Fiona practically jumped up from her seat, nearly knocking over a book perched precariously on the edge of her table. Her narrow eyes darted to Tyrus, then widened as she adjusted her spectacles and rushed over to hug him. A floral scent from her body wafted into his nostrils.

  "I've been wanting to meet up with you for a while," Fiona said, pulling back. "I haven't seen you for a month! How's the classes going? Did you get all the materials you need? Are you being treated alright? Any new friends—"

  She clamped a hand over her mouth, eyes flitting between each row of shelves. A frown creased her brow as she surveyed the silent area, as if expecting someone to appear. A few students had looked up from their reading, but most had already returned to their books.

  "Whoops, got a little too loud there," Fiona said. "The librarian here hates it when students are rowdy. There's a set of rules we have to follow, just like any other place."

  Fiona grabbed the nearest chair she could find and propped it right next to hers. She sat down and patted the seat, motioning for Tyrus to sit. "Come on, have a seat! It's not every day we get to catch up. It's about time for a break from my studies, anyway."

  Tyrus happily obliged and plopped himself down in the seat, taking in the smell of the books around him once more. "You look busy. Looks like you’re deep into something important. What did you mean by 'I swear on those damn harpies soul I will be a silver pin once again.'"

  "Ah, you caught that, huh? I guess I was muttering out loud again." She leaned back in her chair and gave Tyrus a sheepish grin. "Well, long story short, I used to be a silver pin just like you, for four years, that is. But, during my fifth year... Let's just say I had a hard time controlling my emotions. Because of that, now I'm working extra hard to regain my privileges."

  "I'm sure you'll get it back," Tyrus said. "You are one of the smartest people I know. Those spectacles really do make you look smarter. I've never seen you wear them before."

  She removed them and placed them to the side. "Oh, these? My eyesight is actually fine. I wear them for the look. I heard that wearing glasses enhances wisdom and intelligence, but it doesn't seem to be true. I could have sworn I read about it somewhere. Anyway, let's talk about you! What have you been doing lately?"

  Tyrus wasted no time recounting his experiences at the academy. The first thing he mentioned was the food, which was one of, if not, the best meal he had ever eaten in his life. What made it more appealing were the wide variety of options to choose one, so there was something for everyone. His time spent in the classrooms was next, going over the ones he liked the most.

  The mastery classes were his favorite, including sorcerer combat. While the instructor was strict and probably hated his guts, his lessons were still fun and valuable to learn from. He even mentioned his fight against Dasan, who wanted to cause trouble for him specifically. So, to teach that guy a lesson, he made it his goal to embarrass Dasan in front of everyone and teach him that there are those that aren't scared of him.

  Fiona's face brightened. "You started the fight? That's quite surprising. The old you would have been too timid to even consider drawing that much attention to yourself. But instead, you confidently taught that punk a lesson without hesitation. In the past, you used to keep to yourself and remain silent unless spoken to. You've certainly changed, Tyrus."

  Tyrus fell silent. He knew he'd transformed; this change was largely because of his accumulated experiences. For why he changed, it was all thanks to the friends and support he received that had taught him that he had nothing to be ashamed of. Staying weak and being seen as a pushover would be detrimental to his growth and, ultimately, his goals. If he hadn’t at least changed, Tyrus knew he wouldn’t have made it this far.

  After a few seconds of silence, Tyrus continued on and spoke of the lessons he was going through and what the instructors were like. Fiona listened with a smile, nodding and adding in her own thoughts. Once he finished speaking about the people he met and mentioned Kylis Aduna, Fiona arched an eyebrow.

  "Oh, I've heard about Lady Kylis. She's well known in these parts, but that's not surprising considering she comes from one of the Great Lineages. By the way, if you've already met her, and she claims not to judge based on appearance, I would still be careful."

  Tyrus nodded slowly. "I know to be on guard when meeting other people, but why do you say that? Kylis seems nice so far."

  "It's been a month and you're already calling her by her name?" Fiona said, nudging his arm with a smile. "My, my, Tyrus, you're climbing the social ladder faster than I expected. Here's some advice from me: making connections in the academy that have children of influential and powerful nobles is great and all, but be wary of who you make friends with."

  "What do you mean?" he asked.

