[M] The Wizard Tower (Nymphadora and Headwrapper)

[Headwrapper]

Shen listened to the conversation between Raven and Greagor in relative silence, only responding with a half-smile and a shrug whenever Greagor had offered him some acknowledgement. Khaalida was right, the man sure was friendly. And quite talkative. Shen found himself grateful that Raven was taking the brunt of the word barrage that came their way. In fact, he found himself even more grateful that Raven was his mentor and that Greagor served as Khaalida and company's temporary chief, and not the other way around. It was easy to get along with Raven. Her words and actions all seemed purposeful. Greagor seemed to just... enjoy talking.

His gaze began to wander as the conversation progressed. It was exciting to know that there was potential learning about the nature of the mind-mages, but if all the talk was only about what needed to be done and not what has been done, well, then it struggled to draw interest. He watched Raven as she politely offered her attention to her fellow mage. How she nodded to convey interest, smiled and raised her eyebrows as an interesting point was brought up, while rested her head on one hand. After a while though, his gaze then shifted down the table, briefly noting the way Alameth and Acasis seemed to listen intently to their new ward's words. Then there was Khaalida, who also seemed to occasionally glance around to watch the people who were silent rather than the ones speaking. Before anyone would notice his staring, Shen turned his head back towards the main drivers of the conversation.

"It certainly sounds like you have a lot of work ahead of you," Raven commented, briefly glance down towards her plate. She quickly plucked two strawberries that had made their way into her salad and dropped them onto the edge of Shen's plate across from her. "But if all goes well, your findings will be very unique, I'm sure. There is not very much literature about the use of mind-based abilities. That being said, I must acknowledge your zeal in the face of such a daunting task." She glanced down the table, taking in the faces of the apprentices that had accompanied Greagor. If their gazes met, she would offered Khaalida a small smile. Her attention then turned to the other two mages who must have been Greagor's new charges. She seemed especially intrigued with little Acasis. "And what's your name, little one?" She asked cheerily.




Once Raven was content, and both she and Shen seemed to be finished, she stood. "Thank you all for joining us," she said warmly. "It's about time I get back to the task that brought me to this tower." Her eyes flicked towards her charge, who promptly stood. He offered the rest of the party a small nod before following Raven to return their dishes and be on their way.

"So you knew Greagor from your time in your tower?" Shen asked as they walked.

Raven shrugged mildly. "Yes, but our interactions were fairly limited. He is rather friendly, I suppose. I should ask if he would be willing to trade the little girl in exchange for you." She turned her head to flash him a mischievous grin as she watched his reaction. After they made their way through the kitchens, Raven began back towards the lift in the center of their level of the tower. "Let's begin discussing what your future duties as a mage will be. I think my chambers will work fine."

It did not take long for them to find themselves back in the main room of Raven's chambers, in their usual seats. Unlike usual, Raven sat closer to the edge of her seat, contrasting to relaxed position she always seemed to assume when she sat there. "Before I go through the trouble of reexplaining everything you already know, why don't you tell me what you know about the Battleseer class?"

Shen scratched the back of his head, gathering his thoughts. "Being a combat focused group, we are tasked with taking care of any fighting that is required for the betterment of the magehood. Creatures that are hunted for resources that can not be taken down using conventional traps are fought by the battleseers. Hunting missions that have the potential to go south also require the presence of a battleseer in case the group is confronted by creatures they can not simply escape from. The responsibility to protect the towers from any sort of attacks also falls on us. Sometimes our help is enlisted for other minor tasks that might require a skilled fighter, but I have not ever heard of what kind of tasks require such."

Raven nodded idly as she listened to Shen's explanation, her lips curling slightly at the words "we" and "us". "Yes, all of that is true," she responded. "When exploring unknown lands, the mapweavers might require a small team of battleseers to join in case of an attack. There might be various other reasons battleseers are needed to serve as simple bodyguards, but usually that kind of work is reserved for the weaker and less ambitious few." She shifted in her seat, seemingly debating something in her mind. "There is also another, less spoken of role that battleseers play. Such a task is reserved only for the strongest, unflinching mages." Her eyes fell to the table in front of, and they remained there as she continued. "Have you heard of the Azo'thai?"

"Are those the... they're the demons that used to hunt magic folk and mages, feasting on their magical energy or even just their extract. Isn't that right? They were said to have been wiped out once the Dark Days ended."

"Wiped out," Raven repeated meekly. "They are anything but, I'm afraid. They still exist. But their numbers are limited, and the strongest of our class keep it that way. Some fondly call it the 'culling.' The Battleseers were originally called such because the first leaders of the towers' battle mages were clairvoyants. They could see when the number of Azo'thai was beginning to grow too large, and would send battle mages to cut them down. Being that they only reside in one specific corner of the continent, it is fairly easy to do so. But completely eliminating them is impossible. They always return, and it is unclear why."

She shook her head gently. "Never mind all of that though. You will never get the chance to even fight an Azo'thai if we don't teach you your rituals. There are still a few you will have to perform on your road to ascension, and many more afterwards. The next three rituals are meant to help you increase your control of your powers to the next level, in preparation for the final ritual just before your ascension ceremony. Think of them as the three points that will be on your star."

[Nymphadora]

Khaalida was still rehearsing all sorts of speeches in preparation for when she was going to tell Greagor that she would have to have to refuse being part of his little experiments when there was a small lull in the conversation. She shut her inner babble off and looked up, away from the food she still hadn't taken a single bite of. Not that anyone would know since it was all pushed around her plate and mixed in with each other. It looked like someone had cooked up a whole meal and just dumped it all haphazardly into a bowl from which she scooped herself one large helping. She wrinkled her nose slightly, shaking her head as she pushed her plate away from her. At the sound of Raven's voice, Khaalida chanced a quick look over towards where the two mages were talking.

Out of her peripheral, she could see Shen's head and shoulders above Acasis's tiny form, but she pointedly avoided looking directly at him, so she saw when Raven transferred strawberries from her own plate to his. Khaalida's chest tightened and she felt heat growing there. Greagor shot a quick smile over towards her before immediately going back to his conversation with Raven.

"It is definitely a studious assignment. But so far these three have been more than forthcoming with their support and have been helping me with whatever I ask," he said in response to the other mage. Khaalida suppressed an eye roll. That wasn't going to last much longer. She thought she saw Raven look over in her direction out of the corner of her eye, but she just kept staring down at the table. However, she looked up at Raven's next question, looking down at Acasis herself to see if she would respond. But as predicted, Acasis met the older woman's eyes with her own wide gaze, like she was mortified that she had just been put on the spot.

The little girl's eyes fell and Khaalida saw a red hue stretch across her cheeks and discolor her ears. "Acasis. Her name is Acasis," Khaalida said, her voice indifferent as she wrapped an arm around the younger girl's shoulders who gladly leaned against her.

"I'm Alameth. It's an honor to meet you," her blonde friend said, leaning his elbow on the table and his head on his hand. Khaalida raised an eyebrow as she studied Alameth's expression. Big doe-eyes, and a bewildered air. The boy was such a lost cause. Her eyes jumped away from him and back towards the mages when Raven stood up, Shen following her example. Khaalida suppressed a sigh as she finally allowed herself to look at him as he began walking away from the table and their little group. Her eyes followed them until they were out of sight and she braced herself for whatever comment Alameth was surely going to make about Shen being too good to talk to them or something. But it didn't come. Instead the boy sighed and glanced over at her.

"Raven is really pretty, huh?" he murmured, earning him a raised eyebrow from Greagor who was sitting on his right.

"Not really my type," Khaalida said dryly, finally removing her arm from around Acasis's shoulder, who smiled up at her.

"Do you even have a type?" Alameth shot back at her.

"I'm sure Khaalida is holding out until she finds someone who helps her be a better person. As should you Alameth. Trust me, a great mind like yours mixing up with a BattleSeer will bring you nothing but trouble," Greagor said, pointing his fork at him. Khaalida bet that Greagor had no idea how close he had hit to home. Lectures and well-placed attempts to get her to study or practice her craft more were definitely signs of someone trying to help her better herself, in her opinion. She pushed those thoughts away though and fixed Alameth with her eyes.

"Besides, I thought you already promised your heart to Cheris. Vowing to tell her the day you ascend that you plan to bond with her?" Acasis snickered beside her and Khaalida let an apathetic smile turn up the corners of her mouth. Khaalida allowed herself to dive into this conversation. Even if she was being a little mean, it was making her feel better.

Alameth's cheeks glowed red as he stared back at her. "It doesn't hurt to look," he finally murmured, his demeanor totally deflated.

Khaalida saw Greagor following the conversation with avid attention as he continued to eat the food he hadn't been able to earlier because he'd been too busy talking. But he eventually spoke up again, surprisingly, Khaalida was glad too, because his question gave her more fuel for the fire she had just set ablaze under Alameth. "Who is Cheris?"

The look of horror on Alameth's face actually made Khaalida forget all of her problems for a moment and she laughed. "She is Deliah's, our head mage of the apothecary and of healing, assistant. She's the one who checks up on, what does she call you?" she tilted her head, her eyes searching Alameth's face for the answer she already knew. "...Alywisp, is it? After he's had an episode," she grinned evilly at her friend whose face was a deeper shade of red than the raspberry fruit filling on her favorite pastry. She slid her eyes over towards Greagor and smiled even wider. "She even kisses his forehead to make it feel better." She was having entirely too much fun with this.

"Sounds serious," Greagor gave Alameth an encouraging grin.

"Well, it would be. If she didn't go around telling people Alameth reminded her of her own son." That was when Acasis broke out in a full laugh. The sound was so innocent and happy, Khaalida couldn't help but join in. She could tell that even Greagor was having trouble keeping his face straight.

"Oh, so she's an older lady," Greagor said, though Khaalida thought it sounded like he was trying way too hard to come off like he didn't think it was a big deal. "How much older. Her son is young?"

Khaalida laughed harder, grabbing her side in stitches as she shook her head. But Alameth saved her from having to try and answer. "It's Kinneas." He grumbled, his voice sounded weak. Kinneas, Alameth's tutor in Alchemy and sort of his role model throughout the years. Granted, he had been tutoring Alameth since before he had ascended himself, but Khaalida still thought it was hilarious. She watched as Greagor searched his memory for the name and then when recognition lit his features he deftly hid his mouth from view with his hand. Khaalida assumed he was hiding a smile, trying to compose his features for Alameth's sake.

"Thanks a lot, Khal," her friend grumbled, pushing his own plate away from him now. She was still laughing enough to the point she couldn't respond. "I'm going back to the training room. I'm not hungry anymore," he mumbled, standing up. Khaalida sobered up enough to try and stop him.

"Awe, Al, we were just having a bit of fun. Don't skulk off," she sighed, her stomach felt slightly sore from the laughing fit. But he didn't stop. Acasis stood up beside Khaalida and smiled.

