Kalden led the team across Cliff Street toward their base of operations. It was an old brick building on the North Side, halfway between the Trenches and Koreldon University. Close enough to the action downtown, but not so close that they’d get ambushed on a grocery run.

He climbed a short stone staircase and scanned his keycard on the front door. From there, they stepped down a long carpeted corridor, passing a few of their neighbors along the way. No one spared their blood-stained armor a second glance as they piled into the elevator. Such sights were common ever since the attack this spring.

The elevator gave a faint chime when it reached their loft, and the steel doors slid open to reveal an open floor bathed in golden light. Exposed brick covered the outer walls, while steel beams crisscrossed the ceiling. Tall windows lined the southern wall, offering a clear view of the city’s skyline.

Most ordinary people would have filled the main space with furniture, but Kalden’s team had built a training ring in the center, with an elaborate sigil grid to contain their mana. Other training gear surrounded the ring, along with a weight rack, and Arturo’s various work benches. Kalden also planned to turn the extra bedroom into his alchemy lab, but that was still a long-term project.

He and the others kicked off their boots in the doorway, then they stepped into the kitchen to find Elend and Irina sitting on the padded barstools. The pair wore dark, comfortable clothing, the sort of thing you’d wear beneath your armor in a battle. Several plastic bags sat on the counter, and the spicy scents of Cadrian food reached his nostrils.

“Come now.” Elend gestured around the loft with his fork. “I give you thirty thousand espers, and you couldn’t buy a single piece of real furniture? Where do you lot even eat?”

Apparently, he didn’t consider the barstools real furniture. Kalden actually agreed with him, but furniture had always been a lower priority. Who knew how much longer they’d be in Koreldon City?

“And you need more mirrors,” Glim’s voice echoed from the master bedroom. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were avoiding me.” Her blue form appeared in the window a second later. “And how come you have two shower heads in the master bathroom?”

“Never mind that.” Kalden removed his helmet and turned back to the Darklights. “Any news from Arturo?”

“He infiltrated the party,” Elend replied. “That’s all I know.”

Kalden gave a slow nod as he unstrapped the rest of his armor. “I still can’t believe that worked.”

“He arrived there with his aunt and uncle,” Elend said. “Most people have no reason to question him.”

“There’s no guarantee he fooled the Honor Guard,” Irina added. “More likely, they’re watching him closely, waiting to see if he makes a move.”

“So . . . are we gonna save Relia soon, or not?” Akari reached for the nearest bag of food.

Elend swatted her hand with a flash of blue mana. “No food till you shower, lass. I can practically taste the gloomfang blood on you.”

She stepped back and stuck her hands in her pockets. “How’d you know it was a gloomfang?”

“Really?” He raised an eyebrow. “You’re asking a Grandmaster dream artist how he—”

“It’s written all over the loft,” Kalden cut in, then he gestured to their whiteboards across the room. One of them even had a drawing of the creature, identifying the weak spots in its carapace armor.

“And yes,” Elend said. “We’re running on a deadline with Relia. Our new prime minister has summoned all Masters and Grandmasters to swear their loyalty to him. We have until next Tresember to answer.”

It was the end of Quadromber now, so that gave them four months—roughly two hundred and forty days.

Zukan stepped forward and folded his massive green arms. Unlike Akari and Kalden, he’d taken the time to remove all his armor and arrange it neatly by the front door. “That seems like a generous timeline. Didn’t the Mystics swear their oaths on the first day?”

“It’s an old law,” Irina said. “Travel used to take months before the invention of cars and airships. Not to mention the logistics of leaving your territory undefended.”

“Still,” Zukan said. “Laws can be changed.”

“Aye,” Elend agreed. “And most prime ministers try exactly that. But the Senate makes the laws, and they’re all Masters and Grandmasters who don’t like being inconvenienced. We’ve already sworn oaths to protect Espiria, but the oath to the prime minister is more personal than that.”

“So you can’t betray the government,” Kalden said. “But kidnapping Moonfire’s daughter is still an option?”

“That about sums it up.” Elend brought his fork to his mouth and took a bite of shrimp.

Akari watched him eat like a sad puppy, and she pressed a hand to her stomach. Even from three paces away, Kalden could hear it growling. “Fine.” She strolled over and grabbed Kalden by the wrist. “Let’s go shower.”

