A week went by and Valentina could feel her influence on Professor Horne growing, how she dominated his thoughts and tormented him with her whispered innuendos.

  "You've barely scratched the surface, little Weaver," the demon whispered one evening as Valentina pored over her books. "The big test is coming. Now is the time to put all your eggs in one basket."

  Valentina rubbed her tired eyes. "What do you mean, Vyxara? Professor Horne can hardly think straight now. By this point, I'm sure he's dreaming about me every night."

  "Yes, the fish is hooked. But now you have to reel it in. You need to be a little more... creative."

  The next morning, Valentina entered the lecture hall with a pounding heart. She had dressed particularly carefully, her hair falling loose over her shoulders. As she sat down, she noticed Professor Horne's nervous look.

  The lecture began and Valentina put her plan into action. Every time the professor looked in her direction, she absently played with a strand of hair or bit her lower lip lightly. She saw how his gaze kept wandering to her, how he faltered in mid-sentence.

  Next to her, Innogen frowned. "Is everything all right, Val? You seem so... dreamy today."

  Valentina smiled innocently. "I'm doing fine. I'm just deep in thought."

  When the lecture came to an end, Valentina stayed behind. She waited until the last student had left the room before going to Professor Horne.

  "Excuse me, Professor," she said in a low voice. "I have a question about advanced... bonding techniques for Leb Essence."

  Horne swallowed hard. "N-naturally, Valentina. What do you want to know?"

  She stepped closer, so close that she could feel his nervous breathing. "Well, I've heard that there are techniques that allow a particularly... intense bond between Weaver and Essence. Is that true?"

  The professor stared at her, his face full of desire and confusion. "Those... these are very... uh... advanced concepts, Valentina, I don't know if a twenty-year-old woman... um, I mean Essence Weaver should..."

  She smiled, her eyes sparkling defiantly. "Nineteen, Professor", she corrected him. "Oh, you know I'm no ordinary student, Professor. I'm willing to learn anything you can teach me."

  With these words, she turned and left the room, the feeling of Horne's gaze on her back like a burning mark.

  "Brilliant, little Weaver," Vyxara purred with satisfaction. "Now you've finished him off. Have you seen how he squirmed? How he desires you and fears you at the same time? You're a real master at this by now!"

  In the days that followed, Valentina continued to play the game. In every lecture, she found new ways to provoke Horne without the other students noticing. An 'accidentally' dropped quill here, an ambiguous question there.

  Professor Horne became increasingly nervous. His hands trembled when he called on Valentina, his voice broke in mid-sentence. The other students began to whisper.

  "What's wrong with old Horne?" Valentina heard a fellow student ask in the corridor. "He's acting like he's seen ghosts."

  Crispin, who was walking beside her, shook his head. "Maybe he's ill? He really hasn't been looking well lately."

  Valentina remained silent, a feeling of guilt in her stomach. Had she gone too far?

  "Doubt is a luxury you can't afford," Vyxara hummed. "Think of the goal."

  One afternoon, when Valentina once again stayed behind after the lecture, Professor Horne seemed to be at the end of his tether. His hands were shaking so badly that he could barely hold his papers.

  "Valentina," he said in a brittle voice. "I... I have to ask you to stop."

  She put on an innocent face. "Stop what, Professor? I don't understand what you mean."

  He stared at her, his eyes wide and almost angry. "You know exactly what I mean!"

  Valentina stepped closer, her voice barely more than a whisper. "But isn't that exactly what you want, Professor? What you imagine in your darkest fantasies?"

  Horne backed away until he bumped into his desk. "I... I don't know what you're talking about. This is highly inappropriate!"

  She smiled, a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Oh, I think you know perfectly well. But don't worry, I'll keep your little secret."

  As she left the room, she heard Horne sink heavily into his chair. She had him exactly where she wanted him.

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  "You've risen above yourself, little Weaver," Vyxara praised. "But remember, the game isn't over yet. The true test is yet to come."

  Valentina nodded slightly, her heart racing with excitement and a hint of fear. She knew she had reached a point of no return. She would either triumph or be in big bloody trouble.

  When she returned to her room that evening, she found a note slipped under her door. She opened the envelope with trembling hands.

  "Valentina, I need to speak to you urgently. Tomorrow evening, after the last lecture, in my office. Professor Horne"

  She stared at the few lines, her mouth suddenly dry. This was it. The moment of truth.

  "Ready for the final touch, little Weaver?" whispered Vyxara, a mixture of anticipation and warning in her voice.

  Valentina folded the letter carefully and placed it in the drawer of her desk, next to Professor Horne's notebook. "Yes," she said quietly, more to herself than to Vyxara. "I'm ready."

  ~

  She spent the morning of the next day in the quiet library at Bridgewater, poring over her notes.

  "The next round of the Greystone Competition will be a real challenge, little Weaver," Vyxara whispered in Valentina's head. "Practical Essence Weaving at the highest level. Are you ready for it?"

