Chapter 350 - The Paths Ahead (Patreon)

A/N: Yup, another late 3.5k chapter. Took quite a bit to finish :)

A/N: Yup, another late 3.5k chapter. Took quite a bit to finish :)

https://c10.patreonusercontent.com/4/patreon-media/p/post/136838769/f4dc265435ed4a298abe799dc60e4e9c/eyJhIjoxLCJwIjoxfQ%3D%3D/1.pdf?token-hash=4tSKQmrN2T7yKALjftwTKDIZU-8pMVEoCoHsP6BZ6YQ%3D&token-time=1755734400

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Leaning on the cold marble wall outside Jolene’s office, Kai looked at his status. His gaze lingered a for moment on the yellowing parchment of the window, decorated with tawny runes on the edges to frame the crisp numbers. 

How long had it been since he played with his Guide style? He remembered spending hours tweaking them when he first broke the First Seal. Then, one day, he’d simply stopped, gotten too busy and lost the habit. 

Is it time for a change?

Kai shook the idle thought from his head. The aesthetic of his windows held little importance compared to the numbers on the parchment. He couldn’t help blinking as he took in the changes. 

Over the last two months, the academy curriculum had herded him through towers, halls and libraries with little time to stare at his status. His attention darted over the numbers, his surprise settling into a pleased smile. 

Looks I didn’t slave away for nothing. 

• Name: Kai Tylenn (Matthew Reece Veernon) 

• Race: Human ★★ – 7,682 > 66,720 / 800,000 XP

• Profession: Favored Mystic of the Isles (lv3>5) –  0 / 26,000 XP

Body stats

• Strength: 45

• Dexterity: 48

• Constitution: 56 (48+8) > 58 (48+10) 

• Mind: 68 (52+16) > 73 (53+20)

• Spirit: 77 (61+16) > 79 (61+20

• Perception: 52 (44+8) > 55 (45+10)

• Favor: 91

Boons: 

• Gifts of the Earth 

• Kahali’s Retribution 

• Spatial Attunement 

• Minor Elemental Attunement 

Profession Skills: 

• Spatial Shift (lv17>25) 

• Echoing Empath (lv9>21)  

• Astral Pathway (lv13>20) 

• Natural Prodigy (lv11>18)

• Water Cannon (lv14>16)

• Nature Healing (lv8>12) 

General Skills:

• Hallowed Intuition (lv88>90)

• Mana Observer (lv54>58) 

• Body Augmentation (lv46>47) 

• Mana Weaving (lv41>46) 

• Mana Analyst (lv41>45) 

• Split Mind (lv34>42) 

• Hobbes (lv30>41)

• Water Magic – Advanced (lv34>41)  

• Mana Engraving (lv23>25)

• Elemental Swordsman (lv14>20)

• Nature Magic – Advanced (lv12>18)

• Runic Scholar (lv11>16)  

• Arcane Enchanting (lv13>15)

• Space Magic – Advanced (lv13>15) 

• Herbalism (lv4>10) 

• Alchemy (lv94>96) 

• Blessed Swimmer (lv73>77)

• Earth Magic (lv58>70)

• Shadow Magic (lv58>67) 

• Advanced Hunting (lv40) >> Mnemonic Mastery (lv1>32) 

• Treasure Sense (lv40) >> Swift Learner (lv1>25) 

The last time he’d been able to enjoy such swift growth, he had been a kid running on the shores of Virya’s estate; Red and Orange filled his status rather than Yellow. 

A pleasant conviction relaxed his sore shoulders. He’d made the right decision enrolling at Raelion. Even with the days spent on dull lectures and genealogies of debatable accuracy, that didn’t change. No amount of wit could make up for centuries of accumulated knowledge and expertise to further his skills and plan his status. The admission just highlighted his lack compared to the patricians of the mainland. 

I’m closing the gap.

Kai eyed his progress toward Yellow ★★★. Despite siphoning his Domain XP to his profession, he had made a respectable dent in that goal, and also gained a natural point in Mind and Perception through effort. 

