It had been two days since the incident and Amy lay restless in her room, her mind occupied by thoughts of Beatrice and Janice, constantly circling around themselves. To pass the time she had been focusing everything on advancement, letting all her other obligations fall to the side. When Felin was present with her, he focused on the robe hoping to scrape some more information from it. In the middle of a cycle of mental enhancement - focused on her frontal lobe - an FPG notification broke her concentration.

[Louis Jones: Greetings, Apprentice Wachlund. It warms my heart to hear you enjoying your vacation and getting to know your fellow Apprentices. It should then please you that your holiday request has been approved, and - if you do not mind the liberty I have taken with this - set an unlimited duration to it. I noticed during your contract stipulated hours that you had stocked up a considerable amount of holiday time. Unless you wish otherwise, you should be able to stay away from Triesen for the rest of your contract; given that you are approved for release, that is. Although this is said off the record, I believe there will be no problems in that department. Enjoy your time away.]

Scanning through the message window in her eyesight, she willed it away, turning to face Felin as she smiled.

"My holiday request has finally been approved. And from the sounds of it, I don't have to go back to Triesen ever again if I want to," Amy said happily.

"Welcome news I imagine."

"Yep! I'll probably visit again before the contract's fully over, just to get some closure and move out my things. Other than that, I'm actually free."

"Have you heard back from your parents?" Felin asked, turning away from his work and looking at her for the first time in the conversation.

"Yes, they responded. I need to sort out a small treat for my brother but I'm basically ready to catch the next train back home whenever I can."

"And where... is your home?"

"Pryston is nearer the centre of the Empire than Harth but on the completely other side. Sadly there's no way directly to it from here other than passing through the bigger cities. Evyria's likely my next destination. I'll just retrace my first trip there, going through the capital and hitching a caravan somewhere along the way."

"...Out of interest, this continent is still known as Arinos right?

"Yes, why?"

"I've been wondering about how the local geography has changed since the Mage Wars; it's been on my mind since you mentioned those Wastes."

"Well, the only major things that changed since the start of the new calendar is the Wastes. Politically speaking, the Empire is very new as well, having conquered the majority of surrounding Magocracies. The other major counties on the continent remain in the North and East of here."

"What are they called?"

"We've been hostile with Gineim for... forever, really, and that lies to the North of here up until the coast. There are a smattering of other countries to the East like Lunstra and Nelphlan, but they're small compared to us and Gineim."

"I recognise Gineim and Nelphlan, but Lunstra sounds new... but also familiar," Felin considered. "Are they known for their Water Magicks?"

"Yes, they are. They're a mostly coastal country too."

"Must be an old country with a new face then. Likely some coup that overthrew and renamed it."

"...I'm not too well versed in Eastern history so I wouldn't be able to tell you much. I always did want to learn more but Schooling was more focused on the North."

"Likely due to the tensions you mentioned with them. If you're being taught about them then you'll probably witness conflict with them during your own time if you continue advancing at your current pace."

"I see," Amy frowned, not liking the sound of that at all. "And what is my current pace?"

"Before your sudden burst of motivation I would've said about four or five months until you scrape the top of Apprentice Tier, but now? If you keep this pace up, I estimate you'll be doing that in only a couple months instead. The real limiter to your ascension to Journeyman is your mana attunement, and that's worse than usual too."

"How so?"

"Well, you have a greater mana portion for your Tier than average, so there is more ascension mana to attune. All this means is that it'll take longer until you can consider undergoing the next ascension ritual, regardless of whether you reach the peak of Apprentice enhancement or not."

"Still a long way to go either way," Amy muttered.

"Indeed, my dear Apprentice."

"...What will happen, when I become a Journeyman? Do I... just stop being your Apprentice?"

"...Strictly speaking, yes. At that point in your advancement any more instruction usually does more harm than good. Journeyman is the time you should be making mistakes and be unfettered from the chains of having someone constantly looking over your every move. Our relationship would change by nature of your new Tier, yes, but I already do little of what is expected from a Master-Apprentice relationship anyway. I expect things to stay relatively the same, if a little more distant in the oversight area."

Leaning back in her chair, the legs scraping against the floor, Amy stared at her things tossed about the room as she sunk deeper into thought. They lingered on her briefcase, still mostly stuffed with her things, Amy not having bothered properly unpacking despite being here for a month already. Resolving herself, she spoke.

