“I hate that bird.”

  “Everyone hates that bird.” Syra tried to dismiss Juni’s seething words for Kasfew, but the mouse wasn’t entertaining that.

  “Oh, look at me, I studied Cassia for five minutes and figured out her very soul! What a stuck-up jackass; he chided her for valuing knowledge, then proved he’s just as smart. No, worse, smart and arrogant.” Juni’s teeth clacked as she spoke, whiskers bristling. “What an annoying combination.”

  “He was correct.” Neska broke up the banter between the two, reflecting on his assessment. “He deduced that from one fight, I am a bit of a glass cannon. However, I don’t trust him at all. Not the way he looked at me like I was…lunch.”

  “You’re bigger than him, and have anti-air magical missiles. He’s the one who should be afraid of becoming lunch,” Syra sighed, a warped laughter emanating from her that sounded like it came from underwater. “He comes from an…affluent family. He was educated, and I think most of that translated over after he…”

  “Got killed?” Juni said.

  "Supposedly, he tripped and broke his neck," Syra continued as they circled the campus pond. Merfolk waved casually at them, then returned to their studies. The trio still had additional classes for the day, plus a stop at Serkin’s office in the afternoon. Or maybe just Neska for that one.

  “What a surprisingly normal way to die,” Neska mused, wondering if she could swim into the pond; she’d loved to do it before she Awakened fully, so this should be fun. Maybe she'd make friends with an eel monster; they were somewhat snakelike.

  Now, if only she could evolve a fin for underwater traversal. The Sea Serpent's evolution might be gone forever, but did that mean she was permanently landbound by that one decision?

  Juni didn’t relent. “And becoming a reborn monster was the best choice? I swear some people should be locked out of it. They become something worse, now that they have a powerful monster body to ride around in.”

  “Does anyone…deliberately get killed so they can get stuffed in a monster body?” Neska asked aloud, and Syra gave her a wary glance. “I mean, think of it. If you can control the Awakening process…Actually, what are the steps to do it?”

  “The exact procedure is shrouded in secrecy. I know some of the professors are involved in it, and elements of the Valos and Juiksen arcanist divisions.” She spoke in a lower tone, though they were alone on the path on this particular sunny day, with colorful planters adorning either side of the walkway. “But why would you do that? Deliberately strip your human form?"

  “For power,” Neska proposed. “Power they never had in their human life.”

  Juni’s ears perked up. “Like, if someone were dying of a wasting disease, or were crippled through an accident, or were born unlucky, they’d get…a second shot? You know a monster young’s soul is ejected as part of the process.”

  “No one is actually sure if the monsters have souls as we do,” Syra interrupted. “Again, not all the details are known to everyone. Just the result: us.”

  “But you agree that such a thing would be a noble intention?” Neska asked them.

  Juni looked uncertain, the way she twitched her nose. “Bad things can come from good intentions, Cassia. Just keep that in mind.”

  “But she raises a valid point. There are ethical concerns to this day. Who deserves a second life? Are we killing another soul when we perform the ritual, or do they blend in and become part of our soul? Or…is there even anything really left of us when we become Awakened?” Syra said, looking sad. “To this day, I still wrangle with if this is what my mother would have wanted for me. Or…or if I should have stayed with her, on the Umbral Shoal.”

  The spirited discussion grew quieter after that. Neska had one last thing to say, first. “I don’t regret being here. I have a purpose. And I’m going to find more, every day I’m alive. Even if it came at the cost of…”

  Of people who meant something dear to me. She couldn’t muster the will to say it out loud, not when she needed to show confidence to these two. Someday, maybe.

  They made their way to the bunker-style building where alchemy and rituals were taught. The air inside was warmer and felt inviting to Neska, but Juni didn’t look like she was having as much fun.

  “So humid in here,” she muttered. “My fur is all clingy. I hope our alchemy class is less flashy, ya know?”

  Much to Juni’s relief, the class proved to be far more mundane than the sparring sessions earlier in the day. Though with them being the few Awakened in the class…it was a little awkward.

  That was, until a girl with dark, almost raven black hair and serene blue eyes approached them as they sat down. “You were here yesterday. I had to ask…since when do Awakened take an interest in Alchemy?”

  Neska pointed to Syra and Juni. “Anyone can perform alchemy. The basics, at least. I can…emulate some alchemical effects.”

  The girl's brow barely raised. She spoke in a monotone voice, seemingly avoiding inflection. “So you have a reason to be here. But them?”