The first didn’t surprise him, considering his time spent bent on books and monotonous exercises. Reflexively, he pinched the bridge of his nose to stave off a thin throb. The strain from Mnemonic Mastery had become an omnipresent companion that he couldn’t evict, but he had held on and learned to ignore it. 

I can rest the skill during the mid-term Trials. Probably… I really don’t get the academy’s obsession with secrecy. 

Kai pushed the headache away, turning his thoughts to his natural gain in Perception with a wry smile. It seemed Rain’s increasingly strange exercises weren’t an elaborate prank. The siren enjoyed himself too much to entirely stave off his suspicion.

Was that what he and Flynn laughed about? Ways to torment me? I can’t even say who’s being the bad influence anymore. They deserve each other.

Kai huffed in the empty hallway. He didn’t mind the pranks as much as falling for them, but couldn’t argue with his gains, especially in those areas not touched by his profession. While Perception encompassed both his physical and spiritual senses, each point didn’t signify an equal improvement across the board. That was a simplification of the Guide—and another gap in his knowledge. 

The attributes he earned from his efforts leaned toward the senses he’d trained; those from advancing his grade leaned toward his body’s physical talent; and those from Favored Mystic of the Isles leaned toward the domain of his profession, i.e. mana and magic. 

Professor Lysander had spent endless lectures on the importance of aligning your skills with your attributes and maintaining balance. It was another issue to account for if he wanted to remain a hybrid fighter. The attributes not boosted by his profession were destined to fall behind—his bruised muscles from sparring were a testament to that. The gap with physical professions would only widen. 

It’s not an immediate problem. 

Empower and then Body Augmentation had helped him manage it somewhat. He aimed to use mana and magic to shore up his physical weaknesses—the same path he’d chosen for Blessed Swimmer’s specialization. The more proficient he became with mana, the stronger he could make his body. Two paths converging into one.

Kai had felt quite pleased with the plan, right before he found his idea was a path that had been threaded for millennia. Then, he’d felt really stupid for ever thinking it could be an original one.  

The self-inflicted embarrassment still made him cringe. 

The approach had both potential and obstacles. 

Nothing I can solve right now. But getting more levels and attributes can’t hurt. 

Professor Lysander also ranted against the fools who rushed to evolve their profession to Yellow, burning their potential for short-term gain. 

Your profession should always follow behind your race grade. Even at Green! The rote warnings echoed in his ears. Spirits, I really need a way to undo what I save with Mnemonic Mastery. 

Massaging his temples, Kai fixed the memo in his Long-term Goals Bucket and returned to his status.

He’d made modest progress in his profession skills. While Favored Mystic of the Isles wasn’t exactly a fighting profession, Raelion’s endless theory lectures had given few opportunities to train the skills. He’d kept up the practice with Spatial Shift in the privacy of his bedroom and used Astral Pathway to fuel it. The repetitive training rewarded an average amount of growth, more so with Mnemonic Mastery and Swift Learner demonstrating how quickly an Orange skill could develop under the right conditions.  

Still, the success with Echoing Empath tipped the scales distinctly toward success. 

The swimming ventures with Rain had been another pleasant distraction on the weekends—awash with vicious squirrels and attempts at cracking his skill. Rain’s harrumphs and grumbles as he failed to solve the mystery always put him in a good mood. Alas, it was hard to understand a skill that Kai himself had only recently attained. 

When Kahali had changed Mana Echo into Rippling Echo, the limitations of creating echoes only for magics used against him had swamped him. He’d used it as a surprise attack and still underestimated the evolution in Echoing Empath. 

Its power ranged well beyond creating flimsy copies to obtaining lower versions of skills used on him and deepening his insights if he already possessed them, such as with Water Magic. The skill would be ridiculously overpowered without the limitation, and remained powerful as it was. 

Deadly attacks enhanced its effect, but even the slightest brush was enough to trigger it—and the difference was far smaller than he’d imagined.

