Anna Onyx was the middle daughter in the Onyx kingdom family. She had a couple brothers, but they were all much older than her. Her parents, more specifically, her mother, really wanted a daughter, and she got her way by having three. Once Anna was born, they did not coddle her. She was a step ahead of her other sisters. They trained her to be a powerful sorcerer. Hoping she had the ability to be a magic user, their hopes came true as she was. The Onyx kingdom was by far the largest kingdom in all of the world. It spanned over two continents. The city Arcross was several hundred kilometers away from where the kingdom center resided.

Anna’s father, Lord Leandro Onyx, had decided to send his daughter to a guild outside the main city to avoid any favoritism. The city of Arcross had several aristocratic houses but only one duke. The duke was aware of the daughter attending the guilds but was forewarned by the lord to keep his mouth quiet. He followed instructions well. The journey to the Arvendon City where the Onyx kingdom castle was a fast three-day journey but a typical five-day journey. It required traversing through a dangerous valley. That typically contained several 3-star monsters.

Transport was not possible; it was a journey that had to be walked. Flying over was possible but there was a 5-star behemoth sky Wyrm that patrolled the skies over the valley. Only the bravest or stupidest magic users would dare to cross that way. The only way was through the valley. The two of them made the journey with an escort for the first time. Lord Leandro expected them to return for the cold season break and expected them to do it on their own. Most people would look at the tactics of the king and call them barbaric at how he raised his daughter. Anna didn’t see it like that. She saw it as an opportunity to be strong. She was not a person who wanted to be coddled or given the easy way out. The expectations were laid on thick and she rose to the occasion every single time.

Piper was just the same. Although not a princess she was still royalty. Her father was Duke Trey, lifelong friend to lord Leandro. The two of them had grown up together their whole lives. The families have been operating as powerhouses for a few thousand years. There would be shifts in power between who took the crown and who was the duke, in a surprisingly amicable way. It was those with the strongest heir and the biggest potential to reach the coveted 5-star ranking. There had not been a five-star magic user in either family for nearly a thousand years. The last one being Anna’s great, great, great, great grandfather. He was alive still but off doing things 5-star beings do. He has never visited the kingdom, and no one expected that to change.

Piper’s last name, Vendular, was well known in the city of Arvendon but not so much in this distant city of Arcross. Arcross was a smaller city in comparison to Arvendon. Her family were well-known rogues. They were a family of elite assassins and spies. Most of the family were born magic-users, a feat that did not go unnoticed in the world. Trey Vendular was a 4-star Assassin receiving his class evolution from rogue at 3-stars. It was rare that he was called into action, now simply a strong aristocrat than magic using adventurer.

Piper was the only girl in the current Vendular family. Her mother was pregnant with twins, which would help keep the female bloodline going. Piper had an older brother; he was an elite assassin much like his father was. It was no secret that she was going to a rogue’s guild, not having nearly as much influence, she could have stayed local, but her father felt it would be best to travel with her lifelong friend to the city. They could look after each other and hopefully form a great adventuring team with friends they made at the guilds.

Anna had hidden her last name from everyone at the guilds, including the professors. No matter where she went in the Onyx kingdom, her name would give it away. Piper could keep her name as there were several dukes in the kingdom, most people only knew the ones in the large city in which they resided. That proved to be true as no one gave her any special attention.

The two women were not just royalty, though. They excelled in their respective guilds. Piper was at the top of her class, with excellent marks in speed, strength, and fighting style. She was a force to be reckoned with. She had successfully advanced on all her lessons, leaving room for more individualized training than the rest of the class should she choose, she often did not. When questioned, she explained that having a strong foundation is the best way to be a successful adventurer. She would gladly take all the instruction she could get in this short year-long program.

Anna was second in her class, which infuriated her. She was just behind a human male. His name was Declan Raya. His family was a smaller aristocratic family in another big city in the Onyx kingdom. The Rayas were up and coming in their rise to fortune, having their first 3-star adventurer in Declan’s brother Aaron. Aaron was a ranger, as most of the Raya’s were. He had been working hard to grow to a 4-star rank but had been at it for several years. Aaron, already experiencing his class evolution, gave him a distinct advantage. His class evolution was something unusual which also helped the Raya family. He got Mana Ranger. Which meant he could use mana as his arrows, never needing to refill or carry a quiver. It also gave a strong boost to his wisdom attribute which helped push him to the next star rank.