"I'm going to move out within the next day or so," Amy decided.

"...Where did this come from?"

"I think it's time for me to move on from Harth. I always intended to leave the city quickly, and I only stuck around long enough to get the birds sorted out. It got complicated when Beatrice got involved, but that's over now, in one way or another."

"You're not pursuing the Archmage?" Felin smiled in relief.

"...No. I don't think I will."

"What about the birds then?"

"Janice is going to be released soon if she hasn't already. I'd feel terrible to stick the hawks on her so soon after she gets out but it's the best thing for them," She said gazing at their empty box. With it being too small for them now that they were grown, she had allowed them to wander around a bit, the pair currently warbling around on top of her chest of drawers.

"You better do that soon then."

"The only person left to say goodbye to after that would be William. I'd miss his lessons but we both knew it was a temporary arrangement. He's taught me as much as he can without revealing his School's secrets too. Plus, the inn's getting expensive," Amy sighed. "I have a decent amount of money, but not enough to be staying in this place for much longer."

"...Make your arrangement soon, my dear Apprentice. If you're on the road again, I might have some chance to teach you some things out of prying public eyes."

"Don't get your hopes up too much," She rolled her eyes. "I'll still be spending a lot of time in train carriages. It's only on road for the last stretch of the journey."

"If you say so," He smirked. returning to his work on the robe.

Sensing that he wanted to concentrate some more, Amy began writing back to Journeyman Jones, thanking him for his assistance. All the while, the Witch kept cycling her mana.

* * *

"You're leaving! And so soon?" William exclaimed as he packed his things away, having reached the end of their session together.

"Yes," Amy smiled at him regretfully. "I didn't intend to stay here long anyway. I finally got confirmation from Jones and I want to spend some time with my family."

"Are they far away?"

"On the other side of the Empire."

"Shame," He shook his head, trying to hide that his eyes were a bit wet. "Make sure to stay in contact though, okay? We can still continue our lessons too, if you want. They'll be a lot shorter over message, and not as well-done, but it'll be something."

"I'll see," Amy said, getting up from her seat, looking around the Harth association library for what might be the last time. "I enjoyed our time together regardless, William."

"Me too," He said, woefully ignorant of how easily Amy spotted his true feelings. Putting out a hand, he continued, "Let's hope we meet again."

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Indeed," She said, shaking the hand firmly. "Goodbye, William."

"Goodbye, Amy."

* * *

"Oh thank God! I was so worried ever since I came back to the shop and they weren't there," Janice cried, looking over them carefully. They were standing at the front of the bird shop, Amy having caught the lady just as she was getting things back in order. "Where's the last one?"

"They... they didn't make it," Amy said, tears gathering in her eyes.

"Oh I'm so sorry, Amy," Janice hugged her, ignoring the way she went as stiff as a board. "It's never hard losing a young one like this."

"How have you been, by the way," Amy asked as she pulled away.

"It's been... rough, but I've been compensated for the damages, at least," She scoffed. "They've hired people to repair the place for me but... it'll never be the same, now that everything's happened."

"If it's any consolation..." Amy trailed off, unsure if she should risk mentioning it. In the end, she relented, "I think Beatrice got out."

"She did?" Janice perked up, hope sparking in her eyes.

"I overheard some things at the station and they said someone like her had escaped."

"Thank God. A life on the run might not be the best... But that sort of life suited Beatrice better than it would anyone else," She reminisced, trying to avoid looking at the shadow on the floorboards the best she could. At least the impression in the Mana Ocean had been washed away, but Amy couldn't help but wonder how it would be dealt with. She wasn't close with the woman, not enough to give support beyond the mundane anyway, but she hoped she didn't grieve for too long. Janice seemed happier as the lady obsessed with birds who Amy had first met, not the mess she currently was.

"...Do they need any special treatment, then?" Amy put forward, trying to distract her.

"Ah," Janice jumped, breaking out her reverie. Shaking her head, she turned to Amy, explaining, "They've recovered extremely well for fledglings dropped like that so they shouldn't need much-..."

* * *

"This is probably the last time I'll be able to summon you for a while," Amy realised as she packed her things, with the Familiar in question rushing around the room to see if she had missed anything.