Had I been using it wrong? 

He had just begun to understand the potential of Echoing Empath for training and sparring. The shackles were only its grade and the availability of willing minions to assist him. 

Uhm, I think Hobbes might be rubbing off on me… though, is it a bad thing? Minions are useful. How much stronger can my skill get? 

It was natural that a skill at Orange couldn’t grasp spells at Yellow—not at such a low level. After a couple specializations? Who knew? 

The bucket for long-term plans is really getting stuffed. I should probably organize it better. Well… that also goes in there for later. 

Kai recalled the disappointment when he found out that Orange professions could have up to seven skills—one more than him. As for the quality of those skills, he’d read little that could compare to what Favored Mystic of the Isles offered. All his skills brushed the limits of Orange for power, rarity or both. Only Water Cannon had a direct mention in the records of the library, with no skill paths. 

I could ask Professor Thornwyn…

He quickly moved to finish inspecting his status. 

His brows knitted slightly on Hallowed Intuition. He had been long due a level; it was the second that puzzled him. Near the peak of Yellow, each step marked a significant milestone closer to Green. 

I won’t complain if I get Lucky.  

His eyes swept over his Magic skills. Those were the ones that made him most proud, and the ones he checked most often. The bounty of knowledge and expertise at Raelion had let him soar through the levels, in everything except Alchemy and Enchanting. Not due to lack of resources, but for the time he couldn’t spare. 

He’d barely touched a cauldron or engraving stylus since coming to Raelion, and just to test his basic proficiency in those disciplines. Passing the seven mandatory courses only gave access to half the advanced classes. Selecting those he wanted to attend after the Trials was another knotted net to untangle—one he left in the bucket till he passed the mid-term Trials. 

Despite being satisfied with his progress, his mind filled with the myriad things he had yet to do. There were just so many skills to train on top of his classes. 

Kai recalled his dread upon learning that Green skills could take more than one skill slot. Now, well… he would never really like it, but he couldn’t deny a sliver of relief. If he already felt stretched at Yellow, he couldn’t imagine having to juggle fifty skills or more between his grade and profession. Each further grade drastically increased the time and requirement to train to surpass it. 

Uhm… What time is it— shit, shit! 

Kai stored away the pocket watch and spun toward the office door, still cursing himself. He knocked below the plaque engraved with Professor Jolene Amarys Thornwyn’s name and title. 

Six minutes late to a fixed appointment. 

How had time flown so quickly? 

I’m an idiot—

“Enter.” 

Her tone came absolutely flat, though Kai could swear he heard her irritation laced through it. She was going to chew him out, and he’d be lucky if she didn’t also give him a demerit. 

Suppressing his urge to run, he dried his sweaty palms on his back and forced his hand to turn the cold handle to enter. 

The smell of old paper and faint lavender suffused the wide room. Gleaming artifacts, old tomes and paintings in carved frames decorated the walls. Usually, he took every chance to inspect them. Not now. His vision seemed locked on the impassive woman sitting at the large desk opposite him, auburn hair tucked in comfortable chignons and a cup of steaming tea in her hands. Her gaze nailed him with stoic quiet. 

Too late to run. 

She sipped her cup without any further motion, still Kai caught her meaning.

He pulled the door closed behind him and scuttled across the room, stopping at a respectful distance from her desk. “I— Uhm…” He found his throat dry and wet his lips to begin again. “Good evening, Professor Thornwyn. I sincerely apologize for the delay.” 

Jolene beheld him with her piercing gaze, still as a statue, letting the silence thicken for several seconds before speaking. “You know I don’t like latecomers, Matthew. Not at my lectures. And less so at private appointments. This period is especially busy for us professors. I have many students who need my counseling."

“I’m sorry.” Kai lightly bowed his head, aiming for an appropriate mix of apologetic and repentant. For a moment, he considered confessing he’d gotten lost thinking outside, but that seemed almost worse. “It won’t happen again.” 

