The thought accompanied Ginger the whole day. He had to make a decision on something he had thought was completely unnecessary before. In all honesty, after the pressure from the exercise Professor Lyall had facilitated during the Breather had subsided, Ginger had disregarded it completely.

“What’s with you?” Caron asked him after Professor Edelman promised a test before the Breather. He was still holding off on telling the class about the kinds of treasures that could be found in Revenant Relics. He was pushing his luck.

Ginger gave the ever-sleepy redhead a narrow look.

“I’ll tell you after I make my decision,” he said.

“What decision?”

“Don’t bother. He won’t tell me either,” said Reiss with an ugly look at his slightly plump friend.

Ginger chuckled. It felt strange laughing after what he had just experienced yesterday, but he decided he was going to put a little bit more trust in Ira’s words.

I’ll be watching.

He had managed to sleep this time around. As soon as Reiss had come back from Marvellous Impediments, he had tucked himself in and given in to sleep. It went without saying, this made the Reiss feel a lot better. It might have been the real reason he was in such high spirits today.

“So, nothing came of Professor Lyall sensing something wrong with some of your dorm mates?” Caron said, choosing to leave things she couldn’t force out of Ginger away from her mind.

“I wouldn’t say we’re clear just yet,” said Reiss. He stopped to tie his shoe. “If she had something to say, she wouldn’t tell it to the class. She would ask around. Launch an investigation. I don’t think she could just recognize that it was Ira who did it.”

“Fair point,” said Ginger. “And I’m not sure Ira would tell us even if Professor Lyall found out it was him. He’s busy looking out for me.”

It was a somber thought indeed.

To lessen the morbid prospects this topic promised, Ginger asked Caron about what she thought about Marvellous Impediments, intending to compare her experience to Reiss’. Her side of the story was quite similar to the dwarfish dragonling’s. Well, Dorothea’s smothering was a common denominator at the very least.

“What kind of Kardia types do they accept anyway?” Ginger asked.

“They take all kinds,” said Caron.

Ginger raised a brow.

“Even Pooling? How are Poolers supposed to create barriers and seals on anything away from them?”

“We are going to find out soon enough. It seems just like with Custos Zoe, there are secrets to performing some incredible Pieyro with Pooling-type Kardia.” Reiss grinned. “We are getting pamphlets tomorrow that demonstrate details of basic barriers even an amateur can perform simply by following the instructions.”

Because many First Years were likely to be grappling with what Out Course to choose up to the deadline, most Out Courses took things slow for the first few Strides. This was why most of the activity in Kartile as of yet was simply flinging the Qin Steel balls at the dummies.

When it came to Marvellous Impediments, that exact kind of practice was impossible for newcomers since the Course mostly focused on defensive Pieyro rather than offensive ones. Thus, in addition to demonstrations by upperclassmen, the Out Course Instructor had just now decided to hand out this basic pamphlet – an indication that the Course was starting for real.

As the trio reached the Forge, Reiss spelled out a few of his complaints where the Marvellous Impediments was concerned. It wasn’t the Out Course itself that was a problem, of course. Like most, it took place during the exact same time as Kartile.

It appeared that Professor Lyall wasn’t the only one who didn’t endorse taking on more than one Out Course. To attend one, you needed to forgo another.

Learning of this made Ginger scowl, but Reiss and Caron did not allow him the luxury of complaining about how their joining an extra Out Course was forcing them into this additional difficult situation. A few punches did the trick – shutting Ginger up – but so did Professor Mara’s aura.

“As we are approaching the end of the Stride, I want to remind all those with Hunts during this Breather that if they fail to approach me to procure and assess their weapons of choice by tomorrow, they may have good tidings hunting without weapons at all,” the handsome Professor said, his eyes scrolling across the room with muted malice. Or at least the students thought it was malice. “Do note that using weapons other than the one you chose for this Course in or out of the school grounds will be considered… hostile behavior against my methods.”

The students of First Blue gulped hard for the umpteenth time.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Hostile?

Refusing to elaborate and successfully terrifying the students out of their minds, Professor Mara moved to the next of his rare slew of announcements.

“I would also like to remind you all that next Breather, we will be going for a trip to the Vermillion Valley, the birthplace of Qin Steel. I am not Edelman, so I will not give you an extensive backstory about what and where this place is, but I expect you to be able to answer questions I ask about it on a whim by the time we set off for this trip.”

The students contained their excitement, if any at all erupted from them. Only Professor Mara could make a school trip sound like a funeral.

Alcaeus and Fillys looked particularly pleased though, however much they wanted to hide even the slightest hints of their joy from the instructor. Ginger managed to catch a glimpse of their zeal. They were standing only a few paces away, after all.

“Reiss, please make sure to remind me to grab my dagger tomorrow. I can’t afford to forget,” Ginger said, as they left the Forge. He gave a short funny laugh, but he was serious. If he didn’t catch Professor Mara in time…

“You can count on me,” the dwarfish dragonling said. “Probably.”

“Reiss!” cried Ginger.

