Theo's eyes were still downturned as he walked past me, fists clenched by his side. I expected him to rage or insult me, but if anything, he was subdued. If he was not an insufferable ass, I might feel a bit of sympathy. I had learned dozens of times that defeat was a bitter pill to swallow, and this was a lesson he was now learning for possibly the first time.

Sure, he had lost against Master Barlow that first day, but she was a master. And true, other apprentices had gotten the better of him on occasion, but they had the strength of their bloodlines as an excuse. I was neither, and that seemed to cut him deep.

I ignored him, returning to my place in the group and immediately dropping into the patterns of Origin Breathing. If nothing else, I had won second place and had a chance at first. It was a slim chance, sure, but there nonetheless, and a bit of extra mana might increase my odds.

Amelia and Sophia walked forward, facing one another. The former bounced on the balls of her feet, adjusting her grip on her weapon, while the latter was unmoving, arms hanging by her side. I could sense both of their mana swirling and found it contrasted sharply with their exteriors. Amelia's mana felt calm, ebbing and flowing in a pattern a half-second behind her breathing, while Sophia's bounced around, excitable as a hummingbird. Then again, it was ice's nature to stop, and lightning's to move.

I found myself unsure who I wanted to win the duel. On the one hand, Sophia was my lord's child, and though she was never as friendly as her sibling, she was at least cordial, strange warnings aside. I felt something, a sort of loyalty towards her, despite everything. But Amelia and I trained, studied, and spent time together, leaving me inclined to silently hope for her.

In the end, I pushed aside the emotional element and considered who was the easier opponent for me. Amelia knew my habits better, and I knew hers, but her style was easier to counter. Even with my current reserves, I had a chance, at least. But Sophia's offense was dangerous even for me, and though her maximum output and capacity were lower than mine, she was the more skilled duelist.

With my silent conclusion reached, the fight began, and Amelia blurred, charging at Sophia at full speed. An icy wind blew, covering her approach as her staff turned from deep brown to pale white. It was an intelligent move, closing the gap to neutralize lightning magic. The element worked best at range and when on the offense, making a close-quarters battle disadvantageous.

Sophia barely blinked, taking steps back as her hands moved. Lightning sparked between her fingertips and along her arms, arcing with an intensity that might cause most to slow. Amelia did not, coming within ten and then five feet without slowing. She was either confident, brave, or reckless. All three, I decided.

I realized what would happen an instant before Amelia struck, her staff executing a near-perfect horizontal strength. It was slower than a thrust, but designed to maximize momentum and, coupled with her ice mana, would count as a 'fatal' strike.

There was a brilliant flash of purple and a thunderous crack that made ears ring. When it cleared, Amelia's weapon was still extended mid-strike, but Sophia had vanished.

Amelia realized what had happened almost as fast as me, turning as she sensed what was coming, but no human could move that fast. Not without enhancement, at least. She had barely started when a lightning bolt crashed into her back, throwing her from the ring and landing face-first onto the ground.

Barlow called an end to the match, and I could not help but nod appreciatively at the move. I had kept an eye on their mana signatures and had a decent idea of what Sophia had done.

That initial attack was a sort of feint, intended to draw Amelia into a reckless strike by appearing unguarded. But it was a trap, and while weaving that offensive spell through her arms, Sophia had simultaneously prepared a second spell. It felt as if she cast it through her legs, a particular trick I had not much chance to try for myself.

And the fact that it was teleportation magic, short-range or not, added an entirely new level of difficulty. Few spells required quick as much control or skill, though judging by Sophia's reserves, she could not often use it. I estimated she burned around a quarter of her total mana with that trick.

Still, it was expertly timed and took advantage of a bad habit that Amelia still possessed, letting Sophia claim a win with almost no chance of failure. My chances of winning shrunk from slim to minuscule at best, and I could do nothing but laugh and shake my head. How had she managed to get this far in just two months?

Amelia stood, faced Sophia, and shot her a brief glare before half-stomping back towards the rest of the apprentices. She did not meet my eyes as she walked by, eyes downturned, not unlike Theo's. Sophia did not look bothered by the hostility, facing me and nodding once. As Master Barlow called for the final fight, I was already walking forward towards the ring.

We locked eyes, and again Sophia nodded, a silent gesture I took to mean, "Don't hold back." I returned the gesture, marshaling the meager remnants on mana in my core. I had one shot of victory, and that would come within the first few seconds.

"Begin!" and I raised my hands, knowing I had to move fast and attack faster. I had too little mana left for a strong enough defense, which left me without many options.

Two bolts launched towards Sophia, but four lightning bolts crackled from her hands halfway there, intercepting my projectiles midair. My spell was more potent but not strong enough to overwhelm two of hers. They broke apart, sending a mixture of green and purple scattering into the air.

I was already gathering my next spell, compressing it into a bolt, when her second attack struck me, landing low on my torso. More on instinct than anything, I took a step back, touching where it hit me before shaking my head.

"Winner, Sophia Estton." came the call, and I smiled, bowing to the young lord.

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I blinked at the heat in her eyes, but it cooled after a moment, and she returned my bow, walking past me to join the rest.

Usually, Master Barlow leaned towards a bit of condescension, having little patience for kind words of encouragement. I silently disagreed with this style of teaching, but I was not the master. For once, however, she actually looked happy, or as close to it as she came.

Her limping gait carried her to the front of the group, and she smiled, saying, "Excellent work, apprentices. My aide and I have taken careful notes and observations of your performances. By next class, I will have comments and advice to hand out for each of you, which should help you hone your skills further."