  Fiona leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. Her voice softened, taking on a tone of caution. "What I mean is, not everyone shows their true colors upfront, especially at the academy. The children of noble families are often surrounded by expectations, rivalries, and ambitions that you might not see right away. Even if Kylis seems genuine—and she might very well be—her world is different from yours. It's filled with subtle games of power and influence. Be careful not to get caught up in something bigger than you realize."

  Tyrus frowned, but nodded. "I get what you’re saying. I’ll keep my eyes open."

  "Good. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t trust anyone, but always make sure that trust is earned. Jealousy is a nasty trait that can twist people's actions and intentions. When someone as prominent as Kylis walks into a room, she naturally draws attention."

  "Admiration, envy, even resentment—they're all part of the package. Some people might try to use her or undermine her, and if you're close to her, you could get dragged into the mix. That Dasan kid you mentioned, he's probably one of those jealous types. That should give you some idea of what to expect."

  "I see... I'll be careful, then. Thanks, Fiona. I'll keep that in mind. And if anything weird happens, you’ll be the first to know."

  She gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Let's change the topic into something more interesting. Remember that promotion we were talking about moving from copper to bronze? I, Grant, and Reo are heading to the guild near the end of the week to take the assessment for a bronze tag. Celeste will be the examiner for our promotion exam."

  Stolen story; please report.

  He had to take another exam? A promotion exam to move from copper to bronze? Well, at least he wasn't doing it alone this time. Exams made him nervous, and had enough of exams already, but that was a price that must be paid.

  A bell rung just as he was about to ask Fiona some more questions, signalling the end of the hour break. Tyrus shot up from his seat, ready to leave.

  "Wait," she said, holding onto his arm. "To leave the academy, you need to seek permission from one of the instructors or the headmaster. They take student safety seriously, and if you just waltz out, you could get into trouble. You read the rule book, right?"

  "I... stopped reading it halfway. Most of the rules were self explanatory, and I thought I wouldn't be breaking them anytime soon, or not at all."

  "Well, now you know. Ask someone before the end of the academic week or else you can't leave. Now, get going before you're late."

  Tyrus nodded, thanking Fiona for her time and advice. She waved as he left the library, rushing through the commons as some students trudged to their next class. Once out of the main lobby, Tyrus made a beeline toward his last class of the day. Apparently, today was supposed to be an interesting lesson planned by Instructor Rock.

  ***

  In Instructors Rock class, furious scratching sounded as students took notes at the construct's every word. Tyrus was hunched over, tongue sticking out, as he focused on writing away at the parchment as best as he could. The words he jotted down were messy at best, with letters sprawling unevenly across the page like they were in a race to escape. A few sideways and others backward—he didn't care as long as he made them readable.

  Ivy, on the other hand, had a steady, elegant hand, her letters flowing with purpose. They were straight and thin, but even then she drew out every word or number, and the rest of her page was filled with neatly drawn diagrams and scribbled notes.

  Tyrus stole a glance at her work and felt a pang of envy. How does she do that? He shook his head, forcing himself to focus on his own parchment. But no matter how hard he tried, his scribbles felt like a chaotic storm compared to Ivy’s calm, controlled script.

  Instructor Rock, at its podium, flipped through a book. "Spirits and beasts each contain their own power rankings, yet use the same categorical danger level. Who here knows what I mean by danger level?"

  Ivy raised her hand without hesitation. "Danger level are designations given by the Explorer Guild to rank threats by strength and scope of destruction. There are four threat levels we follow, which are low, medium, high, and extreme. The levels are split into three categories for further differentiation: power, threat, and environmental."

  Instructor Rock gave Ivy a satisfied nod. "That is correct, Ivy. Danger levels go beyond just the raw power of a spirit or beast. They consider the scope of the threat and the conditions under which the entity is encountered. A low-ranked creature in the wrong environment can pose a far greater danger than its rank suggests. Now, who can give me an example of this principle in action?"

  A scenario popped into Tyrus head, and he quickly raised his hand. "How about a juvenile lesser fire drake that wandered into a forest inhabited by treants and spirits?"

  Instructor Rock’s head swung to Tyrus, its expression unreadable. “Go on,” it said, gesturing for Tyrus to elaborate.

