Neska had to admit: she had been worried Harvine would pull the rug out from under them and throw another curveball as she did with the sand construct. She was immensely relieved that it was not the case as the battle between Juni and Syra concluded, though she had been a little annoyed that a gob of mud had splattered down by her and the professor.

  She was also somewhat amused that Harvine took the majority of the splash, and apparently didn't make much of a commotion about it as they rushed onto the field.

  She was proud that Juni put up one big fight for someone vertically challenged. Neska helped wrap a few small cuts too small to bother with a healing potion, while Harvine examined Syra, now fully solidified. The girl did have a humanoid form, though it was sort of an illusion of one, as her skin rippled like water on occasion.

  Her body also showed bruises all over from the endeavor. "May I propose a new rule, Professor? All Awakened get protective headgear. For those who have a head," she quipped.

  "What monster doesn't have a head? Everyone has a head!" Juni protested.

  "Tell that to the golems without a head. They're big, rocky balls with a gooey inside that is somehow alive in a weird way. Don't ask me how they got young for those." Syra let out a shout of pain as Harvine applied a gel to a deeper cut on her skin. "With all due respect, Professor. Do you not know the meaning of the word 'gentle'?"

  Harvine rolled her eyes. "Gentle is a luxury that is rarely affordable around here. And you've shrugged off worse. An anatomical lesson for you, Miss Semou. Water elementa in particular can displace their body, rendering physical attacks such as your [Stone Shot] almost useless. But the mud did slow her down and made your attacks more effective. Good planning."

  Syra oozed mud out from her body, forming muddy puddles. "Ewww, my uniform is gross," she said, biting her lip in frustration. Neska chuckled softly, having realized a few interesting things about her professor.

  The first: Harvine was testing their ability to have a counter ready, even against foes they were ill-suited for fighting. That became more evident when Harvine had Juni fight a foe who might be an Awakened, capable of strategic planning.

  One thing she was grateful for: Harvine didn't have the single-minded zeal that the Seekers possessed, what little she knew of the honest-to-Divines ones that weren't horrible monsters.

  The second aspect of this endeavor: Harvine was challenging them to assess this situation for themselves, without any outside input. She was forcing them to analyze, adapt to the unknown, and take initiative.

  This fight had pushed Juni to her limits…but she also thought the elementa was holding back, just a little. Enough to keep this from becoming too dangerous, but not so obvious that this was more than just a test of abilities.

  Harvine finished with Syra, helping her to her feet. "Well, no permanent harm done, though the [Hydro Cutter] was a touch excessive, Syra."

  "I was using it at...half strength?" She didn't sound convincing, and both Juni and Neska raised a brow at this. Syra let out a bubbling sigh. "Okay, seventy-five percent. The mouse gave me a run for my coins."

  Juni chuckled softly, then gestured to Harvine as they exited the arena, now soaked in water and more mud than dirt. "Hey, uh, we didn't cause any permanent breakage to the arena, did we?" A tree clipped by Syra's water cutter finally collapsed in a heap of leafy limbs, and Juni cringed. "Because it kind of looks like we caused some damage."

  "Certainly not! This arena was designed with this specific functionality in mind, and given several layers of robustness." Harvine waved to the arcane console and pressed a few buttons in succession.

  Neska turned her gaze to the arena, which sucked in all the mud, grass, and dirt like a giant whirlpool. The trees all withered into the ground in a reversal of the way they'd sprouted up, slowly sinking into the bottom of the basin.

  Within seconds, all that was left was some standing water and mud. Harvine clapped her hands. "I always love showing that off. A nice and tidy clean-up! It's also hell on our mana core inventory for higher levels of damage."

  "Mana cores are used for artifacts and Classes, correct?" Neska asked. Or Awakened snakes, but maybe I shouldn't bring that one up while Syra's here.

  Syra...she was certainly a personality. She didn't know quite what to think about her at this early juncture of time, but she had a warm personality so far, and a slightly rebellious attitude. A trait that Neska herself found pride in displaying subtly, from time to time.