"Most likely, if what you described turns out to be true."

"If so... I'd like to know. How do you ascend to Journeyman?"

"Hah!" Felin put his head back and let out a short laugh, his eyes glowing green. "I doubt you're getting that close to advancement in the time I'll be away, Amy, to need to know that. And if you did - large emphasis on the if here - then I'd be mad if you didn't delay it until you could summon me for it."

"And I would, it's just I'd like to know. Out of interest," She said unconvincingly, knowing Felin would see through it.

"...Fine," He relented. "Pay close attention, my dear Apprentice. This ritual is a bit more complex than the Apprentice ascension."

"Understood," Amy nodded, kneeling dutifully on the ground, stopping her packing.

"It begins, as always, with the maxim. Journeyman's is a 'Life to Live'. To Live such a Life grand enough to be called a Mage, one's body must be ready for the rigours of such a life and be prepared for it. As is appropriate then, the ritual is about enhancing one's body completely. However, that is a very large task. How could a mere Apprentice gather enough mana to enhance your entire body at such a scale and to such a depth as to be permanent? The answer is no. So how do they do it?"

"I... I don't know."

"There exists something in your body that affects all other parts of it. By enhancing this, you, in turn, enhance the rest of the body and ascend to Journeyman. Can you guess which part of the body this is?"

"Your... blood?"

"Correct!" Felin leaped in excitement. "Your blood! This blood enhancement is done by focusing your mana, much like you did with your brain, into your heart, the organ that pumps it. Then, focusing carefully, you thread multiple streams of mana through your heart so that all blood passing through is enhanced. This mana-infused blood is carried all around your body and fed into your other body parts. It reaches deep inside those fleshy parts and imparts mana onto them as well, enhancing them too. Only when all of the blood in your body is expended of mana is the ritual complete, barring the mana used to enhance the blood itself that is."

"That sounds... long."

"That it is! And so is it difficult as well. Many an Apprentice fail their ascension ritual and explode, blood leaking out of their pores in what could be perhaps called a comical fashion. Of course timely healing will save them, but, just like with the Apprentice ritual, there is always a chance of failure and ultimately death."

"I could've died when I ascended to Apprentice!" Amy yelled, almost standing up in shock.

"Oh please, yes you could've, just as there is a chance your mortal fleshy body can spontaneously combust at any given moment. With you as you were in that moment, and me present too, the chances of you dying were as close to zero as possible."

"...Alright, if you say so."

"And for that same reason do I emphasise that you shouldn't ascend without me!"

"I know Felin, you've already said."

"And I will continue to," Felin harrumphed. "Getting back on topic, the way you actually do this is harder than I've let on. You must find your beating heart and search for what are called the Five Gates. One enters the heart through the veins and another leaves to the lungs. Another one enters back from the lungs to the heart and then the last leaves the heart through the arteries."

"That's only four."

"And I was getting onto the fifth. The fifth gate is the gate of the heart itself, where dead blood enters and living blood leaves. If you couldn't tell, this one is less about actual biological function and more about its function spiritually. Physically, there exists parallels for the other four gates, that being the valves that lie within the heart's chambers. This fifth one is vague and entirely magical in meaning."

"I see."

"You must hone in on these gates and focus your mana streams into these five areas. You must concentrate on both deepening the aspects that already exist in the gates and also elevating them to something greater, always keeping your Magecraft and blood in mind. Never lose sight of the forest for the trees, Amy, and this saying applies especially here. Don't spend so much time worrying about these gates that you lose sight of your actual goal, infusing your blood with mana. Once the first 'cycle' is reached, where the enhanced blood reaches your heart and improves the process in a never-ending loop of self-enhancement, the rest becomes mostly instinctual like it does with the Apprentice ritual. The part where you have to be attentive here is longer, and has higher chances of permanently stunting your advancement. So, as I said before, do not stop your Magecraft, no matter how painful it may become."

"Understood," Amy nodded seriously.

"What isn't quite so instinctual as well is the end of the ritual. Too much enhancement can put you in danger and with this ritual there isn't a clear sign of when it is completed. It's hard to describe when you haven't experienced it yet, but a feeling of equilibrium will be reached when it is done. You will feel a balance between the new power you obtain from the ascension and the power you spend putting in. Trust me, you'll know it."

"Got it."

