Her body was covered in sweat. She sat upright, sitting on top of crossed legs. Her chest was warm, accumulating a slowly building, burning pressure.

  Several hours had passed. It was almost midnight now. She’d taken the opportunity to try advancing once more.

  The air around her seemed to still ever so slightly.

  There was a roaring tempest within her body. A chaotic storm of power and mana, expanding, shrinking, whipping around like the wrath of nature.

  It was a tempest of power.

  She took several shallow breaths, her chest heaving; she focused on keeping calm and steady. While many would take several months, with only geniuses taking a few weeks—Veronica was different.

  As one final bead of sweat dripped from her cheek to her chin, falling to the calf of her leg—

  Her eyes snapped open. She refocused her eyes, staring at the far wall of the room, and took one deep exhale. Her eyes lingered with a faint purple glow, sparks dancing around in her pupils.

  Finally…

  Current Tier: Tier-2 Mage

  -

  Secondary Path has been allocated to: Path of Tempests

  -

  Maximum mana has increased from 360 to 560

  Mana Regeneration has increased from 100 to 140.

  -

  [You have completed a quest: Achieve Tier-2]

  [Reward: Passive Mana Shield]

  -

  New quest assigned: Achieve Tier-3

  She was now a mage of ruin and tempests. The path of ruin was a primary path, focused on raw destructive power. The path of Tempests was a sub-path focused on propagation and extension. It was the perfect combination to eradicate whatever stood in her way.

  “This speed of understanding and advancing tiers is unprecedented. If anyone achieved speeds like this before I regressed, I would have wanted to take them as a disciple in a heartbeat. I’m sure Maeve would too.”

  Veronica slid off the bed and lazily stretched, her bare feet padding across the floor. She flexed her arms, rolled her shoulders, and tested the freedom of her fingers. No stone locked her joints. No stiffness, no weight dragging her body down. It was now just her—breath and muscle. The absence of petrification felt so alien that she almost didn’t trust it.

  “Alright,” she muttered, a small smile tugging her lips.

  She peeked down at herself.

  Her body was covered in sweat. “Stretches first. Then a bath.”

  Fifteen minutes later, her body warm and loose, she stepped into the washroom. She gathered her hair, twisting it into a bun, black strands brushing against her neck as she secured it high. Then she dipped a toe into the waiting bath of the inn. The heat coaxed a soft sigh from her lips.

  She lowered herself in slowly, savoring the way the water cradled her skin. First her calves, then her thighs, until the warmth reached her waist. Goosebumps pricked her arms as she eased lower, the tension in her back unraveling inch by inch. By the time she sank all the way in, the water sliding up to her collarbone, her eyes had closed in near-bliss.

  Her first real bath in nearly a year. No holes for her to fill with ice and melt with fire, no shallow basins that barely washed the blood away. No fear of a giant demon slamming its fist into her shelter the moment she shut her eyes. Just warmth. Just quiet, and the beating of her heart.

  She leaned her head back against the smooth rim, half-lidded eyes glinting through the steam. “Hey, Sage,” she murmured, sinking deeper, the water lapping just beneath her chin. “That thing you mentioned earlier… the reward. A mana shield, wasn’t it?”

  [Now that you have reached a higher tier, I have become more integrated with your mana system and body, increasing my processing capabilities. I can now dedicate resources to passively creating a mana shield around you using ambient mana.]

  She exhaled, mouth slightly submerged in the water, blowing bubbles upward.

  She lifted her head and stared upward at the ceiling. “You can gather ambient mana? That explains why the air feels like it’s rippling,” she said. “But why a mana shield? Why not just give me the mana directly?”

  [It is possible, however, I concluded having a dedicated mana shield alleviates you the mental strain from keeping up a barrier. You would still need to convert the ambient mana to usable mana and maintain a barrier on your own. With this method, I can take care of the process for you instead.]

  “I see… that’s… quite an advantage for a mage.”

  Having a second brain—essentially, ensured that she had someone always watching her back. Before, she had been protected by her master and lived in a large city filled with nobility and power. There was no need for protective measures whilst in Annesheim. Even if there was danger, she always conserved a portion of mana to constantly keep up a barrier.

  It was mind-numbing, in all honesty.

  “That’s a pretty great reward then. If you can always keep it up, then I can use much more mana than usual once I hit Tier-10.”

  Veronica finished her much-needed bath a few minutes later. It had loosened the tension in her limbs, but her mind was already wandering again, thinking about the future. She changed back into the clothes she had bought earlier; she hadn’t worn them enough to warrant a wash.

  Now done with the washroom, she headed downstairs toward the common area. The inn was warm. A cozy feeling that she had long missed, having taken shelter in ruins for the past couple of years.