  Tyrus swallowed but pressed on, his voice gaining confidence as he explained. “The fire drake might only be a juvenile and classified as a low danger level on its own. But in a forest full of treants and spirits—creatures highly sensitive to fire—it becomes a much bigger threat. If it starts a wildfire, it could trigger a chain reaction. The spirits might fight back, the treants could go berserk, and the entire ecosystem would spiral into chaos. The danger isn’t just the drake itself—it’s the effect its presence has on the environment.”

  For a moment, the classroom was silent. Then, to Tyrus’s surprise, Instructor Rock smiled—a rare sight. “An excellent example, Tyrus. You’ve not only considered the drake’s potential for destruction but also the broader consequences of its actions in the right setting. In your scenario, it would be considered a high threat level to the inhabitants due to its fire-based attacks, but it would be a low threat level if it were at a sea, yet a medium threat in a city like Valis."

  More furious scribbling followed suit at the volley of words being thrown out of the constructs mouth. In no time, the other students began throwing out their own examples of how the danger levels would vary for different locations. One interesting example a boy brought out was about the naraga, a creature Tyrus read about in the bestiary.

  "I heard that the naraga have been extinct since forever ago, yet they were a serious problem to deal with," the boy finished.

  “Ah, the naraga,” he said, his voice taking on a thoughtful tone. “Extinct, yes—at least as far as official records claim. I believe nowadays, it is a popular folklore that mothers used to warn children about the dangers of trusting strangers. My creator spoke of the naraga."

  "Their ability to mimic the appearance, voice, and even memories of their victims made them nearly impossible to detect. They thrived in densely populated areas, where confusion and paranoia served as their greatest weapons."

  The boy leaned forward, intrigued. “But wouldn’t they be less dangerous in places like forests or mountains, where there are fewer people to fool?”

  “Precisely,” Rock said with a nod, tapping the chalk against the board for emphasis. “In a forest, their ability to deceive would be limited, reducing their danger level. To beasts, they are nothing more than low threat levels. But in towns, where potential victims are plenty? They could destabilize entire communities before anyone realized what was happening. A single naraga could escalate from a low threat to an extreme danger level if left unchecked; to humans, that is."

  The students murmured amongst themselves, the weight of the discussion sinking in. Tyrus found himself both fascinated and unsettled. The idea of a creature so cunning and malicious sent a chill down his spine, but he couldn’t deny the importance of understanding such threats.

  Folklore or not, surely there were creatures still roaming today that possessed similar powers to the naraga. The thought of encountering a creature like the naraga was terrifying, but knowing its limitations would be beneficial to stay out of such an environment.

  In a way, their ability to deceive was awfully similar to the dark sorcerer, both exceling in manipulation and impersonation. While a dark sorcerer might dominate a victim’s will and force them to act against their nature, a naraga took a more insidious route—becoming the victim, erasing them entirely, and slipping seamlessly into their life.

  "Let us stray away from extinct creatures and focus back on the topic," Instructor Rock said, silencing the class.

  The remaining hour of the class went by in a snap as Instructor Rock shifted the focus to practical strategies for assessing and managing danger levels. Once everyone understood danger levels for simple creatures like lesser hounds and rock spiders, the construct moved on to more complex ones, speaking about creatures Tyrus heard of from the bestiary, like the agile Gale Strider and its mobility due to taking advantage of the wind or even the cave worm.

  Just then, the last bell rung, thus ending the academic day. When everyone began rising out of their seats as they collected their things, Instructor Rock spoke.

  "The upcoming class will deviate from the usual format, as we will venture beyond the confines of the classroom. Merely reading about beasts and spirits is insufficient to truly understand them. To gain firsthand experience, we will be heading out into the forest where you will have the opportunity to interact with a creature of my selection, namely a lesser hound. However, I must caution you that if any of you have any fears or reservations, please inform me in advance. That is all. You may now go."

  The drastic news of interacting with a lesser hound had some of the students visibly sweating, but the ones who didn't were grinning with excitement. A lot of them shuffled out through the door yet some stayed in their seats, flickering their eyes between the construct and the leaving students.

  Ivy was doing her usual duty of basically interrogating Instructor Rock at the end of each class, her questions becoming more and more in-depth as the days went on. Tyrus knew waiting was useless so he stored his things in his storage ring and walked out the door and into the busy hallways. As he turned, he recognized a familiar weasel-like face in the crowd a few paces away, Parsan, sticking close to the wall as he scurried off to a door leading to the training grounds.