A part of me had thought I had caught on to a spy sent by a noble or maybe a would-be rival seeking information before they challenged me to a duel. Both were, in hindsight, fantasies conjured up by an overactive imagination and an inflated ego, but I could not help the flicker of disappointment that shot through me.

I had spent weeks worrying about a cat and a near-dead one based on its size, apparent age, and mana signature.

Rather than dwell on it, I reached further into the hollow, holding out my hand to better illuminate the creature. It had pitch-black fur and eyes that shone green, identical in shade to my Aether. The cat's face was rounded, its frame tiny, and I suspected I could hold it in one palm if I could grab the animal.

For a moment, I considered leaving the cat out here. It was an unfamiliar creature that had tracked me for weeks, possessing apparent intelligence and the rarest known magical element. The wise, pragmatic move was to abandon the dying animal to its fate. But...

I snorted as a particular saying about curiosity and cats ran through my mind, even as I reached blindly for the animal. There was a muffled yowl, and I felt a sharp pain flick across my fingers. I pulled them back with hiss, the twin to the cat's earlier warning, and examined the tiny, paper-thin slices across my skin.

"I am trying to bring you into a nice, warm home, you ungrateful furball," I murmured as I knelt again, "But I cannot do that if you insist on being so violent."

The cat glared at me, and I made the mature choice to glare back. It might strike an observer as amusing that I might someday become an Archmagus, but was currently locked in a staring contest with a kitten. I found it more aggravating than funny.

Finally, after nearly a minute, the kitten broke. Its eyes drifted shut as it crawled further inside. I felt its mana signature flicker again, and when I reached in again, it did not move. My hands wrapped around the animal's midsection, and though it growled and hissed again, it put up next to no resistance.

I could feel bones peeking out from beneath thin skin. Its fur felt matted and dirty, and I could see patches where some had fallen out entirely. The cat's breathing came slow and shallow, and I realized its mana signature was weaker than I thought.

It was dying. I doubted it would pass today or tomorrow, but it would not live to see spring without aid.

I made my decision in an instant and hurried back to my room. It took me about fifteen minutes to retrieve a few things and return to the first floor. I reached a familiar door, knocked twice, and stepped back with the cat tucked into the crook of one arm, hidden underneath my cloak.

Master Julian answered it after a few seconds. He looked the same as usual, aside from new bags under his eyes and a certain gauntness to his face that I recognized from one too many nights spent studying and training rather than sleeping.

"Vayne," Master Julian nodded, his face blank and his tone icy. He straightened up further, and my heart froze as I realized I was face-to-face with a master for the first time since I had met the man.

"Master Julian," I inclined my head, "May I come in, sir?"

"Not unless you've come here to-"

I held up my free hand, jingling a coin pouch, and Julian's stern expression melted away as if it had never existed.

"Come on in, then," Julian waved a hand and stepped to one side.

I walked past him, still cradling the kitten, and within two seconds, drew up short.

Julian's office was clean. All the scraps of paper, models hanging from his ceiling, and half-read books had vanished. In their place was a workbench with a strange, lumpy shape covered in a sheet. The board behind it had a diagram, which appeared to be some kind of sled with-

A hand landed on my shoulder, and I turned to see Julian smiling at me.

"No peeking," Julian chided, "It's rude. Now, tell me, what brings you here on this fine afternoon? I know you were eager to pay me back, judging by your recent activities, but I did not think you had quite enough saved up yet."

"I came up with a few ways to make up the difference," I responded.

"Mysterious. I suppose I'd be a hypocrite if I was too upset, right?" Julian rubbed his chin, "Oh well. Welcome back, my eager, ambitious, and often headstrong young friend. Am I correct in assuming this visit is not solely to repay me?"

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"Am I that easy to read?"

"Easier than you would imagine."

I chuckled, "I suppose that is fair. I wanted your opinion on a...problem of sorts."

"Oh? So eager to redeem that favor?"

This was the part where I was uncertain. I could not say if asking for Julian's advice with the cat would count as redeeming his favor. If it was, I would have to go without his help. I would save the beast if only to figure out why such a thing was following me, but not at such a high cost.

Julian's laugh broke my concentration, and he continued, "You look so grim again. Why don't you tell me what brought you here first? Then we can decide whether or not you used up your lesson."

I examined him briefly, nodded, and pulled back my cloak, revealing the furry bundle in my arms.

Julian's gaze wandered down, and he looked unimpressed. Then, his eyes widened, and he walked closer, leaning down toward the cat.

"Well...how about that?" Julian murmured, reaching up to rub his chin. He leaned his head one way, then the other, and I felt mana ripple and shiver as he did something I could not fully grasp. I suspected it was a more advanced form of sensing that I had not yet learned, but that was guesswork at best.

Finally, my patience broke, "What is it?"

"A cat!" Julian straightened, "Truly a remarkable deduction, I know."

I stared at him, and Julian returned the look before grinning and continuing, "Sorry, I couldn't help myself. He's quite the intriguing little beast, though."

"Because it uses Aether?"

Julian nodded, "Because he uses Aether. That is rare enough, but for you, of all people, to find him? What are the odds of that?"

