When the Freeday finally came, I woke up early and lay there in the darkness for half an hour, listening to the symphony of snores and deep breathing that filled the room. Evidently, I was anxious about Ressa's meeting today.

The promise of escape had meant I could make the most of my time here and learn to use the ascended powers without too much stress. But if her brother refused to take the risk after learning I was essentially a prisoner here, then I'd have to find other means of getting back home, and that wasn't going to be easy.

As light finally crept though the windows, I heard Ressa stir. Her hearing was so much better than mine that she could tell I was already awake.

"Are you nervous about something, Adam?" Her soft voice held warmth and a hint of humor.

"What could I possibly be nervous about? This is my first Freeday off since I began. Life is good."

"What will you do with yourself?" she asked, sitting up in her bed.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe sit on the couch and rock back and forth until you return with news."

"Ooh. Such pressure. Don't worry about it, though. I know my brother, and he won't let us down."

"Well I know you, and you haven't let me down yet, so I'll take your word for it."

While we spoke, the others gradually woke up, until everyone was involved in the conversation to some extent and the early morning sun was beaming through the windows.

A half hour after that, we were all heading for breakfast.

The dining hall was just opening up as we arrived, and it was deadly quiet, which was a welcome surprise. No black looks, or shouted insults, just a bowl of porridge with nuts and sweet syrup, and good company.

Apart from Yoru, they all intended to head into the city with various errands to run. Though, I guessed they were just making the most of their Freeday.

Yoru was heading to extra Heavy Weapons training. He invited me along, but I refused. It certainly wasn't a bad idea to develop those skills, but I knew I would be too distracted. I intended to have a walk around the garden, and maybe find a quiet spot to practice a few things of my own.

After breakfast, we went our separate ways, and I made my way to the garden. It struck me as I entered the forested path that I hadn't actually spent any time alone since I got here, and some solitude was welcome.

Which is why I left the busy garden a few minutes later, with the fresh knowledge that on their Freedays, Archons liked morning strolls prior to breakfast.

After another forty minutes of wandering aimlessly, I found myself on one of the playing fields used for Evocation and Aetheric Magic classes. There were some dedicated study groups going on, but there were plenty of fields, and I had found a relatively secluded one near the back of the academy grounds. I was absolutely not scoping out the walls that encircled us.

Once there, I decided to do a little free training to see if I could clear my racing mind. I'd not had the opportunity to do much training with Spirit magic, and the last two of Master Quesal's classes had focused on building a foundation of understanding. That consisted of way too much guided meditation, which was undoubtedly helpful, but it wasn't throwing balls of destruction around.

When we escaped, I wanted a solid array of Spirit-based skills to clear any Unalarans out of our path. Spirit Blast seemed like an obvious progression, and now seemed like the perfect time. I already had Flame Blast as a frame work to guide my experiment.

I set to work by summoning a ball of flickering, searing flames in my palm. I grinned at the sight of it, partly mesmerized by the flames I'd created. Satisfied by the sensations of making Fire Blast, I snuffed it out. It was time for Spirit Blast.

This time, I attuned to the sensations of the raw mana in my center, and imagined that power running down my arm to form in my hand.

As my mind was wont to do, it threw up another idea. The image of coating my hand in the power flooded my imagination. I allowed myself a small smile at the thought then compressed my focus back into the job at hand. Spirit Blast.

I was surprised at how readily the power responded, flowing along my arm with a mix of eagerness and caution at the unfamiliar pattern I was asking it to conform to.

It felt almost like a reflection of myself, and once I realized the similarities, I muttered out loud. "I am capable of creating Spirit Blasts."

I left no room for doubt in my mind at the statement. The moment I considered the similarity and said those words, the power felt so much closer to me, as if we'd bonded somehow with that thought.