The door swung open, and she continued, "If you placed in the top eight, please remain behind. If not, remember that this isn't the last chance you have to impress me."

Half of the class walked out, several throwing me displeased looks, but I ignored them, watching as Master Barlow approached another apprentice. It seemed strange that she would hand out prizes so openly, but the moment she was within arms reach, an opaque white sphere appeared, blocking both from sight.

One by one, each of the top eight met with Master Barlow for several minutes, but what was said or given remained a mystery. I patiently waited for my turn, preferring to speak with her last. Already, I had risked insulting the nobility, and it would appear better if I was at least humble about it.

When she finally came to me and the sphere wrapped around us, Barlow smiled and said, "You performed better than I expected. Crude, inefficient, and without any sense of subtlety but workable.

Not the best compliment I had ever gotten, but I smiled, responding, "Thank you, master. If it is not overstepping, could you tell me where I fell short now? I would like to fix my shortcomings now rather than later."

"Impatient, eh?" she muttered, rubbing her chin before nodding, "Your style works, but it's predictable. Theo saw as much, and he wasn't the only one. You wasted energy weathering attacks when you could have been more aggressive. You're slow and with limited mobility."

"I...well, with my reserves and element, I was confident they could not pierce my defenses, so-"

"And that's the greatest mistake any mage can make. You taught several apprentices a valuable lesson that even the lowest born can pose a threat. But never succumb to that same arrogance, or it'll blind you." Barlow cut me off, pointing a gnarled finger at my face.

She was right, and I slowly nodded, seeing her point. If I had not trained so much or had any other element, I would have lost. As it was, in terms of skill, I was probably outside of the top eight.

"If I may...what do you recommend I do?"

Master Barlow paused before replying, "It's your style, and I avoid giving too specific advice for that exact reason. I'm not you, and how you fight should not match how I would. That being said, your style feels...disjointed. Think about what you have learned and how they fit together. Regardless, I have two prizes to give you for your performance today."

"Two?"

"Second place is worth a reward," she responded with a grin, placing her hand into the pouch on her hips. When it emerged, she held a dark wooden wand covered in silver runes. I recognized several, including ones for 'power' and 'speed.'

"This is a standard battle-wand, designed to strengthen magic cast through it. With your element and that spell you used, this might punch through a Mist's shield, though with some trouble."

Interesting. With that, I could hunt even more dangerous beasts. Gold was always a concern, and this could present a solution. Still...it did not fit my long-term plans. I fought at a distance now, but I would need to improve at close range if I wanted to survive.

"Thank you, master," I said, grabbing the wand and moving it around, "Are there downsides to using a tool like this?"

Barlow nodded, "Several. It limits your style to something based around a tool, and they typically are built around specific mana densities. In this case, with your mana type and current rank, this will last six months, give or take a few weeks."

So, a temporary solution, but one that might serve a far more valuable purpose. If I could reverse engineer its secrets, I could replicate them for myself; A long shot, but maybe possible with Simon's help.

I slipped it into my pocket and said, "Thank you, master."

"Of course. Now, the second prize," Barlow replied, retrieving a second item from her pouch. This was a bottle with a single black pill inside.

"This is designed to calm unstable mana. Typically, this wouldn't be a problem, but your mana feels in flux. You recently increased your power substantially, right?"

"I-Yes, Master Barlow. How did you-"

"I'd be a poor master if I couldn't sense that much. Unbalanced mana feels very distinctive. If left alone, it can lead to fluctuations, and that can cause problems. Poor control, damage to the body, and so on."

"Master Clemons did not mention-"

"He would not until the first of you began pushing for Haze. Typically, it wouldn't be a problem until then, but between the size of your core and whatever you did, symptoms are arising now. I doubt you've noticed yet, but they're there."

Of course, there are issues with training too recklessly. I should have known better, but it sounded as if it was a temporary fix at best. If I wanted to continue progressing, it would come right back.

"Is there a way to stabilize my mana without these sorts of pills?" I asked, taking the vial from her and holding it up.

Barlow nodded, responding, "Slower training. Let your mana settle and practice other areas of your skills rather than rush ahead. Either that, or train a technique to forcefully calm your energy, but those are rare and difficult to acquire."

Well, I knew which option sounded best and nodded, holding back a sigh as I placed the vial into my pocket. One problem was solved as another appeared.

I pushed down the mounting frustration and bowed low, saying, "Thank you, Master Barlow. For the prizes and the valuable words of wisdom."

She nodded, raising a hand to dismiss the barrier but paused, saying, "A word of caution. Keep an eye out for the other apprentices. Most will know better than to do anything idiotic, but they are still teenagers."

"Of course, master," I replied, understanding the implications.

I was barely out of the room when an ice-cold voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Vayne," Sophia said, leaning against a nearby wall and reading a book. She pushed off, snapping the tome shut and staring at me.

"My lady. How may I-"

"You did well. My father would disapprove," she cut me off, meeting my eyes.

"I-yes, my lady. My apologies if I overstepped. I-"

"We will duel again when you are rested and recovered," she said, and I wondered for a moment if something in the air was causing everyone to interrupt me mid-speech today. It had happened entirely too often for my liking.

I did not respond at first, and she turned to walk away, but I called after her, "Sophia."

She paused, half-glancing over her shoulder, and I asked, "Why? Do you wish to duel, I mean? You won, after all."

I caught the hint of a frown, and she replied, "No, I did not."

That was all she said before she walked away, leaving me alone in the hallway. After a second, I pulled out the glass vial, examining it again before sighing and heading down to the Archives. If this was going to be a persistent problem, I better get started solving it now.