Strengthening. At first, I hated everything about it. It was painful, uncomfortable, and genuinely tiresome to sit still for so long while hoping for a breakthrough. However, as time passed, I’d grown to enjoy it after learning how to balance the two contradicting powers within me that together created harmony. Neither dominated the other, allowing me to meditate in peace.

No longer plagued by the cold, I enjoyed sitting on the balcony with my hands resting on my knees and eyes closed, listening to the sound of melting snow under the sun’s warmth while reinforcing my cores simultaneously. The chipping birds slowly returned as the winter was coming to an end.

I had yet to make my first breakthrough, and while the progress had been slow, I wasn’t obsessing over it. It took twice as long as I had twice as much work to do in order to achieve my goals, and had my progress been any faster, I would’ve burned out trying to maintain pace.

Elwyn made sure we knew that the journey to the top shouldn’t be one we dreaded and instead should be something we found thrilling, a tale to tell one day.

He was right.

Strengthening since dawn, I didn’t even notice how much time flew by as mana circulated within my body. Lost in the void of nothingness while training, an unexpected ember lit within me, causing mana that had been overflowing my core to expel from my body.

I’ve done it. I could feel it, a breakthrough.

Opening my eyes to the blinding sunlight of the afternoon sun, I smiled proudly as the mana within me balanced out, filling the empty frozen core.

I finally understood what Alice meant when she said she needed time to get used to her core as the unstable power surging through me caused an empowering, yet sickening feeling from within. However, that same feeling was overwhelmed by joy as I was rewarded for putting in the work.

Standing up, I walked back inside and looked for my linen shirt as I found training shirtless helped me connect easier to my surroundings. Luckily, those with mana cores had less to worry about as their bodies were sturdier than an average human and were resilient against non-magical diseases and temperature drops to a certain extent.

Once I dressed up, it was finally time to announce my breakthrough to Alice and Elwyn, who were training together at the time. She was still a second-circle mage, and while I outclassed her in mana capacity due to having two cores, her proficiency was higher. Regardless, I couldn’t wait to challenge her to a duel after such a long break. Just imagining what she learned in the meantime excited me, and while we still spent most of our time together, we agreed to keep what we learned during our separate training a secret.

It was hard to believe that my time in Thysa was slowly coming to an end as I walked through the courtyard. I was thrilled knowing I’d get to see my family soon, but at the same time, I grew used to this place. Knowing we were parting ways left a weird feeling in my stomach, something I hadn’t felt before, making me wonder if Eliot felt the same when he left for the Academy.

Did it even matter? After all, my journey had only just begun.

“Make sure you build up the mana at the tip, hold it briefly, then release it all at once,” Elwyn instructed Alice while she listened intently, not doing anything in particular. I leaned against a nearby pillar, watching from a distance, but my presence didn’t go unnoticed. “Okay, let’s take a break.”

“Huh?” Alice looked surprised but noticed her father gazing in the distance. When she turned, a smile immediately showed. Waving, she called out to me, “Alex? Why are you standing way over there?”

I pushed myself off, slowly making my way toward them,

“I didn’t want to interrupt,” I explained with my arms crossed.

“To think you’d be spying on the competition,” Elwyn joked, humming afterward. “I see. . . You did it, didn’t you?”

“You mean–” Alice turned to her father, then back at me.

“Yeah. . . Finally made a breakthrough,” I said proudly, looking at Alice.

“About time.” Alice took a step closer, touching my forearm. “Knew you could do it.”

“Thanks.”

Gazing into her eyes, I felt like maybe something was off, and I couldn’t tell what it was. While her smile was as charming as ever, the look in her eyes made me think she was troubled. Immediately I thought it had something to do with either training or me leaving soon, but that wasn’t something I’d ask in front of her father.

It wasn’t just now. Alice had been acting strange the last couple of weeks.

“How do you feel?” Elwyn asked, knowing my cores were unstable.

“Strange, yet thrilled. It’s hard to explain.”

“It’ll take time for the mana to settle and for you to adjust to the change.”

“I know, but I’m just glad I can finally challenge Alice to a duel.” I turned toward her but was surprised to see a lack of enthusiasm on her part, a strange sight that puzzled me further. “How about it? Ready to duel me?”