  Valentina chewed thoughtfully on her lower lip. "I don't know," she murmured quietly. "I've mastered the basic techniques, and I have some experience with advanced manipulation by now, but I don't know if I'm confident enough to just spontaneously react properly to something unknown. If that makes any sense."

  "Of course, I understand exactly what you mean. Then let's think about it," Vyxara replied. "What are the key elements of Essence Weaving?"

  "Well," Valentina began as she jotted down a few key points, "first there's the precise control over the Essence flows. Then the ability to weave different Essence types together and harmonize them."

  "Good," praised Vyxara. "And don't forget the importance of mental visualization. The clearer your mental image, the stronger your Weaving. Many Essence Weavers neglect this criminally."

  Valentina nodded and continued writing eagerly. "Perhaps I should focus on more complex Weaving patterns? The Vanderlieu Spiral has proven to be very useful and I have quite a bit of experience with it now, but I'm not so good at other advanced patterns that are more suitable for other Essence types."

  "An excellent idea," agreed Vyxara. "But also think about unconventional approaches. You don't just have to work with patterns that someone has already researched in detail – if you can reliably master the basic principles, you can also improvise more easily."

  While Valentina and Vyxara continued to exchange ideas, Innogen and Crispin entered the library. Their eyes lit up when they spotted Valentina.

  "Val!" Innogen called softly and waved. "We've been looking everywhere for you."

  Valentina looked up and smiled at her friends. "Hey, you two. Come here, I could use your help."

  Crispin and Innogen sat down at the table with her, casting curious glances at her notes.

  "Are you preparing for the next round?" asked Crispin, glancing at Valentina's notes.

  Valentina nodded. "Yes, the practical tests. I'm trying to work out a strategy."

  Innogen leaned forward with interest. "Oh, that sounds exciting. Do you have any concrete ideas yet?"

  "A few," Valentina replied. "I'm thinking about advanced Weaving patterns and how to combine different Essence types effectively."

  Crispin nodded approvingly. "That sounds very promising. Have you thought about the possibility of using resonance effects even more? I've heard that often makes all the difference in the higher ranks."

  Valentina felt Vyxara humming approvingly in her head. "The boy is not wrong, little Weaver. Resonance effects can be very powerful."

  "That's a great idea, Crispin," said Valentina enthusiastically. "I hadn't even thought about that. What do you mean exactly?"

  As Crispin elaborated on his thoughts, Valentina watched Innogen frown thoughtfully.

  "You know," Innogen began hesitantly, "I recently read something about Essences visualized as flat surfaces. It was in one of the older texts in the restricted section."

  Valentina raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You have access to the restricted section? Why didn't you ever tell me that?"

  Innogen blushed slightly. "Well, my family name sometimes opens doors. Anyway, the theory is that by visualizing the Essence as something they call a flat surface, you can change basic properties of the Essence, but I haven't quite figured out what that means and how to visualize it."

  "Interesting," muttered Vyxara. "This friend of yours seems to know more than she's letting on. But that's the stupidest description of a scalar field I've ever heard."

  What by all the flames of the Martyr was a scalar field? Valentina nodded slowly, processing Innogen's and Vyxara's words at the same time. "That sounds fascinating, Innogen. And potentially very useful for the challenges."

  The three friends became engrossed in a lively discussion about various techniques and theories. Time flew by and soon the table was littered with notes, diagrams and hastily sketched Weaving patterns.

  "You know," said Crispin after a while, "it's nice that we can do this together. Even if we are rivals in the competition."

  Innogen smiled warmly. "That's true. No matter what happens, our friendship comes first."

  Valentina felt a twinge of remorse when she thought of her secrets and hidden knowledge and powers – not to mention the demon in her head. But she forced herself to smile. "You guys are right. I'm so grateful to have you both."

  "Even I like them, but sentimentality will not lead you to success, little Weaver," Vyxara warned. "Don't forget what's really important."

  Valentina shook her head slightly to block out Vyxara's voice. Instead, she concentrated on her friends and the warmth she felt in their presence.

  As dusk fell and Matilda Ravencroft began to gently but firmly shoo the students out of the library, the three friends packed up their things.

  "That was really productive," Valentina said as she organized her notes. "Thank you for your help."

  Crispin smiled shyly. "You're welcome. You'll do great, Val. I know it."

  Innogen nodded in agreement. "Absolutely. We believe in you."

  As they left the library and stepped out into the cool evening air, Valentina felt a mixture of confidence and unease. She was grateful for the support of her friends, but at the same time the knowledge of her secrets gnawed at her.

  "Focus on your goal, little Weaver," Vyxara whispered. "Victory is within your grasp."

  Valentina shivered barely noticeably as she strolled across the campus with Innogen and Crispin. Immediately after, she would go to her room briefly so as not to make her friends suspicious and then she would make her way to Professor Horne's office.