64th of Season of Air, 57th year of the 32nd cycle

Newt spent his first day at the Chamber of Healing in quiet meditation. Within his realm, he arranged fire-attributed runic formations along the lava flows, often thinking about the two nearly identical energy capturing seals Dandelion had shared with him.

They would take up vast swaths of his realm, and if he were to one day switch to magma, like he knew he would, those areas would become forever useless, a dead part of his realm.

I need to learn how to fuse and separate mana of different attributes. Newt stared at the lava languidly flowing beside him. Or do I? The energy of my realm is so incomparably vaster than the sliver I can use for my magic that filtering the desired element and feeding the rest back into the realm itself wouldn't impact the balance at all. Does it matter if magma has a bit more earth or if it's hotter?

Newt scanned the place, looking at the distant mounds representing earthen seals. Maybe I could infuse the next elements I plan to sculpt with the excess mana. But does it even matter? I have a feeling I'm using my elements more or less equally, just at different times, so even if I don't funnel it anywhere, any change to the balance should be minimal. I have to ask Master and Lord Flameax how to merge my two energies into a single attribute. They shouldn't—

A soft chime roused Newt from his meditation. He opened his eyes, a sound identical to the one that echoed in his realm still ringing in his physical ears.

The awakening spell seal is incredible. I can't believe someone figured out how to make a spiritual bell to rouse awakened from their trance. Why don't they use it in the energy gathering chamber?

"Come in!" Newt had two theories to answer his question even before he finished uttering the words.

He would have continued contemplating the question, but the door opened with a nearly inaudible click, and Obsidian entered the room.

"Hello, Newstar. How are you feeling?" the tall man said, his face revealing the unasked puzzlement of 'what in heaven's name did you do and how?'

"I'm feeling perfectly fine, but the healers insisted I have to stay here for a week, so they could keep an eye on me, just in case I decide to spontaneously combust again." Newt chuckled and rolled his eyes. "As if I would do something like that to myself ever again."

Obsidian nodded and licked his lips.

"You wanted to talk about something?"

"Yes." Newt tried to sit, but something pulled him back the instant his shoulder blades left the mattress. He turned around, looking at the bed with a perplexed frown.

"Mandatory bedrest," Obsidian answered the unasked question. "Until the healer in charge allows you to get up, a seal will keep you in bed."

I've been here, sealed for two days, and this is the first time I've noticed it. Newt felt blood rush to his cheeks in embarrassment. Awakened really are like rocks or mushrooms. You leave them wherever, and if they have matters in their realm to attend to, they won't move for days or moons.

"Um, I'm sorry I'm not getting up. It's not a show of disrespect—" Newt started rambling, and Obsidian smiled, a bit of tension bleeding out of him.

"Relax, what did you want to talk about?"

"I've been to a soother and asked him about Jasmine and Roselilly." Obsidian twitched when Newt said that, but the youth kept talking. "He said that we probably can't help them with mere words."

Obsidian nodded. "They said the same thing to me."

Newt noted the plural, meaning Obsidian did speak with multiple professionals about the problem.

That's a good sign. "Yes, but did they mention provoking them into resolving their own problem?"

Obsidian's gaze drifted upwards, trying to recall what he had discussed with his soother moons ago.

"One of them did," he dragged out the words, then his speech picked up speed as the memory grew clearer. "But when I asked how I was supposed to do that, he didn't think of anything."

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"I gave it some thought." Newt smiled. "By sharing a dorm room, we are members of the same team. The rules state that teams may accept new missions as long as at least half the team is present when the mission is assigned. Meaning, you and I can sign up for a mission and go on our own."

Obsidian stared at Newt. "Why would we ever do that?"

"To force them into action. Your sister will follow if you tell her you're off." I hope. "Missions are dangerous, and she won't let you go on your own if there's half a chance of you not returning. I don't know about Roselilly, but I hope they at least try to stop us. That should give us an opportunity to talk reason with them. But the key is to really want to go, and for us to be willing to leave, even without them. Even if it's dangerous."