Declan never wanted to be a ranger; he always wanted to be a sorcerer, and with great reluctance, his parents let him be one. Declan used the allowance as his guiding motivation. He would not let his parents' good graces be put to shame and not be the best. He was studious, gifted, and hardworking. He pushed himself day after day, with promising results, as he was top of the class.

This is not to say Anna was not any of the qualities she was. She was still finding her way. In every way that Declan was determined to prove he could do this because he was being different. Anna was determined to prove she could do this because she wasn’t different. She was grateful that Levi had given her the chaos book. That had helped her gain an understanding of a side of spells she had never dared touch. She was still reluctant to use it, but she had it the knowledge at the very least.

“Show me how you use your chaos magic,” Anna told Levi.

“Sure,” Levi said. “After dinner.” The trio had been eating dinner in the summoner’s guild cafeteria. Once again enjoying the quiet ambiance. With only one student and two professors, the place was quiet for the longest time. The cooks were excited for a few reasons, first, there were more people besides Professor Egret and Bertrum to eat the food. Second, the new student was a big eater and was very grateful for the food. Third, the new student brought friends, who were also big eaters. The cooks finally felt some drive to make some great meals for the students and the professors. This led to the trio of students enjoying not just dinner anymore, but lunch and the occasional breakfast now as well.

“No questions why?” Anna asked skeptically.

“Nope,” Levi said, stuffing his mouth with more food. Piper looked at Anna, shrugged, and smiled.

“Levi, the cold is coming, which means that we are going home for a few weeks,” Piper told him.

“Oh, well that’s going to be so boring,” Levi said face dropping. He didn’t have a lot of friends and he didn’t want to be stuck here for the whole time.

“Unless” Anna said. “You come with us.”

“Wait, you mean it? You’re not messin with me?” Levi asked excitedly.

“No, silly,” Piper said, giggling. “It would be fun.”

“Wait,” Levi said narrowing his eyes. “Aren’t you the princess?”

“Yes,” Anna said. “Which means there will be plenty of space for you. Although we will have to warn my father about Anza and Willow.”

“That’s true,” Levi said.

“Hey,” Piper said suddenly. “I’ve been meaning to ask you. What happens to you when Anza fuses with you? Willow changes your eyes.”

Levi paused, thinking of which answer to give them. “Uhhh, what version do you want?”

“Graphic,” Anna said.

“Less, graphic please,” Piper said.

“Piper you are the daughter to one of the world’s greatest assassins and yet you want a less graphic version of your new boy toy’s familiar fusion?”

“Hold on now, boy toy?”

“Quiet you,” Anna said.

“Fine…” Piper said. “Graphic.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“We’re gonna be revisiting the boy toy comment. Anza’s tentacles cover my entire skeleton. It has attached itself over my bones, leaving gaps for all the ligaments, facia, and muscle tissue to be still attached but thicker.” Levi said. Laughing at the horrified faces of his friends.

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“Does it hurt?” Anna asked.

“Not at all,” Levi said.

“Does it affect your movements?”

“Y’all, it's a magical being like my eyes; it just is what it is. It does make it nearly impossible to break my bones when it’s fused, though.” Levi responded.

“That is so interesting,” Anna said.

“Yeah, it is, I’m interested so see if it actually looks like something or if it’s just thicker bones, ya know?”

“Well, let’s cut you open and see,” Piper said, waving her knife.

“Charming,” he responded sarcastically.

After dinner, they went back to the training room, and Levi showed them how he used chaos magic. First, he showed them the spell Orb of Chaos without the staff. He held out his hands, palms up, and two dark gray orbs with red lightning formed in his hands. The orbs were the size of a dodgeball. Anna stared at the two orbs with wide eyes. Much like Levi’s cloak she had not expected to interact with chaos that was so beautiful. It had been so easy for him to do that. It's so easy for Levi to just conjure the orbs in his hands.