"I'll go with him. And I'll be nice," she declared in her small voice as she walked off briskly to catch up with the blonde haired boy. Suddenly it was just her and Greagor now. But surprisingly, she didn't feel her mood darken at the thought. She was actually enjoying herself a little, so why should she let him ruin it? She decided telling him she didn't want to join in the experiment where he would watch and analyze while she summoned someone through the veil would be better held off until a later time. She glanced down at her food, touched, but not a single bite of it actually eaten. She almost felt like she'd be being rude if she left him here alone. She bit her bottom lip, wondering about what she should do.

"You should go with your friends, I'll be along shortly," Greagor spoke up through her inner babble and she looked at him questioningly.

"Pretty sure I'm the last person Al wants to talk to right now," she said, not really feeling sad about that statement. She knew he'd get over it.

"Suit yourself. I'll just be writing, so feel free to go when you want," he murmured, already looking down at book he'd pulled out of his robes. He opened up to a blank page, pulled out a quill and an inkwell and got to work. Khaalida raised an eyebrow, she wondered how much other stuff he was hiding in those robes then she sighed, pushing herself up and away from the table. Her robes swished around her ankles as she stepped away from the table, taking her's and Acasis's plate with her. Once she deposited them she walked out into the corridor leading to the stairwell.

Greagor

Day 2
Entry 3

New plans have developed. In order to obtain the best results possible, it has come to my attention that Khaalida's attachment to her friend, Shen, must end. But not while muddling up her emotions myself. It must be her decision. So, I've set in motion a plan to make Raven and Shen become closer. Enough so that Khaalida, if my predictions are right, will pull away on her own in hopes of avoiding the pain that the two BattleSeers' closeness will cause her.

The details of this plan are actually quite simple. Raven probably has the hardest job, getting that one-track minded boy to see past his own little bubble will be the most challenging. But, he is still a man,
and no man is impervious to the allures of a woman's body. By making him want space from his closest friend, he'll unknowingly seek that closeness elsewhere, thus inadvertently getting closer to his mentor.

It will take time, but time is what I have. I plan to be there as a replacement for Shen when Khaalida finds she has no one to talk to about things. But I must remember to do so in a less forthcoming way.
She outright fights me at every turn it feels. Even in the little things. Sometimes I don't even think she realizes she's doing it.

Trust. Her trust is what I need.

Once I can obtain that. The loyalty she now shows Shen, she'll show towards me and my goal here.

I have already began instilling her with a tad bit more confidence. Not enough that it will mess with my results, just enough to give her that push to finally come to the decision to forget about the hair-brained Battleseer and see what's really important.

Alameth and Acasis are already, for the most part, pretty compliant with what I ask them to do. I only wish the boy could will himself to have a vision. It really would be miraculous to get data for that phenomena. Acasis has been the most helpful already. Willing to show me her abilities and talk freely with me about it. If only Khaalida would be so open.

Khaalida

She was practicing her archery when Greagor finally rejoined them. He shot her a curious look, taking in the quiver she had strapped to her back.

"You can't summon your own arrows?"

"I can. But, like everything else, they disappear as soon as I let go of them. They never reach the target," she mumbled in reply, knocking one of the black arrows to the string of her ethereal bow.

"What about that sword yesterday? You didn't need to keep a hold of that," he said, his voice sounded more like a statement than a question.

"That was... Different. I tried something new. I can't do that with each individual arrow," she said evasively, letting her voice hold a tone that said that topic wasn't up for discussion. Thankfully Greagor took the hint and nodded with a quiet hum before he walked over to join Alameth at the table. She vaguely heard him say something about Argen before she tuned them out and went back to her practicing.

[Headwrapper]

Shen and Raven, having both spent a good part of the afternoon discussing the battleseer rituals, had both assumed comfortable positions in their respective seats. Raven had once again eased back in her chair, her legs crossed as usual, only moving them to switch which leg sat over the other. Shen leaned against the arm rest towards his mentor, remaining mostly stoic as she described the practices. The main lesson he was thankful to learn was that the rituals post-ascension were fairly limited in number, the most frequent ones being around holidays. Shen wondered how he would fair in one of the fighting tourneys the battleseers hosted during the winter holidays, during the rare times apprentices had a break from their studies. The magical jousts mostly served to keep people entertained during such a slow time, but Shen fancied himself capable of walking away a champion of one of those tourneys once he had enough time as a mage.

The rituals he was going to face soon, before finally ascending into true magehood, were much more daunting. As Raven mentioned, the first three were meant to help Shen improve his control over his powers, in preparation for one final ritual. The final ritual will once again be in the presence of an Elder, but Raven decided not to describe what their role would be. "I don't want you to lose focus on the other rituals," she had told him. "They are just as important as any ritual requiring an Elder."

After she had described what would take place in the next ritual Shen would perform, he realized why she did not want him to be daunted by the final ritual. The first one seemed grueling enough, serving more as some sort of sick trial of willpower rather than a ritual. "You are to fast on nothing but water for four days. During that time we w-... What?"

"Four days!?"

"Poor baby."

"You can't seriously tell me every battleseer has had to do this?"

"You don't see very many fat battleseers, do you?" Raven raised a quizzical eyebrow as she poised the question. "It would do you some good to lay off the sugar, regardless. Now if I can continue... While you are on your fast, we will be making a pilgrimage to the Springs of Ilya. They are not far from the Tower of Marmonheim, so we will not have to leave until a few days into your fast. You will meditate beneath one of the waterfalls in the springs with nothing but some extract with you, until you have what is called a Mage's Awakening. Triggering the Awakening will naturally allow you to manipulate extract more readily."

Shen frowned, sitting up in his seat. He had never heard of this so-called Mage's Awakening before, and the entire ordeal seemed so miserable. Was this sort of information withheld from apprentices so that they did not lose enthusiasm for ascension? It would not have surprised Shen in the least if it were so. "What is a Mage's Awakening, exactly? What does doing all this fasting and meditating have to do with it? Isn't each part of every ritual supposed to be purposeful?"

Raven nodded. "Yes, they are. The Awakening itself happens fairly quickly. You will feel a sudden jolt, and then euphoria for a few seconds. You will find some of the extract you bring with you will be consumed, as well. What is actually happening is rather simple. The fast serves as a way of clearing your body of any readily available energy stores. The waterfall will lower your body temperature. As your body tries to warm itself, it will seek the most readily available energy source, which will hopefully be the extract you have with you. Proper meditation opens the pathways required for your body to begin using extract autonomously, and once it does so, you will Awaken. The Awakening is simply the phenomenon that happens when those unused pathways are opened for the first time, and those pathways are what will allow you better access to extract in the future."

Shen scratched his chin idly, eventually nodding in acknowledgement. "That's rather fascinating, actually... Still, it sounds difficult."

Raven shrugged. "There are many who have failed. Some even required many attempts to reach a full Awakening. Not all mage classes request this kind of ritual from their new mages, as the benefits might be deemed unnecessary and are far outweighed by the risks. For the Battleseers, that could never be the case. Life and death may sometimes be decided by the split second required to summon forth one's abilities."

Shen watched as his mentor stood, smoothing out her robes with her moonlight white fingers. Without a word, she turned, quickly disappearing into one of the other rooms within her dwelling. Not much time had passed when she reemerged, with something in her hand. "Here. I will need to teach you how to meditate properly. Once I show you the basics, you will want to make a habit of practicing as often as you can. These will help." She handed him a ring of ruby red beads, which was just large enough to be worn around the wrist, and held together by a thin strand of leather.

"Is this extract? I've never seen such a deep red color of extract before."

"Yes. Even though you have some colored extract that is tuned towards specific kinds of magic, they are not of the highest quality. Truthfully, the colored extract given to apprentices are hardly any more useful than regular white extract." Raven eyed the crimson beads Shen held in his hand. "If you want, you can use this extract for your ritual. You might as well become accustomed to using them to help you meditate."

Shen's hand bounced lightly, weighing the light glassy beads in his hand. So this would be the extract his body would somehow learn to consume for warmth, for energy. Still, he did not fully understand how having the beads would help him with meditation, if all that was required was that he had extract with him. "How will these help me meditate?"

Raven smiled warmly, making a small half turn towards the room she had disappeared into earlier. "I will have to teach you the basics of meditation. I might not be a priestess or seer, but having undergone the ritual myself, I can at least teach you enough that you can start practicing. Come." Without any hesitation, she marched back into the other room.

Shen obliged, obediently following his mentor. He was surprised to find that the room was in fact Raven's bedroom. The telltale sign was her large bed against the far left wall. It was built out of black-stained wood that lifted the mattress far from the ground, which bulged with deep red cushions and blankets. The structure put Shen's simple, thin, bed to shame, but he could not imagine actually falling asleep on something so... lumpy. He would probably feel like he was endlessly falling, or being swallowed whole. On the wall opposite of the room's doorway was an unlit fireplace, blending with the stone walls of the tower. On the right wall was a wardrobe and a modest vanity. Both were dressed in the same crimsons and blacks. "You are really fond of this color scheme, aren't you?" the boy finally dared to ask.

Raven grinned. "What? You don't like it?" She tossed her long hair behind her shoulder as she chuckled. "I've always felt like my colors usually left an impression on people. Whenever they see crimson and black, they remember Raven." She glanced downwards at the carpet beneath her. "Anyways, have a seat. You will want to do away with your shoes and the robe." With a wave of her arm, her robes were replaced by her regular battleseer attire in a burst of flames. No shoes appeared to cover her feet, instead leaving her to stand with her black stockings against the bare floor. She sat on the floor, crossing her legs so that her feet rest on her thighs, the lotus position.

The mentor's ruby eyes followed her charge as he removed his boots and placed them neatly next to the chair in front of her vanity. He unlatched the front of his robe and left it to hang over the edge of said chair, leaving him in a regular white shirt and long dark pants he wore underneath. Hesitantly, he lowered himself to the floor in front of his mentor, crossing his legs as he did so. After noticing the position Raven crossed her legs, he began to readjust his own legs. The motion looked awkward, forcing him to lean back slightly and tighten his lower torso to keep balance.

Raven waved her hand. "Don't worry about the legs, just cross them normal. In fact, here." She quickly unfurled her legs and crossed them once again, this time allowing her feet to stay tucked beneath her knees comfortably. "That part is not important. The most important thing about meditation is breathing." She drew a long breath, then slowly exhaled. She repeated this, and motioned to her charge to mimic the action. "Close your eyes and focus only on the sound of your breathing. And my voice, of course. You can't ever forget about your darling mentor."

The pair sat in silence for a long while, the only sound being their gentle breaths that fell in unison. Raven observed her pupil's calm face, confident that he obliged to her command to keep his eyes closed wholeheartedly. Any other time, his features conveyed some kind of pent up.. was it anger? Frustration? It always appeared like he had something on his brain at all times. Some thought that was preoccupying his mind and prevented him from reaching out to those around him unless necessary. The thought might have been benevolent enough, like planning for the future or recollecting something to work upon, but they way it manifested in his features could sometimes be off putting. She could not see that look on his face now. His features were smoothed over, no furrowed brows, no tight lips, just nothingness.

Raven was especially delighted to see that slow rhythm of Shen's deep breaths was similar to her own comfortable rhythm. It would make training him to meditate properly much easier. She closed her eyes and continued to breath in and out herself, making sure to match Shen's breathing in order to help him keep his rhythm. "You are only focusing on breathing, yes?"

