"You sure about this?" Kalden asked the shopkeeper. "It smells like lunch meat."

The man shrugged. "It's fine, shoko. That's how soulshine smells."

"No," Kalden set down the bottle on the counter. "That's how exinleaf smells when you let it oxidize for a week. And you see that color change? Light exposure reduces the potency by half. That's why we use amber bottles."

Akari listened with half-an-ear as she strolled through the aisles, taking in the rows of potions, pills, and elixirs. Before this week, she'd known basically nothing about alchemy. Not for a lack of interest, either. Bronze weren't allowed to visit these shops back home. Well, maybe an older, wealthier Bronze could, but the clerks would have treated her like an escaped convict if she'd tried.

Now, these smuggling jobs had opened a whole world of enhancements.

Most alchemy started with the mana from plants or animals. Humans couldn't consume that raw, but alchemists did some science stuff to fix that. These produced all sorts of physical and mental enhancements.

Sometimes, you could even use techniques from an aspect that wasn't your own. For example, a Water Artist might drink an elixir made from a frostwolf's mana, and this would let her use frost techniques for a while. Then a Fire Artist like Hector might have more luck with an eel's electricity mana.

Unfortunately, you still had to learn and practice the more complicated techniques, which cast a storm cloud on her plans.

Finally, there was soulshine, the strongest of all elixirs. Soulshine let you permanently expand your soul and let in more mana from the spiritual realm. Free advancement, basically.

This had been illegal back on Arkala, and the same was true for most of the outside world. But the Grevandi and Unmarked both used it to gain an advantage over the other. Enough soulshine could raise an Apprentice to Artisan, and one Artisan could turn the tide of a battle.

"We should try some," Akari had said on an earlier mission. "While we have the chance."

"No way." Relia looked at her as if she'd just murdered a puppy. "Never mess with soulshine. It has some nasty side effects."

Akari snorted. "Okay, Mom. Talking from experience?"

"No, but I know people who've used it. You can stunt your advancement for good."

"What are the odds of that happening?" Side effects would suck, but stagnation came with its own dangers. Especially in this country. Besides, Relia was biased when it came to alchemy. She wouldn't even drink liquid mana, and you could buy that at a grocery store. Kind of ironic, considering her secret love affair with pills.

"I don't know the numbers," Relia said. "Ask Kalden."

They'd asked Kalden later that day, but he actually agreed with Relia for once.

"Human bodies advance slowly for a reason," he said. "Too much mana can overload your soul. Maybe even kill you."

"Okay," Akari said, "So why do Kyzar's guys use it?"

"Kyzar's fighting a war. Soulshine might work on a larger scale, but not for individuals. A game of crowns never works out well for the pawns."

Relia nodded. "And short-term gains sacrifice long-term growth. Use soulshine to reach Artisan, and you might never reach Master."

That last part got her attention. Akari aimed to free her home someday, and that meant climbing a lot higher than Artisan. Higher than Grandmaster, even.

Then again, Mana Artists advanced faster during battle, and everyone was cool with that. Why was soulshine so different? Maybe chugging a random bottle wasn't the smartest plan now, but there might be potential there. She'd research it herself once she finally had a computer again.

Akari was still browsing the shelves when Kalden's voice brought her back to the present.

"These aren't worth more than sixty cretens per bottle," he told the shopkeeper.

"I don't care, shoko. Someone else will buy it today."

Kalden brushed a layer of dust off the bottle and pinched it between his fingers. An awkward pause followed. "I'll give you four hundred for everything," he said as he pulled Kyzar's bills from his money pouch. "Or you can wait another month until they go bad. Up to you."

The clerk muttered a Cadrian curse, then took the money.

"Gratsio, señor." Kalden smiled as if the man hadn't just insulted his mother.

This had become their routine ever since they'd joined the Unmarked last week. Every morning, they followed a tunnel into Unida's western territory. From there, they took a ferry to the eastern side of the river and hit the various shops.

