I spent the next cycle keeping my head down. I offered nothing extra in classes, and did everything I could to avoid contact with Aeloria. I'd even avoided increasing any more of my stats. As one more point would carry me to Level 20, and it seemed prudent to avoid that landmark for another week or two.

The hostility I'd faced around the school from the Archon students fizzled out and returned to passive indifference.

The closest I came to trouble was from Master Quesal, the Aetheric Magic teacher. She'd clearly forgotten my name, and had pulled up my stats to check. When she did, she saw the level, and her chirp of surprise drew eyes from across the class.

"Level 19, Adam! Very well done. It's easier to increase at the lower levels, but from entering the academy only a few weeks ago at Level 16, that is an impressive feat. Come on, tell us! What's your secret?"

I shook my head. "No secret. I'm just training as hard as I can in my free time to catch up. The increases are definitely slowing down though."

"Yes, it is a sad fact of life that things only ever seem to get harder. Still, well done. It shows great eagerness to learn."

The watching eyes lost interest in the conversation, and I sighed with relief that she didn't probe any further.

By the time my next Freeday came around, I awoke, stretched on my bed with a satisfied smile as a full cycle without any incidents elapsed. Only seven cycles and a few days left before the great escape. Apart from meals, I'd resolved to stay in the room for the entire day.

That lasted until around mid-day when a knock came at the door. I was the only one in the dorm room, as the others all had places to be, so I had to answer it. Though as my hand landed on the door handle, I considered how many times I'd heard someone knock on the door.

The answer was never.

"Who is it?" I shouted through. I expected Aeloria to answer. She was the only one I could think of.

"It's Warden Anso, Adam. Would you mind opening up?"

It felt like a giant icy cold hand had gripped hold of me. My mind raced with a thousand possibilities as to why they were here, though only one stood out. Did they know about my escape plan?

Whether they did or not, my next actions still had to be the same. I swung open the door.

"What a surprise," I said without emotion.

"Indeed," he said, marching into the room with Augur Stanis hot on his heels. The mage turned and closed the door, his hand glowing as he did so.

"We won't be disturbed," Anso clarified as I watched the process. "Come, sit. We must speak."

A weight settled on me like a suit of armor as I made my way back over to the couches and sat down opposite Anso. Stanis sat in the third couch, signaling for Anso to begin.

"It is good to see you are blossoming in this wonderful environment, Adam. Judging from your level, it won't be too long until we are paying the rest of your fee to the Unalarans?"

"It appears not," I said, shifting to get comfortable, though I knew I never would with those hawk eyes on me. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Do we need a reason to come and visit our favorite Earther?" He laughed good-naturedly.

"Not at all." I agreed. "I just assumed something had prompted it. Unless you just have a schedule to visit me that I don't know about. I don't know much of your plans regarding me."

"On this occasion, it is an impromptu visit. We had intended to visit after a couple of cycles, but the growth reports we've received suggested that you didn't need any extra encouragement to develop your skills. This is a good thing for all concerned. We would have left you until the end-of-year tournament, but a few things have changed, and the Prime Garazal asked us to pay you a special visit."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "So Prime Garazal actually knows he bought me then?" I asked, not bothering to hide the sarcasm.

"Of course he does. I fear you underestimate his reach and his interest in you. He is acutely aware of your presence, and from what I gather, he's quite excited to see you in action at the Tournament."

"Then I hope I don't disappoint," I said, praying they couldn't read my mind at that moment.

"He is also aware that you have formed a relationship with Scion Aeloria Besas."

"I wouldn't call it a relationship," I muttered.

"One-on-one training sessions, and a Shroud of Silence enchantment on an isolated field suggest otherwise. I fear you underplay your relationship."

"Hardly. But if you're half as clever as you seem to be, then you already know that and you're trying to goad me."

The Warden beamed. "You're good, Adam. If that's the case, then you shouldn't mind telling us what she said?"

"Not at all. She said I was an impressive anomaly and that her father likes to collect anomalies. Asked if I would be open to him trying to buy out my contract with your house."

The Warden didn't appear to be surprised by that, which suggested I was only confirming things he already knew. "And you replied?"

"I replied that I was a slave, and that it hardly mattered who owned my contract. To which she replied that House Besas would free me from a slave ownership contract, and that I'd just serve as part of the household and would I be interested."

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"And what was your response to that?" the Agur said, leaning forward, eyes full of intrigue though he earned a scowl from Anso.

"What do you think I said? Of course I don't want to be a slave."

Anso nodded. "Understandable. Is there anything else of note?"

I thought about it for a moment, then shook my head. "No. Nothing. She mentioned they had their eye on another special Earther, but that was it."

Anso's eyes. "Another like you?"

I held up my hands. "I have no idea. That was all she told me, I promise."

Augur Stanis nodded. "We believe you."

The way he said it suggested that he knew I was telling the truth.

"You should know," Anso continued. "Besas has made an offer for you."

My eyes widened. Now that was news. "They did?"

"Yes. And Union rules state that as you are only under contract to House Garazal, that we ask you your wishes."

I held a hand up. "Hang on a minute, only under contract, what does that mean?"

"It means you are not a slave, nor are you owned. Though you owe us fifteen years of service."

"So I'm not technically a slave?"

"No. That had to be changed when you were admitted to the academy."

"So are you asking me if I want to leave?"

"After a fashion. We would have to agree on an asking price, and Union rules allow us to set our own price, providing it meets certain criteria. Currently, we are able to set it at 3.5 million Unitols due to your potential."

