"I still don’t believe it."

"Believe what?"

"That you weren’t on a crafter pathway."

Jade, the young white-haired drakarri, didn’t even glance up from the intricate transmutation script she was weaving. "Your disbelief changes nothing. I’ve made this abundantly clear."

She paused, raising her hand to coalesce shadowy tendrils of dark mana that twisted and coiled like smoke. "Check the guild records if you’re so curious. I’ve always been a dark pathwalker."

Viera, her fellow apprentice—and, unfortunately for her pride, the elder by a year—leaned over Jade’s table, her frustration palpable. She let out a particularly colorful curse, shaking her head. Envy simmered just beneath her scowl. After all, her primary path was that of a crafter, and yet...

"Then how, by the ancestors’ scaly elbows, are you this good at it?" Viera hissed. She jabbed a finger at the apparatus on the desk. "And while we’re at it, how in all seven planes did you convince her to let you set that thing up in your dorm room?"

Jade frowned faintly, not breaking her flow. "I submitted an application. It was approved."

"An application," Viera repeated, as if testing the words for poison. "Sure, why didn’t I think of that? Just submit an application! As if that explains anything."

"It’s a valid strategy," Jade replied flatly. "Maybe you should try it."

Viera threw her hands up in exasperation. "Oh, sure. And get booted from this place for my trouble. No thanks. Whatever you did to her…" She trailed off, her voice dropping to a near-whisper, "I swear, the grumpy old hag—" she glanced around theatrically, "—actually bounces when she walks past you working. With a smile. I swear on the ancestors, I saw it."

Jade’s silver eyebrows quirked ever so slightly, but her focus remained unbroken, her fingers moving with precise grace as she guided fine threads of mana into the delicate script. Ink layered itself on the parchment in shimmering patterns.

"I don’t know," she murmured absently. "But I’m just grateful we’ve moved past tonic distillations and basic reagents. Free rein for our own projects? That is a gift worth worshipping." She didn’t look up, layering another rune into the swirling design.

But Viera had reached her limit. She leaned so far over the table that Jade’s personal space practically issued a formal complaint. "What exactly are you working on? I don’t even recognize half the runes you’re using!"

"Oh, it’s nothing," Jade said.

Viera straightened with mock indignation. "Nothing?! Excuse me, I am your senior apprentice by a full year! It is my sacred duty to harass—" she coughed delicately, "—mentor you. So unless you want to see me stammering like a fool when Master Vasilisa storms in demanding answers, you’d better spill. If I choke, that’s on you!"

With a sigh, Jade finally leaned back, gesturing at the table where an intricate etched script surrounded a shard suspended in a volatile liquid. A quick spell activated the apparatus, and the contraption whirred to life, rotating to display the array under the viewing lens.

"Fine." Jade tapped her finger on the script. "This," she said, "is a regenerative conduit. The goal? Controlled tissue regrowth and fortification—think reinforced bones, denser muscle fibers, or even enhanced cellular regeneration. Basically, a modular upgrade for bodily resilience."

Viera tilted her head, a frown creeping across her face. "Isn’t that just another fancy bio-alchemical elixir? We’ve already got those by the barrel."

"Yes and no," Jade replied without missing a beat. "Elixirs are temporary. They’re surface-level fixes, like slapping a patch on a leaking boat. This, though—this is modular. Integrated. Adaptive. Once applied, it acts as a framework for advanced body modifications without the need for invasive surgeries."

Viera’s skepticism gave way to intrigue as her brow arched. "Integrated body mods? That kind of efficiency would require insane amounts of catalyzing agents. How are you managing mana synchronization without the whole thing blowing up?"

Jade’s lips curled into a faint, feral smile—one that made the hairs on Viera’s neck stand on end. There was something raw, almost predatory, about her that Viera could never quite place. "That," Jade said, her voice low and charged with restrained excitement, "is the challenge. I’m working on something lightweight and scalable—something that’s not just for the rich or elite but viable for everyday use."

"Well said, girl," came a sudden, sharp voice from behind them.

Both apprentices flinched, their heads whipping around to find Master Vasilisa looming over them, her entrance as silent and unnerving as ever.

The master alchemist’s piercing gaze swept over the workstation like a hawk eyeing its prey. Her tone was clipped. "Most alchemists these days take the easy road. Need more power? Toss in a cauldron’s worth of rare reagents. Feh. There’s no elegance in that. True mastery lies in refinement—making the extraordinary out of the ordinary. Good work, apprentice."