  “Knowledge is always useful,” Juni chimed in. “Syra?”

  “Oh, you know. Learning a hundred new ways to make water could be helpful,” she added with a wistful smile.

  The girl nodded with barely a motion. “Admirable. You should retrieve an alchemical kit and protective gear from the stations on the far side of the room. Sakiri doesn't like to repeat himself, so please pay attention. Alchemy is a subtle magic, but can be dangerous if misused or misunderstood.”

  Neska already had plans of her own, which would likely only be upping the danger level. I’d like to see how many different effects I can add to my venoms. This [venom imbuement] must have some limits somewhere. This is the best place to test it. Neska kept her motivation internal for now and gestured them to the lockers. Apparently, she already had a locker labelled; Juni had one lower to the ground, she was able to retrieve a protective smock and goggles from.

  Though her ears were still exposed, in addition, the goggles didn’t seem to fit well. “Damn…hard to make a seal with fur,” she muttered. Neska also followed suit and put one on, though most of her serpentine body was still exposed. She wasn’t as worried, as her scales were likely more protection than every other human in the room.

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  That’s when she noticed a few staring at her. When she made eye contact, they looked away, as if they were reading their notebooks. One was a girl with mousy brown hair and glasses, now scribbling away in a notebook. The boy across from her had bright red hair that seemed rather messy, tapping a wand against the edge of a beaker, currently hovering over a flame.

  Professor Sakiri walked in right on time for their alchemy lesson, clapping as he marched to the front of the room and wearing an infectious smile. “Good day, everyone, that’s what I like to see, initiative! Including our new arrivals!”

  “I gave them instructions to avoid nonconformity,” the monotone girl said, and Sakiri raised a brow.

  “Sarisse, thank you. Now, before we begin, go over your checklists! Burners on and temperature controlled, all ingredients accounted for, measuring instruments cleaned and sterilized, no broken glassware or ceramics, check your protective equipment. When you’re all settled, we’ll start with our next effort, a potion demonstrating separation.”

  Neska had read ahead the previous night, but hadn’t been sure where assignments would begin. Risha’s knowledge had also been a good reference, from the bits she’d memorized. She used her [Ember Hex] to heat up and slowly ignite the burner element, then waved her hand gently to try to control the flame, and by proximity, the temperature.

  The beaker shattered from the heat. Oh. Well, that was not nearly the level of finesse I needed.

  Juni rolled her eyes, pointing to a small dial on a large metal cylinder, which connected to the burner element by a flexible metal tube. “You know, Cassia, we aren’t in the dark age. We have auto-burners, now.”

  “My witch did it this way,” she said with pride. “It worked quite well for her. Also, I need a broom.”

  One small cleanup later, and Neska attempted to control the burner again and set the glassware higher away from the flame, after filling it halfway with water. This time, with no destruction of the vessel.

  The professor patrolled the room, looking at each station of two or three students. Soon after everyone was set up, he returned to the board. “Alright, let’s see who paid attention to the reading last night. Cassia, Juni, Syra. Examine the mixtures at your station. Tell me what they are.”

  Juni examined the bottles one by one. “Sulfame Aeritate. And a mixture…sodium solution. You’re expecting to separate the salts in this?”

  “Correct. You need something to precipitate out the salts though, something to bind them together when they mix. Now, can anyone tell me what your options are?”

  Well, you can combine them via a few means. The best method is to create a supersaturated fluid by heating it, then adding the Sulfame after cooling it. All the salt will come out of the solution. Or most of it, at any rate. Since it’s lighter than the aqueous solution, you can skim it off, or you can use a filter cloth by pouring it.

  She nudged Syra and Juni, showing her notes. “Anything I’m missing?”

  “Nothing really, just don’t break the glass again,” Syra whispered.

  Before they could address Sakiri, the monotone girl spoke again. “Supersaturated solution, and then chilled. The sulfame will draw the salt out of the solution. However, caution must be given,” she warned. “The leftover liquid can burn flesh with relative ease if exposed to a humanoid body. Or an Awakened, as may be the case.”

  I still don’t feel like taking chances on it. Neska and the others followed Sakiri’s instructions as he wrote them out on the board, then he stopped writing with a dramatic pause.

  “But why? Why is this important? Can anyone tell me?”

  “This is…a precursor to a clotting agent, correct?” Juni asked aloud.

