Relief flooded me as Torma, Ressa, and Ellaazi returned from the city. The absence of Yoru hardly mattered as my attention was solely on my Velorian friend. She smiled at me as they came to join me on the couches. It was a good start, though I noticed it didn't reach her eyes.

"Don't keep me in suspense. I can't take much more today," I said, leaning forward to absorb everything she had to tell me.

She raised an eyebrow, then cast her own Sphere of Silence over us. "What happened?"

I shook my head. "You first. Right now, what you say is all that matters to me."

She nodded. "I met Hassma. He wasn't happy about your situation, and said there's no way he can get you out of the academy."

I sagged, but she waved off my depression. "It's not all bad. We did the math, and the tournament is less than nine cycles away, which gives us three cycles breathing space from your estimate.

"The different academies always start from the same cabin, which means we can escape from there. The Masters oversee the set-up phase of the tournament, but have to leave an hour before it begins. That's our window."

I rubbed my face, cracked my neck, and looked at the others before turning back to Ressa. "Honestly? That's better than I expected. But the longer I'm here, the more I fear something will go wrong. I'll end up dead, or worse."

"It'll be fine. We'll look after you," she said, gesturing to the others. "Now, enough deflecting. You can't take much more. Why?"

I exhaled, spreading my arms wide in exasperation. "What hasn't happened? I went for a walk. Did some training. Pushed myself, possibly a little harder than I should have, and… Actually, if anyone can do some healing on my head, I'd be very appreciative."

Ressa looked baffled by my words, but was the first to start healing. Within a few minutes, I was feeling ten times better.

"What the hell did you do to yourself Adam. That wasn't good."

"I… unlocked a Tier Two spell. And Spirit Blast. It gave me two points in Harmony, and a point in Mental Acuity. Oh, and it bumped me to Level 19 already."

Jaws dropped, eyes widened, and they all checked my stats.

Again, Ressa was first to speak. "Firstly, wow. Secondly, are you insane? You nearly killed yourself, let alone anyone else doing it for you."

I smiled back sheepishly. "Looks like I really do need you guys to look after me. That was the first time I've been alone since I arrived here."

"Yeah, yeah," Torma snapped. "What the hell type of ability did you force this time?"

I chuckled at the Grunir. "It's called Spirit Strike. I can coat my fist in Spirit energy. I tested it on one of the field targets. It disintegrated where I hit."

"That's insane, Adam" Ressa said. "Completely and utterly…"

"Amazing," Ellaazi finished, while Torma clapped me on the back hard enough to rattle my teeth. "This has to be one of the fastest progressions in Irala Academy history."

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"I couldn't have done it without all of you," I replied. Then I hesitated. "But… there's more."

Ressa's expression darkened. "Who saw you? And what did they threaten?"

"You can probably guess," I said, voice tight. "I was careless. She warned me she'd be watching me. I didn't take it seriously, but she obviously did."

"Aeloria," Ressa growled. "What did she say? Because really, there's nothing she can say. It's normal for you to train, normal for you to develop. You already figured out Spirit Burst on your own, and unarmed combat is your specialty. It's not like this came out of nowhere."

I sighed. "That's not the issue. She didn't threaten me. If anything, it was… positive?"

Ressa sighed. "Spit it out, then."

"She told her father about me. Apparently, Prime Besas has an interest in 'anomalies'. He wants to buy me from House Garazal. If he does, I won't be considered a slave. I'd be a full member of House Besas."

Torma whistled low. "Not gonna lie, Adam—that sounds like a damn good deal to me. What did you say?"

"What else could I say? I told her yes. It would've been insane to refuse outright." I paused, running a hand through my hair. "I just hope it doesn't mess up the escape plan. I don't trust her."

Ressa crossed her arms. "Funny. I thought you were warming to her."

I shrugged. "She's trying to be pleasant, and I always try to give people a fair shot. But I think we can all agree that Aeloria's pleasant feels like a tiger offering to scratch your back. Call it instinct, but something feels off about this."

"Maybe," Torma said, resting his feet on the table now that most of the drama was over. "But from what I've heard, House Besas is way better than House Garazal. If your escape plan falls through, I'll be rooting for that deal."

"Adam should be free of Archons altogether. Come to Nyvren if your escape fails. You will be respected there."

"Thanks, Ellaazi That's kind of you to offer."

She grinned, then pulled out a bottle form her satchel. "Sounds like cause to celebrate, and I got a fresh bottle of Jagga today!"

The thought of a drink right now sounded great, but there was no way I was putting Jagga in my body again. "Is there anywhere we can get plain old alcohol? I can't be doing with Jagga."

"You're joking right?" Ressa said. "Alcohol this early in the day?"

I paused and did a double take. "Are you telling me Jagga is a better alternative for day drinking?"

She looked at me like I was truly mad. "A drink that allows for ultimate relaxation and for all your dreams to come true for half an hour before waking up healthy and hale? Yes. It's far better! There's no competition between the two.

I shook my head vehemently. "I beg to differ. I'm never drinking that stuff again."

"You had a bad rush, that's all. Try it again, but go in with a positive frame of mind. Think about where you'd most like to be in the whole of the cosmos. And who you'd like to be with. Once you have that set in your mind, drink the Jagga."

"Where was that pep talk when I had it the first time?"

She giggled. "If you'd said you'd never tried it before instead of being the dark, brooding type, then perhaps we could have helped."

I grinned back. "You have a point. But I'm still going to pass. I can't get those bloody slugs out of my mind whenever I think about it."

I could tell from her face that she wasn't buying it. "Once more, and if you have a bad experience, you never need to try it again. Yes?"

"This is peer pressure, and I never give in to peer pressure," I warned seriously as she poured two glasses of the blood-red liquor out.

"No, this is Ressa pressure." She handed one of the glasses to me, then settled into the couch.

She raised her glass, staring at me with unsettling intensity, then shot her Jagga back. She continued to stare at me as the drink took hold. Slurring words came a moment later. "Drink, Adam."

"Still trying to get good vibes in my head."

She smiled at that, and then her eyes rolled back and she was out. I noticed Torma watching me from the other couch. Ellaazi already signed out.

"You're not gonna drink that are you?"

I winced, looking back to Ressa, "No. I'm not. It's not really my scene. Even if I do get to live out my wildest fantasies."

He leaned over and took the glass from me. "I respect your decision." He downed it in one and handed me the glass back. "I'll cover you with Ressa. You drank it and had another shitty buzz. That way, you should be able to avoid any future difficulties."

"Thanks, dude. I'd really appreciate that."

But it was too late. He was gone.

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