Cane had dressed already, sneaking a glance at his arm. The skin was pink, like a newborn's—still thin and slightly emaciated. He slipped into a long-sleeved shirt and canvas trousers. Now that his access to the ringworld was restored, he planned to bring Jonas to Telamon to begin treatment.
Moxie spotted him exiting Seven Tower and trotted over, falling into step without being told. Overhead, Pudding circled wide, keeping a quiet watch over the Academy.
"Cane!" Telamon called from the steps of the administration building. "Come inside—we'll check the arm."
Cane nodded and followed him into his office, rolling up his sleeve.
"I've regained access to the ringworld," Cane reported.
"Fantastic," Telamon said, pressing and checking several spots along the arm. "Blood flow is good. Growth is evident. Eat heavily for the next few days—I'll send a food cart to your dorm."
"Thanks, Uncle." Cane flexed his fingers. It was a relief. And in his mind, the trade—an arm for Terror's life—was more than worth it.
"I've prepared a chamber. Follow me."
Telamon opened a rift and stepped through. Cane followed.
The room beyond was heavily shielded. Complex runes pulsed and shimmered in overlay, the energy dense enough to cause a faint dizziness.
"Place him on the table."
Cane tapped into the ringworld and pulled Jonas free. His mentor's tether followed, coiling like a restless serpent. As the runes lit up, the tail thrashed once, then settled, twitching faintly.
Up close, the mistreatment Jonas had endured was evident—bruising, tension, wear. His eyes remained closed… until they opened. One was blue. The other, pitch black. They scanned, dazed and slow.
"Jonas?" Cane stepped closer, his voice thick with emotion. "Can you hear me?"
The big man's eyes tried to focus, struggling against the haze. "What sort of trickery is this?" he rasped. "My apprentice is dead. At the bottom of the sea."
Cane clenched his jaw. The guilt in Jonas's voice echoed his own. "You're not being tricked. I survived the pirate attack. But let's come back to that. We pulled you from Terror's grip. The shadow inside you will take time to purge."
Jonas stared, eyes narrowing. "This is a trick… but it's a good one. The face is right. Did you pull it from my memory?"
Telamon stepped forward, laying two fingers gently against Jonas's forehead. The man slumped into sleep.
"He'll recover," Telamon said. "Give him a few days, then try again."
"Thank you, Uncle."
"Rest, nephew. I'll examine everything Terror had on him—ensure it's safe to return."
"Oh, right. Forgot about that." Cane had asked Fergis to loot Terror after the battle. The memory had completely slipped his mind.
Outside, Moxie was waiting. Rather than return to his dorm, Cane veered toward Sunset Tower—Sophie's place.
He spotted her from the walk, working by her open window. When he tapped the glass, her face lit up.
"How's the arm?" she asked, greeting him at the door with a careful hug.
"On the mend." Cane glanced at the pile of reports on her desk. "How many of those are about my team?"
Sophie sighed. "Most. I guess… my boyfriend is the best."
Cane laughed, taking her hand. "A little ambiguous, but I'll accept."
"I can't use most of it. It's just more repetition from the earlier announcements."
"Want an idea?"
She stepped into his arms, tucking her head beneath his chin. "Yes, please."
"Interview one of the others. Clara, maybe. She tells a good story. Have her walk through the whole mission—just the non-classified parts."
Sophie lit up. "That's a great idea!"
She tapped the psi-rune behind her ear.
Sophie: Clara, would you be my guest on the afternoon announcements?
Clara: Me? Really? YES! I'll be there!
Sophie: Great. Come by at 1300 for prep.
Cane returned to his dorm to find a food cart parked in front of his door—and a visitor standing awkwardly against the wall.
"What are you doing here?" he asked bluntly. Politeness didn't seem worth the effort. His psi-elemental instructor hadn't exactly made a glowing first impression.
Chanzi glanced to her right, as if expecting her twin to speak—only he wasn't there. Telamon had specifically instructed her to tutor Cane alone.
"I'm here to tutor you in psi-elemental."
Cane unlocked the door and pushed the cart inside. "Come in, then."
"Help yourself to a plate," he added, already stacking meat and fruit high on his own before kicking off his shoes and settling on the bed. "Gonna eat quick—don't worry, I eat fast."
Chanzi didn't respond. She selected a few pieces of fruit and sat neatly in the chair beside his desk, posture straight, feet flat on the floor.
"I can't believe this dorm has such comfortable furniture," she said.
Cane tore into a piece of poultry and licked his fingers. "It doesn't. I stored what this room had and bought better stuff."
"I see..." she said, nibbling politely. "Would you like a napkin?"
"Sure, when I'm done." He frowned at the table—he'd forgotten a drink. With a sigh, he wiped his hands, pulled out two glasses, and offered, "Peach cider?"
"Yes, please."
"You don't eat meat?"
Chanzi shook her head. "No."
"Your brother?"
Another shake.
"Why not?"
"That's just how we were raised."
"No wonder you're so tiny," Cane said, finishing off his first plate and washing it down with cider.
"You think I'm small?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Cane nodded. "And it's probably because you don't eat meat."
"And you're sure about that?"
He shrugged. "No way to know now, right? Psi abilities can do a lot—but if you lost that in a bad spot, you'd need muscle. At least enough to swing a weapon."