At first, Akari had imagined secret meetings in shady warehouses, but they spent most of their time walking. So much walking.

Kyzar had given them a long list of items to retrieve. Once they completed the list, he promised to put them into contact with a journalist who could communicate across borders. They'd also negotiated a maximum time period of two weeks. This prevented him from slipping some impossible items on the list and milking them for more work. Their fake marks wouldn't last that long, anyway. Elend had designed those for emergencies, not long-term employment.

"Alright," Kalden said as they stepped outside. "Rubi's is three blocks that way. What if we squeeze in one more stop and catch the eight o'clock ferry back?"

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Akari glanced down at her watch. "We already have two full bags. Why not send two of us back to base?"

They already spent most of their days on this side of the river, which hardly left them any time to sleep and eat, much less train their Mana Arts. One more hour could make a huge difference.

Kalden frowned. "There's safety in numbers."

"We'll be fine!" Relia slapped a hand on Akari's shoulder causing, her to flinch back. "I'll go with Akari. Hector can stay with you, and that still leaves one Apprentice in each group. No one will mess with us."

"Works for me," Hector said. "This district's safe enough, anyway."

"Alright," Kalden said with a reluctant nod. "Guess I'm outvoted."

"Great," Akari said. "I call dibs on the heavy bag." She passed her own pack to Relia and took Kalden's. It was well over thirty pounds with all that soulshine inside. A year ago, that would have sent her knees buckling. Now, it was just a way to practice her pre-Cloak technique.

The two groups went their separate ways, and sweat ran down Akari's back as she walked. Training time was scarce though, and she had to make do with the small things.

"So what's up with you and Kalden?" Relia asked.

Akari shrugged, clutching her backpack straps. "What about us?"

"Seems like you're avoiding each other."

"We literally spend all day together. And we've been busy."

"Yeah," Relia said. "But you guys still found time to cuddle before."

She shot Relia a look.

"Remember? In the backseat of Hector's car? You two were so adorable there."

Her look turned into a glare.

Relia just laughed. "You know, I'm starting to think that's your version of a blush."

Akari ignored her as they kept walking down the crowded urban streets. Overall, Unida's side of town wasn't so different from Liberta's. Just a lot more dragons, and a much more imposing military force. The Unmarked wore whatever armor they found lying around, giving them a friendly militia feel. But these guys all wore matching uniforms that reminded her of the Arkala Martials.

Fortunately, they'd gotten through most of Kyzar's shopping list, and they should be done long before their fake marks expired.

"Sorry," Relia said after a long silence. "It's cool if you don't want to talk about it. But Elend always told me not to keep stuff bottled up. It can literally affect your Mana Arts."

"Funny," Akari said, "Coming from the girl who pops secret pills."

Relia winced at that. "I'll explain those sometime. Guess I'm not so good at the whole friends thing."

"Makes two of us," Akari muttered. "What's that about bottlenecks?"

"Oh, yeah. Your soul likes reflection. Two Artists can train the same amount of time, but the one who reflects afterward can improve twice as fast."

"Makes sense," Akari said. "You learn from your mistakes that way."

Relia nodded. "But it's more than that. Your soul holds you back if it senses unfinished business. It does this to protect you, the same way your muscles hold back."

"Shit," Akari muttered under her breath.

"Huh?" Relia asked. "What's up?"

"I haven't had any dreams since last week."

Relia nodded as if she'd expected that.

"Remember how I dueled someone last time?"

"Sure."

Akari drew in a long breath. "It was Kalden."

Her eyes widened. "And?"

Akari balled her hands into fists. She'd rather not talk about this, but what if Relia was right? What if her soul considered this issue unresolved? She couldn't let that hold her back. So Akari told Relia the full dream, including what a bitch Dream Akari had been, and how badly she'd lost to Kalden.

"That part was bullshit," she said as they reached the docks. "I thought we'd be equals someday. But then Dream Kalden strolls into town. And guess what? He's the best Foundation duelist in the world."