“No,” she answered immediately.

“Really?” I asked, confused that she’d be against it after we had discussed it for so long. “Why not?”

Alice let out a sigh before her sharp gaze befell me.

“You’ve just awoken your core, so you need time to adjust and potentially learn a few spells,” she explained, finally gracing me with her genuine smile. “I’ll only fight you at your best. So rest up and prepare to fight me with everything you’ve got.”

“Deal.” I laughed, pocketing one hand while the other scratched behind my head. “You better do the same.”

“Naturally.”

“Three weeks,” Elwyn interrupted. “Let’s have the duel take place the day before you leave.”

“Agreed,” I said, knowing Elwyn intended to give us a whole day afterward to say our goodbyes.

“Well. . . If that’s all decided, then you wouldn’t mind if I return to my training?” Alice asked, flourishing her rapier. “After all, I don’t want to disappoint.”

“Is that even possible?” I chuckled but again noticed a half smile on her face. “Well. . . I should get back to it as well.”

“We’ll begin your training in an hour, okay?” Elwyn asked.

“Thank you.” I nodded respectfully, turning around and slowly beginning to walk away. “Cya later, Alice.”

Using Mana Sense, I could tell Alice wanted to say something, but she held back.

Whatever it was, I hoped she’d open up soon.

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“You’ve gotten so much better,” Alice said, closing up a book as we were finishing up our daily lesson. “If you stick with it once you get home, you’ll be fluent by the time we go to the Academy.”

“With so many elves at the Academy, I might get a chance to show off.” I dropped back on her bed.

“For sure, but don’t be surprised if they refuse. Not all of us like humans, especially outside of Thysa.”

“Humans are no different.” I sighed as Alice pushed her golden hair behind her pointy ear while I watched her stare at the book cover. “Do you think things’ll ever change?”

“The Academy is a step closer to that dream,” she pointed out, glancing back at me. “The founder’s initial wish was to close the rift between us, but then it became a safe haven for mages to explore the mysteries of magic without worrying about politics.”

“That’s a stretch considering how much a year costs. Most people can’t afford ten thousand gold a year.”

“Don’t think they don’t know that. . .” She chuckled. “That’s why loans and scholarships are a thing.”

“They are?” It was the first time I heard of such a thing being offered.

“Your brother is at the Academy, and your sister will enroll this year. How do you not know that?” Alice furrowed her brows.

“Well, you never told me, nor did I ever ask. I mean, why would I? It wasn’t as if I was a mage until half a year ago.” I reminded her, taking a deep breath, realizing how much time had already passed. “Besides. . . With the entrance exam so far away, I have enough time to learn everything I need. Now that I know I don’t need to ask my father for money and can just take a loan, I feel a lot more confident about my chances.”

“You weren’t still thinking about that, were you?”

“Of course I was. . . It’s a large sum of money, and I was trying to figure out a way to acquire it by the end of the summer without relying on my father.”

“Over the summer?”

“Yeah? I know it’s not a lot of time, but a lot can be done in six months.”

“You do realize the Academy starts a week or two before summer begins?” Her tone dropped, looking worried.

“What?” I was confused.

“Alex. . .” She exhaled, letting out a chuckle. “You’re so clueless. . .”

“Wait, but Eliot went to the Academy a month after my birthday. . . Why would it start earlier this year?”

Alice started snickering, leaving me perplexed as to what I said that was wrong.

“I shouldn’t’ve assumed you knew. . .” Alice said, standing up and setting the book on the table before returning to the bed. Her smile dazzled me as I finally got to see her acting cheerful again. “Maybe I should try this again.”

“Please do. . .” I awkwardly chuckled.

“Okay, let’s see,” she hummed, thinking where to start. “What do you know about the Academy?”

“It costs ten thousand gold a year. Mages around the continent get to attend, and in rare cases, they get to stay as assistants with hopes of teaching eventually. Oh. . . and the Academy is located on a floating island.”

“That’s. . .” Alice looked at me for the first time in utter disbelief. “Okay. It seems there’s quite a bit you don’t know.”

“Willing to learn.” I tried doing a funny voice, fist bumping the air.

Embarrassing? Sure, but it got her smiling again, a win in my book.