“I’m glad we resolved it.” She put her cup down with a clink that seemed to declare the matter closed. A light sentencing for the crime. “And Matthew. If you must get lost daydreaming, you can wait inside my office.”  

Of course, she knew…

“I…” Kai shut his mouth, willing himself not to look embarrassed and aware that he’d dig his grave deeper by speaking. “Yes, Professor.” That seemed the only good response. 

“I’m glad it’s resolved. Now, time’s ticking. What do you want to ask me? Have you narrowed down the classes you plan to attend? The advanced courses will be more demanding than your current lectures. You’ll already have your hands full pursuing four elemental branches.” 

“I’m… I’m still working on it. But there are a couple other things…” He fished up his Jolene’s Questions Bucket in his mind and began, surprised how full it had gotten in a week. 

Kai freely asked about his approach to elemental exercises, advice on future classes and skill paths. Papers and notes spilled from his ring for reference and confirmation, including a copy of his paths for Mana Sense and Manipulation. She’d refused to comment on it before Professor Lysander graded it after he’d already submitted the assessment, and now she gave it back with an amused ‘well done’. 

“Why didn’t you tell me if you had no corrections?”

“You should be confident in your work without needing my opinion.” 

“I see…” Kai said—she just enjoyed seeing him squirm for the results. 

Her lips quirked an imperceptible amount—one of those expressions he couldn’t say if it had really been there. Knowing it was a lost fight, he 

schooled his own expression and moved to his next question. 

After their encounters, he’d taken note of what she would and would not answer, as well as her preference for context and specifics. More questions fell into his bucket as she answered others. He asked and scribbled, always pondering the thing he didn't think he should speak. 

At last, the bucket lay empty. 

“Anything else?” Jolene asked, her tone subtly implying that there was. 

Should he tell her? 

“Hmm, I…” 

“I can’t advise on what you won’t voice. What’s your dilemma, Matthew? Do you have decision paralysis on the speaking itself?” 

“I don’t have decision paralysis.” Kai pressed his lips together, his voice forcefully calm. 

His reaction just seemed to amuse her. “Of course not.” 

Kai narrowed his eyes. Was she being sarcastic with him? 

Oh, fine! 

The bottom floor library had yielded painfully little on Space Magic. Winging spatial spells was a good way to turn into human confetti; he needed proper guidance to improve. Peeking and prodding Rob had similarly revealed nothing. His roommate was too tight-lipped and sharp. Any direct question would be as good as an admission. 

“I’d like to test another elemental proficiency," Kai said.

“You mean a major affinity? A fifth one?” Interest lit her gaze at his silent assent before settling into a thoughtful silence. Her fingers tapped the empty teacup. “A fifth… Are you sure you want to stretch toward another elemental branch? Four is already a lot. More than I’d advise for most students. Adding a fifth so early becomes more of a burden than flexibility. The accepted wisdom is to focus on the elements where you’re most talented.”  

“Actually, it’s my third highest affinity.”

The spark of interest gleamed again. This time, she couldn’t hide it. “Do you have a Magic skill for it?” 

“It’s at Yellow,” he said, purposefully vague. 

That finally earned him an arched brow—the highest sign of curiosity Jolene showed. “It must be a slightly unusual element if you kept it secret, but not too unusual to reach that high? Unless it’s a family bloodline…” She pursed her lips, staring at him. “Don’t leave me hanging on thorns. Whatever it is, I assure you I’ve heard weirder, Rot, Blood and Mind affinities.” 

Kai enjoyed having their roles briefly reversed a moment longer before speaking. “It’s Space.”

“Space…?” Both thin eyebrows climbed her forehead. 

“Yes.” 

Jolene fell quiet, her nails wrapping around the teacup. “I can guess why you were reluctant to mention it. And I won’t ask how you’ve trained such an element up to Yellow. Having an affinity for Space isn’t particularly unusual at Raelion, though your skill level would raise questions. I’d advise keeping that detail private.” With a small sigh, she turned to give him an exasperated look. “Are you aware of the complications of pursuing Space Magic? Both practical and political. And are you certain you still want to pursue it?”