Zukan made his way across the loft, while Kalden followed Akari into the master bedroom. This room felt more complete than the rest of their loft, with a sturdy platform bed, a dresser, and two nightstands.

And yes, the attached bathroom had a shower built for two.

Akari pulled off her armor and tossed the pieces in the nearest basket. Her clothes came next, and Kalden got a better look at her recent wound. It was mostly healed by now, but it would leave another scar along her left tricep. More silver lines covered her back, stomach, and arms.

Kalden considered his next words with care. Akari didn’t always take feedback well, and one wrong word could trigger an argument between them. Still, someone had to say it. They both had a tendency to lose themselves in their training, and they relied on each other to stay grounded in reality. That was doubly true now that Relia was gone.

“You’ve been reckless lately,” Kalden said. “Ever since you reached Artisan.” His words didn’t sound tactful at first blush, but a straightforward approach usually worked best with Akari.

She winced as she turned on her side of the shower. “Sorry. Guess I really need a new Cloak technique.” There was a short pause as she adjusted the knobs. “And I thought I’d be stronger by now.”

“You are stronger.” Kalden followed her into the warm water, and he raised his voice to be heard over the rush and clatter. “You could probably beat most of KU’s students in a duel, including the third-years. But our enemies are tougher than ever.”

“Yeah.” She squirted some shampoo in her hand and started lathering it into her dark hair. “I know I’ll never be a tank like Relia or Zukan.” Her eyes wondered downward, and she flashed him a grin. “Or you.”

“I wouldn’t lump myself in with those two.” Kalden held out his prosthetic mana hand and fingers—two stark reminders of his own limitations. “I still think it’s best to avoid heavy hits altogether. That worked against Valeria, right?”

Her smile grew wistful as she washed the shampoo from her hair. Kalden thought he understood; they’d lost two teammates that day, along with Kalden’s brother, and their home.

At the same time, they’d faced a Master in combat, and they’d technically won.

Akari finished washing up, then she slid open the frosted glass door and hopped onto the mat. They would normally spend a few more minutes in the water, but the Darklights were waiting for them

More importantly, Relia was waiting for them.

Kalden turned his temperature knob to the far right and finished his shower with a cold rinse. This was an old habit he’d picked up in North Shoken; cold water cleared the mind and helped him endure life’s smaller struggles. Eight years had passed since those days traveling with his father, and he’d never broken the habit. Not even on Arkala when he’d lost his memories and lived a fake life.

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With that done, he wrapped a towel around his waist and joined Akari in front of the mirror. She stood there in the golden light, her damp hair framing her face and water droplets running down her skin.

“I’ve been researching Mastery revelations,” Kalden said. “Most books say you should lean into your strengths to find your unique ability. Double down on being yourself, rather than trying to be someone else.”

Akari nodded as she ran a brush through her wet hair. “Guess I’m better when I act like a spacetime artist. I still wanna practice taking hits, though. Won’t always have a choice, right?”

Kalden raised his eyebrows. “You sure you’re not overcompensating for something? Or trying to be like the heroes from your movies?”

She shrugged a bare shoulder. “Maybe a little.”

“As long as you don’t practice with any more gloomfangs,” Kalden said.

“Nah, I’ll ask Zukan about it tomorrow. He hits harder than a gloomfang, anyway.”

Well, that was easier than he’d expected. Akari really had grown up a lot this past year. Now, if only she could remember to wash up before dinner without being told.

They emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, gathering around the kitchen island to eat. Akari hopped up on the counter and sat in a lotus position, while Kalden pulled up a rolling chair from Arturo’s workbench.

Zukan just sat on the floor and leaned his back against the wall; he seemed to be most comfortable that way, even in rooms with plenty of furniture.

While they ate, Elend grabbed a free whiteboard and rolled it over the hardwood floor toward the kitchen. He picked up a blue marker from the bottom tray and wrote a long number at the top: 105,732. The color was exceptionally vibrant, and he must have enhanced it with dream mana.

“What’s that?” Akari asked through a mouthful of shrimp.

“That,” Elend said, “is my current mana count.”

Kalden gave a soft whistle. You needed around fifty thousand mana to reach the Grandmaster realm, so this number was higher than he’d expected.