  "So, what's our takeaway?" Harvine asked the trio. "Adversity is the spice of creativity. You will scarcely ever have a warning of what you will face when against the Varadur. More importantly, the types and variants of Awakened we've been able to train and study for their abilities pale in comparison to the number of monster species we've come across so far. Unknowns we hope to close the gap on, with each encounter with our foes."

  "Do we expect to fight...other Awakened?" Juni asked. She cast a knowing glance at Neska, who knew the answer already.

  The answer was very likely yes. Those who had been corrupted, like Felix. Harvine took a long time to answer.

  Eventually, she folded her arms and sighed. "I won't lie and say it can't happen. But it has before. and it might yet again. Corrupt Awakened are the most dangerous foes we face, because many of us will be hesitant to strike at the face of someone who may have been a friend, a fellow staff member...or family. To say nothing of their own dangerous abilities, and mental faculties sharper than most Varadur.

  "I can say this, though: this is also a peek into the psyche of my students. And I hope that this test filters out the wrong kind of Awakened, those dangerous to their peers, or themselves.” Harvine let out a soft puff of air. “This test is not just about strength. It is about knowing my students, my responsibility. Knowing what they are capable of. It is not perfect. It has many iterations. But I have never willingly let a student into these halls if I couldn't change their heart to embrace working with their fellow peers."

  Juni’s ears tilted. “You were testing me against an unknown. Either fighting a monster with a will of their own…or one of our own Awakened. I can say that Cassia and I...we've already had to face that battle once. It made this...a little easier."

  Harvine tilted her head. "Who?"

  "Felix."

  Her face darkened at the mention of that name. "Damn it. Where, when? Why didn't Serkin tell me about this?"

  "There was a lot to tell," Neska explained. "He fled Bregin after we cut down his wolf pack. I fully understand what you mean by how dangerous they are. It's a lesson we will not forget."

  "What tier was he? What abilities?"

  "He had a shadow walk and razor claws that cut through steel. We can brief you more if you need more information," Neska answered. Harvine looked like she wanted to ask more, but relented.

  "I want to follow up on that later. Syra, you recall any stories of the Corrupted?"

  "Not...really."

  "If you ever feel like your thoughts are not your own, withdraw to safety. I've been meaning to put together a class to combat it, and how to target the sources. For another day, I suppose." The elementa nodded, but still looked confused.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  "Now that we're all done fighting," Juni said, looking more confident, as she shook the elementa’s hand. “I didn’t hurt you too badly, did I?”

  "Eh. When I'm in that fluid form, I can tank hits, but I have to be very careful I don't burn out on mana. It gets used up quickly if I take hits in that form. One of my most useful abilities. Apparently, you didn’t hold back much, either.” The girl wiped away what water remained on her face, and she’d taken a fleshier appearance. Her uniform still appeared soaked, and there was a slash through one sleeve. “In my fluid form, damage accumulation is dampened and evenly redistributed. But were I to run out of mana? I could have been in a lot of trouble.”

  “Were you here for the whole conversation…before?” Neska asked cautiously.

  The elementa pointed at her, looking confident. “Didn’t get to see it, but I heard it. Wow. You’re one to look out for, huh?”

  “I prefer not to stand out,” Neska answered flatly. "Let's just say there are reasons for that. I've earned the wrath of beings who claim they are infinitely my greater."

  The elementa whistled. "That's uh...You know, given that you just did impossible things like casting witch hexes, I think I should believe you on that front, and be smart enough not to ask who just yet."

  "Too late for me," Juni grumbled. "How much did you know to expect for you to plan this test? You must have had some forward knowledge."

  The professor wore a wry smile. "Serkin told me some, but certainly not all of it. Plus, given your evolutions, I had some indication of what to anticipate and plan an appropriate challenge. Serkin also conveyed his initial assessments of your personalities. He was mostly correct. Less accurate on Cassia, though."

  She felt put on the spot on that one. “I had no lips and couldn’t scream. But my tailmanship works.”