Power flooded into my palm, eager to please, and a few moments later, a roiling ball of silver and gray like a mini tornado formed there. I cheered internally at the success, and threw it at the weathered wooden dummy a few dozen feet away. It smashed into the center, and though the sound of the impact was little more than a dull thunk, the grass flattened in a wide fan, showing the extent of the attack.

A near silent, invisible attack. "The gods of magic have been good to me," I chuckled to myself.

I felt a tingle in my core. It was undeniably another point in Harmony. I knew the sensation now. I ignored checking my stats for now and moved straight onto my next idea.

I allowed the power to flow down my arm again, and it did so with confidence this time, though I felt it pulling away from my conscious control to form in a ball once again.

I wrestled with it, and we both lost the battle as it began to form on my palm before fizzling out. With nothing better to do for the next few hours and not willing to accept defeat, I continued to force, cajole, and lure the energy to coat my hand.

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When the idea that the skill might not even be possible rose up in my mind, I crushed it back down. I wanted Spirit Fist, and short of the world's most powerful mage walking up and telling me it was impossible, I would achieve it!

An hour later, the pulsing in my head suggested there was a chance I might pop a blood vessel trying to get the energy into position. As a stream of blood trickled from my nose, I knew it was time to give in.

As my vision blurred and my legs collapsed underneath me, I knew I'd gone too far. As the Spirit energy locked into position over my hand, I thought of Earl as I fell face first into the grass, spent beyond belief. Far beyond what any truly mentally stable person would push themselves.

But I was still alive, and I'd gained a new power from my obstinance. I felt it settle in.

Another sensation struck my core. It churned like a concrete mixer, causing me to curl up in a ball, praying for it to stop.

When it passed, I heaved a sigh of relief, and then focused regeneration on my brain. As the brain fog lifted and my vision cleared, I smiled to myself. I was okay.

Name: Adam Henshaw

Title: —

Level: 19

Class: Warrior/Mage

Stats:

Toughness: 22

Mental Acuity: 16

Harmony: 21

Total: 59

Progress in Class:

Warrior, Level 6: 15/40

Tradesman, Level 0: 0/10

Mage, Level 7: 15/50

Mage Skills:

Enchant Item Level: 1

Regenerate (Personal) Level: 2

Spirit Burst (AoE) Level: 1

Spirit Blast (Projectile) Level: 1

Spirit Strike (Melee) Level: 1 (Tier 2)

Flame Blast (Projectile) Level: 1

Flame Burst (AoE) Level : 1

I'd hit Level 19 with an insane two points in Harmony for the work I'd carried out. There was an unexpected point in Mental Acuity, too. I wondered if many other people had managed to jump up a whole level in one action.

The icing on the cake was that Spirit Strike was a Tier 2 ability. I couldn't be sure what that meant, but I suspected it was a very good thing. I guessed creating it through my own will and determination helped with the overall points haul.

Overjoyed with the development, I pushed myself up from the ground and tentatively picked my way over to the target, like I was walking a narrow path through a bog rather than a smooth, flat playing field.

Once I reached the massive target that was clearly designed for projectile practice, I re-coated my fist, ignored the sharp pain behind my eyes, and sent a straight right at the bullseye. The center of the target disintegrated.

As my legs wobbled again, my mind reeled at what I'd just done. I was so out of sorts, for a moment, I thought the clapping sound was in my head and something I'd need to deal with urgently.

The truth was worse as I turned to see Aeloria sauntering slowly toward me. I was caught between feeling like an idiot as she'd warned me she'd be watching me, and also being very confused as to how she'd gotten so close without me noticing.

"That was interesting, Adam. I distinctly remember you telling me you were trying to remain inconspicuous, but…" She paused and held her chin as she looked at the target. "Destroying targets in an open field with high-level moves seems to run contrary to that idea."

There was no hiding the sarcasm, and it riled me. I gestured to my surroundings. "I'm as far away as I can be from anyone. Why are you even out here?" Of course, I already knew, and she knew I already knew.

As I ground my teeth, she offered a fake smile. "Who taught you that move?"

