Hours later, when the sun rose upon the western horizon, Lucian entered the bridge to find Khairu staring off toward the west, where angry gray clouds were gathering. Before long, they covered the sun, boiling to dominate the entire western sky. Lightning flashed within, violent and angry, as the storm system edged closer. The water began to heave, no longer blue but slate gray.

  As it began to pour, Lightsail rolled up and down hills of water under the bilious gray sky, lightning streaking beyond sheets of hard rain. Lucian’s stomach lurched with the ship’s every move. He clung to the dashboard to keep his footing.

  “Will we be okay?” Emma called over the din of waves and wind.

  Khairu seemed unconcerned. “This is nothing for Lightsail.”

  The rain fell harder, casting doubt on those words as hilly waves became mountains. Lucian had to strap himself down to his chair, even heaving a couple of times. Emma, after a couple of minutes, also had to strap herself in. In contrast, Khairu was well-balanced, seeming to predict every movement before it ever happened, leaning this way and that to keep her feet. Lightning streaked across the sky, sometimes striking a rod rising high above the mainmast.

  After a few minutes, Lucian wondered how Khairu could be so unconcerned. These winds were at least hurricane force, pummeling the side of the boat. The mostly reefed sails caught the gale, hopefully giving enough speed to escape the tempest.

  “Are we almost out?” Lucian shouted.

  Khairu stood at the helm, intent on the ship’s direction. She read the display, which showed angry bands of red extending in all directions.

  “The only way out is through,” she answered.

  They pushed on. Lucian thought they might drown, especially as the water slapped across the deck time and again. Those torrents could have easily carried any of them away had they stood outside. Frigid water even rolled into the bridge a few times, as high as Lucian’s shins. But the boat plowed on, heedless of Volsung’s battering. Lightsail rose to the top of the ocean’s crests, only to crash again into the roiling valleys beneath, seemingly in no danger of keeling over.

  As Khairu said, in time, the winds slackened and the waves lowered. Though it felt as if they had spent all day in the storm, the clouds finally broke, revealing Volsung’s bright sun, which had crawled only halfway up the western sky.

  It would be a long day yet.

  Around noon, 27:00 on Volsung, the three sat in Lightsail’s small wardroom, eating a simple meal of rice, fish, and greens. He and Emma listened to Khairu’s first lesson.

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  “The Manifold is what we use to describe the force that’s behind visible reality,” she explained. “The Manifold, in a sense, is true reality. What we call reality, you can think of as a shadow.”

  So far, nothing was contradicting what Vera had already taught him.

  “All we can see, smell, taste, touch, or hear is but a reflection of the truth, and that truth is the Manifold. Mages are those awakened to the fact that we exist on both planes. This one, the Shadow, and the Manifold, the Realm of Light.”

  “And we can change the Manifold?” Emma asked.

  Khairu nodded. “Yes, as its nature is not immutable.” Emma hung on her every word. “Those who can sense the Manifold are what we call mages. Your training will build awareness of the Manifold, and you can only do that by letting go of preconceived notions. Worldly attachments, romantic love, greed, cognitive dissonance. The training will help you move beyond such limitations. If you do well, you will one day rise to become Talent, and in many years, perhaps even Transcend.”

  “How long does the training take?” Emma asked. “Will it stop my seizures?”

  “Length of training depends on aptitude and dedication. Emotional attachment can trigger the Manifold to overwhelm a mage who isn’t ready. Your seizures will stop once you’ve learned to stream magic using what is called a Focus.”

  “What’s that?” Lucian asked, feigning complete ignorance. She had asked him to leave all preconceived notions at the door, after all, and the Academy Mages’ concept of the Focus might differ from what Vera had taught him.

  “The Focus acts as the anchor for one’s magical stream. You can think of it as the wellspring, that which streams ether into manifested magic.” Khairu looked at Emma. “We will teach you to direct that ether outward, not inward. That is the source of your seizures.”

  “But some mages are unteachable,” Lucian said. “Right?”

  Khairu looked at him, her face stern. “Most are not if I’m being honest. The path of even the lowest Novice at the Volsung Academy is difficult. To embark on a regimen that eschews worldly attachments, to seek the very death of the ego . . . this is an almost impossible task. We are human, and to be human is to be fallible. But we must use magic only when we need it. Magic is a useful tool, but like any tool, it can be dangerous in the wrong hands or with the wrong attitude.”

  Khairu watched them both to let that point sink in. To Lucian, it seemed her gaze stayed on him a little longer.

  “My advice is to prepare your minds as best you can. We should reach Transcend Mount by late evening.”

  “So, about a standard day from now,” Lucian said.

  Khairu nodded in acknowledgment.

  Emma leaned forward. “You said earlier that every mage exists in both realms, Light and Shadow. But why are there mages in the first place?”

  “That is the grand mystery,” Khairu said. “We still don’t know what causes a select few to awaken to the Manifold. The Manifold has always existed, as far as we know. What we’ve learned comes from the writings of fallen Transcends, who abandoned their mortal bodies and subjected themselves to the fraying.” She paused, as if in respect for those fallen masters. “One thing is clear: The Manifold controls our reality. Mages are its stewards.” She paused, as if in thought. “Of course, using magic comes with a cost, and that cost is the fraying. That is why we teach the Path of Balance.”

  “What is that?” Lucian asked.

  “Perhaps I speak too soon,” Khairu said. “You will learn more upon your acceptance to the Academy. Are you ready?”

  Lucian nodded. “I’m ready to learn more.”

  “So am I,” Emma echoed.

  Khairu looked at Lucian first, and then Emma. “The days ahead will be difficult. But if you are dedicated, you can go far at the Volsung Academy. Very far indeed.”