"Yes," Shen whispered quickly between breaths.

"What thoughts are still lingering in your mind?" Raven's voice, although unfaltering, came gently.

Shen remained quiet for a while, continuing to breath in, then out. Finally, he responded. "I'm thinking about how I will be doing this for the ritual."

"I want you to take a firm look at that image for no longer than one second. Then, let it go. Do this for any thoughts that try to interrupt your breathing." She heard a break in Shen's steady breathing, and she held her own breath then. She only resumed breathing once she could hear her pupil gently flow back into his rhythm. The idea of letting a thought go, to crumble into the air like ashes, can seem impossible to someone with so focused on constant achievement. Raven understood this, which is why she chose this ritual to be the first of the three Shen would complete. They breathed on for a while longer before she would question him again. "Are there any thoughts left?"

"The same one," Shen whispered. Once again, his breathing fell out of rhythm, and he drew a long breath to reset himself.

"Then let it come out through here." Raven leaned forward sliding her hand over Shen's hand that held the red beads of extract. "Like this," she whispered softly, taking the beads from him. "Watch, but keep breathing. She used her thumb to slide each bead towards her, timing it so that she pulled four beads with each one of Shen's inhales or exhales. She handed the beads back to him. "Now, think only of breathing. I won't interrupt you anymore, you will tell me when you're done."

The mentor returned to her original spot, closing her eyes as she resumed matching her charge's breaths. Once again, the pair fell silent, only accompanied by the sounds of their breathing and the new sound of beads gently sliding together. After a long while of not detecting any breaks in Shen's breathing, Raven allowed herself to also drift into a sense of thoughtlessness.

Nearly a quarter of an hour had passed before the sound of Shen clearing his throat broke the cycle. "I think I'm done now." His dark eyes watched for Raven's expectantly. She finally opened them, returning his glance with a half smile.

"How do you feel?"

Shen cast his eyes downward, absorbing the new experience he had. The concept seemed so simple. Think about nothing. How long had it been since he had done such a thing? Never had he attempted to do so methodically. Even in times where he grew frustrated with something, he found ways to distract himself from it, drowning his thoughts with other thoughts instead of just casting them all aside. Taking the time to sit and breath- truly sit and breath instead of reading or mulling over upcoming tasks- was that all it took to achieve the focus he needed to go to the next level? Could it be so trivial? "Light," he finally replied.

Raven tilted her head slightly. "That's good. That means you were breathing properly. You gave your body and brain some much needed oxygen." She glanced behind her towards the window above her bed. "I bet you are not even upset that it's almost nightfall."

Shen glanced up to follow Raven's gaze, sighing softly. "That was a quick day. Still, I feel like I am much more prepared for the rituals to come now."

"And you will become ever more prepared tomorrow. Remember, we will be training before breakfast." Raven lifted herself up from the floor then, raising her arms over her head as she stretched. She watched as Shen also stood, then put back on the open-fronted robe and the boots he had set aside earlier. When he dangled the strand of red beads questioningly, Raven stepped forward. She held his forearm, taking the beads from his fingers as she did so, and slid the strand over his wrist. "Keep them with you. You will want them while you continue practicing. The more you meditate, the better you will become at tuning out stray thoughts. You will need to keep your mind clear even while a cold waterfall crashes down on you, or you will never Awaken."

Shen held his hand in front of him, taking another close look at the beads, before shrugging in acceptance of the convenient method of carrying them. It was then that Raven dismissed him for the day, allowing him to leave and navigate the halls back to his own chambers. Thoughts of the Mage's Awakening swirled in head as he walked. It sounded like an extreme measure, to be sure, but if such discipline was what was required, then Shen knew he could deliver it. All that was needed was to set his mind to preparing himself for the task. Raven would coach him through learning how to truly separate himself from his own thoughts and the influences around him, which sound more impressive than his reclusive habit of disappearing into his room. The four day fast and the brisk weight of a waterfall- those would be other obstacles Raven would have to better prepare him for.

When he finally arrived, he leaned against his door as he waited for the familiar click of it unlocking, then stepped inside. He half expected Khaalida to just appear in his room again, with the way the last couple of days had been.

[Nymphadora]

The day was going by so slowly. As hard as Khaalida tried to keep her mind from wandering, she just couldn't stop it. Like her mind had a will of its own, it kept trying to pull her to dark places. She wanted to scream, to run and never look back. But all she could do was try and work out her frustrations on this pathetic looking training dummy in front of her. She tossed her daggers aside, their familiar blue forms evaporating into mist before they could touch the ground. She schooled her features into an emotionless mask and turned around to face the others.

Acasis was over in the corner of the room, laying on her stomach with her feet up in the air as she hummed, reading through a tome Greagor had given her to look at. Khaalida allowed herself a few moments to study the younger girl's demeanor. She couldn't remember a time since Acasis's arrival at the tower where she had seen the little girl so peacefully happy. Despite her age, she had picked up quite quickly that she was different from everyone else who was her age and she had always seemed to have an almost depressing aura hanging around her. But looking at her now, she looked practically carefree.

She supposed the hope that Greagor brought with him for them was enough to allow her to feel like a kid for once.

She made her eyes move on, toward where Alameth was sitting at the table, listening avidly to what Greagor was telling him about the current device he was holding in his hands. It looked like a sort of metallic band, small runic symbols decorated its surface as did small pearls that looked like they could have been extract settled in small cavities that ran along the middle of its length. But their silvery color reminded her more of metal than the off white, glassy appearance of the more common extract beads. She took a few steps in their direction to try and catch a few words from their conversation.

"...will help with concentration when worn. These spheres are of my design, they're assemblages of chemicals meant to diffuse through one's skin when mixed with a minute amount of extract. Since your minds seem to work the same as extract, I'd like to see if they work without adding an extract bead to the point," he pointed to a small dip where an average sized extract bead would fit perfectly, it looked like it would settle directly across the inside of the wearer's wrist once the bracelet was in place. Greagor continued, "If that's the case, we may just find a way where you three could practice your skills without having to use extract as a means to concentrate your ability through a certain point. The bracelets will do that for you," Khaalida sighed and walked off towards the door of the training room. Her head hurt, she didn't want to get into a discussion that involved her proving she was even more different from every other apprentice or mage in this tower.

She was about to call out that she was retiring for the night, despite it being so early when Greagor's voice caught her ears.

"Alameth? You alright?" His voice was raised, like he wasn't talking to someone who was right beside him.

Khaalida turned quickly, her gaze immediately falling on Alameth who was staring straight ahead of him, his eyes wide. She didn't hesitate, she immediately ran back to him and slipped her arms underneath his, wrapping them around his chest. She pulled him backwards quickly, off the bench. He was limp in her grasp, so she lowered herself to the floor, hugging him from behind, using her legs to immobilize his as she wrapped them up and around lower half. She tucked his head off to the side so he wouldn't break her nose when he started thrashing and she pinned his arms down over his chest.

"Al, I'm right here, you're ok. It's a vision. You'll be alright," she started her usual string of calming phrases, waiting apprehensively for the kicking and flailing to begin. She saw Greagor out of the corner of her eye, fumbling with some equipment. Of course, that was what he'd be worried about at a time like this.

Then it started.

"What are you doing!" Alameth screamed in her arms, throwing his head back. She knew he wasn't talking to her. He was talking to whoever was in his vision.

"Shhh, Al, it's ok. It'll be over soon. I got you," she said softly, keeping her voice calm.

"Eyes! All wrong! Get away!" He was trying frantically to move his arms, to escape whatever he was seeing. Or whoever.

"Door is closed," Acasis said in a meek voice behind her, and Khaalida nodded but didn't respond.

"My hands! My magic! No! No no no no no no no no," he started shaking his head back and forth frantically. "It hurts! Stop! No no no no," he wailed.

"Shhh, Alameth, it's not really happening. You're ok. You're hear in the training room," she started to explain.

"But it hurts! Why? Why are you doing this?" Tears were spilling from his eyes, tinged with blood. They left soft pink trails down his cheeks.

"Shhh, Al. It's alright. Tell me what you're seeing," she said in a gentle voice.

"Eyes! They're all wrong! Wrong! It hurts! You're killing me!" He shrieked, a new surge of energy rushed through his body and Khaalida almost lost hold on one of his hands. The episode lasted for what felt like forever. Screaming about eyes, the wrongness of them and his hands mostly. But what really chilled her was when he yelled out her name, asking why. He'd never actually been coherent enough during a vision to know who was around him. Let alone say any specific names.

Finally Alameth stopped. Going limp in her arms. She held him still for a few moments, then she relaxed her hold, shifting her body so that she was no longer holding him from behind. She moved to lay him flat on his back and Acasis was there, no remnants of the childish glee she'd had just minutes before lingered, replaced by a calm seriousness that Khaalida was sure not many children her age would understand. She bent down, holding some kind of clothing that she wadded up as a pillow of sorts for him.

Khaalida wiped Alameth's sweaty hair from his forehead, he was warm, but not feverish. She wiped away the tears that had stained his cheeks and jaw pink, murmuring softly to him. "Al, you're alright now. It's over. Can you hear me?" She asked, stroking his hair again. She kept doing so until his face finally scrunched up as he regained consciousness. "Hey, you," she said, relief flooded her chest.

Alameth opened his eyes, squinted up at her. "Ouch," he grumbled and she chuckled down at him. "I feel like a stampede of golems just trampled my head," he groaned as he started to push himself up. Khaalida helped him a little and tilted her head questioningly. He looked over at her again, seeing the question in her eyes and shook his head. "I don't remember anything. Except that it felt familiar somehow." He rubbed his forehead and she nodded.

"That's ok. Don't stress yourself. You should get some rest though," she stated. He nodded and Acasis jumped up.

"I'll walk him," she offered. "I'm tired anyways," she mumbled.

Khaalida offered her a smile. "I was about to call it a day before vision boy ruined that," she joked and Alameth groaned. That was when Greagor cleared his throat. Khaalida started a little bit, having completely forgotten he was there. A small stab of annoyance shot through her at him for interrupting their moment. He had no place in their group.

"I suggest we all call it a night, and meet back here in the morning. I'd like to share with you what data I collected during your vision," he shot Alameth a proud smile, who returned a weak one of his own.

"Sounds like a good idea," Khaalida said, standing up and offering Alameth her hands. She pulled him up and watched while he regained his balance.

"Thanks," he muttered, looking down as Acasis grabbed his hand. "Night," he said in an off-handed tone of voice. Acasis waved and then they were off. Khaalida watched them for a few moments, then she turned to Greagor.

"What were you playing at? He was in pain, and all you cared about was your stupid, whatever you were doing," she said with a flourish of her hands towards his stuff. Greagor raised an eyebrow, but didn't snap back like she thought he would.

"The way I saw it, you knew how to handle the boy. How to help him. I had no business taking over for someone already way more qualified than myself. I did what I felt was right. Now this way, Alameth's vision served a purpose. Otherwise, he'd have gone through all that pain for nothing. He can't even remember it. This way, he can feel good that his situation brought some usefulness out of it," he said in a calm, reassuring tone. Khaalida wanted to yell at him, tell him he was too self absorbed in his project that he was treating them like little experiments.