That last part might've been an exaggeration, but oh well. Present-day Kalden seemed like more of a strategist than a duelist. What the hell was he doing with sword mana of all things?

Relia considered that. "You said you hadn't aspected your own mana yet?"

"Nope. Never got the whole story, but I think my parents were holding me back somehow."

She nodded. "They probably had something special planned for you."

They kept walking, and Akari cycled her mana harder as her muscles strained.

"So you had pure mana with limited practice," Relia said. "And Kalden was practicing twelve hours per day, with an aspect that's specifically designed to win duels?"

"I get it," Akari said. "I'm being stupid. Why do you think I kept quiet?"

"I didn't say that!" Relia held up her hands. "No one likes losing. But you should tell Kalden. Maybe he's working through some stuff too?"

Talek. She'd been afraid of that. She and Kalden had gotten close these past few months, and he was the best friend she'd ever had. But what if he'd also met her past self? She'd been a different person then, but would he realize that? Would he look at her differently now?

She'd been annoyed at Kalden all week, and most of that annoyance came from her past self. That proved these dreams were strong enough to alter their present.

Either way, Relia was probably right. It was stupid to get this mad about a dream, but it was even stupider to keep it all bottled up. Even this short talk seemed to make her mana flow smoother.

They reached the ferry just in time, trudging up the ramp and showing their fake IDs to the attendant. It was busier than usual, with more than forty other people scattered between both decks. They climbed the center staircase toward the upper deck which was far less crowded.

Akari and Relia unshouldered their packs and found some seats in the back. Her shoulders and core ached from the effort, but she kept cycling her mana. The more you stressed your body at Foundation, the stronger you'd be at Apprentice.

Apparently, Relia's first master—the one who'd taught her Life Arts— had broken and healed every bone in Relia's body before she'd advanced. That woman sounded like even more of a badass than Elend.

A few more minutes passed as the captain gave his usual speech over the intercom, then the ferry broke off from the dock, leaving a trail of white foam in the dark green waters. By now, the sun was setting over the skyline ahead, and the air grew cooler as they drifted. The wind felt good on her face, especially after walking all that time in the spring heat.

The upper deck was quiet except for a few teenagers who kicked a manaball back and forth. No one wore badges here, so Akari had to activate her Silver Sight to see their ranks.

Two Golds and one Silver.

It still felt strange to see Golds and Silvers acting like equals. Sure, Kalden had been close with Darren and Marelyn, but they'd been the exception back home rather than the rule. Here, anyone below Apprentice was still considered a beginner, and no one got hung up on the differences. Especially because those differences were the result of birth mana rather than something they'd earned.

No wonder the Martials had been scared to leave.

They rode in silence for another ten minutes before the ferry slowed down at the western dock. Relia took that moment to stand. Her red hair thrashed in the wind, and she stretched her arms above her head like a cat.

Then her knees buckled beneath her, and she collapsed on the deck.

Akari stared at her for a second, certain the other girl was joking. Then a sound of pain escaped her lips, and she gritted her teeth

"Shit." Akari scrambled out of her seat and tried to roll her over on her back.

Sweat covered Relia's skin, and her chest rose and fell with rapid breaths. Her skin shone with green light as she tried to flare her life Cloak. Damnit. This was worse than last time.

Akari grabbed her purse and went to unzip the top pocket. "Need your pill?"

"No." Relia shook her head. "I'm fine."

"You sure as hell don't look fine."

"It'll stop," Relia said through gritted teeth. "Just—"

"Hey," a boy's voice said from over her shoulder. Akari turned to see one of the Golds who'd been playing manaball earlier.

"Is she okay?" Another boy knelt on the wooden deck beside her. He jumped back when he saw Relia's face. "Where's her mark?"

"What?" Akari glanced at Relia's forehead.

Her mark had faded, the crowd grew closer, and they were still deep in enemy territory.