"No one taught me. What can I say? Using Spirit seems to come naturally to me?"

I expected a retort, so when she looked at me like a fox eyeing up a chicken, I sensed danger.

"I've told my father about you."

"You have? Why would you do something like that?"

She gestured at the target. "That, for a start. My father is very interested in anomalies, and you, Adam Henshaw, are definitely an anomaly."

I felt my hackles rise. I wasn't sure what game was being played here, but I didn't want anything to do with it. "What exactly did you tell him?"

She smiled again, though it held little warmth. "Everything. You are strangely competent. While it's true you are sorely lacking in many areas, the few areas you are proficient in, you appear to excel. I doubt you will ever become a truly powerful Warrior Mage, but in the right setting, you could be very useful. I will be reporting the appearance of a Tier Two Spirit skill and your rampant growth. Level 19 now?"

I remained silent. Anything I said only seemed to draw me deeper, and she clearly didn't need my help.

There was a tense moment as she pulled something from her pocket. A small rod, similar in size to what we used in enchantment class, but far more expensive looking with runes engraved in gold.

I stepped back as she activated it, but I was too late to defend myself against an attack.

She saw my expression and laughed. "It's a Shroud of Silence, Adam. Did you honestly think I was going to attack you in the middle of the academy? I thought we were developing some kind of… understanding."

I inspected the shimmering dome around us, then her. "Being alert is never a bad thing. We aren't exactly best buddies, Aeloria."

She frowned. "As I have already said, my father, Prime Besas is interested in anomalies, and if House Garazal isn't appreciative of your burgeoning talents with unarmed combat and Spirit power, then there is a place for you with Besas."

The direction of the conversation had totally blindsided me, and it took a little while to respond. "I'll be honest, Aeloria, I have no idea how that would even work. I'm essentially a slave. Would your father buy me from Garazal? Would Garazal sell? And I suppose most of all, why would I give a shit? How would being a slave for your family be any better than for Garazal?"

With a smile, she put her hand on my shoulder like a mother soothing a child. "If you join our house, you'll no longer be under a slave contract. We'll remove it, and you can serve as a full house member."

I hoped to be out of here soon, but I couldn't deny the appeal of not being under a slave contract. I was also a firm believer in hedging my bets should the worst come to pass. "If he can swing it, then I'd be up for that. I don't know how much I'd cost, though. Garazal paid the Unalarans 15,000 Unitols for me. With a further 30,000 if I hit Level 25 in Toughness and Harmony."

Which I am surprisingly close to.

She snorted in response. "Then they have robbed the Unalarans. I do not know your base stats, but from what I've seen, with the right backing, and the right people around you, your potential is immense. From my recommendation, my father would pay 200,000 Unitols for you. Garazal is rich, but if they do not appreciate what they have, that could be enough to pry you away, if you agree?"

What could I do but shrug. "What does my agreement have to do with it?"

With a condescending smile, she gestured around us. "You are here in a Union academy. Slaves cannot come here, it is for citizens only. While it's true you can be an indentured citizen, which is what you must be registered as, you do in fact have rights. Your decision might not carry much weight, but it does carry weight. So what do you say?"

I let her words sink in for a second or two, the flame of curiosity over Union law flaring to life. Finally, I shrugged. "If House Garazal is willing to sell, and you're going to free me, then I'd be mad not to agree."

She beamed the widest, most genuine smile I'd ever seen from her, and it sent a shiver down my spine. "Perfect. And if all goes well, we have our eye on another very special Earther. I have a feeling the two of you are going to get on so well together. I can hardly wait!"

I eyed her as she clapped her hands together in excitement, my instincts warning me to run for the hills. Instead, I nodded and backed away as she dropped the barrier. She turned, casting a half-hearted wave over her shoulder before striding off across the field.

I stood, numbly watching her grow smaller and smaller. Once she disappeared from sight, I set back toward the school, aiming for the side entrance to the dorms, feeling deeply unsettled.

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