After several hours of sleep, I threw myself back into the problem set before me. The cube's magic was opaque, more so than I would prefer, but a half-day worth of poking, prodding, testing, and theorizing gave me a few ideas of how to proceed.

The restorative effect was like a hundred threads weaving through the cube, linking each rune in an intricate web. It appeared a chaotic, jumbled mess but I knew there had to be an order to it. Magic thrived on structure, not randomness, and therein lay the biggest problem of them all.

I knew how to break the enchantment. In fact, it was an easy solution to puzzle out. All I had to do was trace and break the threads one by one, severing the connections between each rune and neutralizing the magic altogether. However, that was much easier said than done.

First, I would need to isolate and break the weakest and least stable connections, which was daunting enough. However, I would also have to avoid destabilizing the mana flow between each rune, as it might cause a catastrophic failure. And even that assumed there were no hidden traps or dangers I had neglected to consider. For all I knew, the whole thing could explode in my face if I made a single mistake.

At that thought, I considered another possibility. Was this a trap? I had already assumed Vivienne had ulterior motives besides recruiting for some nebulous task, but was it possible this was her goal? Had she goaded me into a test, hoping I would barrel forward and get myself killed?

No.

I did not have to consider it for long before dismissing the risk. Even if I had insulted a few nobles in Colkirk, it made little sense to go to such lengths. I was not worth killing, not when half the rumors claimed I was still in good standing with Duke Estton. No, it seemed far likelier Vivienne's true goals remained hidden, and this was a genuine test for reasons that only she knew.

Hours passed as I turned the box over in my hands, trying to decide where to start. The sheer complexity was daunting, and a few exploratory attempts to isolate the individual threads of the magic did nothing to assuage any doubts. I tried examining it from all angles, spent long minutes staring at it until my head throbbed, and finally, after all that, I had to admit a hard, frustrating truth.

There was simply not enough time to break apart the magic the "right" way.

I could figure it out if I had a month or two to familiarize myself with the intricacies of the magic and hone the process. I might be able to do it in half that time with some luck and hard work. And I planned to do precisely that the moment I had the chance. This cube gave me more than one idea for the future, and I fully intended to exploit it for every scrap of inspiration I might glean. However, I did not have months to solve the puzzle if I planned on accepting Vivienne's offer.

If anything, the damned thing might run out of mana before-

My mind stuttered, and I opened my eyes to stare at the outside of the cube. An idea occurred to me, one obvious enough that I was briefly annoyed with myself for not thinking of it earlier. I pushed past that and reached into the cube, searching with my mana.

With a mental eye on the box's mana signature, I cracked open one of the locks.

The moment it broke, the restorative effect flared to life. Mana poured through those threads, and I noted that the flow seemed split between them, possibly to maintain balance. Then, I reached out and broke the lock again.

It took seven more repetitions before I noticed any difference. The change was so small and gradual that I would never have detected it had I not been focusing so keenly, but it was also unmistakable. The cube had less mana in it now than just minutes prior.

It was an obvious intuitive leap that revealed another aspect behind the object's magic. The restorative enchantment must draw from an internal reservoir rather than taking in additional mana to restore each rune. While simpler to create and repair, it also limited its potency and meant that it could, in theory, be depleted.

I planned to test that theory.

Before that, I recorded everything about the box in my private notes. I copied the runes and symbols, sketching out its design, and included every observation I had made of its internal structure, along with my pre-existing hypotheses and the failings of each. While I never planned to use the locking effect, that restorative magic felt like it clicked into place somewhere. I had no idea where, but I could not shake the feeling.

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Once that was done, I reached out and cracked open the lock with a thimble of mana. Then, I did it again. And again. And again.

I could never properly break down the magic with two days left. No mage in the world could go from a novice to an expert so fast, regardless of their talents or pre-existing skills. It was an impossibility and a problem that no amount of clever thinking or cheating could sidestep. What I could do was barrel through it and wear the magic down through sheer attrition.

For two days, my life became a blur. I would take up, eat a short breakfast, and then sit down and throw myself into the cube's magic. Hours vanished as I broke the locking magic over and over again, only stopping to eat dinner or restore my mana reserves on the rare occasion my core ran low.

I would love to say I pushed myself so hard because it honed my control and senses. I would gladly pretend my focus was due to the unusual skills it flexed and the interesting magical avenues it might inspire. The truth was almost embarrassing by comparison.