It was all too much for me. Too much information at once. None of it even mattered if I made it home. But if I didn't? If something happened, and I was stuck here?

"So what is your answer?" Anso asked.

I met his intense stare, and scrabbled for an answer that made sense. "No one's going to pay that much money for me. But"—and I gestured to the place around us—"I suppose you've done all right by me after a rough start. What's my outlook with you?"

"You will be looked after. You will be able to rise through the ranks and have all rights any other citizen of the Union enjoys. In fifteen years, you can leave, though I suspect you will not want to. We are a powerful house."

I shrugged noncommittally. "It's all a bit confusing, but I'm happy to stay with Garazal as long as I can leave the academy grounds."

Anso pursed his lips "I'm afraid not. At least not this academic year. You may in your second year. But you must understand, this is a formality. Besas cannot afford to meet our demands for you, and there are still many ways around blocking any sale."

I was about to ask what the ways were when I realized my death was probably one of them. Ultimately, it didn't matter. I didn't want to be under the beck and call of either house. So I shrugged. "I don't trust Aeloria. On Earth, we have an expression: Better the devil you know. And apart from the first two weeks, you've been good enough to me. I'm House Garazal."

"It warms my heart to hear you confirm that, Adam. With an ascendancy such as yours, you will go far. There are a couple of minor issues we still need to address."

I felt my alarm bells ringing. "Such as?"

"Your friends have been regularly forming a Cloak of Silence around your room during your evening training sessions."

"It's to stop the sound of the hammer travelling," I said, struggling to hide my fury at being spied on in such a way. "You really are paying close attention. Are none of my words to be private?"

Anso shrugged. "We can't follow all of your conversations, that would be an incredible drain on our resources. But we do have to look after our investment and discern when you are under the influence of spells, skills, and enchantments."

I desperately wanted to know how they could tell that, but I kept my mouth shut. That was a question for my friends.

"Suffice to say, we need those Cloaks of Silence to stop, or there will be repercussions."

"So you want me to get stronger, yet you intend to remove my best form of strength training?"

"The Grunir method is effective, but basic and ultimately limited. You run the risk of becoming unbalanced in your upper body strength distribution. But…" The Warden pulled an odd-looking item from his satchel, consisting of two hand grips attached by a thin wire. "With your increased durability, you should be capable of using these."

He gestured for me to pick them up and as much as I wanted to be angry, when I noticed the sheer amount of rune work on both grips and wire, I couldn't find words to complain. "What the hell are these?"

"They are a very rare, very expensive piece of equipment, loaned to you personally from the Archon Garazal in reparation for being unable to use the Cloak of Silence. I suggest you identify them."

"Identify them?"

The Warden looked at me like I'd just sprouted a second head.

The Augur laughed. "Can it be? Can a Level 19 Ascended at a prestigious Warrior Mage Academy not know how to identify an item?"

"Of course it can," I said with a little venom. "If nobody thinks to show that person how to do it."

Anso nodded. "I assumed any gaps in your knowledge would be taken care of here, but I see now how the basic we take for granted could be overlooked. Just focus on the object, Adam, as if you were raising an identifier for a person. You do need to be touching the item for it to work."

I did as he said:

Titan Strain:

Level Requirement (20)

Price Range – ???

Titan Strain is a unique training device designed to temper the bodies of elite warriors. Two grips connected by enchanted filaments multiply latent energy in direct relation to the user's grip strength. The harder you squeeze, the greater the amplification on your arms, shoulders, and core.

Each repetition forces the user's body to adapt. Only those with the will to endure will reap the rewards. Titan Strain ensures that weakness is not just exposed, but shattered.

Warning: Extended use can accelerate muscular fatigue to fatal levels. Caution advised.

I sat there dumbfounded at the item. The description suggested it was very overpowered. I looked up at Anso. "What kind of gains would you expect me to see from this?"

He smiled, knowing I'd been swayed by the shiny, new toy. "Honestly, I would expect to see substantial gains at your current strength. This artifact can still provide gains for someone as strong as me as it is strength dependent. But as you have no doubt learned, growth is much faster in the early stages. You will find a steep plateau as you enter the 20s, and by the 30s, you have to start getting clever and targeting weaknesses to improve. Give it a try."

I would have far preferred to try them when they weren't there, as I didn't know what to expect, but curiosity got the better of me, and I found myself picking the two grips up. "I just squeeze?"

Anso nodded. Mana coursed through my arms immediately, and they began to tremble all the way up to my shoulders and into the upper part of my chest. I released my grip, and the magic eased immediately. As my muscles relaxed, my arms sagged, exhausted.

"Holy shit. Now that was intense." I wouldn't be able to use my arms again for a while unless I got them healed, but that could wait. "They look good. Thanks, I suppose."

"You're very welcome, Adam. I must warn you that they are for you and you alone to use. They are attuned to you."

"Really?" I asked, curious as to how they could be attuned to me alone as I'd never seen them before.

"Absolutely. They will not work for anyone else." He stood and dusted his hands. "I think that concludes our business."

I was glad to hear it, and even happier to see them both stand. Stanis created a portal behind the couch area, and Anso headed towards, but he paused before stepping through and looked back.

"This other Earther that Besas mentioned. Did they give you any more information at all?"

I cast my mind back over what she'd said. Then shook my head. "Only that she had a feeling we'd get on together. So perhaps another Warrior Mage?"

Anso looked disappointed, but nodded his thanks then stepped through the portal. Stanis followed, and I was left alone once again.

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