Jade blinked, caught off guard by the rare praise, while Viera shrank back as Vasilisa leaned closer, her eyes narrowing at the intricate setup.

"These transmutation arrays…" Vasilisa murmured, her voice dropping to a near whisper. "Where did you find these?"

“I… found them in the library,” Jade sputtered, clearly unprepared for interrogation. “I was, uh, looking for some stuff.”

Vasilisa raised an eyebrow but nodded, the faintest smirk tugging at her lips. “Didn’t know I still kept these. You’ve been studying Fundamentals of Alchemical Anatomy, haven’t you? Old Bensworth’s theories on regenerative matrix configurations.”

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Jade gave a hesitant nod. “I pulled a few patterns from his work and, uh, modified them. It’s experimental, but it should work.”

“Hmm.” Vasilisa pressed her lips into a thin line, her gaze scrutinizing the array. “Bensworth’s theories have their flaws—big ones—but your approach has potential. Just watch your balancing agents. Too much flux, and your arrays will destabilize the surrounding tissues. The result won’t be pretty.”

Straightening, she fixed Jade with her usual brisk nod. “I won’t coddle you with more advice. Figure it out yourself. That’s how you grow—or fail.”

And with that, she pivoted and strode off, barking at a hapless apprentice who’d just managed to spill a caustic reagent all over their robes.

Viera whistled low as she watched their master disappear into the haze of the workshop. “Did you see that? She practically purred when she looked at your work.”

“Hardly,” Jade muttered, already picking up her mana ink again. “She gave me more warnings than compliments.”

“Warnings are her version of a standing ovation,” Viera shot back. “Don’t downplay it. She hates all of us. Well, except you.”

Jade shrugged, her focus already returning to the intricate script before her. “Doesn’t matter. The hard part’s still ahead—I’ll need to test this. And I only have a limited supply of biocrystals left.”

Viera tapped her chin thoughtfully. “You know, there’s not much scope in what you’re doing.”

Jade glanced up, her brows furrowing slightly. “What do you mean?”

“Everyday applications like this. Sure, modular body mods sound amazing, but no one’s going to throw funding at something that doesn’t promise immediate, flashy results. The big money’s in the high-end market—luxury solutions for extravagant families and sects. That’s what Vasilisa built her name on.”

A faint smile tugged at Jade’s lips. “Maybe. But I’m not in this for the money.”

Viera blinked, tilting her head. “Huh? Then what?”

Jade’s crimson eyes glinted with the same feral gleam. “I’m in this to rewrite the rules.”

***

Viera rapped on the door again, her irritation clear. “Jade, this was your idea. What’s taking so long?”

“Don’t you think you might be a little early?” Jade’s voice called back, muffled and oddly gravelly. “Just gimme two more minutes!”

“I wasn’t early. You probably overslept,” Viera retorted. “The least you could do is let me in.”

“Two minutes! Please!”

Viera rolled her eyes, leaning against the doorframe with a sigh. This girl, seriously. “What’s with your voice, though? You sound like you’ve been chewing on gravel.”

“Just… morning stuff!”

With a resigned shake of her head, Viera began pacing outside. She had almost given up when the door finally swung open, revealing a disheveled Jade. Her white hair stuck out in all directions, her robe hastily thrown on and barely tied.

“You look like you’ve been wrestling a beast in there,” Viera remarked, eyeing her critically. “Don’t tell me you’ve been dabbling in something you shouldn’t.”

“Nothing of the sort,” Jade huffed, her tone defensive as she stepped aside. “Come in. My room was just… messy. Couldn’t shame myself by letting you see it that way.”

As Viera entered, her eyebrows shot up. "This is what you call ‘fixed?’"

The room was chaos incarnate. Notes were scattered across every available surface, with the far wall covered in pinned diagrams, string connections, and scrawled theories. By the window, an apparatus hissed and belched faint fumes, while the bed hosted an unholy union of crumpled blankets and even more research notes.

Jade winced under Viera’s incredulous gaze. “It’s better than it was before,” she mumbled, hurriedly scooping up papers from the floor to clear a path. “Have a seat.”

“Sure,” Viera said, maneuvering carefully toward the least cluttered corner. “Though I think I’d have an easier time sitting in a piccoti’s nest.”