Newt faltered under Obsidian's glare. "We need to show determination and commit to what we start. That said, we should pick an easier mission, one we could hopefully complete with just the two of us or at least survive it. You know. Just in case."

Obsidian nodded slowly. "Right. We don't know anything about each other, and we should go pick a mission we can complete together. Easily. Because the order issues those all the time."

"We have three moons!" Newt blurted. "That's enough time to get to know each other's skills and filter the missions we could complete. We can start training as soon as they let me out of this place."

"They will probably ban you from sparring and performing strenuous activities for a moon or two, but your plan is…" Obsidian struggled to find the right word. He wanted to say solid, for Newt's sake as much as his own, but the word got stuck in his throat. Newt's plan was iffy at best.

"… more substantial than anything I have done in all these moons." Obsidian admitted. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I have some questions, though. What can you tell me about the missions? Are they real problems that need solving, or artificial, prepared in advance by the seniors to challenge the younger generation?"

"That depends. Nobody will just hand over resources to you. You have to make progress of some kind or contribute to the order. We have regular, bi-moonly outings into the Summersweald and Springsweald. Order champions lead large groups in airships and wait for us to return while we gather whatever it is the order needs from the wilderness."

Obsidian folded his arms and shifted in place.

"Sometimes senior students escort us, sometimes not, depending on the area's difficulty. Then there are the danger zones. The order owns a number of mines, areas with unique resources, and even special locations with denser mana, each housing colonies of various manabeasts. I don't know why champions don't exterminate the manabeasts, but students are in charge of culling them and gathering the resources. Like with the wealds' expeditions, the reward is usually half of whatever you collect, with bonuses for outstanding performance.

"Finally, there are the order-owned secret realms, in which students train for treasure hunts in more hostile secret realms. Those are usually reserved for the elites, and we practically stand no chance of ever visiting them."

Newt listened patiently, expecting Obsidian's list would be longer, but a silence hung in the air, turning more awkward.

"Are there any crafting missions? I've seen students doing odd jobs here and there; are those missions too?"

Obsidian nodded. "They are, but such missions are for outer students alone. Most students practise one of the supporting occupations, and you can earn manarium working, much like you would in the guilds. From time to time, champions issue a bonus for crafting a certain type of item, potion, talisman, or whatever. That's rare, and even rarer is the event where the order can command you to craft something, the compensation is even better than when champions make requests. In that case, crafting is mandatory, but I've never heard of it happening."

Newt had read about both types of request in the rules. Explorer's Gate also reserved the right to conscript all its students in an order war, but those should be exceedingly rare. And Obsidian had mentioned champions multiple times, but Newt didn't know what those were. He guessed individuals with special status in the order, but rather than asking and appearing dumb, he decided he would check in the library.

"I'm a seal scribe. You?"

"Novice blacksmith. I'm focused on heavy weapons, but I can make swords and daggers just fine. Jasmine is also a smith, focused on armor, and Roselilly is in the Chamber of Healing."

Obsidian opened his mouth, but left it hanging a moment in hesitation.

"What did you do to wind up here? I heard a rumor you injured yourself in the Chamber of Instruction."

Newt looked to the side, avoiding Obsidian's gaze.

"I experimented with a technique. I guess I had a sudden bout of inspiration and seized it without thinking. The next thing I knew, I was spewing blood, my head was spinning and I could barely get up." Newt swallowed a lump. "Master told me I blew up my lung and a part of my heart."

Newt looked up at his new roommate with a strained grin.

"I promised not to do it again."

Obsidian nodded slowly. Very slowly. "How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

Obsidian whistled.

"Please keep the noise down," the wall said in a choppy voice, and Obsidian covered his mouth while Newt stared at him blankly.

"You're really sixteen?"

Newt nodded.

"Small world, I'm sixty-one."

It was Newt's turn to gape.

"Jasmine is sixty-one too; we're twins in case you haven't noticed. Roselilly is twenty-eight."

You're ancient! How in the world can't you deal with your own problems? Why are they drinking their pain away?

Newt wanted to shout a whole bunch of things at that moment. Fortunately, there were too many, leaving his tongue paralyzed.

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