  After the fiasco in the towns square, she’d gone back to her room and worked immediately on advancing again. It seems several hours had passed.

  Golden lamplights flickered across the walls, while patrons clinked spoons to bowls and spoke with one another; some had hearty laughs, others came with modest conversations.

  She ordered a small bowl of roasted root vegetables with seasoned grain and sat near the back, away from the glow of the burning hearth.

  As she ate, a voice caught her ear from a nearby table.

  “I’m tellin’ you. Benton ain’t been seen since yesterday morning. He was supposed to take the cart shift today at the mines, but Fellory had to do it in his place.”

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “Probably just drunk somewhere,” someone muttered.

  “No,” said the first voice, having gone quieter now.

  Veronica slowed her chewing, subtly angling her body toward the table. But she was too far to hear more.

  [I can amplify their voices and suppress ambient noise, if you’d like.]

  You can do that? she thought, a brow lifting. A pause settled upon her before she responded.

  Yeah, do it.

  The world around her dimmed like she’d slipped underwater. Laughter, clinking cutlery, idle gossip—all muted. Only one table remained clear to her ears.

  “—he ain’t never miss a shift. Ever, ya hear?”

  A third voice came from the table next to theirs. Thick arms with soot-lined sleeves.

  Another miner, clearly.

  He leaned back in his seat to chime in on their conversation. “You two talkin’ bout Benton?”

  “Yeah, didn’t show up this morning. Boss said he wasn’t at the quarry yesterday either, but no one really noticed then,” answered the first, quieter man.

  “People only notice when ya got a job’ta do, and without yous, some other poor bastard’s gotta take up your shift,” replied the second man.

  “He probably ran off again. Took a bottle and skirt with him, probably passed out in someone’s house,” the burly man suggested.

  The first man shook his head. “No. Doubt that. He left his boots behind. Who leaves without boots? He’s only got the one pair from what I’ve noticed. Drunk or not, you ain’t walkin’ out the mines barefoot..”

  The sound from the common room was slowly restored as the conversation began to cease into other things.

  Another disappearance… how is no one concerned about what’s been happening?

  As Veronica took another spoonful, Sage interrupted her.

  [Suspicious movement has been detected. Four individuals have been observing you for the past two minutes.]

  She paused, spoon frozen mid-lift.

  Are you sure? she asked mentally.

  [Affirmative. Four individuals. Some are watching through peripheral angles past the open windows; one has passed by the entrance three times in the last 40 seconds.]

  She had noticed people walking past the entrance through the corner of her eye. She didn’t realize that it was the same person, however.

  Veronica stood, casually dropped a few vix beside her bowl, and walked toward the door as if stepping out for fresh air.

  The innkeep called out to her. “Make sure you’re back by midnight. I’ll be asleep by then if you lose your room key.”

  Veronica gave the man a nod and left.

  The night air greeted her, cool and pleasant, laced with wood-smoke from chimneys of the surrounding homes.

  It was late now. A couple of hours from midnight. Her advancement to Tier-2 had taken much longer than advancing to Tier-1. This time, it took her most of the evening.

  A casual sweep of her eyes across the town revealed that there were still several people out. Townspeople lingered near lamp posts, street corners, smoking or chattering amongst themselves. There wasn’t anyone that immediately seemed out of place.

  Where are they, Sage?

  [They have dispersed toward the southwest into the tree lines deeper into the forest. 107 degrees west. All four people changed their movement patterns and scattered once you stood up from your table.]

  Her fingers tensed, but only briefly.

  They could be cultists—opportunists—maybe even the dogs of the Ronswicks—or someone entirely different.

  It didn’t really matter.

  “I’ve never been fond of waiting,” she muttered.

  Veronica, without glancing where Sage had indicated, stepped down from the porch, and circled smoothly around the inn. She maintained a slow, calm pace.

  Just the town’s new mysterious mage, out for a late night stroll.

  Nothing suspicious.

  While she could have used a more discreet method to handle the situation, she had always been more proactive than her peers. Why go around and setup schemes, plans, play mental warfare—when you could just approach the problem directly? When she had spotted the cultists in the forest before, she had been too weak for a direct confrontation.

  Now?

  She was now a Tier-2 mage, and her mana had recovered thanks to her advancement. At the very least, she could now take on any regular enemies that deemed her harm.

  She slipped between two crates stacked alongside the alley of the inn. Then, when the coast was clear, she darted sideways and veered toward the back buildings.

  From here, she continued until she was met with a short slope down to a fence, one that marked the outer bounds of the town. With a single step, she vaulted it easily.