Viera perched gingerly on the edge of a stool that wobbled like it had aspirations of hurling her to the floor. She grabbed the desk for balance, knocking over a teetering stack of scrolls in the process.

“You know,” she said, surveying the organized chaos of the room, “for someone so methodical with runes and alchemy, this place looks like a mana explosion went off. Twice.”

“Thrice,” Jade corrected absentmindedly, flipping through a pile of notebooks. “But that was last week.”

Viera froze. “What do you mean last week?”

“Don’t ask.” Jade waved a hand dismissively, tossing a quill over her shoulder like it offended her. “Anyway, tea? It’s the least I can offer for dragging you here.”

“Tea?” Viera echoed, her gaze narrowing on a suspicious vial oozing neon green goo near the windowsill. “You’re offering tea while your room looks like a biohazard containment breach waiting to happen?”

“Hey, my tea setup is immaculate,” Jade replied, affronted. “Give me some credit.”

Before Viera could retort, a faint clinking sound emerged from the direction of the adjoining kitchen. She stiffened, staring at Jade. “Did you just… summon tea?”

“Nope.” Jade said, sinking onto the edge of her bed. “That would be her.”

As if on cue, a small badger waddled into the room, balancing a tray on her back. She wore a crimson bow tie—naturally—and radiated an air of no-nonsense authority as she deposited the tray on the nearest patch of clear space, which, precariously, was next to the apparatus puffing ominous fumes.

“Squee!” the badger chirped, pointing a stubby paw at the teapot before swiveling her glare to a tin of biscuits.

“Oh, no,” Jade muttered, suddenly looking sheepish. “I forgot to replenish the biscuit stock.”

“Squee!” the badger snapped, beady eyes narrowing in disapproval.

“I promise I’ll restock them this time! And I’ll grab your favorite ones,” Jade said quickly, holding her hands up in surrender. She lifted her tea cup, looking faintly apologetic. “Thank you, Belle. As always.”

The badger sniffed haughtily. “Squee!”

“Yes, fish-flavored ones too. Anything else?” Jade asked.

Belle chirped a final time, the sound distinctly smug, before padding back toward the kitchen with all the dignity of a monarch.

Viera blinked, looking like a spell-struck fish. “You… have a badger? Who serves tea? And chastises you?”

“Familiar,” Jade corrected, sipping her tea. “And yes. Belle’s the best. I’d be lost without her.”

“Squee!” Belle barked from the other room, an unmistakable note of that’s right in her voice.

Viera just stared, her mind struggling to reconcile the image of stoic, sharp-tongued Jade with the sight of her sipping tea alongside a bowtie-wearing badger. She knew Jade had a familiar—plenty of people did—but she’d never imagined it would be a little badger with such… presence.

Sure, she’d seen her share of bonded familiars, but actually watching someone hold a coherent, almost conversational back-and-forth with one? That was a first.

Shaking her head, Viera sighed. It wasn’t the strangest thing about Jade, she supposed. After all, this was the same person who’d managed the grand feat of making Master Vasilisa smile. That alone ranked higher on her personal list of world wonders.

“You never told me you were living with your familiar,” Viera said, gesturing toward Belle, who had reappeared and was dutifully wiping the tea tray clean with a tiny cloth.

Jade shrugged, popping a biscuit into her mouth. “You never asked. Want more tea?”

Viera groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Ancestors preserve me, you’re the most impossible person I know. And no, I don’t want tea. Let’s talk about the real reason you dragged me here. Why the hell do you want to go to the lower district today? You know that place hasn’t been safe lately.”

Jade’s expression didn’t waver. “It’s fine. Don’t overthink it.”

“Overthink it?” Viera hissed, her voice dropping as she leaned in closer. “Yesterday, I heard a rumor about someone turning into an abomination in broad daylight and slaughtering dozens of people down there.”

“Rumors tend to exaggerate,” Jade replied smoothly.

“Even if they are exaggerated, the Wave is still ongoing,” Viera shot back. “The lower district are right next to the wall! If any monsters cross over, they’ll hit there first.”

Jade’s lips curled into the faintest of smirks. “I can handle it. Don’t worry. Just lead the way.”

Viera’s mouth opened, then closed as she stared at Jade. Finally, she threw her hands up in exasperation. “Fine! But when something inevitably goes wrong, I’m blaming you!”

“Noted,” Jade said, already grabbing her gear. “Now finish your tea. We have work to do.”