But he had a point. At least this way, maybe Alameth would have something to look forward to, rather than just wonder why he was made to suffer for no reason. She felt her shoulders slump a little and sighed, just nodding in response.

Greagor put his hand on her shoulder lightly and squeezed, "You should get some rest. If your brains work like extract does for other mages, Alameth may have drawn strength and willpower unknowingly from you during his vision." Khaalida's eyes widened slightly. Hadn't she just had that similar idea recently after Shen had mentioned something to her about mages sharing extract through touch? She didn't voice her thoughts though and just nodded again, turned and left Greagor there alone.

She walked along quietly and slowly. She wasn't really paying attention to where her feet carried her, she was too busy racing through all the thoughts in her mind. Trying to figure out which ones she could actually do something about. But it all seemed hopeless. There wasn't really anything she could do about Greagor being there, breathing over her and her friends' shoulders constantly. She wanted to trust him, but her gut was firmly against it for some reason. She wanted to hope that she would be able to master her ability without dealing with possessions or feeling like she was losing herself in the process.

Then there was how happy and excited Alameth and Acasis looked. Clearly they had begun to let themselves hope. Khaalida reached up and rubbed at her forehead, as if she could will away the headache that was beginning to manifest there.

She already knew there was definitely nothing she could do about Raven. She was Shen's mentor. And she was definitely a beautiful woman. Khaalida felt completely helpless when it came to that situation. She had been friends with Shen for so many years. Why should Raven change that? Why did she care about whether or not they got close? But care she did. She hated the idea. It had to be because she hadn't gotten so used to being Shen's closest and pretty much only friend. She rolled her eyes at how petty that made her sound. Shouldn't she want him to make more friends? To get along with his mentor? Yes. She answered herself, but not with someone so... so...

"Uhng," she mumbled, forcing that train of thought out of her head for the millionth time that day. She stopped and looked around. She hadn't even realized that she'd gone up the stairs. She was standing in the hallway to Shen's room. In fact she could see his door about ten feet in front of her. It had always just been natural for her to seek Shen's company when she felt bothered by things. But what if she didn't like what she found there? A flashback to the black and crimson robes draped over the edge of Shen clothes basket flashed through her mind and she clenched her fists.

"I thought you were going to rest?" Khaalida jumped at the voice behind her and spun around. Greagor was standing there, looking at her questioningly. Her eyes narrowed.

"I needed to return a book to Shen," she mumbled lamely.

"Book?" Greagor asked, his eyes pausing on her obviously empty hands.

"It's in my pocket," she said sarcastically, not caring that it didn't make sense. She wasn't breaking any rules by being here. She folded her arms, "Why are you here?" She asked, hoping to change the focus from herself.

Greagor's left eyebrow shot up at her challenging tone. "I was just by Raven's chamber, she wasn't there. I figured she might be working late with her charge. Had something I wanted to talk to her about."

Khaalida's chest felt like it was about to implode. She didn't inquire about Greagor's business with the other mage. She didn't want to know. She clenched her teeth together, forcing a calm shrug.

"You could come with me. Return that book while you're at it," he said. Khaalida almost thought he sounded patronizing. But that was probably just because of how angry she suddenly was again.

"I'll do it some other time," she said flippantly, walking past him, back towards where she had come from. Her feet carried her faster than she cared for, not wanting to show Greagor how fast she wanted out of there. But within seconds, she was back at the stairwell and she vaulted down them. She didn't slow until she was in her room and she collapsed on her bed.

Greagor

Day 2
Entry 5
It was a decently productive day. I plan to have at least five entries per day, documenting every bit of information. Data is the key to understanding, after all.

I had a feeling when the children all left after Alameth's vision, which I will document any and all findings I made on the next page. Khaalida's emotions were definitely stirred up, which I believed had something to do with Alameth drawing from her mental reserves while he had his visions, weakening her barriers and mental strength temporarily. When I touched her shoulder, I got a better feel for what she was feeling. I followed her as she left, and she ended up taking me exactly where I thought she would. Seems her infatuation with the simple-minded oaf, Shen, is deeper than I realized. Maybe even than she realizes. I stepped in, naturally under the guise that I was looking for Raven. That seemed to trigger Khaalida. She immediately went on the defensive.

Since she usually always seems to want to do the opposite of what I tell her, I offered for her to go in with me, and as I predicted, she declined and then left. But the anger inside her was almost tangible. At this point, I still think she is more angry at herself. The anger, as contrary as it sounds, is actually saving her right now. She needs a little more of a push, she needs to feel more pain so that she'll start to distance herself.

Each time I'm in the vicinity of either Raven or Shen, I'll have to adjust their levels accordingly. Since Khaalida so kindly showed me Shen's room, I already started with him. I'll be sure to stop by the dining hall in the morning and nudge Raven in the right direction. It would probably be best if I didn't make my presence known at that time.

Now, as for Alameth's vision...

[Headwrapper]

Once Shen had finished returning his clothes are changing into more comfortable nightwear for the evening, he defaulted to taking a seat at the chair in front of his desk. Within seconds, he the same notes he had gone over earlier that morning were in front of him, his eyes scanning the pages hurriedly. He followed a very similar ritual as before, minus the pacing, until he was content that all of the information were put to his memory.

Following the brief study session, he stood to approach his wardrobe, where his pair of long bladed daggers were neatly placed on their individual racks. He reached for one of them, and held it out in front of him. He was determined to perfect the trick Raven had taught him, even if it was something so trivial. When his grip around the handle loosened, the blade began to drift to his left, then back to his right, before hovering in place once again. Shen's eyes narrowed as he tried to see any visible vibrations of the dagger as he rapidly changed the directions his powers were influencing it. Minutes of focus later, he began to feel satisfied that any vibrations of the dagger were not visible to him, and he snatched it out of the air before returning it to its original location.

He frowned as he paced back towards his desk. It really began to feel like there was nothing else for him to do any more, not anything that he couldn't do without Raven's help at least. All of the studying he had to do on his own was done and anything he could try to master to bring him closer to ascension could only be practiced in the presence of a mentor. He placed his palm on the beads that were wrapped around the opposite wrist, rolling them slightly as he felt them press against his skin. Raven did insist that he tried to practice meditating as often as he could, so that he would easily be able to empty his mind for the ritual, but he had only just gotten done spending so much time doing so. If he kept shutting out thoughts, he wouldn't have any left!

That was when he began to consider digging out the harrowing book that was buried at his desk. If he did not try to finish reading it and taking note of anything he could learn out of it soon, there would not really be any time left to do it once his schedule becomes consumed with his training. Then he would not be able to find a way to help Khaalida, and maybe even motivate her to strive for what she had the potential to become. Shen took a step towards his desk, stopping as he stared at the pile that sat in the corner. He placed his hand on it, pausing for a long while.

Khaalida did not need him egging her on to try to be better. She hardly listened most of the time anyway, and more importantly, she had Greagor now. With his access to information, tools, and powers that Shen could not match himself, the scholarly mage was better poised to help Khaalida than Shen could even hope to contend with. Wasting his time reading some book about the visions someone claimed to have would never change that. With a long sigh, he pulled his hand away from the pile that concealed the old and tattered book, and withdrew the other end of his room.

The best thing to do, he decided, was to rest so that he could try to rise early. That way he could make his way to the training rooms before Raven so that he could be warmed up for the morning's practice, and he could go all out. Promising himself the opportunity to train harder in the early morning, he turned himself in for bed.



Shen's sleep was soundless, and he when he awoke he found himself in complete dark. With little hesitation, he rose from his bed, tossing his blanket aside as he did so. A quick glance towards the window suggested he should return to bed, but he knew that at the hour he turned in that he had already gotten a full night's sleep. A snap of his fingers illuminated his room as the wick's of his various candle's and lamps suddenly ignited. It would be so much brighter if he could just have one of the light orbs that were used to light the common areas of the tower, he thought.

Once he was prepared for the day, dressed in his new crimson and black combat clothes and completely washed up, he left his chambers and made his way straight for the training room that he was to meet Raven. As he stepped inside, the light orbs reacted immediately, lighting up the gray stone walls that surrounded the room. That was when he stopped to stretch, trying to decide on the best way to spend his time alone. There was no sense in changing his usual routine, just because he now also had to follow his obligations to Raven. It was the perfect time to get his heart pumping and his blood flowing.

Me made his way to one corner of the arena, a long rectangle etched into the stone floor, that served as a sparring area. The mapped out area was long enough and wide enough to serve as a suitable track for jogging. Every morning that he could, Shen ran thirty laps around the rectangle, and so that was what he did that morning. Soon after, he dropped to the floor, committing to long series of push ups and crunches. When that was done, he began to walk to the end of the room opposite to the entrance. There, stood a pair of golems. They both stood about the same height as Shen, and they appeared identical to each other, following a familiar construction as the one that had joined the golemmaster at Shen's Dance of Flames. One was made of a reddened, rust colored stone, while the other, a more blue stone that looked like matted sapphire.

Shen approached the red golem. This one focused on attacking its opponent, meant for dodging and parrying practice. Its brother, the blue, could withstand almost any imaginable attack, and was more or less used as a test of strength, the user trying to force it out of the arena's boundaries. Shen lifted the head of the red golem with one hand as he poured the extract down its neck, before stepping a reasonable difference away.

The golem's eyes lit up, flashing red before the light narrowed into single red beads. It raised its palm, summoning a translucent yellow orb about the size of its fist, it tossed it in Shen's direction casually. Shen let it strike his chest, and as it did, it dispersed, its colors wrapping around him before becoming invisible. A convenient, limited time version of the barriers he and Wren used for their spar the day before. The golem stepped forward, then, and considered Shen for a long moment. Shen knew that it was ensuring that the barrier was active, and once that study was complete, the golem sprung forward.

A tireless onslaught of punches and strikes came from the stone figure, and Shen huffed as he dipped around them. As some of the hits started to come to close for comfort, he practiced using his kinesis abilities, to force the golems hands to swerve slightly around him, making the strikes easier to dodge. Against strong opponents, this trick would never work, but that was why Shen needed to practice strengthening the technique.

With a final whirring roar of the golem's mechanisms moving, it went for a final heavy swing. Shen managed to roll around it, stopping to glance back at the golem. Almost as soon as it missed the attack, it began to march back towards its original location, and when it had completely seated itself, returned to its previous dormant state. Shen felt the weak barrier around him wear away as the golem went back to sleep, its power flickering away as the golem used the last bit of the essence given to it.

"Is it my turn now?" Shen grinned as he heard the familiar voice, turning to see his mentor. "You must have been eager to see me, being here early enough to have a round with one of the practice golems."

Shen shrugged. "I wanted to make time for my daily routine. I do this regularly on days I'm not recovering from elemental burns."

His mentor let out a small chuckle, placing one hand on her hip. "Once you go through what I have planned for you, you'll wish you saved your energy."

