Hours passed as I threw myself into my readings. I started off focused and alert but was soon confronted by a new problem—one I had not encountered in weeks if not months.

I was bored.

Magic was a mystery near-impossible to solve. Everything, from the simplest of tricks to the most complex, involved spells, had an appeal to it. There was always something new, from new talents to master to new wisdom to glean from reading or practicing. Even things that did not suit me remained intriguing, though I often set those aside from other, more fruitful endeavors.

I had never been talented in Alchemy, and my skills in Forging often fell short, but I studied both dutifully. There was little to use in cooperative spellcasting, as I never intended to work with another Aether mage, and drawing from leylines was wholly impractical in most circumstances. Still, those abilities contained concepts hinting at a greater whole, an overarching magic theory. If anything, I had started to find the appeal in digging into these sources and discovering just the right things to take from them.

Unfortunately, studying the human body was not quite as intriguing. This was not because I could not find its value. I could, but that did not change the fact that it was as dry as a summer's day back home.

The first few chapters were broad, sweeping overviews of the human body. They covered how we presumed it worked, including a description of the various systems within the body and how they interacted with one another. This was mildly interesting, and even those short paragraphs gave me several ideas about how to improve my strengthening spell in time.

But as I moved into the following chapters, which dove into each system in greater detail, I found myself yawning. Much of what we knew was remarkably similar to guesswork, with more than one "we think" or "we believe" hidden behind pretty words.

I started making something of a game of it, trying to find places where what I knew already connected with what I had read. There was not much, but I did note one interesting parallel between the circulatory system and my mana vessels. It seemed almost coincidental, yet I wrote a note to ask about it later.

After about three hours, there was a noise from the other room. I blinked, stood, and started walking towards the curtain, but the fabric shifted before I could go far. Lysandra entered, followed a moment later by another, shorter woman.

This second woman was younger, closer to my age, and had a slim, almost slight build. Her skin was pale, her eyes dark, and most strikingly, her hair was a strange, silver-gray shade I had never seen. I knew a few nobles did possess unnaturally shaded hair, rumored to be the result of strange, esoteric magic, but it was still a novel thing to see in real life.

The silver-haired girl's eyes flicked from place to place around the room before settling on me, and her thin face drew up in a half-hidden scowl, which she smothered a moment later.

None of that struck me as much as her mana. It felt deep, with a strange breadth that seemed impossibly vast yet ephemeral. I had trouble getting a handle on it, but I suspected she was a Fog, maybe even a Cloud, but her signature still felt almost...slippery?

While I had never felt something quite like it, it was not hard to puzzle out. After all, there was only one element I had yet to encounter.

I looked away from the young darkness mage and focused on Lysandra, who stood beside us with a bright, chipper smile.

"Vayne," Lysandra said, gesturing towards the young woman with one, "This is Selene, my other student and your senior so long as you study with me. Selene, this is Vayne. He arrived yesterday seeking to become a healer."

I waited a few seconds for Lysandra to give us more formal and detailed introductions, but it seemed she had no plans to do as much. Now that I thought about it, she had also omitted her own familial name yesterday, and I wondered if this was a purposeful choice to retain our privacy, as well as her own.

As the pause grew awkward, I bowed my head towards Selene and said, "A pleasure to meet you."

I straightened up with a smile, and the young woman sniffed, barely inclining her head in response but remaining silent.

Lysandra looked between us again, her smile unflinching as she waggled one finger, "Now, now. None of that. You're both here to become healers, and the first thing you need to learn is to play nice. Petty rivalries only get in the way. You are to do your best to get along. Is that understood?"

It was the closest thing to steel I had heard from the woman so far, and I found it almost irritating. I had not been the one to turn this interaction unfriendly, yet here I was, being scolded like a child.

But I also knew the benefit of playing politics, as Girem might put it, so I nodded, "Of course, master."

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"Yes, master," Selene said simultaneously, "I'm sorry."

Selene's voice was soft, almost lilting, and she sounded honest. I did not trust that, of course, as nobles often lied like they breathed, and I had no reason to believe she was any different.

Still...there was also no point in harboring a grudge over a single, unfriendly look. I did not need to earn myself more enemies. So, I pushed aside any annoyances and decided to make the conversation more productive.

"Master Lysandra," I said, and the healer tilted her head towards me, "I have a few questions regarding what I have read so far. Could you spare me a few minutes of your time?"

Lysandra turned to Selene, producing a sheet of paper from somewhere within her robes, and held it out to the younger mage, saying, "Tasks to be done for the day. Do what you can, and note what you can't. We can go over them later. Do you have any questions?"

"No, master."

"Excellent! I will be with you shortly," Lysandra returned her attention to me and continued, "Now, you had questions?"

I waited until Selene had exited before nodding and replying, "Yes, master. My first question has to do with the circulatory system. Based on my readings, mana and blood vessels look remarkably similar. Almost identical, in fact. Additionally, I know that the heart and our cores lay in nearly the same place. Is this a coincidence, or is there something more to it?"

"Good question. The short answer is, 'We don't know.'"