"That's pretty much everything except the real minor details, so you can get back to packing if you wish," Felin announced. "And I will not say these details until I'm there to say you're ready to."

"I get it Felin, I really do," She groaned, finishing up packing the last of her things. Standing up when she was done, she gave him a look, telling him it was time.

"Well, I hope it won't be too long until you summon me again," Felin grumbled, floating up to her face and nuzzling against it. "If you hesitate for too long I'll think you're looking for another Familiar behind my back!"

"I'd never do that," She chuckled, petting his sides. Readying herself, she said, "Now, stay safe Felin."

"You too, my dear Apprentice."

With a snip of verdant Fae mana, he was gone, dissolving into fractals right in front of her eyes. Now, she was alone. Alone with nothing else but a choice.

A choice she must make.

Felin had gotten too suspicious near the end, picking up on her hesitation. At some points when talking with him she felt that she was trying to convince herself not to go through with it. To end the foolish dream before it festered any longer, its roots digging deep inside her. Amy knew, however. That'd never be the case. Never again did she want to be the person to hesitate.

Amy wanted to be the Mage who acts.

The Witch would make her decision and stick to it, remaining steadfast in her choices and never looking back in her path. The Witch would advance onwards unto eternity, always moving, always proceeding.

That aspect felt vital.

For the last day or two she had been thinking about this, about who she wants the Witch to be. More than anything else, more than any possible specifics she could go into, that part felt the most important to her. To her path. To her soul.

That was also another part that kept on coming back, invading her thoughts always. A small Magick, a working of Fae that had left no runes on that fateful moonlit night in the museum. Amy had known what it was since she had cast it, and was merely stuck confined to what she had been taught. It wasn't a working. It wasn't a Spell.

It was, simply, magic.

Spun through the looking-glass of her soul, that act of pure magic had filtered out through the lens of her being. Something had solidified then, when the magic was cast. A part of her path, of her ideals, had crystallised in that moment, Amy becoming just that bit more sure of herself. When she realised that, a memory came unbidden to her, something she had unconsciously been suspecting this entire time. It was the turning point in her path, when she had decided on both Fae and Unknowable.

Why had Felin asked her those specific questions? What was so interesting about what those Elements felt like to her?

The Witch now knew. Her own perspective on those Elements were as important to her path as the Spells she crafted and the workings she weaved. Those special meanings had become a bit clearer, a bit less foggy, just enough to get a glimpse into their true meanings.

Unfortunately she still couldn't understand the smaller details, the exact movements that graced the grand dance of her path. The picture it spelt, the art it showcased to the world, was as clear as day. Ironic then, that Felin - ever so adamant in telling her not to pursue the Archmage - had helped her enlighten her to the exact word that described her path, and so recently too.

The first moment she had felt the advancement through Apprentice felt like so long ago but it couldn't have been more recent in her memories, still constantly cycled through with mana. At that moment, looking out from her home, the Witch had resolved to let nothing interfere with her destiny ever again. That was close, she admitted, but not entirely what Amy actually realised she wanted.

The Witch didn't want to be left alone, not as she meant it in the moment.

Rather it couldn't be more the opposite. Ever since then she had always elected to be involved in everything she could, regardless of the trouble it could get her in. The Witch demanded to investigate the mana beast turned monster; the Witch yearned for the robe, working with risky criminals to get it; and now the Witch reached for something even grander.

No, the Witch did not want that which she had thought.

The Witch wanted her destiny to be so grand, so expansive, that nothing would dare interfere with it.

The world would not make her kneel. Rather, the Witch would make the world bend instead.

And to do that meant establishing something, so that the world could listen and conform. It wasn't anything as meagre as a new order, like Felin had encouraged her to think on a day ago, nor was it complete chaos, unrestrained by anything the world had built up before.

It was simply... the Law.

Not anything like the Empire's law, that which is corrupted and fill of holes. Nor is it the world's law, so rigid to demand that everything must follow it.

It is the Law of the Witch. And that Law is whatever she wished.

Clenching her fists tightly, a monstrous expression rising to her face, Amy glared at something hidden in her luggage. A small, wooden coffin.

Amy knew what must be done, to make her path complete, to make it as she wished. For someone had violated her Law and that sinner must face retribution.

The Witch must punish this Archmage.

And the verdict is vengeance.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.