The Academy transformed as finals crept ever closer. Every apprentice, from the hardest working and most ambitious to the laziest and least motivated, threw themselves into training. The Archives g...
2024-09-05 11:21:58 +0000 UTC View PostAs the weeks passed, the cat and I established a tense agreement. I fed and housed it, and in return, I received clear annoyance and hostility intermixed with guarded neutrality.
Unfor...
2024-09-03 09:39:41 +0000 UTC View PostThe cat drifted between awake and unconscious over the next several days, never rising for longer than it took to drink his fill before falling asleep again. His mana signature stabilized enough af...
2024-08-31 10:34:11 +0000 UTC View PostJulian's face shifted again, turning stony. I once more stood before a true master and an unhappy one at that. For a moment, I wondered if I had made a mistake.
"Choose something else,...
2024-08-29 08:56:57 +0000 UTC View PostA part of me had thought I had caught on to a spy sent by a noble or maybe a would-be rival seeking information before they challenged me to a duel. Both were, in hindsight, fantasies conjured up b...
2024-08-27 08:35:27 +0000 UTC View Post"So, this is a natural elixir, then?" the alchemist said, holding the glowing water vial and swirling it before her eyes.
The alchemist, a woman in her mid-twenties, was the fourth I h...
2024-08-24 09:42:19 +0000 UTC View PostAccept or refuse?
Helton's offer felt closer to theft than a genuine, even trade. I might lack the status for a truly equal partnership, but their offer bordered on insulting. I would ...
2024-08-22 10:13:41 +0000 UTC View PostTwo more afternoons worth of researching into the Archmagi's battle, and I had found nothing. Or at least, nothing worth a damn.
I could confirm that both had been sent into a...
2024-08-20 09:46:17 +0000 UTC View PostWeeks passed, and winter began to fade. The days grew longer and the nights warmer, though snow still fell and trees remained bare.
I noticed those changes from a distance as my days b...
2024-08-17 09:42:02 +0000 UTC View PostI was in love. Although I had done my best to deny it, there was no point in ignoring my feelings. The way my heart pounded or a smile came to my face without meaning all told the truth.
... 2024-08-15 09:30:44 +0000 UTC View PostWhen I first entered the Academy, I had little interest in reading up on the Archmagi of old. They were the strongest, the most skilled, and the most important mages in our history, so studying the...
2024-08-13 09:40:24 +0000 UTC View PostThe next day, I finally had a chance to meet with Master Barlow to discuss my future as a mage. The older woman had agreed to a single, one-hour training session, and I intended to eke out every se...
2024-08-10 09:40:43 +0000 UTC View PostI detected that strange mana signature again two days after the previous incident. It appeared as I walked the grounds of the Academy, testing my ability to draw in Aether while keeping my senses f...
2024-08-08 10:06:39 +0000 UTC View PostA part of me had looked forward to classes resuming. I had believed it would help guide my training, but soon I realized my mistake.
There was no guidance or limitations during winter ...
2024-08-06 09:27:26 +0000 UTC View PostGathering mana while moving is a trick few mages ever truly perfect. While it can eventually match immobile meditation, getting there is a process measured in months, if not years. However...
2024-08-03 09:15:16 +0000 UTC View PostAs a child, I once dreamed of becoming a master swordsman. Nothing quite struck as heroic an image as a warrior, blade in hand, dancing between foes with impossible grace and skill.
If...
2024-08-01 05:44:20 +0000 UTC View PostI stared at my mentor for a few seconds, then pushed myself up and brushed sand from my clothes, "I learned you have been holding back quite a bit."
Sig's stern look turned into a glar...
2024-07-30 04:11:37 +0000 UTC View PostSig's home was a long, two-story rectangle with stone walls, a low fence, and a slanted roof. Snow fluttered down, sliding across the invisible Traveler's Shield I had conjured on the way.
2024-07-27 03:32:08 +0000 UTC View Post
That night was the first decent night's rest I had in weeks. I had a chance to rest and relax, barely but more than my trip north had allowed. The following day, I woke with dulled annoyance and st...
2024-07-25 02:35:44 +0000 UTC View PostIf I had a choice, I would have left Aresford the following morning, but after everything that had transpired, haste seemed vital. I pushed my mount hard, moving south along the road. As I went, I ...
2024-07-23 03:34:56 +0000 UTC View PostIt took about a minute for my eyesight to return in full. That gave me ample time to smother my emotions and mentally recite congratulations to Sion. Though my pride stung, and I could not help but...
2024-07-20 02:53:56 +0000 UTC View PostThe noble estate chosen as our "neutral" location stood out like a sore thumb among the worn and functional Aresford landscape. It was a small enough estate with raised walls, a metal gate, and gua...
2024-07-18 02:33:11 +0000 UTC View PostTwo more days passed before my wounds healed enough to test my third and likely final spell. I stood in the center of my cave, shaking out both hands and stretching my legs as I felt for any tightn...
2024-07-16 02:31:04 +0000 UTC View PostI spent the rest of the day testing, refining, and retesting my spear enchantment to find glaring flaws. After nearly ten hours, the end result was...passable. It still did not focus or contain the...
2024-07-13 01:58:19 +0000 UTC View PostA proper mage duel was one part training and one part strategic analysis. Not every mage fought the same way, and it was crucial to approach each opponent as a unique challenge with traits in commo...
2024-07-10 23:47:45 +0000 UTC View Post"Fun is not the word I would choose," I replied as I relaxed, "Strange, unfamiliar, and dangerous maybe, but never fun."
"The same thing, from a certain perspective. Danger breeds oppo...
2024-07-08 22:02:26 +0000 UTC View PostI made it most of the way back to the mines before my body reached its limit. The potions I had imbibed bolstered my flagging stamina and took the edge off my wounds, but it was a temporary solutio...
2024-07-05 20:14:27 +0000 UTC View PostIt took me at least one agonizing minute to pull myself out from underneath the monster's corpse. When I finally got free, I lay on the dirt and tried to catch my breath. I could feel the Aether-in...
2024-07-04 00:03:39 +0000 UTC View PostThe thing stepped out of the pool, placing one bare foot on the water's edge. Steams slid down uneven shoulders, forming a shallow puddle that sunk into the dirt, turning it muddy. It looked dark, ...
2024-07-01 23:31:59 +0000 UTC View PostI tugged at my lower lip as I reviewed my notes. The mystery of this forest and whatever was causing these problems had begun to resolve, but I still could not place a few things.
Firs...
2024-06-28 20:17:04 +0000 UTC View Post