furious, but just because I was his successor did not mean I was his clone. Blindly trusting everyone that walked into my life was an idiotic idea, but I believed I could trust the Esttons.

Smiling and bowing my head, I said, "I am more than happy to assist, sir. With your leave, I will return to my room and get some rest. My wounds are starting to act up, and I would like to regain some of my strength before our meeting later tonight."

Leon waved his hand, dismissing me, and I turned, walking from his room and heading to my own. Not even breaking stride as I entered, I moved to my bedroom, retrieving Cortos' ring where I had hid it under the dresser, tucked into a small alcove I carved into the wood and slipped it onto my finger.

When I appeared in the sanctum, I reached into my concealed pouch, pulling out the translucent gemstone with a grin. Holding it in one hand, I held it up near the glowing pale mana lights, watching the luminous rays reflect. If all goes well, this particular trinket was worth far more in the long run than keeping all of the former Archon's secrets hidden.

At least at first glance, there were plenty of magic items that might be more directly useful, but they all had two significant flaws. The first is that they often forced me into a single combat style, tailored to whatever effect they carried. While I might work it into my own techniques eventually, I preferred to keep my options open, rather than build around a single item that might not always be on hand.

The second was that all of them had limited utility, and sooner or later would become ineffective. Choosing a sword that could release blasts of mana or a ring that might replicate a spell might prove helpful for a while, but eventually, I would grow beyond it. With limited funds and opportunities to acquire such valuable gifts, I could not waste it on something that would only function well for a few years, at most.

This had neither of those downsides.

"Gravity Stone. A user may push mana into the stone, increasing gravity through will and intent. Maximum power and area increased through mana density up to Drop rank. Warning: requires strong focus and high mana volumes to use."

I vaguely recalled reading about them before and remembered that they were rare bits of magic. As a general rule, few learned gravity magic, finding its effects too mana-intensive to be efficient in or out of battle. There were more straightforward, cheaper options the majority of the time, and because of that, controlling gravity became a niche field. In fact, judging by the master's reaction, I doubted he thought my choice was smart.

However, I did not plan to use the stone to kill my opponents directly or lessen structural loads on a building. For most, increasing gravity might be less than useful, but for someone who built a body refining method based upon a cycle of damage and recovery? It was by far the most valuable thing I could have picked, in my opinion.

Of course, I still needed to figure out how to work the damned thing.

Holding it in my palm, I pushed a few wisps of mana inside, feeling the stone suck up my energy. When nothing happened, I forced more into its depths, sensing the effect take hold after a moment. Mentally, I aimed at the floor a few feet to my left, pushing an intent to increase gravity as hard as possible. A few seconds passed, and I noticed a slight shimmer in the air, almost imperceptible, even with my improved vision.

Walking closer, I held out one hand, almost pushing it into the boundary of the effect before stopping. Just in case I misjudged the magic's strength, I should test it on something besides my own flesh.

Glancing over at the alchemy station, I spotted a scale designed to weigh out precise ingredient measurements. Grabbing it, I placed it on the ground and put a small book on one side. Activating the gem again, I concentrated on the tome, forcing my will into the stone and enacting its effect.

The scale slammed down, knocked off balance by the sudden increase in gravity. As I focused on the spell, I slowly adjusted the weights, finding that the book had nearly doubled.

A smile crossed my face, and I muttered, "Interesting." under my breath.

I spent the next several hours experimenting, adjusting the effect's strength and area, learning to control it. The stone was finicky, going from just a thirty percent increase in gravity to more than doubling it with only the slightest change in will. I knew that it would take me several more days of practice to get it down well enough to use, but that would be worth it in the end.

With Iron Forging, this stone, my Ruined Body method, and a few healing potions, I could essentially train my body, core, and channels at all times. It would be mentally taxing and likely cost a fortune, but the results should be worth it.

Teleporting back to my room, I looked out the window, noting that the sun had set, and a frost settled onto the glass. It should be right about time to meet the others in our usual spot and set up a new training schedule. I doubted I would be back here by next semester unless I could solve the mystery of my unknown benefactor, but that was not something I could tell the others, at least not yet.

Slipping on my ring and cleaning myself off with the enchantment, I checked myself in the mirror before stepping out into the hallway. Several other apprentices glanced at me as I walked, and I caught hushed whispers with my keen hearing.

"-blew up a cliff-"

"I heard he almost killed a third-year-"

"-just an honorless commoner-"

"I bet he cheated. There's no way he is strong enough to-"

I hid my scowl, pretending I heard nothing and walking faster. It seems, for better or worse, that my reputation was spreading among the other apprentices. Was this the goal of whoever set me up for success in the tournament? But why would they want that? There were at least a half dozen possibilities, all valid without further information.

As the worries for my future and the hopes for my training clashed in my now pounding head, I tried to ignore the creeping, anxious feeling running down my spine. Try as I might, I could not help but wonder if this was what a deer felt like, right before a predator pounced, tearing out its throat.