I looked at myself in the mirror, turning this way and that as I tried to recognize the person staring back.

  Flynn had spared no expense or effort in his preparations. Between his tutoring, my training with Della, my own studies, and the various tailors, barbers, and assorted servants, I now looked far less like an ordinary mage and far more like a young nobleman, heir to some great house.

  I stood straight-backed, staring forward with a calm, confident gaze that I didn't completely feel. My face was smooth and angular, having lost the last, rounded bits of my childhood features at some point. I could see a faint scar across my cheek and another along my chin, little reminders of injuries I didn't even remember. I had even grown a little taller at some point, though I doubted I would be any more than average height.

  My hair was done in a style not many nobles preferred, long enough to tie into a ponytail but with strands hanging loose to frame my face and cover my forehead. The current trend was short, neat, and tidy, but Flynn felt that going against that would help convey a particular image. I had agreed, mainly because I preferred my hair this way.

  We had settled on black and silver for my personal colors. The Sions tended to use bright shades, reflecting their historical association with light magic, and going in such a different direction might be construed as a shame or insult...but who would dare bring that up to my face? Adopted or not, I was now a Duke's son.

  Besides, this was once again to my liking. I had always preferred darker colors.

  The actual style was a mixture of form and function, and was the one tradition I had followed from the Sion's without protest. Heavy boots, pants with just enough flexibility to allow for a full range of motion, a thin undershirt with a heavier, flowing coat, and gloves that wouldn't impede my manual dexterity all looked flashy and formal, but would work equally well in a battle.

  I found the magic worked into the clothes, the most interesting part of all. The materials were all magical down to their core, made from plants infused with mana and the hides of supernaturally tough beasts. Those, combined with clever enchantments, made it so that the entire ensemble could resist minor burns, dirt, debris, clean itself, and even repair from minor damage.

  None of those would help much in battle, but I found it worth investigating further for later developments. After all, I was already creating weapons from pure mana. Why not clothes as well?

  The one adjustment I had made was a pair of bracers hidden under the sleeves of both arms. They were the latest iterations of my prior efforts at enchantment and were likely the most complex magical creations I had made so far. The right would project a multi-layered shield that even Flynn couldn't punch through without some effort. I hadn't yet tested the left, and ideally wouldn't need to, but it paid to be prepared.

  Completing the ensemble was the symbol on the back of the coat. We had discussed my personal crest at length before deciding the best choice would be one that once again fed into the same idea as the rest of my appearance and reputation. If I were to look like the ambitious and unorthodox second son of a Duke, why not go all the way?

  Engraved in silver across my back was a crescent moon. It was curving, graceful as a sharpened edge, but cutting across it was the familiar silhouette of my swordstaff. I had settled on a simpler depiction than the real thing, but it would be instantly recognizable to those who might see me in battle.

  I tilted my head to one side, then sighed and shifted. The clothes themselves fit me like a second skin, but I couldn't shake the feeling of lingering discomfort. After a heartbeat, I shook my head and turned to Fortunatus, who was watching me with a decidedly human expression of amusement.

  "You look different," he said into my mind.

  "Blame Flynn," I replied with a laugh. "You ready?"

  "Always," Fortunatus yawned. "This place is boring."

  I wondered at that. The feline had taken to wandering off, sometimes for days at a time. I had only gotten sparse feelings through our bond, but Fortunatus had always returned healthy and untouched, if a bit drained of Aether. He'd never shared what he did, but the few images I could glean all suggested he was hunting, napping, and exploring.

  In my experience, a cat couldn't dream of a better life. But then again, most cats didn't speak into minds or subsist entirely off of mana.

  Together, we left my room behind and made our way to meet with Flynn. I'd already discussed where we'd join up the night before, and I found that the light mage was already waiting for us, hands on his hips and an easy smile on his face.

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  "Good morning, you two! Look at you. The picture of a true noble." Flynn nodded appreciatively as he circled me. "No need to thank me."

  "I wasn't planning on it," I replied, folding my arms across my chest. My backpack dug into my shoulders, and I looked around for a few seconds before continuing, "Where is everyone else?"

  "Oh, it's just the two of us."

  I blinked. That was unusual. Yes, a family entourage of guards and servants would slow us down, but we'd left enough time to reach Volaris even with that delay.

  Flynn caught my confusion and laughed. "I prefer to travel without them if at all possible. Call it an independent streak."

  I shrugged, deciding not to dig deeper even though I suspected there was more to it. The idea of sitting in a cart, wasting my time away like I'd done months prior, sounded like hell, and I wasn't going to question Flynn's decision. Still, there was one problem.

  "I don't suppose you have enough room in your ring for my pack?" I asked, shifting the burden towards Flynn.

  "Nope! But I have something even better," Flynn said, waving his arm to one side. He flourished and then, through sleight of hand rather than magic, he was holding a ring.

  I stared at it. "That's not..."