"...Forgiveness for sounding rude, but is there a longer answer?" I pushed after a few seconds.

Lysandra laughed, "Depends on how spiritual you are. Those who believe our mythological origins feel that symmetry stems from the whims of the Old Gods—the deities who bestowed the Awakening upon our ancestors. These beings felt the best way to channel magic was to create a system similar to the ones that move blood within our bodies and made it so. The first Awakenings blessed our people with these anatomical structures so that we could use their gifts."

"Could they do that?"

"They are gods if you believe the stories."

"And the non-spiritual answer?"

"A similar idea to the last, though it suggests we always had mana vessels. They look like arteries and veins because this is the best way to get both mana and blood through our bodies."

"That seems identical to the last one."

"No," Lysandra held up one hand, "This first suggests the Old Gods did it recently. The second states that we have always had a core and channels since the first of our kind came into existence."

"I see..." I murmured, then nodded, "I think I understand. My next question, then. This passage stated that blood loss proves fatal beyond a certain point, which I already knew. But how would a healer go about fixing that?"

"Usually, a combination of several things. First, I would have the patient ingest a prepared tincture that encourages natural blood production. We know we can make more of it, so..."

A half-hour later, with my first round of questions exhausted, Lysandra left to go help Selene. I wanted to come with her to get a more practical sense of healing, but she seemed to feel it was wholly too early. Not that I disagreed, but I had not gotten as far as I had already by taking things the slow and steady route.

I left shortly after nightfall and once more returned to the inn to find Wallace either asleep or out. Once more, I settled in for another long evening spent reading. It was almost nostalgic, harkening back to my first days back in the Academy. Fingers crossed, it would not end quite the same as my time there.

***

That first day, I returned with three books to study. Each was a dense tome covering different aspects of healing, from anatomy and physiology to common ailments to non-magical treatments for said ailments. Lysandra seemed intent on establishing a rock-solid foundation first before even humoring magical healing, and I resigned myself to many long hours of studying.

Worse, these books were even more dense than I had expected. Reading just one would take at least two days, maybe three, and committing all to memory would require a week, if not two, of focused, dedicated studying. I was never one to put in less than my whole effort, though, and finishing early might impress Lysandra.

When I arrived for my second day of training, exhausted after staying up all night reading, Lysandra greeted me with a bright smile and a single question.

"What was your favorite part of the book?"

I floundered at that, realizing she was asking about that first book, the adventuring novel she had lent me, and that brief pause was enough for her. Lysandra smiled and pointed over my shoulder, telling me in no uncertain terms to march back to my lodgings and return tomorrow with a better answer ready.

My third day lasted only a little longer. I had managed to steal a few hours of rest after reading the novel a second time, but that still left me run-down after multiple days without a full night's sleep. I still hoped to impress her, and when she asked me the same question as before, I had an answer ready.

"The beginning was my favorite part," I said, not pausing for a moment, "I enjoyed how the protagonist decided to set off on his journey. He saw how the princess needed help, realized he might be able to do something, and set off to fulfill that goal. It felt like he was taking charge of his life, and I found that compelling."

"Interesting," Lysandra nodded a few times, "You know, I once heard you can learn a lot about what a person is like based upon what they find compelling in a novel."

I blinked, "Is that—"

"Oh, no, of course not. I just wanted something to talk about besides healing and magic," Lysandra smiled, "You can't study all day, day in and day out. Your mind needs a break."

I disagreed vehemently but remained silent. Part of me wondered if it was another test, and that same part asked if I had passed or failed. Then, I decided it did not matter either way. I had answered her question, and that was all I could do.

Lysandra examined me for a few more seconds, her smile unmoving as she continued, "Pick out another book and take your time with this one. I don't want you rushing to finish it, understood?"

I tried not to scowl but nodded and followed her command. This time, I selected a thicker book about a young soldier who found a legendary sword with a mind of its own. Together, they worked to slay an undead monster who sought to destroy the world, or so Lysandra claimed.

Unfortunately, this was where that day ended. Lysandra stared at me with a strange look in her eyes, then said, "Now, even more important than resting the mind is resting the body. When was the last time you slept?"

"I rested for several hours last night, master," I responded, evading the question.

"'Several hours, '" Lysandra echoed, nodding several times, "That's about a quarter of how much you should have gotten, by my estimation. Why don't you go back to your room, get some more sleep, and come back tomorrow?"

"I will be fine, master," I protested, straightening my back and meeting her eyes, "Besides, I wanted to try and finish the other books you gave me."

Lysandra nodded again, "I assumed as much, but you can't work exhausted. Healers hold other people's lives in their hands, and working yourself half to death when you don't have to is an excellent way to kill someone. You will not do it if you want to study with me. Is that clear?"

Again, I heard the first hints of resolve within her voice, and again, I found myself nodding.

"Yes, master."

"Good. Now, go get some rest," Lysandra said one final time before turning and walking through the curtain. I waited for a few seconds, then let out a sigh and exited her shop.

The healer was right. Sleep was important, but so was living past thirty-five. So, if she would not train me today, then I would find another way to keep busy.