  She went to the tree line and buried herself deeper within the forest’s embrace. Continuing on, she circled around toward the southwest side of the innermost forest.

  During all of this, Sage kept her updated on their actions. They seemed to move away, but at a slow rate.

  Veronica was curious about exactly how Sage was tracking them.

  [I rely on environmental cues. In a quiet, stable atmosphere, I can amplify and extrapolate noises, determining whether those sounds are likely man-made, animal, or otherwise. If the environment is too chaotic, or if a target makes no motion, detection becomes unreliable. Your other senses also assist, including smell and sight.]

  Veronica acknowledged it quietly. It probably had something to do with very complex equations, something she wasn’t going to bother with right now.

  Seems like they’re dragging me far from the town for a reason.

  After a couple of minutes, she caught up with them.

  [They are here.]

  Four figures dropped down from the surrounding trees, the dark of the night masking their appearances. They all landed in front of her, forming a half-circle formation. They all wore black masks which shrouded their faces, just like the one the cultists wore.

  With a flick of her palm, a mote of light emitted from her palm, drifting forward between her and the cultists. It lit up the surrounding area, ridding them of their silhouettes, and revealing their forms in the darkness.

  One of them took a step forward. “So the rumors of a mage arriving in Greystone were true.”

  It was a man’s voice. It was calm, but mixed with some slight grain, not quite gruff. Someone in their mid-thirties, most likely.

  [There is a high likelihood that this individual’s voice is being altered and masked.]

  Veronica gave a mental nod.

  “Who are you four? Are you cultists? Part of the Ronswicks?” she asked, getting straight to the point.

  None of the four of them reacted in any special way.

  “Sorry, but that’s not something we’re at liberty to discuss.”

  Veronica creased her eyes. “Then state your purpose. Why are you spying on me? Doesn’t seem to me like any of you are exactly the friendly type.”

  She noticed it now. They were all wrapped in dark, but they weren’t robes, but rather, cloaks.

  Assassin and hunter garb. Most of them had dagger sheaths at their sides. Short blades, concealable and prepped for quick-draw. One of the masked figures on the right adjusted slightly, feet shuffling against the leaves. They weren’t going to just talk. They were ready to take action.

  “Spying?” the center man replied, completely unbothered. “Not quite. Observing you, maybe. Hard not to. You’re new. And very loud. Your exploits in town have basically reached all ears.” He gestured toward her gently glowing spell. “Rumor has it, you’re a seedling mage. A Tier-1 sapling. Knows a bit of magic with half her foot in the water.”

  Veronica tensed, ready to take action herself. It was coming.

  “You have ten seconds to explain who you work for,” she said flatly. “Before I assume you’re working with the cultists to summon demons and kill you all. I don’t give second warnings.”

  The masked assassin on the far left quickly drew their daggers and readied their stance.

  “Sorry,” said the man in the middle with a chuckle. “A Tier-1 mage isn’t exactly strong enough to make these threats. If you were Elise, then maybe.”

  He glanced to his right, toward the one who had pulled their daggers. He nodded his head forward.

  “Kill her.”

  The masked figure dashed forward, kicking off the ground.

  Veronica raised her hand and cast a spell.

  The man who spoke before, possibly their leader, scoffed at seeing Veronica’s response. “Stupid. You cornered yourself by not giving yourself enough space to cast your spells.”

  He closed his eyes behind the mask, just for a brief second, to shake his head.

  It was a dumb move.

  Everyone knew mages couldn’t cast spells quickly enough at the low-tiers. Walking into a forest alone against them and not giving herself enough time or space to cast was idiotic.

  That was when the scream of a woman came out in front of him. His eyes snapped open. Burning on the ground, he saw the smoldering flames.

  It hadn’t been the scream of the mage.

  It was a scream from one of his own allies.

  A cloak lay there, crumpled. It had been torn, split in two. Both halves of a body which the cloak clung to, submitted to the forest floor along with it, landing with a thud. Blood followed, dark and slow, like ink drowning parchment. At the split half, tiny embers burned, fraying the edges.

  Veronica looked forward at the remaining three, two wings of light faintly disappearing behind her hand. She had finally met the cultists directly; the ones who were involved with the demons. There was no way she'd show mercy now.

  “Death, then,” she stated, eyes narrow and piercingly cold.

  1/26/2026 - This chapter has undergone a revision. In case you see any comments that reference something that doesn't make sense or is inaccurate/incorrect, there is a chance it may have been corrected.

  As always, if you notice any grammar issues or inconsistencies, make sure you point them out! (politely, please!) Many of my earlier chapters underwent rewrites so some things may have slipped through the cracks, so I am grateful for any mistakes pointed out, and I will correct them as quick as possible to ensure a better reading experience.