  "A spatial ring? Why yes, yes it is. The smallest and lowest quality one our family owns, as a matter of fact. I'd estimate it can fit your backpack along with a small bag, but nothing more. Still an invaluable treasure, so I wouldn't mind a thank you this time."

  I took the ring from him, slipping it onto my right index finger before smiling and nodding once."Thank you, Flynn. For everything. All of this...it's more than I would've ever expected."

  "If things work out as I hope they do, you'll have more than repaid the debt. Now, shall we?"

  Together, the three of us set off, leaving the Sion family estate behind us.

  ---

  We reached Volaris in just four days, a journey made easy by our magic. I had long ago relearned how to draw in mana while in motion, and that, combined with my Arcane Body spell, allowed me to run as fast as a horse for hours at a time.

  Flynn's skill with strengthening magic wasn't nearly as polished, but he was more than capable of keeping up through other means. Instead of running beside me, he flew high overhead atop a magical platform. I had no idea how he managed it without running out of power, but I attributed the feat to his own gathering technique, training, and the abundance of light mana.

  Either way, we passed through the gates of the capital with days to spare. Flynn had the decency to land and walk beside me, seemingly none the worse for wear after several days on the road. His attire, like mine, had been enchanted to treat dirt and debris like a mortal foe.

  Volaris was...well, much the same as I remembered. Travelers packed the streets, pushing this way and that as they rushed to their destinations. The shops looked bustling, with merchants hanging from doorways as they beckoned at passersby to stop in and sample their wares. As we walked, I let my eyes wander over signs for alchemy shops and through the windows to examine the wares of some forger or enchanter.

  But below it all was the steady thrum of mana in the air and beneath my feet. The great, rippling current of power buzzed at the edge of my senses, seemingly inexhaustible in my mind's eye. I could feel the thin pull as a thousand mages drew from that source, but even that seemed to be nothing. There could be a million, and I doubted it would make much of a difference.

  As we walked through the city, I stopped. Flynn carried on a few steps before he drew up short and turned to face me. A question was on his lips, but I had already begun pulling on my Aether.

  Mana flowed through my legs, and I pushed off the street. My first Flicker Step carried me ten feet straight up, more than high enough to land on the nearest rooftop. I paused for only a second before jumping again. This time, I slowed just long enough to plant my feet against an angled wall before leaping a third time.

  When I straightened up, I was not standing on the roof of a towering, four-story building. It was an inn of some kind, not the largest structure around, but more than tall enough to give an uninterrupted vantage point of the city.

  Slowly, I turned and found that even up here, the city looked the same as my memories. It was completely and utterly unchanged, as if I had left yesterday rather than two years earlier.

  I could see the Lower District on the outskirts of the city, with its single-story, dilapidated buildings. They reminded me of Colkirk, clustered together, but whereas the City without Winter had felt welcoming, those looked almost deparate, as though the buildings had to learn on one another just to stay up.

  Closer to the Academy was the Upper District, populated entirely by mansions and estates. Those great buildings had entire swaths of green, open fields around them. I knew that they'd remain verdant even in the winter, maintained through a small fortune in magical resources.

  And even further off was the Invictus, which I now recognized as the legacy of one of the Seven. I made a mental note to take a closer look, but my eyes drifted past it and onto the Academy. Even here, miles away, I felt the mana flowing from that place. It swirled around it in a great whirlpool, drawing power from its surroundings to power some unseen work of magic. Maybe it was whatever spell allowed them to twist space within its walls?

  I felt the twist of light mana beside me and turned to see Flynn rise up to the roof atop a platform of gold. Fortunatus stood at his feet, and the cat jumped off when they drew level with me. Flynn stepped off a second later, whistling with both hands in his pockets.

  "It's typically considered rude to wander off without a word, you know," Flynn commented as he walked up beside me.

  I didn't reply, turning back to face the city, and I saw Flynn glance at me from the corner of his eye before he continued, "Are you alright?"

  "Fine. I just didn't expect the city to look so..." I trailed off, shaking my head. "Nothing's changed."

  "Did you expect it to?" Flynn asked.

  "No," I replied. "Maybe. I'm not sure. It's been two years, after all."

  "People change in two years. Cities don't always change in two decades."

  I knew he was right, but still. It made no sense, but I couldn't help shake the feeling that something should be different.

  Flynn cleared his throat. "Let's go over the plan again, alright? The banquet is five days from now, which gives us four to check out the Academy. I'm going to head there and get us entrance into the Archives while you—"

  "Try and get a meeting with Vesper Ollais," I finished.

  "I was actually going to suggest you visit your old mentor and your friends."

  I glanced at Flynn, finding that his face was without even a hint of mocking.

  "Just...call it a friendly suggestion, alright?" Flynn said.

  I nodded, opting not to respond, and instead sent a message to Fortunatus. The cat jumped onto my shoulders, and I carefully wrapped him in a shell of mana before gathering my legs up and Stepping away.

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