There morning's physical training began then, and continued until Raven was satisfied with the day's effort. She had put him through an improved workout than the routine Shen had already followed, including weight lifting and many pushing wars against the blue golem. "I could toss him right out of the ring if you would let me use my powers," Shen told her, but she scolded him and told him that he would have skinny arms forever if he relied on his powers for something so trivial. The morning's practice ended with one last spar between Shen and Raven, ending with Raven knocking Shen off of his feet and catching him like a dancer would catch his partner doing a dip.

"I didn't know you danced," Raven snickered as she pulled Shen back to his feet. "Normally, the man is supposed to lead." Her eyes widened slightly when Shen abruptly pulled himself away, and a large smile appeared on her lips. "Oh I was just kidding with you. I thought you were supposed to be over being embarrassed in front of me."

Shen sighed, finally managing to crack a small smile himself. "Yeah yeah..."

"Come here, I want to show you some of the things you can improve." Raven beckoned him back over with a quick wave of her hand, and when he came back over, took a hold of her dance partner. "You see, this knee, you need to control when you go for a strike like that." She positioned Shen in a stance she saw him assume during their spar, and put some pressure on the knee in question. "See how you want to fall so easily? It's because you should be standing like this." She pushed his chest upward then. "See how your knee is straighter, but not locked? You want to make that a habitual movement." She pushed on the knee again. "See, there. Now you are sturdier."

More lectures of a similar nature came to follow, some of which pertaining to Shen's physical techniques as well as some of the ways he called on his magic. Raven shared hints with him on how to do things just a bit faster, just a bit more effectively. All were little improvements that she said would make a large impact in his effectiveness as as battleseer. "We can focus on your techniques again before we spar tomorrow. I'm confident that every day you will improve, and in conjunction to your rituals you will become a proper battleseer. Let's eat."

After drying their brows of sweat, the pair made their way to the kitchens to prepare some food, cooling off as they strolled. Evidence of their morning efforts were still plain when they did arrive, especially for Shen, who had effectively doubled down on the workout for that morning. As they loaded their plates, Shen noticed another couple of strawberries that had somehow managed themselves onto Raven's plate, but he made no effort to draw attention to them.

[Nymphadora]

Khaalida's eyes opened groggily and she squinted, twisting her face away from the bright light of the morning sun beaming through her window right onto her face. Once she was free of the offending rays, she pushed herself up into a sitting position and rubbed her eyes as if she could banish the sleepiness that still lingered. Another restful night so far as she could tell. She couldn't remember waking up once, which wasn't like her at all. She ran a hand through her wavy hair, forcing herself to stand up and get ready for the day. The thought in itself was daunting to her, but she really wanted to see how Alameth was feeling after last night. She suppressed a yawn, wondering at how unalike the past two mornings were from one another.

The previous morning, she had been full of excitement and curiosity. Now she just felt wooden and hollow. Despite those thoughts, she still continued to prepare for more time being badgered by Greagor's questions and scrutiny and the adoring looks that Alameth and Acasis shot towards the mage. They had both accepted him. Why was she finding it so hard to get past her distrust of the man? She took a deep breath.

A short amount of time later, Khaalida found herself walking through the corridors, her hair still slightly damp from her quick shower as it spilled out the sides of her hood. She was watching her feet as she walked, so she noticed right away when the ice started to form, freezing each lock into a black icicle. She stopped walking and took a deep breath. "Can I help you Kyrenia?" She asked in a low tone, not bothering turning around.

"It's rude not to look at someone when talking to them, you know?" The older apprentice's voice cooed behind her.

Khaalida closed her eyes for a moment, composing her face into a mask of calm before she turned to face the blonde girl. When she did, she raised an eyebrow and stared at her. She was alone, so at least Khaalida wasn't in for another public prosecution. At least not in the near future anyways.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're horribly unpleasant in the morning?" She asked, clearly pleased with herself. Khaalida's whole head felt cold now but she refused to shiver and give Kyrenia the satisfaction. Instead, she shot an insult right back at the other girl.

"Has anyone told you that you're horribly unpleasant to look at no matter what time of the day it is?" She kept her face completely serious. Anger flashed across Kyrenia's face, her eyes narrowed.

"You think you're untouchable now that you have a mage who actually doesn't think you're defective?" She crossed her arms, taking a step closer to Khaalida.

"No, I don't think that," Khaalida shrugged and tilted her head. "I just know I have nothing to fear from you," she stressed that last word, enjoying the complete look of outrage on the other girl's face. She didn't know why she was baiting the older apprentice, but damn did it feel satisfying.

Or it did. Right up until an ominous cold sensation spread throughout her entire body. This time she couldn't hold it in when her body shivered. Goosebumps riddled her skin all over and she resisted the urge to rub her arms to try to restore some of the heat that had been sapped away. She didn't need to be told what was happening, she knew already. Kyrenia was using her ability to slow down the molecules in her blood to cool it down. Slowing the flow of it through her veins. If she kept at it, she'd quite literally kill her from the inside-out. Khaalida started taking deeper breaths as her body demanded the oxygen it was being denied. Her legs began to feel weak and she lifted a hand to place it on the wall, hoping that would help steady her. She knew she was already losing this fight, but she'd be damned if she didn't hold off as long as she could. Kyrenia wouldn't actually kill her... Would she? The mages had ways of finding things like that out.

But Khaalida realized the very real truth, that she was indeed frightened. Unlike she had ever been since coming to the tower.

Finally, her legs wouldn't support her anymore and she slid down the wall, placing her hands out in front of her to ensure she didn't just keep falling and face plant onto the hard stone floor. The hands she saw through the stars dancing across her vision didn't look like hers. They had a pale, almost bluish complexion now. They looked like they belonged to a corpse. She hadn't registered that Kyrenia was saying something until she already missed most of it.

"...learn your place. You're never going to be a mage. Not a real one anyway." And with that Khaalida heard the muffled sound of the older apprentice's feet stomping away.

She was so cold. And she felt like she couldn't breathe. Her feet were completely numb, as were her fingers and her legs and arms felt weak and useless. She leaned sideways, propping herself against the wall as she began to rub her arms with as much force as her weakened limbs would let her, trying to recover the lost heat. She didn't know how long she sat there, a couple apprentices even walked by, completely ignoring her until finally Raisanna passed by, assumingly on her way to the kitchens.

"Khaalida?!" She called out, her footsteps a rush against the stone floor. Suddenly she was kneeling in front of her and Khaalida didn't think she'd ever been so happy to see anyone before in her life.

"C-cold," she stammered out lamely, and by the look on the fire apprentice's face, she understood what she wanted. Within moments, Khaalida could feel heat spreading back through her body. Along with the pins and needles that shot through your foot when it would fall asleep. But the sensation was all over her body. And it sucked. She grit her teeth and held her eyes shut, trying to hide the discomfort. When she felt she could talk normal again, she opened her eyes, fixing Raisanna with her gaze and she nodded, uttering a quiet "thank you."

"What happened? Or who, I should ask," she said, her voice sounded stern.

"Don't worry about it. It was a harmless prank," Khaalida mumbled.

"Harmless? If I hadn't come by, there was a very good possibility that you could have lost a few fingers. And toes!" she fumed.

Khaalilda forced herself to smile like that was a funny thought. It definitely wasn't. But when Raisanna came to the colnclusion the Khaalida wasn't going to give any names, she sighed.

"Nevermind, I already know. It's obvious really. But how're you feeling now?" She asked and Khaalida was instantly relieved that she wasn't going to continue getting grilled on the subject. She gave her fingers and toes a test wiggle and sighed with relief when they seemed to all still be working.

"Good as new," she lied, smiling over at Raisanna who offered a pitiful smile back, standing up. She held out her hand to help Khaalida up and she gladly took it, grateful for the extra support. After a few moments, her vision resettled and she rubbed her face. "Thanks again Raisanna," she smiled again, acting as if she hadn't just been afraid for her life moments ago.

"Yea," the fire user responded, though her voice sounded preoccupied. Khaalida looked up and followed the other girl's gaze. Kyrenia was standing there with a group of people, looking in there direction and laughing. The ice princess had probably been on her way to show her groupies the aftermath of what she'd done to her. But probably hadn't planned on Raisanna's intervention. Then, the group turned as one and disappeared into the hallway leading to the dining area. No way was Khaalida going to eat now.

"I'll see you later. I should get to the training room, I want to talk to Alameth," she said lamely but before she could go to walk away, Raisana stopped her with her voice.

"Alameth and Acasis are in the dining hall right now. As is Shen, in case you were wondering. I had just come from there, but needed to go grab something," she held up a newly strung strand of extract beads and then began deftly wrapping them around her wrist.

"Ah..." she muttered lamely. She didn't want to go to the dining hall. "I need to set stuff up as well, so I guess I'll just wait for Alameth to finish eating," she said, forcing another smile.

"Suit yourself," Raisanna said, offering another smile and patted her shoulder before heading off in the direction Kyrenia had disappeared. Khaalida didn't like the determined look on Raisanna's face. She hoped she didn't do anything. Having no control over the other girl's actions though, all she could do was continue on her way to the training hall. Fortunately she made it there without further incident and didn't waste any time as she summoned her daggers and began going through her usual routines. Some physical activity was sure to warm her up the rest of the way.

She hadn't been working long enough to even work up a sweat before Greagor walked in, she paused only long enough to nod in his direction before she went back to her physical activity. It kept her mind busy. So far she'd done a good job this morning, not thinking about her troubles.

Greagor

Day 3
Entry 1
Khaalida got a late start this morning. She wasn't here before breakfast like Alameth and Acasis were. But that's understandable. What with the 'help' I gave her just before we parted ways last night. A good night's rest is essential for her to keep up her strength, so by increasing the chemicals in her body that induce exhaustion, she should be sleeping fairly decently.

I questioned Alameth though while Khaalida was away about his vision. He said this one "felt differently" than his usual ones. When asked what he meant by that, he said it felt "familiar." He had said the similar thing the night prior. I questioned him about what he thought that might mean, and his answer intrigued me. He said he feels that it was about someone he knows.

His lack of details frustrates me. But, this wouldn't be such a ground-breaking task if it were easy.

I made multiple trips to the dining hall this morning, so as not to miss Raven's attendance. The fourth excursion rewarded me with the sight of her and her mentor. I planted the first seed towards my goal within her. I began with her sub-conscious perceptions of the boy. Nothing she will strictly notice right away herself, but she may find herself looking in her charge's direction longer than she normally would. Long enough that Khaalida will pick up on it if she is ever faced with it. She might find herself craving his attention and looking forward to spending time with him, more so than she already does.

I half expected Khaalida to go to the dining hall when she woke up, looking for Shen, but when I had heard those other apprentices talking about Khaalida, my interest was piqued, so I came back to the training room. As I write this, she is practicing quite aggressively with her daggers. I'm instilling her with a small amount of confidence and calming her as much as I can without raising suspicion. She even lowered her hood, which I gathered from Alameth is something she rarely ever does. I will keep observing for now.