  “Give the new arrival credit, that is exactly what it is for.” Sakiri then wrote instructions on the board. “Now, remember, slowly heating the mixture is critical. Too fast, and you’ll likely ruin it, or it will become volatile. Please don’t be that student who has to go to medical. I am happy to report that we have gone fifty-six classes without a life-threatening accident!”

  Neska gulped. That feels like some pretty awful statistics. Note to self, don’t rush.

  They continued to follow the procedure, with Neska noting the solution turned a faint dusty brown as they continued to heat it. Syra pointed at the heating flask. “Is it…supposed to do that?”

  “It’s just a change of form. It’s expected,” Juni explained. “How much alchemy did you do before this class?”

  “A little. There wasn’t much need for an alchemist in the village at the time. We had a witch filling the role, and she was quite the nutter, etching out rituals with boar's blood to ward off coastal storms.” She snorted softly at that idea. “There’s some things that magic can’t affect. You can’t ward off an entire storm.”

  “But blowing up entire mountain ranges is possible?’ Juni rolled her eyes. “What’s the most powerful thing you’ve seen done, in person?”

  “A mage made it rain fire. A pyrostorm, he called it. I think he was tier four, cooked a bunch of monsters before they could even pass the frontline of battle.” Syra shuddered. “Oooh, when they bring those heavy hitters on the field, you’d better run, because you might catch some stray destruction and your scaly and furry hides probably won’t survive it.”

  Neska liked the idea of raining fire on foes.

  Wait, this was a hint of pyromania sinking in. She was totally not thinking about how many steps it would take to change [Ember Hex] into something devastating, like Risha’s [Inferno Hex] traps she’d used to great effect against the Seekers. Or blowing up a barrel filled with Pyropowder and wiping out wolves by the dozen.

  Nope. She needed to focus on subtle science that would hopefully help her adjust her venom to new and unexpected limits, and tune her body so that she wasn’t quite as fragile. She was a little wary of alchemical infusions, but was evolution any different? Adapting her body, cell by cell, to the hostilities of the Varadur, and beyond?

  She finished the mixture and checked the temperature after they’d added more salt. “So, we need to cool this now, and I have no ice hex.”

  “Ice.” Syra pointed to the professor carting out a bunch of cubed ice from a large compartment on one wall, with a heavy metal door almost reminiscent of a vault. “We don’t put the ice in; that’ll affect the dilution. You put the beaker into an ice bath to cool it, then you add the sulfame. If you’ve done it right, it should come out spectacular.”

  True to her word, after cooling the liquid, Neska held a tiny dropper with no more than a gram of the sulfame. “Here goes nothing. Juni, anything goes wrong, my stuff is yours.”

  “But you know it won’t go wrong, because you followed the instructions,” Juni replied, leaning back and looking confident.

  One tap of her fingers, and the particles fell into the fluid. Within a split second, a spiderweb of thin strands formed within the now slightly orange fluid. The webs were the crystalline structure of the salt coming out of solution, a pale milky white that formed patterning that spread erratically in all three dimensions.

  Sakiri stopped by their station, pointing it out. “That is a rather good yield. Most of the time, some of the solution remains within the liquid. At a glance, you might have gotten almost all of it.”

  “It’s just alchemy. Formulas and assumptions of materials, quantities, and inputs,” Neska replied coolly. “When will we work on body enhancing formulas?”

  He smiled politely. “Basics first. We’d only just started lessons…oh, last week, before you arrived. We’ll get to those…by the second semester. Now, make sure to filter any fluid before you harvest the crystals, as the liquid is mildly caustic.”

  Neska felt a deflating sensation in her soul at that mention. A few months before they’d get to anything interesting? She couldn’t wait that long. She had tests to run now, and her foes were up to and including the controller of the Varadur incursion.

  Juni shook her head, eyes wide. “Don’t do it.”

  Neska glanced her way, keeping a calm voice. “Do…what, exactly?”

  “That. That thing where you’re going to do something dangerous, because you think the risk is reasonable. I saw that look in your eyes."

  “The risks are reasonable.”

  “We’re on our first day,” Juni squeaked. “I like my lamias intact, and not blown up, dissolved, or poisoned because she didn’t see enough challenge in front of her.”

  Syra stared at the two of them. “Is this a thing for you two?”

  “Yes,” both of them answered.

  The elementa threw up her hands in resignation. “Guess I'd better step up my game and start hitting books. Sounds like I have a lot of catching up to do, to take on the burden of ‘necessary risks.’”

  For Neska, she didn’t think Syra was being sarcastic this time around.

  | | | | |