Elend drew a horizontal line below the first number, and wrote a second number beneath it: 204,800.

“And this,” he continued, “is the number I need to reach Mystic.”

Kalden frowned. How was this relevant to saving Relia? After mulling it over for a few seconds, he could only think of one thing.

“We can’t save Relia until you advance,” Akari said.

“Aye.” Elend leaned against the counter. “Our enemy has planned for every trick, and he has allies all over the world. Our only hope is to meet him on even ground—take Relia, and use my new power to go into hiding.”

“What about Irina?” Akari asked.

The older woman shook her head. “My own mana counts are much lower. More importantly, Elend has Glim. That will essentially make him two Mystics for the price of one.”

Was Glim really that strong? He knew Elend used her in combat, but that had its limits—probably from that mysterious soul oath they’d made as kids. What if advancing to Mystic could nullify that oath and unlock Glim’s full potential? It wouldn’t be the first time a Mystic broke the rules.

Irina glanced toward her husband “For now, It’s better if we pool our resources and focus on one person.”

Kalden leaned forward. “What resources?”

“You two.” Elend gestured a finger between Kalden and Akari. “Aeons can empower their allies as well as themselves.”

“Oh, shit.” Akari slumped her shoulders and glanced back at the whiteboard. They’d discussed this option before, but it had all been theoretical. “You want us to make you a Mystic?” She pressed on before Elend could explain.”How do we find that much structural mana? We barely pulled eighty points from that gloomfang today.”

“Yeah.” Kalden spun in his chair to face Elend. “And Lena said we needed Artisan mana for that to work.”

“Aye,” he said. “And it’s safe to assume I’ll need Master-level mana at the very least.”

“How?” Akari repeated. “We can’t move that much power in four months.”

“I doubt we could handle Master mana at all,” Kalden added.

“Not yet.” Elend tossed the marker and caught it on his outstretched index finger “But you’ve just begun using your Aeon powers.” He paused as if for dramatic effect “Also, I suspect you two will need to advance before me.”

Akari’s eyes widened at that, and Kalden couldn’t tell whether it was fear or excitement. Maybe a bit of both. “You want us to reach Master in just a few months?”

“We never intended to put so much pressure on you,” Irina said in a soft voice “But we’ve spent weeks considering our options. This is the most probable path to victory.”

Akari gave Elend a sidelong glance. “How long have you been planning this?”

“Honestly?” Elend replied. “I’ve been researching Aeons long before we met, but things got more serious in Creta when I learned about the Etherite cuffs. I’d originally planned to do this with Relia. Now, it might be the only way to save her.”

“Always wondered why you were so helpful,” Akari said. “Especially with the Solidors.” Her tone wasn’t accusatory, though. If anything, she seemed relieved, as if she’d finally found the hidden price tag for all these favors.

With all that said, there was only one question left. Kalden got to his feet and strode over to the whiteboard. “How do we become Masters before the deadline?”

“Excellent question, lad.” Elend grabbed an eraser and wiped away the first few numbers. “Mastery has three parts. You need to master your mana, master your techniques, and master yourselves.” He wrote three steps on the whiteboard as he spoke, and his handwriting sharpened in the wake of his blue marker.

“Step one is the most obvious. You need to reach the minimum mana threshold. He scribbled the number “12,800” on the board and circled it several times.

“But of course, few advancements are that simple. The previous realms were all about pain and physical hardship. This pain served as a roadmap for your body, deepening your channels, and telling your mana which cells to reinforce. Skip these steps, and you leave your body too weak to handle the next level.”

Elend spun back toward the board and continued writing. “Mastery is all about your techniques. The more you learn as an Artisan, the higher your potential as a Master. And as with the first few advancements, undeveloped skills will impede your progress later on.”

Kalden blinked. “I’ve been researching Mastery all summer. No one ever mentioned that part.”

“Aye,” Elend said. “You think my peers want an open door policy?

Kalden thought back to Elend’s videos on the dark web, and one particular quote stuck out in his mind: “Choosing the wrong aspect will give you an unstable foundation. And without a strong foundation, you can only climb so high.”

He’d been talking about Mastery all along. Public schools taught simple aspects with simple techniques, and those could stunt a person’s growth for life.

“That’s such bullshit,” Akari muttered.