[Headwrapper]

Upon Raven's request, Shen found himself once again sitting in the dining hall across from his mentor. Truly, he was completely fine not having to make the venture back to one of their chambers in one of the higher floors, after how much he had already exerted himself during their training that morning. The apprentice drank just over half of the tall, clear glass of water that was in front of him before he even began to touch his food. In contrast to the breakfasts he had the previous couple of days, his plate was only half filled with warm pastries, with the other half being covered in a heaping of scrambled eggs surround with a frame of sausages. As he was considering the plate before him, Shen saw Raven's hand come into view, and watched it gently place the two strawberries on the outer edge.

When Shen shot her a puzzled look, Raven simply returned the glance with a close-lipped smile, squeezing her red eyes closed. "I don't like strawberries," she giggled as she reached for her fork.

"Then why do you keep putting them on your plate?" Shen asked. His head turned slightly, trying to catch Raven's gaze again as she looked down towards her plate.

"I just don't see them. They mix them in with the other berries and put them on salads and things. They're bound to make their way onto my plate..." She cut into a lean turkey patty and brought the morsel to her mouth as she glanced back towards Shen again, as if to ensure that her answer was satisfactory. "I see you decided to have some real food this morning."

"It happens, sometimes. Honestly I don't know why everyone thinks I have a sweet tooth."

Raven raised one hand to her mouth, unable to stop herself from giggling once again. "You don't, do you?" An annoyed glance from Shen only made her laughing fit hard to control, and it took her a minute to steady herself. "Okay, okay, I'm sure there are big gluttons than you out there. As long as you stay healthy, you can eat whatever you want." They continued to eat in silence, then. Shen had nearly finished all of his "real food" before he broke the silence.

"So what kind of duties are you asked to perform the most often?"

Raven shrugged, stopping to wipe her mouth with a handkerchief. "Monster hunting mostly. I used to do various basic hunts, but lately I have been assigned to more and more hunts that are more of a time investment... Trips that require the teams to travel for maybe a month or two at a time before we find out target. Many mages don't ever get to leave the tower for so long, but its become a necessity lately. The Elders frequently require rare, exotic monster parts for their... Well I guess I don't know what it is they use them for. But regardless, it's challenging work, but it has its benefits. They give you a lot of time off between hunts if you're on my kind of schedule, which can be spent however you see fit."

"So right now you're..."

"Between hunts, yeah." Raven shifted slightly, seeing Shen's eyes cast downward apologetically. "And I am very happy with how I am spending my time." This time it was her turn to tilt her head to capture her partner's gaze. When they locked gazes again, she offered her conventional half-smile. The last thing she wanted was for Shen to think that he was just some assignment that was taking away from the time she was able to spend at home. "Anyways, eat up. We need to get going back to my room soon and continue today's training."

The pair finished their food quickly, both of them eager to continue the rest of the day's agenda. They then exited the dining area together. "I should swing back to my room and change," Shen said as they neared the enchanted lift.

"No need," Raven told him. "I have something for you." When they made their way back to Raven's quarters, her intentions were made clear. With a wave of her hand, nearly extending her arm out to one side, a flash of flames engulfed both her and Shen in the same manner they did when Raven shifted between clothing. Her combat clothes were replaced with her traditional crimson and black robes. When the flames disappeared from around Shen, his combat clothes were replaced with crimson and black attire of his own. They were of the same style of clothes he wore the day before, an open fronted robe wrapped around a comfortable shirt and pair of pants. "I would have had these for you sooner, but I did not know how you wore your robes, you seemed to enjoy wearing combat clothing too much."

Shen held his arms out in front of him, and glanced down at his new wardrobe. "Doesn't it take a lot of effort to have so many different things you can summon from fire?"

"It does. That's why I only draw forth important things. When you make yourself known someday, if you do that is, everyone will remember that you were once my student." Raven let out a laugh, then. "But truly, clothing is rather trivial to summon, once you bind it to yourself. Weapons and objects of heavier construction are what's usually taxing for me.

"Can you teach me?"

"Hmm, possibly. We will make time for it, if you want. In fact, our wand is already bound to both of us. It's just a matter of learning how to summon it through the flames," with a wave of her wrist, a flourish of fiery red and orange appeared around her hand, leaving behind the decorative wand within her clutches. She handed it back to Shen, who scrutinized it to make sure it really was their wand before tucking it away.

The time went by quickly as the pair focused on reviewing more about the day-to-day duties of the battleseers, Raven's willingness to teach Shen fueled by his eagerness to learn and prepare himself for what was to come. In fact, it neared the end of the typical lunch hours before the two agreed on a good breaking point. When they did finally begin their descent back down towards the kitchens, Raven turned to Shen as they stood idly within the lift. "If you do not want to stay in the dining hall today, we can just take food back with us."

"Hmm?" Shen glanced back towards his mentor. "If you're okay with it, then sure.

They followed their usual path to the kitchens, that the usual crowd had been diminished, deferred into the dining hall where they were eating. Raven was helping herself to a lean slice of turkey breast, glazed in creamy sauce, when Raisanna approached. "I thought you had already worked this morning. Do they have you working during the lunch hour as well sweetheart?" Raven's expression seemed apologetic, but she still mustered a weak half smile as she looked towards the cooking apprentice.

"Mmm, I'm just filling in for someone today," Raisanna replied bashfully. She shrugged in response to Raven's condolences. She stood awkwardly as Shen walked by, taking a few slices of turkey for himself. "Hey, Shen."

"Hello Raisanna," Shen responded curtly. He barely remembered to glance up from the food in front of him to offer the girl a nod. If it was anyone besides the kind Raisanna, he probably would not have even bothered. Before he could continue onward, she stopped him once again.

"Can... Can I speak with you for a moment?"

Shen halted then, turning to look at the girl properly. He frowned when he saw the worried expression on her face. What could be troubling her? He wondered if she wanted to strike up a similar deal like they used to have in the past, exchanging tutoring for baked treats. She must have figured he was too busy, having a mentor around, but still wanted to muster up the courage to ask. "Yeah, what is it?"

To Shen's surprise, the girl tossed her apron aside and circled around the table between them. She stood close so that he could hear her hushed voice. "Well you see, I had run into Khaalida earlier this morning... I know that a lot of people are scared of her, even going as far as claim that she's a monster or something, but I didn't know it could get so bad..."

Shen raised an eyebrow. "She knows not to let it get to her... And when it does, she comes around. But yeah, people can say some nasty things."

"It's not just tha- oh..." The girl trailed off, her cheeks reddening somewhat as she turned her head sheepishly.

"Is there a problem?" Raven asked as she appeared from behind Shen. She too raised an eyebrow at Raisanna's strange behavior. The questioning gaze then turned to Shen, who shrugged in response before focusing back to Raisanna.

"Raisanna, this is my mentor, Raven. Anything you need to say to me can be said in front of her. This morning with Khal, what happened?"

The girl shifted uncomfortably then, biting her lip before finally looking up towards the red and black pair that stood in front of her. She clearly had reservations about what she was going to say, but there was a hint of determination in her eyes that would not let them stop her. "Kyrenia used her magic on Khaalida. She looked like she had been left in the cold for hours, unable to move parts of her body any more, her hair was frozen together too. No one did anything except walk by. I was the only one who stopped to help her, but once she was warm again she shrugged off what happened and left... She could have really gotten hurt!"

Shen's jaw tensed as he listened to Raisanna's story. It was not a surprise that she would come to him about it, before going to a mage or anyone with real authority. Even in situations where someone might get injured, no one liked to be labelled a tattletale in the small world of apprentices. People tried to flare their superiority all the time, and it was not uncommon for such things to get too far. Still, he knew enough about Kyrenia's disposition towards Khaalida to know that she would not have been upset had she caused Khaalida a serious trauma, in addition to humiliation. Damn, this was exactly the kind of thing he never wanted to happen. What he wanted to try protecting Khaalida from, even if he could not be there himself. How was it that they could scurry off, tails between their legs, when he was there to stand by Khaalida, but the moment he turned his back they pull something like this?

Before he could muster a response, Raven stepped forward, standing just between him and Raisanna. "Shen, what do you know about this Kyrenia?" She asked, her eyes piercing through Raisanna as she spoke.

"She's always hated Khal, ever since an accident that happened when we were kids."

"So you think this story is true?"

"Yes."

The crimson mistress gave the girl in front of her a nod. "Point me to her." Her voice was curt and sturdy as stone. The hardened rubies of her eyes followed Raisanna as she stood at the edge of the kitchen doors, pointing towards a table among the rows before them in the dining hall. Raven glanced back towards Shen, who nodded, acknowledging the correct person was identified.

He cleared his throat then. "What are you planning on doing, Raven?"

"You're about to learn another one of my responsibilities as a mage." Without wasting another breath, she was off, beaming straight to where the girl was sitting among her gaggle of friends. The red three-pointed star on her cloak glowed in the orblight as it flowed behind her, gently swaying to a stop when the mage finally halted. She stood silently then, her intense gaze scouring across the table from where she stood, behind the seat of the apprentice she sought. A rowdy bunch, the group that sat around Kyrenia laughed loudly as they made jokes, dealt some cards, or threw food at each other. "Kyrenia."

The laughter stopped then. Raven hardly felt the gazes that stared up at her, focusing only on Kyrenia as she turned in her chair to see who had addressed her. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of a three-pointed star. "Yes ma'am?"

"A moment, please."

"May I finish my meal?"

"No."

The girl scrunched her face then, obviously unappreciative of such a blunt answer. She stood then, and followed the mage out of the dining hall. As they passed, Raven beckoned Shen to join them, and although he hesitated, he obliged.

[Nymphadora]

"Khal! There you are," Alameth called out as he and Acasis walked into the room. She stopped mid-strike and turned to acknowledge them. She noticed immediately that Greagor wasn't there anymore. She hadn't even sensed him get up and leave. She frowned at that fact.

"Hey you two. How are you feeling Al?" she asked, dropping her daggers, letting them dissipate into mist which now swirled softly around her hands. Its familiar cooling sensation felt nothing like the frigid impression Kyrenia's magic had left her with.

"My head is killing me, but I'm alright." Khaalida finished closing he distance between the two of them and she could see the telltale signs around his eyes that he hadn't gotten much sleep. He never did after an episode. She nodded though, wondering if she should ask him further about it. "We heard Kyrenia and her posse talking about you. Something happen?" He continued, putting a stopper to her thought process of questioning him some more. She just shook her head.

"Kyrenia is just full of hot air. Nothing I couldn't handle," she forced a smile and shrugged. That couldn't have been further from the truth. The girl was nothing but a frozen heart wrapped in layers of emotionless ice.

Alameth looked like he was about to push forward, but then his eyes cast toward the doorway again. Khaalida followed his gaze and saw Greagor walk in with a plate of food. He put it down on the table and nodded towards Khaalida.

"Thought you might be a little hungry. I didn't see you in the dining hall this morning. So, unless I missed you..." he said with a kind smile.

"Thank you," Khaalida answered curtly. The mage definitely kept her guessing.