Caron laughed.

“It’s too bad we won’t be able to go with you for this Hunt,” she said after Reiss was done messing with Ginger.

She and Reiss hadn’t joined the… Stalwart Stallions and they hadn’t submitted the forms officially denoting their participation in the Hunt Ginger was going for, after all.

“I’ll be fine. I have a good feeling about Fai and Shan. If it weren’t for the name of their Hunting Limb, I’d say I was completely proud to be a part of it,” said the plump dragonling. “They seem capable too. I hope that nothing bad happens when I’m with them, but if it does, I think they can take care of themselves. Come to think of it, I wonder if my second soul can even affect non-dragons.”

Reiss’ eyes lit up.

“Oh. I didn’t think about that,” he said. It went without saying that this time, he didn’t find the subject as just some interesting topic for discussion. “If non-draconic species aren’t affected by your powers, that will give us something to work with. Somehow… someway… we could get someone of that kind to subdue you every time you lose yourself.”

“They’d have to be the sort that can contend with Madame Agathe in strength though,” pointed out Caron.

“Well, no one said it was going to be easy, but at least we have something we can work towards.”

All three dragonlings seemed to have the exact same idea at the same time. It wasn’t a coincidence.

The only non-dragon at the school was Professor Elmir Hennigar, a Djuka, and they were headed for his class right now!

Ginger sighed.

“We can’t just tell Professor Hennigar what’s going on with me though,” he said.

“Of course we can’t,” said Reiss with a deep frown.

Caron shrugged.

“But if worse comes to worst…” she said.

The two boys agreed.

If anything beyond their capabilities came about, the Professor would have to step in – if he was actually immune to Ginger’s sleep-inducing powers. He already had an eye on Ginger, after all. A good one.

During Mana Essence Mechanisms and Manipulation, the trio observed Professor Hennigar much more closely than before.

His tar black skin, dull grey hair, and yellow eyes almost looked foreign to Ginger, Reiss, and Caron now that they considered him a possible ally. The dark, webbed wings sticking out of his Professorial coat as well as his swishing tail did much to convince them that indeed, the Djuka must have been formidable enough to help.

As bizarre as it was to think about, the fact that the Professor was clearly inhuman gave Ginger even more confidence. He couldn’t put a finger on why exactly that was the case.

“Now, as we discussed in our last lesson, there is indeed a difference between a flame produced through Sorcery and one produced by a dragon’s Kardia. There is a difference in strength and there is a difference in quality,” the Djuka said. “Since Professor Lyall is teaching you how to control your dragon flame, I thought it would be good for you to get a chance to experience the difference in practice. Fire on fire, as I like to call it. But do keep in mind, it’s not about one flame being hotter than the other.”

“Sorcery isn’t strictly about the greater power, but the greater skill. I wouldn’t dare say the powers of dragons only focus on measures of power, but it is a fact that an older dragon, even if they aren’t trained properly, has a very high chance of overwhelming a younger dragon. If you were to face Professor Lyall, you’d lose all your Kardia and by extension your dragon flame as soon as she blew a breeze at you. But Sorcery can alleviate such a problem. Maybe you’ll lose the dragon flame, but you will still have the flames afforded to you through Sorcery.”

Ginger grinned.

Yeah. This was it!

This was what he needed to hear!

Right then, he made his decision. He had almost told Reiss and Caron about it when all three of them were smitten by the idea that Professor Hennigar could be a potential counter to Ginger’s second soul but had decided against it. The plump dragonling had not been so sure of himself before now.

But now, he was.

‘In time – as long as nothing really bad happens – my second soul’s powers will definitely become mine. It’s very powerful when it comes to draconic power. But I have to focus on the Mana Essence side. Fai said I have high potential. I should put all my effort into learning Sorcery. Before my second soul becomes a willing friend, I will probably have to subdue it and maybe… in more than just the soul.’

Ginger’s eyes shimmered as he decided.

Yes.

He had some advantages with Kardia.

He needed some advantages with Sorcery and Mana Essence too, likely in order to subdue…himself.

The plump dragonling had more of a responsibility for the messes he could create than anyone else. He had to work harder.

For that, he needed Professor Hennigar.

The Djuka turned to the class after scribbling a few things on the board.

“Now. I have heard that a few of you are able to produce dragon flame already. Will those who can step forward? I shall have them demonstrate the difference between dragon flame and Sorcery flame,” he said.

Ginger sighed as Fillys stepped up.

She had surprised the class when she had managed to produce a flame through the method Professor Cain had introduced – Saturation limit. Professor Lyall had encouraged the dragonlings to practice it if they were at all interested in producing dragon flame too.

The other person as capable as Fillys in this regard was Nicolas Onasis – the Class Clown.

Ginger watched the two closely.

‘Professor Hennigar had some interest in the Wild – things he wanted to know through me. He offered to give me private lessons in exchange. If I want to keep his interest in me, I will have to learn things faster. At least, if and when he still wants to give me those private lessons, I can prove that I’m worth the time,’ he thought.