“What about with your staff?” Piper asked.

Levi held out his staff in front of him, and four orbs appeared around his body. The orbs were the same size as the ones he had conjured in his palm.

“Well, that’s pretty sick,” Levi said, looking at the orbs. With a mental command, the orbs started to zip around the room and around himself. Levi demonstrated how much control he had over the orbs as he was able to control all four to do something different.

“You are quite adept with that,” Anna said. “How many times have you done that?”

“I conjure the orb frequently,” Levi said. “That was the first time with the staff though. Wait, a second.” He diminished the four orbs of chaos. Another orb of chaos appeared, then one that looked like waves trapped inside a glass ball. And then one that looked like someone trapped a forest fire in a glass ball. Lastly, a ball that looked like a storm trapped in a glass ball appeared. This storm was different; blue skies were wrapped by a white, fluffy cloud. White lighting flashed across the outside of the orb.

“Now, that is saucy,” Levi said. He controlled all the orbs once again and watched as they sailed across the training room. One by one, he sent them flying into the training dummy.

“How?” Anna said.

“That’s very impressive, even for a sorcerer, let alone a summoner,” Piper said.

“All credit to my familiars,” Levi said. The two familiars defused and appeared next to the trio.

“No offense to Anza and Willow, who are extremely powerful beings. That level of control is more than just them giving you the ability to use magic. That takes practice and natural talent, give yourself some credit.”

She is correct, Anza said to Levi.

“I hear y’all,” Levi said. “To answer your question, I don’t know. I just do. It’s hard to explain but my ability allows spell casting to be easier. I can even do summons with a summoning circle in the ground.”

“That’s very impressive,” Anna said. “Chaos feels uncontrollable, unlike the other types of spells. Water, Fire, Air, Earth, Light, and even Dark is somewhat more manageable, but I cannot seem to get chaos down.”

“None of them should be controlled,” Levi said. “Especially not chaos. Maybe I approach it from a summoner's perspective. I don’t control the beings, beasts, and creatures I summon. I work with them. Could I control them? Probably but where would that get me? You think Anza would have attacked the bandit's leg if I was a terrible summoner? Not a shot. Look,” he pulled out his wand and drew a basic summoning circle, sand flowed out of his pouch and filled the lines. A faint tan glow happened in the air as a small sand elemental appeared. It was Squaindle.

“Squaindle here is a good dude,” he held out a hand and the elemental floated over and hovered over his palm. “I could easily tell him what to do and he’d do it. That’s the dynamic of the summoner to the summoned. But I don’t, because being kind is a much more effective way to get help. Instead,” he looked at the little elemental, “Anza hid a bag of sand somewhere in here, can you go find it and bring me the bag.” Squaindle jumped into action and floated all throughout the room. After several moments, the elemental barely managed to fly up to the outstretched arm to drop the sand. After it did, Levi gave it a gentle scratch with his finger.

“Thanks, bud,” Levi said. “You can go now, take this bag with you.” Squaindle did a back flip full of glee and grabbed the back. The tan light returned, and he disappeared. “It’s a symbiotic relationship; yes, you have the power, but that's not what makes it strong; it's a give-and-take. For chaos, I feed it my fears, worries, waves of anger, frustrations, etc. In return, it gives me some powerful attacks.”

Anna looked uncertain; this was definitely not how sorcerers worked. It was a lot different in that field of magic. Strength over the elements garnered respect and that’s how they got stronger. The elements were to be controlled for no more reason than they were weaker. Power gave the sorcerer control over all things they used magic on. This is why that class was so sought after. People loved power and they wanted it for themselves. It was not about being kind or making friends. It was about getting stronger and taking control of your life and all circumstances. They didn’t care for the feelings of an element; what does a king care for the feelings of the cows?

“I’m not saying you have to do this,” Levi said, sensing the tribulation. “I’m not even saying this is the correct or only way. I have no idea; I have been in this world what two months? You asked me, though, how I do it. That’s how,” Levi concluded.