“Agreed,” Zukan said with a deep frown. “Espirians pretend to be better than Creta’s Dragonlord, but people are all the same, no matter where you go.”

“It’s hard to find the proper balance,” Elend said. “Open the doors too wide, and we’ll get all sorts of unwelcome guests in the Master realm. It’s the same reason we restrict and classify certain aspects. The nastiest ones can destroy the planet with a single technique.”

Akari opened her mouth to argue further, but Elend held up a finger. “I agree with you, lass. Why do you think I made those videos on the dark web? We need some restrictions, but the current system is far from perfect.”

“Fine.” Akari turned back to the board. “So what do we do?”

“You both have solid foundations,” Elend said. “I’ve already seen to that. But you’ll need to finish learning your aspect’s primary techniques. How are things going on that front?”

Kalden cleared his throat. “I can do telepathic communication, build a Second Brain, and fight with a modified version of my blades.”

“That covers Missiles and Constructs,” Elend said. “How about a Cloak technique?”

“Still working on that one,” Kalden said. He’d tried adapting Irina’s Cloak of a Thousand Eyes, but progress had been slow. Her techniques didn’t quite agree with his aspect, and he wasn’t sure how to fix it.

Elend nodded and turned to Akari

“Portals, displacements, and pocket dimensions,” she said. “Still working on time mana . . . and my Cloaks”

They’d discussed Akari’s Cloak techniques, and she had a rough journey ahead. She would need a space Cloak and a time Cloak to reach her full potential. Or, better yet, she would need to combine both Cloaks into a single technique.”

“What happens if we advance without all our techniques?” Kalden asked.

“Imagine you’ve spent your whole life as a painter,” Irina said. “Then, in your later years, you have a change of heart. You decide to become a musician instead. You might still become an excellent musician, but it’s unlikely you’ll compete with the best in the world.”

“Aye,” Elend said. You don’t need to master your techniques as an Artisan, but you need to sow strong seeds. Otherwise, you’ll never practice those techniques as a true Master.”

“Great.” Akari blew out a long breath. “So what’s step three?”

“A personal revelation,” Elend said. “An answer to one of life’s biggest questions. ‘Who am I?’”

Kalden had heard of this revelation, but never in those exact words. This must be another secret they kept from the public. Zukan must have realized the same thing, because he’d begun taking vigorous notes.

Elend spun the marker between his fingers. “This revelation is why you train, and why you fight. It’s the purpose that drives you, and that purpose forces your soul to expand beyond its natural limits.”

“So it’s like in Creta,” Kalden said. “When we merged our past selves with our present?”

“That’s the general idea. ,” Elend said. “It won’t be easy, but your experience will serve you well.”

“How do we know when we find the right words?” Akari asked.

“Don’t think of them as words,” Irina said. “Not every thought can be expressed that way. Some people think in images or emotions.”

“She’s right,” Elend said. “ Many people can’t explain their advancements, even after they’ve happened. It’s effortless for some, while others can struggle for decades. Regardless, you should feel the correct answer in your soul. It starts as a faint whisper, and it grows stronger as you approach the threshold.”

They spent the next hour hashing out their long-term plans. By the end of the night, only one question remained: should they go back to school for the fall semester, or keep training on their own?

“I think I want to go back,” Kalden told Akari that night in their bedroom. “I liked the daily routine, and our classes will introduce a lot of new ideas. You never know what might help trigger a revelation.” He turned to Akari, who had her head resting on his bare chest. “What about you?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “Aren’t we supposed to be in a hurry? People waste so much time in school. Lectures, group projects, homework . . .”

Kalden shrugged. “We’ll burn out if we don’t pace ourselves. Plus we’re Artisans now.”

He felt her jaw move as she grinned. “Guess it’d be fun to show off in class. But what if things are too easy?”

“We’ll have Elend as a teacher,” Kalden said. “So I doubt he’ll take it easy on us. Maybe he’ll even train us with the third-years.”

She perked up at that. “You think we might see Relia?”

“No idea,” Kalden said. “She’s still technically enrolled, but that could change any day. Even Elend doesn’t know what will happen.”

Akari hummed in consideration then snuggled deeper into his chest. “Guess I’ll have to sleep on it for now.”

“Okay.” Kalden leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “Say hi to your parents for me.”