"Very good, apparently," I glanced down at the unconscious mound of black fur.

"Yes..." Julian trailed off, and I looked up to find him staring at me with narrowed eyes, continuing, "You haven't been experimenting on some poor child's pet, have you?"

I stared back, "No."

"So serious. You should learn to laugh. Being a stick in the mud is no way to go through life."

"I can laugh just fine, thanks."

"We just returned to normalcy. Let's not ruin it by lying to one another."

I rolled my eyes and gestured towards the cat, "Can we please focus on the matter at hand? I think it is dying."

"I did not think you were the animal-loving type."

"I am the 'I want to know why a strange magical creature was following me, and I cannot do that if it is dead' type," I replied.

"He Vayne. He is young, sure, but he is most certainly a male cat. Unfortunately, I believe you are right. I'm no expert, but I'd guess you have only a few days until it passes."

"What can we do?" I asked immediately.

"Well...if he was in less critical condition, you might be able to feed him mana-rich food and hope it recovers in time. But the problem is two-fold. First, he has barely enough mana in his body to sustain his organs. And second, he is young and growing, which means he's drawing even more on those reserves. No, he needs a lot of Aether, and he needs it fast."

I had come to a similar conclusion and already had a solution in mind. Before I could set the creature down and reach back into my pocket, Julian continued, "Now that I think of it, there is one thing that might work."

"What do you have in mind?" I asked. If Julian had an idea that did not waste valuable resources, I would take it.

"You could form a familiar bond."

The master said it so casually, but I noticed how he examined me with searching eyes. I forced myself to consider the option and looked down at the animal in my arms.

The cat was a match for my element. That was rare enough, but it was also weak, near-death, and unlikely to be a serious threat anytime soon. A familiar bond was often a question of leverage, and in this case, I had far more.

Besides that, a familiar bond could open up new, possibly unique magical abilities. I could manifest powers that no other mage had ever possessed, a concept that sent a shiver down my spine.

Just weeks earlier, I had resigned myself to the fact that I might never have even the option of a familiar bond, and here one fell into my lap. Upon consideration, it was among the easiest choices I had made in my life.

"Absolutely not."

Master Julian blinked, "What? Why?"

I held up my free hand, extending my index finger, "A familiar bond can take months to form properly. It relies on esoteric magic that we do not fully understand, and an unstable one is dangerous at best. Doing it with a creature I have known for a half-hour is reckless to the point of lunacy."

A second finger went up, "A familiar draws upon the mana of their bonded partner, which helps them grow but would eat into my stamina. I barely have enough reserves to handle my existing magic."

I put up a third finger, "And finally, I have no idea what this creature is or what it can do. I have no idea if it is dangerous or if the abilities it could grant are worth anything. I might attach myself to a disobedient creature without any apparent magical powers."

"But what if it's a mighty magical creature just waiting for the right partner?" Julian implored, "Think of the possibilities."

"I have. If that is the case, I can reexamine my choice later once this thing is not at risk of death. But I am endeavoring to be a hair less reckless, so..."

Julian sighed before mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like, "No sense of adventure."

I ignored his words and said, "Before I save this animal's life, do you know why it is following me?"

Julian glanced at the cat again, "My guess? It sensed your mana and got confused. It's young enough that it might have thought you were a source of Aether it could snack on or another member of its species."

"But it kept following me," I glanced at the creature again, "Maybe..."

I shook my head, deciding that it did not matter. If the creature was a threat, I would kill it and be done with the whole affair. And if it was friendly, I had saved an innocent creature and gained a possible ally for the price of a single vial of Aether water.

Julian was kind enough to provide a bowl, and I poured one vial of glowing water into it, forming a shallow pool. I set the kitten down, and when it did not move, I worried that it would die regardless.

Then, one eye cracked open. It was glazed over, but as I watched, it focused on the bowl inches from its nose. Slowly, it closed that gap, a tiny pink tongue darting out to pick up precious, glowing drops of water.

Julian and I watched it for a minute as it drank its fill, then yawned and fell back asleep. Its mana signature felt about as weak as before, but no longer flickered and guttered like it might go out at any moment.

As we sat there, I cleared my throat, "Ah...so, about our deal."

Julain chuckled, "I almost want to count this as my free lesson, but considering you brought that vial with you, I'm betting this was more of a 'wanting a second opinion' visit, right? In that case, I won't count it. Am I right to assume you have a topic in mind already?"

I hesitated, and my mind ran through the dozen or so possibilities.

Spatial magic was at the top of that list, and I discarded it because it was too advanced. Gravity magic was another, and I set it aside with more hesitation for similar reasons. Advanced shrouding and sensing felt too niche, and though I wanted advice on unstructured casting, that seemed a waste.

And beyond that, nearly every possible magical topic had one overarching flaw. Though it would be harder, I could learn about such things without Julian. It might require reading, self-training, bartering, begging, or stealing, but it was possible.

Meanwhile, there was one topic that history seemed determined to scrub from existence. If I could get a straight answer to that, I had to take the opportunity.

"Yes, I do," I cleared my throat, "Who is Cortos?"