Kicking my feet out and stealing her pillow, I put my hands behind my head and waited for her to enlighten me.

“Listen carefully, okay? Everyone gets one chance to enroll in the Academy once they’re eighteen or nineteen, depending on the month they were born. I’m sure there are exceptions, but none that I’m aware of.” She crossed her arms, lifting both legs on the bed while facing me. “There are countless applicants each year, and only the top one hundred get to attend.”

“I wonder how many talents were shunned away because of that.”

“Probably not many since having more than two or three generational talents each year is rare, and even if they were, they could always transfer later in life if they make a name for themselves.”

“But you just said there’s one chance. . .”

“That’s because it’s unlikely the Academy made a mistake and anyone that enrolls later probably never applied in the first place. Anyway, the school year last seven months, with a short break just after your birthday and one more at the end of the year. Last year they started late because of preparations for this year’s World Cup that’ll be held at the Academy.”

“World Cup?” I felt so uncultured.

“It’s a tournament in which all top schools from around the world get to have their students compete. The Grand Academy of Nuia holds the title of the number one school in the world.”

“How many magic schools are there?”

“Dozens just in Nuia, let alone the entire world, but not everyone gets to attend. They have to go through qualifiers that the Academy gets to avoid.”

“That’s cool.”

“Yeah, but let’s get back to what’s important to us.” She sighed, pushing her hair over her shoulder, playing with it as she continued explaining. “There are four grades students can attend, but most drop out after the first or second year.”

“Why?” I furrowed my brows.

“They hit a wall and can’t keep up. The Academy doesn’t waste time on those without potential, but if someone is willing, they can repeat classes for as long as they want if they pass their first-year finals.”

“Sounds expensive. . .”

“It is, but that’s because it’s prestigious.”

“So, how do you get a loan or get a scholarship?”

“You can earn your scholarship by proving yourself during the first year. If you do so, then the school will offer it to you with the addition of apprenticeship, which everyone strives for.”

“Even you?”

“Of course. It’s an honor to be a professor’s apprentice.”

“Doesn’t that mean you’ll be stuck at the Academy?”

“It’s not an oath.” She giggled.

“I see. . .” I believed I was starting to understand how the Academy worked, but it was hard to tell until I saw it for myself. “And the loan?”

“You’ll have to ask someone else about that. I never bothered asking.”

“Oh, really? Surprising that you don’t know something you won’t need,” I teased her.

“Shut up, smartass,” She giggled again. “Anyway, that’s pretty much it. The rest we’ll learn as we go.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” she wiggled her feet as the candlelight illuminated the room.

“I should get going. It’s late, and I got training tomorrow,” I said, getting out of bed.

“You and me both.” She sighed, walking me to the door.

“Well. . . It was nice seeing you smile like that again,” I commented, standing in the middle of the hallway.

“Huh?” She blushed, averting her gaze. “Ah. . . Sorry. I’ve just been a bit moody lately.”

“How come?” I was hoping she’d open up.

“Just puberty, I guess,” she said, making me laugh. “Yeah, yeah. . . Laugh it off.”

“Sorry. . . You caught me off-guard.” I smiled, looking into her eyes which occasionally glanced back at me. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”

“Yeah. . .” She mumbled with a meek smile.

While I wished to ask her what was wrong, I had already ruined the mood somehow, so I chose against it.

“Hey, Alice.”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t you find it funny imagining us sitting at a lecture, listening to lectures? The idea is just so otherworldly, don’t you think?”

“True. . .”

“Maybe it’ll be fun if we sit next to each other.”

“What about your sister?”

“We’ll figure it out,” I reassured her, managing to get her smiling again.

“Right.”

Leaning against the door, we stared at each other for a while, neither willing to walk away.

Knowing I had to be the one to walk away first, I put my hand behind my back and bowed.

“Sleep tight, Your Highness.”

Alice couldn’t resist giggling, showing me one last smile before I went to sleep.

“Have a good night, Alex.”

Walking away, I returned to my room and dropped into bed, thinking about how happy I felt after learning we’d only be apart a few months and not more. It eased the weird feeling in my stomach as I realized just how fond I’d grown of Alice. However, there was still the upcoming duel between us which I had to focus on, my last chance of beating her before I left.

Chapter End.

Thank you for reading.