“I’m sure,” Kai said. “I haven’t managed to find any useful information in the library. Or even a textbook with shaping exercises. Are they on the higher floors? Can I get permission to go there?” 

“You won’t find what you want in the Domus Arcanus. Knowledge of Space Magic is stored in the vaults,” Professor Thornwyn said, still looking thoughtful. 

“How can I get access?”

“It’s… complicated. Raelion might be the best place to pursue it for a mage without a sponsor, but there will still be complications. Are you absolutely sure?”

“I am.” He met her gaze for several seconds till she gave him a curt nod. 

“If you are serious, I’ll need a demonstration before bringing this further. There is no standard way to test basic proficiency in Space Magic. Could you—” 

Kai glanced at the thickest tome on her desk, a white leather-bound bound cover with no title. Raising an open palm, he blinked the book in his hand and held it before her, surprised by how light and rough it was. “Does this work—”

Jolene snatched the tome away from him. She looked about to clip his ear, then turned to examine the book with careful fingers. “You’re lucky you didn’t damage it. You can't understand the value of this tome.”

“Uhm, why was it lying on your desk if it’s that valuable?” His tongue moved before his mind could think better.

“Because,” Jolene said with a pointed look, setting her white book in a drawer. “Your strongest spells wouldn’t be able to scratch the cover. And no. That’s not a challenge. Space Magic is an exception I didn’t expect would come up.” 

“Sorry, I should have asked,” Kai said. “But it wasn't luck. I can move small objects pretty well.” Actually, he was even better at blinking himself, but he saw no reason to spoil the fun all at once. “Was that… enough for a demonstration?" 

This time Professor Thornwyn glared. “It was plenty. I believe your skill is at Yellow. As for your earlier questions, Space Magic is a delicate field to pursue. You’ll need to find a sponsor or wait till your second or third year to access the courses and material you want independently.”

“Is there no other way?” Kai asked. He didn’t like either option. “Could you not let me attend those classes, Professor?”

“I could recommend a promising student,” she said, still looking peeved over her tome. “But first, I’d need to know the full details of your skills.” 

“Hmm… Didn’t you tell me not to reveal its levels earlier? I’m really sorry about—”

“It’s not a punishment for your coarse manners. I won’t talk around it. There is a limit to the advice I can offer without knowing your status, and despite your numerous flaws, I’m interested in becoming your advisor. That’s a role sanctioned by the academy. Professors can only recommend a student they mentor. If you accept, you’ll receive my counsel without charge and other advantages. Not that you’ve paid credits till now.

“I would tell you more, but you’ll believe what you search for yourself more than what I tell you. To any other student, I’d say take as long as you need to decide, but knowing your struggle in that area, you can have two weeks.” She gave him one of her subtle smiles. “If you have no more questions, we can end for today. I have paperwork to finish and a book to store away from brutish students. I’m sure you’ve also much to ponder.” 

Kai mutely nodded. Indeed, he didn’t know where to start. His mind already felt overstuffed—on his weekend. With a dip of his head, he moved to leave the office. 

“Matthew.” 

“Yes, Professor.” He stopped halfway to the door, turning to see an unexpectedly serious gaze. 

“In your chaos, I almost forgot. Be careful during the Trials.”

“Yes, profess—”

“I mean it, Matthew. No matter how talented you are, I’ve seen too many promising students underestimate them.” Her mouth pursed into a line. “I always found it foolish that they mixed the Fall and Winter Intake for the first time during the Trials. Don’t you take stupid risks to get a high ranking. It’s your first year at Raelion. You have time. We can discuss everything else after.” 

“I understand.” 

“I hope you do. Close the door on your way out.”

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A/N: See you on Monday September 15 with the Trials! I'll be on my editing marathon in the meantime. Thank you for all the suggestion for Book 3 title. After mixing and mashing, my favorite to go with the other titles are: Whispers of the Isles, Winds of Peril and Echoes of the Past :)