Akari threw her blankets aside. Bursts of adrenaline urged her to run, but running was no use here. She’d faced mana beasts and Martials this weekend, but this was far, far worse.

“Good morning, Miss Zeller.” Kalden’s mother sat as if she were posing for a portrait—a practiced blend of grace and nonchalance. She wore her hair in an intricate knot, adorned with several golden pins that looked as sharp as daggers. Her badge hung over a crisp white blouse, reflecting the single light above the bar.

Akari swallowed before finding her voice. “Good morning, Mrs. Trengsen.” The formality tasted strange on her tongue, but now wasn’t the time to forget her manners.

The older woman studied her for several more heartbeats, but not with disdain the way some other Golds might. Rather, she seemed to take in every detail of Akari’s appearance. Finally, her gaze settled back on Akari’s eyes, and she raised a pair of expectant eyebrows.

“Sorry,” Akari said. “I didn’t meant to fall asleep here.” Her voice quivered, then she reached for the story they’d given Frostblade. “I work for Kalden, and—”

“Don’t be coy, Miss Zeller. You’ve been here fifteen times since that first visit in Hexember. Honestly, I’m surprised you don’t have your own toothbrush by now.”

Shit. How much did she know?

The older woman leaned back in her chair, crossing one tanned leg over the other. “I’m feeling generous right now, so I’ll spare you the misery of uncertainty. I know you’ve been learning mana arts with my son. He provides you a computer with internet access, and you help him find technique manuals on the dark web. I also know you two went hunting in the tunnels below Elegan.”

Akari said nothing, but her heart pounded even harder. Who could have told her all this? Emberlyn? That girl had swooped in like a vulture after their first meeting, and she’d even been there when they’d fought the arkions.

“And yes,” she continued, “I also know you met with the Fugitive this weekend in White Vale.”

The adrenaline turned to ice in Akari’s veins, and she felt suddenly empty. “Darren or Maelyn told you.”

She shook her head. “Not every story ends in a dramatic betrayal, Miss Zeller. My son has two excellent informants—both loyal to a fault.”

Akari frowned. “Then who?”

“You’ve spent all this time with Golds, and you’re still this naive?” She held up a fist and began counting on extended fingers. “The gatekeeper outside this neighborhood. The security guard who escorts you around Elegan High. The Border Guard healer outside the local tunnels. A food-court worker in the Hunters’ Guild. They all work for me.”

Damnit. Of course Kalden’s mother had her own spies and informants. The worst part was, Akari had seen this coming weeks ago. She’d known this moment would come.

“But you didn’t stop us,” Akari said. “Don’t tell me you approve.”

Mrs. Trengsen gave a sad smile. “My son is intelligent, but he can’t learn from the mistakes he’s unaware of. This makes subtlety his greatest blind spot, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

She tilted her head to the side. “Do I approve of him learning mana arts? No. But there are worse crimes than sampling forbidden fruit. I’ve already pushed away one son—a mistake I’d rather not repeat.”

Sozen.

“I’ve answered your questions,” Mrs. Trengsen said. “Now I’d like an honest answer in return. Why did you meet with the Fugitive in White Vale?”

So, she didn’t know everything. Akari scrambled for a clever answer. Unfortunately, she wasn’t feeling clever right now. Maybe Kalden could have outmaneuvered his mother here, but he’d been dealing with Golds his entire life.

Then again, even Kalden hadn’t lied to Frostblade in the hotel bar.

Akari cleared her throat. “We wanted technique manuals like you said. The Fugitive needed money, so she traded us videos in exchange for cashing in her bounties.”

“What else?” Her gaze seemed to imply she already knew the answer.

Talek. Nothing got past her, did it? This was the sort of Gold who Emberlyn Frostblade aspired to be. Emberlyn had shouted and threatened her multiple times, and Akari always told the girl to screw herself. Meanwhile, Kalden’s mother already had her spilling secrets, and she hadn’t lifted a finger.

Akari reached for her water bottle and unscrewed the top. “She tried to convince us she came from the outside world. The Martials captured her master, and she’s trying to leave.”

She left out the part where Relia had tried to recruit them, and she prayed that Kalden’s mother wouldn’t press her for more. The omission left her cheeks burning, but she hid it by taking a long drink.

“I’d like you to give up mana arts,” Mrs. Trengsen said after a short pause. “And I’d like you to end your association with Kalden. In return, I’m prepared to give you one goldnote per month for the next six years, along with a letter of recommendation to the college of your choice. That money should cover your tuition, along with your other expenses.”