Chanzi wrinkled her nose.
Cane continued eating until the fruit plate was picked clean. "I don't normally eat this much, in case you were wondering."
"I wasn't."
Cane laughed. "Uncle taught me how to spot a lie."
She blushed faintly. "I mean... I was curious."
He rolled up his sleeve, showing the lean, pink arm. "Recovering from a serious injury. While the muscle rebuilds, I've gotta feed it. Makes sense?"
"Not really…"
"There's some spiced roast. Want to try it? It's more sweet than spicy."
"I just ate," Chanzi replied quickly.
"Those three pieces of fruit?" Cane snorted.
"I... I could try a small piece."
"Yeah?" Cane grinned. "That's the spirit of learning—trying new things."
She looked down at the floor. "Don't tell my brother."
"I'm good at secrets." Cane carved off two small pieces and slid one onto her plate. "Don't push yourself. Just a nibble. Maybe you'll hate it."
Chanzi took a small nibble of the spiced roast—then a slightly larger one, chewing slowly.
"It's... there's so much going on. Sweet and, um... tangy."
"The chicken version's even better," Cane said, finishing his own piece and wiping his hands. "It's good, right?"
She nodded and glanced at the tray again, like she was tempted. "It was good."
"I'm ready now. What are we covering?"
"Is there a place I can wash my hands?"
"Third door on the right. It's the only blue one on the floor."
As she disappeared, Cane stared out the window. He wanted to get back to smithing, but that would have to wait until his arm finished healing.
Chanzi returned a minute later.
"Take off your shoes, please," Cane said, not because he cared, but because she was stiff as a golem he'd seen at the Olivara auction house. Maybe the informality would make her more comfortable.
"Okay." Chanzi slipped off her shoes and returned to her seat. From her satchel, she retrieved a thin piece of green cloth, nearly transparent.
"We should be facing each other. Same level," she said.
Cane moved to the other chair and turned it to face her, stopping about a meter away. "This close enough?"
Chanzi nodded. She held the cloth flat in the air, then let go. Instead of falling, it hovered—held up by her psi control.
"Since the fabric is pliable, I'm forced to create a psi-platform underneath," she explained. "Watch what happens when I shift the support to only the corners."
The cloth sagged in the middle, drooping. Then it steadied again as she reformed the platform beneath.
Cane hadn't used his psi abilities since his three aspects had integrated within the ringworld. With a thought, he formed the union. A veil of control spread across the room. He narrowed it—refining, focusing—until only a hand-sized portion remained. With a subtle lift, the cloth rose in response.
"Oh. Very good." Chanzi blinked in surprise. She still felt something strange about his psi signature, but his control and focus were... exceptional.
[A soft chime echoed from the wall speaker.]
"Good afternoon, everyone. This is Sophie Sweetwater with your afternoon segment. Today, we have a special treat instead of our usual news recap. Let me introduce Clara Mercusta!"
"Her hometown is a day's ride up the coast, a little place called Serin's Bluff. Clara is a first-year cadet and a member of this year's championship team. I've got a few questions so we can get to know her better."
Sophie: "Tell us a little about your family and life growing up."
Clara: "My parents are merchants—good folks. I love them, of course. I've got four older brothers… that crew takes turns competing for the title of family idiot. I was the only ginger, so I stood out—and they made sure I knew it. But yeah, I love them too."
Sophie: "You're a Wood Elemental?"
Clara: "Yes, ma'am. I thought I was something special until I got here and met people like Fergis and Dhalia. It was overwhelming at first, but I'm used to fights—grew up surrounded by them."
Sophie: "Tell us about your Blunderbuss."
Clara (laughing): "Oh man, that's my beaut. Cane and Professor Brammel redesigned it just for me. It's loud, it hits like a cartload of bricks, and I love blasting things with it."
Sophie: "What about your team?"
Clara: "Well, there's Cane. There's depth there. Honestly, I don't think there's anything he can't do. Dhalia's the best healer I've ever seen—tough as nails too, the kind you trust with your life. Then there's Fergis. Brilliant. Wouldn't surprise me if he ends up Archmage someday."
Sophie: "What's your role on the team?"
Clara: "I'm crowd control. I root enemies in place, slow 'em down. The blunderbuss helps with damage, and I've been training hard with melee. Still a work in progress."
Sophie: "How do you prepare for missions?"
Clara: "We do intense physical training and team-building exercises. You can't just be good at one thing. When a mission drops, we analyze, plan, and if there's time, simulate."
Sophie: "People are curious about the Terror mission. What can you share?"
Clara: "Only parts. We spent a few days training with another first-year team—Zen's group helped us prep and ran the opposition in our simulations. That mission... it got real. We stealthed in—patrols everywhere, guard dogs, raven watchers. Dhalia took care of the ravens. Cane got our objective. And that's when things went sideways."
Sophie: "Were you scared?"
Clara: "Maybe a little. But I trust my team. Terror wasn't part of the plan—it was a judgment call. We stealthed into his tent and launched a focused attack. Overwhelmed him before he could react."
Sophie: "And Kra'Lor?"
Clara: "My stealth artifact got damaged during the fight. No way my team would leave me. We found a portal rune in Terror's tent and took a chance."