"Come on," Alameth called as he grabbed her wrist and started pulling her to the table. "While you eat, I can tell you about what Greagor and I planned for the next time I have a vision," he sounded entirely too excited to Khaalida, but she relented and followed him over to the bench. She looked down at the plate and raised her right eyebrow. It was an exact replica of her plate from the previous morning. Well, before she had demolished any of the order it initially had and scrambled everything together to make an unappetizing pile of what looked like something a bird had regurgitated and spit up. A very large bird. Her eyes cast over towards Greagor, narrowed. He was sitting a couple of feet down the bench, reading pages that looked like they could be his own notes. Her gaze went back to the food, amazed at the man's memory and his attention to details.

She didn't get anymore time to wonder about it as Alameth dove into what he and Greagor had discussed that morning. Apparently when she'd still been asleep. He held up his wrist, showing her that he was wearing one of the cuffs that he'd been talking to Greagor about yesterday, the one that supposedly helped with concentration. They decided that the next time an episode occurred, Greagor would ask him questions about what he was seeing and experiencing, all while adding extract or adjusting things on the bracelet, cuff thing. She refused to call it what Alameth decided it should be named. A concentration concentrator. She had almost hauled off and smacked him when he told her that.

"So, Greagor is hoping that by adding extract and a way to help you concentrate more, it will help you remember," she said simply, wrapping Alameth's almost ten minute explanation into that one simple statement.

"Yes, exactly!" Alameth grinned broadly. Now she looked passed Alameth, down to where Greagor was sitting.

"And what if the extract just makes the vision more potent. He already believes he's feeling what he's seeing in the visions. What if it makes that worse somehow? More... concentrated," she said that last word with obvious disdain in her voice. Greagor had looked up and met her gaze when she'd started talking.

"Then I would simply have to remove the cuff," he said, no hint of defensiveness in his tone at all. In her current mood lately, his never rising to her bait and challenging her right back was infuriating. She wanted him to show some kind of negative emotion. To give herself a reason not to trust him. His level-headedness was just entirely lacking any reason to condone her disapproval of him.

"What if it's too late by then?" She narrowed her eyes. Greagor looked like he was about to respond, but Alameth put a hand over hers.

"Khal, I want to do this. I want to be helpful," he offered a smile and she bit back any retort that had started worming its way forward in her mind. She just sighed and nodded, giving in to her friend who looked relieved at her acceptance.

The rest of the morning went by without incident. Khaalida had finished eating and actually allowed Alameth to try and make her study up a little on elixers and salves. Maybe she was just feeling generous because of what her friend had gone through the previous night and she didn't want to hurt his feelings by turning him down. The others had gone to get an early lunch, Khaalida stayed behind, saying she wanted to try and get a little practice in with a sword, giving the lame excuse that she needed to strengthen her arms a little more. She had waited until the others all disappeared before she walked to the center of the room and summoned the same sword she had summed two days ago.

Had it really only been that long ago? Felt like so much more time than that had passed since Greagor had showed up. But she finally felt like she could process and deal with Rakan again and what he knew of her father. She had to try, at least.

She had never attempted summoning one specific spirit before. She wasn't exactly sure how to go about doing it, so she decided to retrace the same steps she'd taken the last time. Even though she was pretty sure she wouldn't need to bind his essence to the sword like she had before, but she decided to try anyways because, well, steps. Just like she did when she summoned him before, she focused on the sword in her mind as she closed her eyes, almost envisioning the sword gaining its own intelligence. Rakan? She called out in her mind, letting the barrier between her mind and the Veil slip away. She felt the fleeting auras of spirits, the quick, almost-there presence of their emotions brushed up against her consciousness. She called out for Rakan again, moving her mind closer to the barrier. Doing so made her imagine herself standing in an empty room with a shimmering curtain that was once a wall spread out in front of her. As she moved her mind closer to the Veil, she pictured herself taking a step closer to the curtain that was dancing even though no wind blew.

Curiosity gripped her and for the first time ever, she imagined trying to touch the curtain, to feel it with her fingers. She thought she heard someone call her name and she could feel a little excitement well up inside her chest. Her name sounded again as if it was all around her, insisting. "Rakan?" She asked once again, this time visualizing herself taking another step towards the curtain. Now she stood right beside it, it's undulating surface almost brushing up against her body as it shifted. She pulled in a deep breath and took that last step until she passed through the drape that blocked her view of the other side. It took her a moment for her vision to clear, but when it did, she felt a sense of weightlessness. She had just gotten a view of what she thought were people when a man came up beside her, shock radiated from his form.

"What are you doing?!" He demanded. She knew that voice. But it was like she was looking through a magnifying glass at something that was far away. She couldn't quite focus on what he looked like. She just knew that he had black hair and a muscular build.

"Is that you Rakan?" she asked, but that was as far as the conversation went.

She felt a sudden rush of anger and she stumbled backwards, back through the curtain as if the force of the emotion drove her there; her eyes shot open as she slammed the barrier back up, she imagined the curtain would be gone now, a wall in its place again. She felt her hold on the ethereal sword slip as she dropped it and it vanished into a blue haze. Her eyes wide, she glanced around, sure she'd see whatever angry spirit whose presence she had felt standing beside her. Instead, she was looking into three pairs of eyes. Alameth's, Acasis's and Greagor's, as they all watched her with questioning looks on their faces.

"What happened?" Alameth asked, she couldn't tell if he looked relieved, scared or just plain confused.

"Have a nice trip?" Greagor asked and her eyes fell on him.

"Whose Rakan?" Acasis's little voice entered the fray. Khaalida put a hand up to her forehead, pulling her palm away to reveal that she had broken out in a cold sweat.

She ignored all their questions and shook her head. "Why are you guys back already?"

"Already?" Alameth asked, his eyes almost looked like they were bugging out of his head. Khaalida gave him a sarcastically raised eyebrow.

"We've been back for a little over three hours Khaalida," Greagor offered with his calm voice.

"That can't be..." she muttered, confusion gripping her now.

"When we got back, you were just standing there, eyes closed, spaced out. I called your name a few times, but no response. Except you started asking about a Rakan. Whose that?" He tilted his head. Khaalida avoided looking at Greagor, but she could feel his eyes boring into her.

"It was you I heard..." she muttered, thinking about the voice that had called her name.

"Why did you think it was a Rakan person? Who are they?"

"My sword, it's what I call it," she lied, still trying to wrap her head around what they were trying to tell her.

"You named a sword... But, why call to it like it has a personality?" Alameth pressed on. She was beginning to think he was sounding more and more like Greagor. Except more annoying. If that was possible.

"I don't know! I was spaced out, ok?" She said defensively, her voice rough. "It can't have been three hours," she argued.

"Technically it was closer to four. If you factor in the time we took to eat as well," Alameth responded, which didn't make Khaalida feel any less confused. And panic was starting to rise inside her. How had so much time passed? It had felt like mere minutes to her! As if Greagor could sense this, he jumped back into the conversation.

"Well, you don't seem hurt, and nothing else is amiss besides the fact that you feel like you lost time. Right?" He waited for her to nod before he moved on. "So, let's go sit down and calmly talk about what happened," he sounded so reasonable, Khaalida almost wanted to completely oblige and tell them all everything.

Almost.

Greagor placed his hand under her upper arm, urging her gently towards the bench over next to the table. Surprising herself, she didn't pull away from his touch and followed him over to sit down. She could just imagine it though, if she had really been standing there as long as they were all saying she had been, she had no doubt that Greagor had been hovering around her with his weird little devices and collecting his beloved data anyway that he could. As soon as she sat though, her eyes alighted on the plate of food and she reached for it hungrily. They must have brought her lunch like Greagor had brought her breakfast earlier. The details didn't worry her right then though, she was ravenous.

"It's most definitely cold by now," Greagor sighed, his eyes scanning the contents of the plate. When Khaalida shot him an accusing look as if to ask why they'd bring her cold food, he shrugged. "We didn't know when you were going to snap out of it. Has that ever happened to you before?" He asked before she could say anything. She scrunched up her eyebrows and shook her head, taking a bite of the food in front of her anyway. Greagor sighed, an almost wistful sound to it.

"Did you do anything different than normal this time?" He continued to grill her. She chewed her food slowly, giving herself time to think of what she wanted to share before she said anything.

"I was trying to do the same thing with the sword as last time," she said, which was partially true. "Sort of manipulate the Veil into allowing it to keep form when I release it." She refused to give any of the details on how that could be accomplished. Greagor seemed to pick up on that hint and avoided asking her to go into said details.

"And something went differently this time," he said as a statement and she nodded.

"I felt a sudden surge of anger and then when I opened my eyes, you guys were back. It really felt like I had only been concentrating on what I was doing for a few minutes, tops." She shoveled another bite into her mouth.

"It seems like you used quite a bit of your magic too," he murmured and her mouth froze, mid-bite. It was true. She only ever felt so hungry after she'd practiced using her magic for a long period of time. Absentmindedly, her hands went up to the extract beads that were strung across her forehead. They all seemed normal. "I can imagine you're probably feeling a little tired now too," Greagor mused. Khaalida studied herself. Her eyes did feel a little harder to keep open than they usually would around this time of day. But she knew the true exhaustion of her magic use wasn't far behind. She just shrugged. "Did you want the rest of the day to relax?" He inquired. She stared at the table in front of her as she finished chewing her current mouthful. Where would she go, what would she do? Shen was no doubt busy with Raven; a pang of annoyance shot through her for a moment before she forced it away. It was too early to retire for the night. She supposed she could go catch a small nap in her little alcove in the library.

It might do her some good to be alone and think about what had happened without Greagor or Alameth hounding her with questions. What was that anger she felt? And was that really Rakan she had seen? Did she enter the Veil? If so, what did that mean? She took a couple more bites, ignoring the fact that Greagor was watching her. After she decided she was done and swallowed her current bite, she nodded.

"I think I'll go relax for a bit after all," she murmured and stood up. She walked towards the door, offering a quick wave to Alameth and Acasis. She could see that her blonde friend wanted to chase her down and ask her more questions, but thankfully he must have thought better about it and just waved back before she disappeared around the corner. She didn't slow down or speak to anyone as she made a bee-line to the second library. It didn't take her long to ascend the stairwell and soon she was marching down the center of the library between the isles, taking a right at the end and then slipping into the small alcove packed with stacks of books. She settled herself down on the floor, making herself comfortable on the little throw pillow there and closed her eyes. Taking long, slow breaths as she continued trying to force all her troubling emotions to stay at bay.

This was harder for her than it usually would be. Normally when she was confused about something, she always sought Shen's company. He was, usually, a willing listener whenever she felt like sharing her problems and offered viable explanations. But she neither felt like she could share this with him just yet, and didn't want to chance seeing him with Raven. However, despite the inner turmoil that was finally starting to break through her carefully composed barricade, the quiet and peacefulness of the library was lulling and she soon found herself slipping into unconsciousness.

[Headwrapper]

Shen followed Raven quietly, careful not to make any eye contact with Kyrenia. Despite being actively mentored for his new roll, he was still technically an apprentice, same as her. It was never a simple thing to be penalized in front of another apprentice, especially for someone as loud-mouthed as Kyrenia. The silence did not last very long, as the aforementioned obnoxious voice sliced through the tension in the halls the group walked through.