“Seriously?” Akari blurted out. She made it sound as if Akari were some tramp who’d lured her beloved son into a life of crime. For Talek’s sake, this whole thing had been Kalden’s idea.

“Seriously,” Mrs. Trengsen echoed. “You can study Computer Science if you’d like—put this business behind you and become a productive member of society.”

“And if I refuse your offer? Let me guess—I turn up dead of ‘natural causes’?”

The older woman furrowed her brow. “You seem to have a low opinion of me, Miss Zeller, but I’ve shown you nothing but respect.”

Akari winced. She’d always imagined Kalden’s mother as some power-hungry control freak, but she’d only gotten involved now, when her son’s life was in real danger. Not from imaginary danger, but a real conflict between Relia and the Martials.

She also hadn’t brought up Akari’s rank. Not once.

Mrs. Trengsen raised a thin eyebrow. “You think my son is a paragon of compassion while the rest of us are bigoted monsters who enjoy watching you suffer? Who do you think raised Kalden?”

Once again, Akari didn’t reply.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“I don’t operate with violence,” she continued. “And nothing will happen if you refuse my offer today. However, if you insist on seeing my son again, I will take steps to impede your efforts.”

Somehow, the woman’s calm indifference made the last part sound even more sinister. At the same time, she made her request sound so reasonable, as if Akari were acting childish for even considering other options.

Was this the reason no Bronze had ever reached Silver? Because they traded their ambitions for a life of comfort? Because they silenced themselves on a Gold’s demand?

“You have reservations,” Mrs. Trengsen said. “Care to share?”

“You wouldn’t understand,” Akari replied.

“No? Then correct me if I’m wrong. You despise this society, and the fact that you’re judged for your birth-mana counts. You think if you accept my deal, you’ll become another cog in the machine. You also believe that mana arts will make everything better.”

Well, shit.

Her expression must have betrayed her, because Kalden’s mother gave a knowing nod. “I may be a wealthy Gold, but I can put myself in your shoes. If I’d been born a Bronze like you, then a part of me would rather break than bend.”

Akari raised an eyebrow. “You’re telling me I should refuse you?”

“Think carefully,” Mrs. Trengsen said, “how does this crusade of yours end? Do you think you’ll lead a revolution and overthrow this corrupt society? Do you think you’ll find an evil mastermind pulling strings from the shadows?” She shook her head. “My husband and I live on top of the food chain, and we’re just as powerless to fix this world. We live in a web of organized irresponsibility. We all hold it together—from the wealthiest Golds to the poorest Bronze.”

She rose from her chair, signaling an end to the conversation. “Even if your goals are less ambitious than that, this world will never accept a Bronze mana artist. Better to learn that lesson now while you still can.”

Akari stared down at her hands, and the now empty bottle she held. “Can I have a week to think about it?”

The woman’s lip quirked in amusement. “I’ll give you twenty-four hours.”

“Forty-eight,” Akari said as she got to her feet.