  “I sort of got a read for her. Much easier now that she has arms. And a voice,” Juni said smugly. “So, professor, what's next?"

  "Evaluating data. At least, on my part. This is usually the result I get with ninety-eight percent of students who pass this test. I need critical thinkers, not soldiers. As for this scenario?" She waved to the arena. “Juni, students spar against one another in controlled environments. Even tournaments. We do our best to limit scenarios where serious harm can happen. But you'll never be fully prepared against everything."

  Harvine directed them down the hall. Neska slithered, Juni padded across the tiled floor, and Syra…sloshed. Though she still had the appearance of a humanoid, She swore she heard a splash of water.

  Harvine unlocked a large wooden door with a glass pane window, a small nameplate with her name stamped on it just below the frame. Neska glanced at the room, taking in its oversized features and extra space. The desk looked tiny compared to the room's dimensions. Filing cabinets lined one side, and a window let in morning light, illuminating faint bits of dust.

  Harvine sat down at her desk and directed them to the chairs. She let out a hiss of protest. She didn’t have a posterior to sit on! Instead, she coiled her body and folded her arms. "Do I look like I have a--"

  Harvine snapped her fingers, and the chair slowly reformed, twisting the metal and some artificial, spongy material that served as padding, into a new configuration. Within seconds, it had changed into a shallow, bowl-like design. "My dear, we do try our best to accommodate all shapes and sizes."

  Neska found coiling her lower body into the rearranged seat quite comfortable. She folded her arms, tapping one claw on her forearm. She wondered if that was something she’d done before, out of personality or muscle memory.

  Harvine steepled her fingers, elbows resting on the orderly desk with an arcane light suspended in a strange, trapezoidal fixture colored a tacky green. “On a high note, all of you performed well. Possibly exceeding my expectations.”

  “So you do this with all students.”

  “Correct. And it’s never the same test twice.” She glanced at Neska, peering over low-profile glasses. “You were put into a fight you had no chance of winning. Yet you defeated your foe.”

  “I usually fight with…” she trailed off. Jurik and Hadley weren’t here now. And they wouldn’t be for a while. “I prefer to battle with a team, with overlapping abilities.”

  “Good. Practical experience served you well. You made creative use of your powers.” Harvine didn’t look at the notepad sitting on the table, reciting from memory, instead. “Your hexes are your offensive powerhouse, but your snake evolutions give you evasive abilities and disabling techniques. If I were to put you in a squad, you would be instrumental in providing crowd control and offensive capacity."

  “My hexes do no damage, or take time to do so,” she pointed out. She winced as she thought of something. Her [Sudden Molt] could have been handy in that fight, and she needed to make sure it didn’t fall behind her other abilities. “That makes me reliant on evasion, or drawing out a fight for these to work effectively. Venom included.”

  “But you have the witch class.”

  “Huh?” Syra blinked, confused. "Not just witch-like powers, an actual class? Did the lamia swallow a witch who is just riding around in her, casting spells?"

  "Wouldn't fit. Even I'm not that gluttonous," Neska said sourly.

  "Alright, alright, point taken," Syra said, waving her hand as if to apologize.

  Harvine pointed to Neska. “This is need-to-know information, speaking of which. Serkin instructed me on the implications. I explained in advance to Syra what she might hear.”

  “A lot,” the girl huffed. “How, exactly, does she have a class?”

  “A rare subtype of monster,” Neska deflected. "Let's leave it at that."

  Syra continued to stare at her, then nodded. "Let me know when you plan on showering me in secrets that could literally get me killed. Because I'm getting that feeling that's where this is going."

  Neska's mind was focused on something else. How, indeed. She had pondered this for a while since last night. And the hint was buried in the one option for her growth that left her horrified:

  Ritual Infusion.

  It left her speculating on whether that was how Risha was able to jump-start her Awakening, after it failed to take hold for a year. Two horrible theories branched from it, should it prove true.