Vivienne had set a challenge before me, and it had rankled my pride. What's more, I had not had much direction these past few months beyond "Learn more about magic." So, I latched onto a clear goal like a drowning man clinging to a floating scrap of wood.

Motives aside, I could not deny the results. Each repetition saw my senses and control inch forward as I shaved more time off the process. At the end of the first day, I could break a lock in less than ten seconds with a fraction of the focus I had initially required. I could differentiate the feeling of each rune with greater clarity and found that they all had slightly different sensations as if something deeper had affected the magic beyond simply mana and will.

I had become lightning-fast relative to where I started, but it was nowhere near enough. While I could now break two or three of the locks before the first was restored, that was my limit. But I did not need speed or skill when raw power and determination would do.

It was a crude solution that no other mage at my rank or age could manage. Of course, none of those mages had a core as large as mine or channels tempered to such an extent. None of them could use their mana for hours without risking injury.

Finally, just hours before my deadline, I felt it happen.

The lock broke, as it had hundreds of times already. I felt mana flare to life as it flowed into the first rune, as it had done just as often. The countless threads interweaving through the cube flashed, but their magical glow had dimmed to almost nothing. There was a feeling within them, a faint ripple like the magic within had taken a great, racking gasp.

Then, with one final ripple, the mana dimmed and died out as if it had never existed.

I opened my eyes and stared at the runes, which looked...well, unchanged, truthfully. The earth mana contained within the bronze was too diffuse to be visible, but I could have sworn the metal looked a little duller. A few cursory twists found that the sides now moved, and with that, I moved into the far easier task of solving the box.

A half-hour later, it opened up before me. It was a children's puzzle, after all, and while I had not touched one in years, it was a far easier challenge to meet than cracking a novel enchantment.

The inside was tiny, only large enough to hold two things. The first was a small stack of golden coins shining in the dim candlelight. I counted them, finding that it was not an impressive sum but not much less than I would make from a day spent dueling.

The second was a piece of paper half as wide as a normal page and rolled into a tight tube.

I stared at them for a few seconds, then reached out and tried to sense any lingering mana from within the compartment. For a moment, I swore I caught something, almost the faintest wisp of mana, but then it faded to nothing. I gave it another minute and two more scans, then reached in gingerly with my right hand and plucked the contents out with two fingers.

The coins were unremarkable, and I set them aside in favor of the letter. It had writing on one side in the same flowery, flowing handwriting as Vivienne's last message. I read it in seconds and found that it raised more questions than it answered.

Congratulations or condolences, depending on when you finally cracked my little puzzle. I hope you managed it in time to meet with me, and if you have do not return to our previous meeting place. Instead, I will be waiting for you at the waterfront on the northern side of the city. There is a statue there with a bench underneath it.

If you failed to solve the puzzle in time, please accept this gold as an apology. I would hate to think I wasted your time. And do consider tracking me down in a few years. I saw something interesting in you once, and maybe next time we meet, we can work out a new arrangement.

Until then,

Vivienne Thibault

It was sparse in details and pleasant yet condescending at once, with a faint, mocking tone to the entire letter. Beyond that, several things made no sense. She was testing me, yet also gave me an "apology" if I failed? She had said we should meet at the same place, but now decided to change locations? And if I failed, she was still interested in meeting again later?

None of it fit together. The likely answer is she planned to use me for something but wanted to keep our relationship faintly cordial in case I failed this test but still became powerful later. I almost respected her two-faced nature, though I did not appreciate it directed in my direction. Nor did I enjoy the condescension hidden in her words.

The wisest move would be to take the gold and the puzzle box, accept what I learned as an opportunity seized, and carry on with my life. I decided there and then to find Wallace, pry a little more into his past, and maybe get some more sword practice in before nightfall.

I stood and was halfway to the door when an idea came to my mind, almost by accident. And with it came a question, one that needled at me.

How strong has Sophia gotten?

She could have struck me down the last time we met if she had the time to prepare her spell. I was faster, stronger, and tougher, but I had no doubt she was well on her way into Mist by now, with comparative skill to show for it.

And she was not the only genius running around in Ferris. Flynn Sion was almost as talented, and Wallace had possibly just as much a gift for magic, though his natural physical abilities held him back.

So, with an irritated sigh, I drew on Amelia's ring and scrubbed myself clean before setting off to get some damned answers from the noblewoman.