Mrs. Trengsen nodded once and pulled out a black business card. “You can reach my assistant here. In the meantime, my driver waits out front to take you wherever you’d like. Go with him, or walk. The choice is yours.”

~~~

“Kalden!” Akari shouted his name across the quad. Salt crunched beneath her boots as she jogged on the slick concrete, weaving between her fellow students along the way.

Kalden spun to face her, and Darren and Maelyn did the same. Naturally, this drew the eyes of several opportunistic Silvers. Some glanced over their shoulders and seemed to step in slow motion as they watched. Others stopped walking entirely, gathering in a loose circle.

Akari didn’t give a shit about those people, but Kalden’s eyes darted back and forth.

“Not here,” he said in a sharp whisper.

“Then where?”

“We’ll go inside.”

“Can’t talk inside. The guards tail me when I walk in.”

“Fine,” he said. “Then maybe we can—”

Akari took another step forward and whispered, “Your mom knows.”

Kalden’s eyes widened, but Darren spoke first. “Let’s move it along.” The blond boy turned to the crowd, stretching out his arms like a nightclub bouncer. Maelyn joined in, calling out specific people by name.

“You heard them.” Kalden projected his voice louder than she’d ever heard. “Get going.”

The Silvers flocked away like hens, but he might have done more harm than good. Now some of the Golds were watching, including Emberlyn Frostblade.

Kalden led her over to his usual spot on the raised concrete platform. He brushed aside some half-melted snow from a bench and set down his sound suppressor. Darren and Maelyn stood like sentries outside the transparent dome.

“You talked to her?” Kalden asked. “This morning?”

“Yeah. So much for having the house to yourself.”

“I’m sorry.” He paced back and forth in the thin blanket of snow. “I should have driven you home.”

“Wouldn’t make a difference,” Akari said. “She’s known for months.”

Kalden paused, and Akari told him everything, including the finer details of his mother’s offer. Even if the woman had told her to keep quiet—which she hadn’t—Akari had to talk with him before she made her choice. Kalden was the first friend she’d made in years. Not just that, but he was the only person in this world who might actually care about her.

That meant something, didn’t it?

Akari wanted to cling to him like a raft and stop things from changing. She looked up and pleaded to him with her eyes, hoping to Talek this played out like it had in her mind.

Kalden would tell her to refuse his mother’s offer. He’d remind her they were friends, and how no amount of money could fill the void if they parted. They would learn mana arts together, even if they had to defy his parents and the state itself.

That was the mana artist’s path. If they wanted to be as strong as Relia, they had to risk everything. In fact, they should have accepted her offer yesterday. Maybe it wasn’t too late?

“You should take the deal,” Kalden said.

Akari blinked. “I should what?”

“I can vouch for her word,” he continued, “if that’s what you’re worried about. A Gold’s reputation is everything, and your rank doesn’t change that.”

Chills ran down Akari’s spine, and she felt like he’d punched her in the stomach. “You heard her conditions, right?”

“You don’t interact with me again, or do mana arts.”

“Permanently.” Akari bit off each syllable. “Not just for the next six years. This is forever.”

“We both knew this wouldn’t last.” Kalden gestured back and forth between them. “This is the best-case scenario.”

“Our goal was to learn mana arts!” Akari clenched her hands into fists, and her hope turned to anger. “This is the worst case!”

“Worse than dying?” Kalden countered. “You were learning mana arts to survive. She’s offering you enough money to solve that problem.”

“This is why no Bronze advance to Silver,” Akari said in a dark whisper. “They sell their souls before they get a chance.” A gust of icy wind blew past her face, and her eyes started watering. She moved her glasses aside and wiped them dry on her hoodie sleeve.

Kalden’s face softened, and he stepped closer. “Look, I don’t want to stop training together either, but this is your best chance at a better life. Even if it’s not the life you wanted.”

Akari’s eyes burned harder and she put her back to him.

“Why do you need to advance to Silver?” he asked. “No Silver your age makes a goldnote per month. My mother can probably get you an apartment, too, if you ask her. This solves all your problems.”

“This knowledge belongs to everyone.” The Grandmaster’s voice echoed in her mind. “To restrict this skill is to deprive people of what it means to be human.”

She met Kalden’s eyes again. “And what about what Relia said? We’re part of the problem if we do this. We’re trading freedom for safety.”

Kalden let out a weary sigh. “My mother was right about that, too. You can’t fix this island overnight. Just look at Relia.”

“I did.” Akari raised her chin. “She’s fighting all the Martials by herself, and she’s winning.”

“That’s up for debate. One mistake, and she’s done.”

“At least she’s fighting for something. You want me to roll over and give up.”

“I want you to survive,” Kalden said. “And surrendering is the most logical choice.”

“Yeah,” she muttered. “That was your plan from the start, wasn’t it? Misery loves company.”

Kalden ignored that. “You’re trying to reach Silver, but what then? Even if your plan works, no one will accept it. It won’t improve your life in any tangible way.”

Akari looked away, clutching her fingers around her backpack straps.

“So what do you really want?” he pressed.

She knew the answer in her bones, but how could she put the feeling into words? Besides, she shouldn’t have to explain this to Kalden. He’d been by her side these past few months. He should already understand.

“I was on board with helping you survive,” he said. “But all you care about now is your pride. You want power for power’s sake.”

“Do you plan on giving up mana arts, too?” Akari stared daggers at him. “So you can live a safe and cushy life until the day you die?”

Kalden forced out a long breath. “You’re frustrated. I get it.”

“At least one of us is.” She clenched her jaw. “Your mom’s scared of mana arts, so she stalks you and treats you like a kid. How long are you gonna take that?”

“Mana arts killed my father and brother. Her fear’s not irrational.”

“Yeah,” Akari said. “And you’re still alive. The only Trengsen man with no backbone.”

“We’re done,” Kalden snapped as he went to retrieve his sound suppressor from the bench.

His hand lingered over the button, and he met her eyes one last time. “Take the deal, Akari. Make the smart choice for once in your life.”