"Can you tell me where we're going, already? You can't punish me if you don't tell me why you're wasting my time. And why are we bringing him?" She shot Shen a glance, a strange wary look with a hint of malice shining through. It could only be assumed that she probably figured Khaalida had come to Shen after the events that morning, though that was not the case.

Raven halted suddenly then, turning her head just enough to see behind her. "Not another word until I address you, fruenté." Her eyes, rather than being crimson rubies, were more like red-hot cinders. The three-pointed star on her cloak seemed to shimmer slightly as she addressed her target for discipline using the mage's old-word for such a person. After deciding that the girl understood her, Raven began to continue to lead the march down the long hall of the tower. It was only a few more steps before another outburst, however.

"You're not even from this tower. I shouldn't have to listen to you."

Shen could barely manage to turn his head before the lightning flash of Raven's pale hand came zipping by. He did not even to manage to see his mentor's knuckles smack against Kyrenia's cheek, but he most certainly heard it. The loud crack rattled down the hall, followed by a loud gasp from the other apprentice.

"You dare speak to your superior with such a tone?" Raven growled chidingly. "If you're so impatient, then fine. Tell me, do you remember the Edicts that the magehood has been sword to follow since the end of the Dark Days? I hope you do, at your age. Do any of them allow the use of magic to bring harm to one of our own? Do they encourage using magic destructively, bringing harm to one of our own? Us, the ones destined to carry on the world's legacy when the next Calamity comes?"

Kyrenia's fingers tenderly rubbed against her reddened cheek as she pressed her lips tightly together. They grew pale as she did, until she finally dared to reply. "Yes, but why are you asking me? I didn't do anything."

"You mean to say that you did not turn your powers against one of your own this morning?"

"No, I never did anything like that!"

"You mean you did not attack Khaalida Verdani?" Raven stepped closer then, her apparent anger seething over. Shen was surprised to hear her use Khaalida's first and last name, unable to recall a time that she would have learned it. His surprised carried over then, when he noticed Kyrenia shoot him a smirk.

"I did attack Khaalida, but isn't even a real mage. She's dangerous, and if no one else keeps her in line, then why shouldn't I do it?"

Before Shen could even manage a scowl, another flash of white, crimson, and black backhanded the smirk off of the girl's face. Raven curled her fingers afterwards, her knuckles reddened from the repeated strike. "You do not have the authority to use your powers as you see fit. Your role has nothing to do with smothering danger. It is up to those higher than you to determine what is and isn't dangerous to the magehood." The mage's stare hardly moved as she burned holes through Khaalida's eyes. "Would you prefer we continue this discussion here, in front of your peers, or can we continue now?"

Kyrenia wrinkled her nose defiantly. "If you're going to punish me for nothing, then just do it."

"Fine then," Raven said, placing her hand against one of the stone walls of the tower. When she pulled it away, a blocky black emblem had bored itself onto her palm. "For the next three weeks, you will be unable to use magic without the supervision of a mage of higher rank. I hope this helps you think twice about using your powers irresponsibly." She turned, lifting her palm to press the symbol against Kyrenia's forehead.

"Three weeks?" Kyrenia gasped, stepping away. "Please, anything else. This isn't fair! You're only doing this because you're Shen's mentor. He's always trying to stand up for her for some reason! And it isn't like he's never used powers against other apprentices before! I've seen him do it! You're playing favorites!"

"Stupid girl," Raven sighed, pressing her palm roughly against the apprentice's forehead. She shoved her back, revealing the symbol had transferred over to the punished girl's skin. "Take this time to reflect on your role as an apprentice, and figure out which jobs are better left to mages stronger than you. And if you ever really feel threatened by a skinny girl in a hood, then go talk to a mage. Preferably any of them that aren't me." She motioned to Shen before turning to be on her way.

Before following, Shen turned to take a look at the other apprentice. Her fingers gently rubbed against either side of the black symbol that was etched onto her forehead as she held back tears. Her eyes glanced towards him. "Your mentor is a bitch, Shen," she growled between gnashed teeth. "But you like being around bitches, don't you?"

Shen could not hold back a smile then as we shook his head. "You're something else, Kyrenia. Did you really think you could get away with hurting Khaalida behind my back?"

"She would go running to her little white knight. Too bad he hides behind his mentor, rather than doing anything about it himself like a man."

Shen shrugged. "She got to you first." He heard heard her chuff under her breath as he made the argument, but decided there was no point in trying to get the last word in. What was done was done, and there were more important things to do than defend his or Khaalida's honors against a weakened apprentice. His steps hastened to catch up with Raven, slowing when he was walking by her side. "Thanks," he told her.

"There's no need for thanks. It is part of my duty as a mage to make sure the apprentice's follow the rules, is it not?"

"If all the mages from your tower were so adamant about that, then you all must run a tight ship."

"I suppose that's the case. But I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been in a few scuffs outside of the training rooms myself." She grinned as she glanced at her charge. "Sounds like you're due for some discipline yourself."

Shen's cheeks reddened. "Yeah, I suppose so," he sighed. "It isn't the first time Kyrenia or other like-minded apprentices tried to do that kind of thing to Khaalida. She's always been too afraid of defending herself, knowing that she would only be feeding into the fears that cause people to turn on her in the first place. I'm the only one who seems to ever defend her, the mage's hardly lifting a finger unless absolutely necessary."

"Hmm." Raven's eyes narrowed as they walked, focused on the path ahead of her. "Greagor and I must be very different than the mages of this tower then," she concluded idly. "Anyways, let's get back to our work, shall we?"

The pair returned to Raven's chambers, continuing Shen's training as planned. They ended the night with another meditation session, before Shen was released to his chambers. Like the previous night, he felt more relieved and calm than normal as he returned to his room. Still, ideas of better practicing to hone his abilities began to return to his head. First and foremost, a full night's rest would be an order. There was not a chance he would repeat the morning's workout again, even if somehow he was not too sore for it in the morning.

[Nymphadora]

Khaalida blearily rubbed at her eyes as she pushed herself up on her elbow. She had woken to the musty, old smell of leather-bound tomes and books, the scent of ink and ancient pages made her smile. She could tell by the quieter than usual atmosphere that it was late. She had napped right through the evening. She suppressed a groan when she realized how hard it was going to be for her to sleep through the night now.

Her first thought was whether or not Shen would be asleep yet, it felt like it had been ages since she'd been able to talk to him. Her hand stilled as she remembered the reason behind that and she sighed. She missed her best friend. Why was she letting something as petty as her distaste for his new mentor to get in the way of their friendship? It was the same with Greagor. She had no viable reason to dislike or distrust either of them, yet here she was. She rolled her neck, trying to work out the stiffness that had wedged itself in while she had been sleeping. She sighed, shaking her head as she grabbed a random book and leafed through its old pages.

She didn't really understand why she disliked Raven. Nor why she refused to trust Greagor. Her best guess was because they were mages, authority figures to her and her fellow apprentices. They were new and she didn't exactly know what to expect from them. Grudgingly, she admitted to herself that she was jealous too. Jealous of Raven for taking up so much of her friend's time. A friend who she had practically had to herself for years. It bothered her that she was being replaced. An image of Raven flashed through her mind and she grimaced. The woman didn't just have confidence, she radiated it. She had a composed, almost dangerous air around her. Khaalida had always believed herself to be confident. She always took charge with her friends, she had become pretty formidable herself with her conjuring ability, she knew what she wanted for her future. Well, part of it anyways. She set the book back off to the side.

But still, comparing herself to Shen's mentor left her feeling utterly small. She brought her hand up and ran it through her hair, another sigh escaping her as she forced herself to stand up. What was she sitting around stressing over these things for? She should be glad that Shen would have someone other than her for when she finally decided to leave the tower. She raised her hands high above her head, stretching out her back with one last sigh before she began to weave her way out of the stacks of perilously stacked tomes.

Once she was in the isle, a quick glance at the window told her what she'd already guessed. The dark sky outside almost gave the window the appearance of a doorway into oblivion. On her way through the library, she passed only two older apprentices and Mage Agnes, the old tome keeper who seemed to live in the libraries. Khaalida knew next to nothing about her except that she was quiet, respected and had chosen not to ascend to the level of Elder, but rather kept her mage title. She offered the auburn haired woman a small smile as she strode past. If Agnes was even slightly surprised to see her, she didn't show it. Somehow, Khaalida suspected it wasn't an easy thing to surprise the woman with anything. She just had that air about her. Like she knew things.

Stepping through the door, Khaalida decided without hesitation to go and visit her best friend. She could handle him befriending Raven. She could handle the thought of "them." She thought to herself, trying to sound convincing. She walked through the quiet corridors. Though the Tower would be like a maze to an outsider, she didn't even have to think about where he feet took her. It was second nature to her and she let her mind wander while her feet carried her to and then up the stairwell. Two left turns from the stairwell had her walking down Shen's hallway. She paused in front of the door, her hand halfway outstretched to check and see if it was locked. She had always just waltzed right in, she never felt the need to knock. But yet, she was hesitating. Her hands shot up to her hair, combing through a few times. She noticed that her hood was still down and piled around her shoulders but she decided to leave it that way.

She chewed her bottom lip, a habit she did when she was nervous about something or just thinking. She rolled her eyes at herself, why was she getting worked up over something so trivial? She softly moved the handle and when it gave way she shrugged. The door swung open softly and she popped her head in, beaming a smile at her best friend. The nervousness and anticipation that she had worked herself up with practically melted away and she fell into her usual character.

"Heya," she murmured as her eyes cast around his room. She told herself she wasn't looking for signs of Raven. She must have caught him getting ready for bed but she ignored that fact as she strode over to her chair and plopped down in it. "How's your training going? You've been pretty busy, almost thought your mentor whisked you away to a different tower or something," she joked. The memory of when she'd attempted to come visit him last night coursed through her mind.

She chewed her bottom lip. She wanted to tell someone about what had happened with her mind today. Wanted to share the experience with someone who would be more objective and not make her feel like a rat in a maze. But she didn't want to burden Shen if he was already too busy with his own schedule and the training Raven was probably putting him through.

Greagor

Day 3
Entry 6
I followed Khaalida from the library. It is strange, even when she is sleeping, the chemical changes around her don't cease. Almost as if she is surrounded by feelings that aren't her own. This could have to do with what I've learned about her ability and the way she can communicate with spirits. But until she can confirm that herself, I have no way of knowing if my theory is correct. Though I truly believe it is.

Just before she left the library, she had a surge of confidence that I did not influence. It made me curious and not surprisingly, she led me to Shen's chambers. I know it has only been three days,
but I'm growing impatient to learn more about her. But as long as she keeps running back to the oaf apprentice she calls a friend, she won't truly open up to me. And after the occurrence I wrote about in my third entry today, I'm even more positive that she can actually converse and hold real conversations with spirits who have passed.

Can you imagine the information we could learn from such beings? It's almost unfathomable.

For now I will give Shen another little push and then call it a night. Khaalida will have to do without a sleep aid tonight.