  The first: if a Class could be permanently infused into an individual, was this what Marikand was after? To make monsters stronger? To make them unbeatable?

  The second, more horrifying thought: If that was true…

  Risha had lied about the fundamentals of the ritual from the beginning. She set everything up before Marikand entered the equation, to sacrifice her life to empower her snake with witch powers. Or allow Neska to access her prior Class before death.

  Or, was it the other way around…She, as the loyal snake, was the sacrifice.

  Her love.

  “Cassia?”

  Juni shook her shoulder, standing upright on the seat next. She glanced down, as did Neska. She’d inadvertently gripped the armrests of the chair so tightly she’d trenched through the wood with her claws. Even Harvine looked on with caution.

  “Pain from the training against the construct. Sorry.” It was, in fact, the arm that had been cut.

  But Juni didn’t buy it. Her gaze lingered longer than it should have before she sat down in the seat to face the professor. Neska cleared her throat, which still felt raw from all that sand. “I will need placement in ritual classes and alchemy. I may be the only student with a tail in either of them.”

  “So, what do you intend?”

  “Stop the monsters. End the war. Simple, really,” Neska shrugged. “I will also need assistance from other Witch classes. Both from academy members and students.”

  Harvine regarded this with curiosity, pen twirling in her hand. “You believe you can pull this off.”

  “I believe I have the potential. But I want classes with Juni,” the mouse girl squinted at her. “We work well together.”

  “Done. Serkin forewarned me that you might say that,” Harvine answered. “Juni, objections?”

  “Nope!” Then, she glanced to her right and pointed at her recent adversary. “And Syra.”

  That one took Neska by surprise. And Syra as well. “W-what? Me?” the elementa stammered.

  “You took us seriously. I commend that,” She pointed out, a hint of a smile forming. “You understand that we have goals. You have witnessed firsthand what we can do. The question is, do you want to be part of that?”

  “I-I, um…”

  “Why did you come here to agree to this?” Neska pressed. “You must have had some forewarning. Every student at this academy has died and come back reborn. Most of us, likely by monsters.”

  The girl remained silent, but was thinking about her response, as evident from her scrunched face. Neska chose to continue to drive the point home. “I lost my witch on the day I Awakened, to monsters. I won’t rest until I see her last promise fulfilled, to stop them once and for all.”

  And kill the monster who took her from me. She kept the last part to herself.

  “By killing them all? That’s a fool’s errand.” Her words did elicit a reaction from Syra, a step in the right direction.

  “I didn’t say I'd kill them all. I think there’s more than one solution to stopping them.” Neska turned to Melissa. “I haven’t had the chance to say this yet…But I think I understand why, now. Risha said I could trust you. On her dying words.”

  Harvine tried not to react. But one single sharpened breath came through, and a subtle wipe of her hand to wipe away moisture was enough. “She did trust me. I trusted her, even if her methods were…” she trailed off. “Unconventional. But she was always a good woman at heart.”

  Syra glanced at the two of them, moved by the short exchange. “You really believe you can, don’t you?”

  “Belief in the possibility of victory is the first step towards earning it.” Juni chimed in, giving Neska an approving nod, then turning to Syra. “What do you say? Next time, we can spar properly, and we can push each other's abilities to grow.”

  Syra let out a soft breath. “You know why I’m here? They killed my mom. I watched it happen. Then me. I still remember it, and I wish I couldn’t. They were able to bring me back…but my mom…her soul never returned from the Umbral Shoal.”

  She let out a long, sobbing breath. And then she lifted her head, the features hardened into a stoic determination. “So, yeah. I want to be a part of something that puts an end to this nightmare. Something to tip the balance of the world back to something good.”

  She extended her hand to Juni and Neska, faces edged with hope. “I’m in.”

  Neska shook her hand firmly, allowing herself a small smile. “Good. We’ve got a lot of work to do. I may also need to put a spell on you, or snake hugs, for purely academic purposes. Possibly both."

  Syra blinked. “I’m sorry. What?”

  | | | | |