Anna didn’t respond for several minutes as she sat in the words that Levi had said. Symbiotic relationships, even the thought of it being any form of relationship, was foreign to her. But seeing what Levi could do and hearing his reasoning gave her some positive paths to explore. Whether or not she accepted them was ultimately her decision. Levi was not going to judge her either way.

“So,” Levi said to Piper. “Your home, how do you communicate with them?”

“My family uses messenger creatures, usually shadow elementals. They have a higher sense of aura signatures. Allowing them to find me quicker,” Piper said. “We don’t do it very often, though, it's not really the style to message family just because that’s not what adventurers do.”

“That’s fair,” Levi said. “Is your home far?”

“150 kilometers,” Piper said. Levi’s UI automatically translated that as a textbox appeared to tell him 93 miles.

“So, yes,” Levi said with a chuckle. “That’s a long walk.”

“It is,” Piper said. “Usually, a three-day journey if we are lucky, 5 if we are not.”

“When do you leave? I would like to be prepared. Will I need warmer clothes?”

“In a week. Yes, you will definitely need warmer clothes. We must cross a valley and it is guaranteed to be covered in snow and ice.” Piper said. “Do you have any?”

“Nope,” Levi said. “I came to this world with a towel and a toothbrush. Plus, where I’m from the region I live in, doesn’t really get cold there.”

“Then we can go shopping,” Piper said with a smile.

“Oh no, please don’t tell me you’re one of those girls who LOVES shopping?”

“Do I look like one?” she asked with slight annoyance in her tone.

“Honestly, yes. You look like a model but much better looking and in WAY better shape,” Levi said.

“I am not sure what a model is…” Piper said.

“It’s someone who looks good while wearing fancy clothes, they are our standard of beauty, which is not great but what can you do?”

“So, you say that I am higher than your worlds standard of beauty?” she said with a slight smile.

“Without question,” Levi said lovingly.

The next day, the trio was out shopping. Anna’s brain was back to functioning after spending the better half of the night thinking about what Levi had told her. She concluded that she would try his way on their journey back to Arvendon. That way, she could have Levi to ask any questions she might have.

“The chaos boy returns,” Hentay said as the bell rang to his shop. “What can I do for you? Oh, he brought friends,” he said.

“That was creepy Hentay,” Levi admonished. “I’m looking for some clothes to keep me warm.”

“Apologies, sir. Yes, of course, the cold is upon us. Are you looking for armor or casual wear?”

“Uh both,” Levi said with uncertainty.

“Very good, come back in three days’ time and I’ll have outfits made for you. I am also going to through in some formal wear, in case you will need them over the breaks.”

“Sounds good,” Levi said. “Thanks, Hentay; see you then.”

“He was odd,” Piper said.

“He is indeed,” Levi said. “Is there like an adventurer shop? I don’t have any tents or sleeping sacks or anything like that.”

“Oh, good point,” Anna said. “Yes, let’s go.”

The trio had found an adventurer's shop. Levi had purchased a tent, which was just a tarp with some rope, a thick wool blanket, and a pillow. He also bought some camp-style cooking gear, a pot on a spit, and a metal grill grate. He was shocked to see the grill gate, but it was a welcome surprise. Levi’s last purchase was some wood, unsure if the Ice Valley would have branches suitable for fire making.

Anna and Piper returned to their guilds, as they had a couple of exams they needed to pass before the break began. Levi, in the meantime, was in his room practicing his aura control. Levi had read some textbooks that explained how important it was to control your aura. They said it was the energy of the soul on display. If your energy was unruly, disruptive, and powerful, it could cause serious harm to those who were not magic users. Aura control is what makes a magic user elite. To control your aura was to control your energy, it was subtle projection of your emotions and mental state.

To Levi it felt very similar to mindfulness he practiced while doing yoga and using the breathing and stretching to center oneself. To allow the emotions to flow through you, if he applied that same principle he would push the emotions to his aura. This was extremely helpful to think about as he quickly became adept at controlling his aura. Levi was able to draw it in as close to his skin as he could while also pushing it out a good distance. At first, he could barely get it several centimeters ahead of him. Now, after months of practice Levi could push his aura senses nearly 500 meters.