With the shaping tests behind them, Akari and Kalden moved on to the written portion of their admissions. This test differed for each grade level, but any student could walk into the Admissions Office and request a harder version.

  For a fee, of course. Koreldon University loved its fees.

  The incoming third-years needed to know all sorts of advanced science, and this included fields Akari hadn’t studied yet, like biochemical manadynamics. Elend had looked at their practice questions, and even he couldn’t answer them all without Glim’s help. He’d claimed it was all theoretical knowledge, and most people would never use this in the real world.

  Awesome. Just what every student wants to hear.

  To make matters worse, the aspiring third-years had to score ninety percent or higher to pass the test. Meanwhile, the actual third-years only needed seventy-five percent to pass. She and Kalden had just decided to become third-years last week, so that didn’t leave them much time to study.

  So . . . they cheated.

  Kalden walked into the Admissions Office on Garsday morning, while Akari hung back at the loft. Their home was several blocks from campus, but their soulbond worked over a ten mile radius. And unlike knowledge mana, their bond could penetrate the campus’s defensive wards.

  ‘Okay.’ Kalden’s voice echoed inside her head. ‘Which property of mana particles determines their efficiency in synchronizing with muscle fibers?’

  Akari’s fingers flew across the keyboard as she typed the question into the search bar. ‘Please tell me that’s multiple choice.’

  ‘Nope.’ Kalden sent her a mental groan. ‘Another short essay.’

  Akari opened the first search result and scanned the page. ‘Okay, um . . . mana phase coherence. A quantum property that describes how mana particles align with the body’s bioelectric signals.' She read him a few more lines of scientific bullshit that explained how different cycling patterns could alter this property.

  ‘Got it,’ Kalden said. ‘Thanks.’

  ‘So glad we learned this,’ Akari said. She was being sarcastic, of course. No one would actually create a new Cloak technique this way. This was about as useful as doing vector calculus to play a game of catch. You could feel when you messed up your cycling. People had been doing that for thousands of years, long before they’d invented math or writing.

  But sure, let’s make badass fighting moves sound as boring as possible . . .

  Kalden made a mental throat-clearing sound. ‘What’s the formula for calculating mana’s interference with ATP synthesis?’

  Akari typed the next question into the search bar. The formula appeared a second later, and she sent Kalden a mental image of the result.

  ‘That seems wrong,’ he replied.

  It looked fine to Akari, but she trusted Kalden’s instincts in this case. As an alchemist, he was no stranger to this subject, even if he didn’t know all the stupid formulas by heart.

  ‘Look on the bed,’ he said. ‘Near my pillow. There should be a book by Grandmaster Fenrik.’

  Akari rolled her computer chair over to the bed where several open textbooks lay scattered in a loose circle. ‘Got it.’

  ‘Try skimming through Chapter Five.’

  She eventually found the right formula and sent Kalden another mental image.

  This went on for another hour, and Kalden finished with a score of 97%. All the mistakes had been real; even with internet access, they couldn’t slip past every trick question. Especially when they only had a few minutes to answer each one.

  Akari took her test the next day, and things went even faster. In fact, she might have gotten a perfect score if they hadn’t added some mistakes on purpose. And for the sake of appearances, most of those mistakes were different from Kalden’s.

  She finished with a score of 94%, and they were one step closer to becoming third years.

  ~~~

  It was the weekend before classes, and Akari sat on her parents' old leather sofa, resting her head on her mother’s shoulder. Flames crackled in the fireplace, and snowflakes danced outside the tall windows. It was technically still summer in the physical world, but anything could happen in her dreams.

  They’d taken a break from time mana until she got her technique manuals, and that wouldn’t happen until the start of the new school year. In the meantime, they brainstormed the rest of Akari’s advancement, including her revelations and techniques.

  It felt weird just to lounge around like this, especially when her parents’ days were numbered. But they’d gone through this same thing with Relia before she’d conquered her condition. For her, more training had meant a longer life, even if she didn’t advance to the next realm.

  Despite that, the other girl had relaxed for several hours each day, and Akari hadn’t understood why.

  “What if this was your last month on this planet?” Relia had said. “Or your last day? Would you cram it full of training, or would you try to enjoy it?”

  Akari thought she understood. But then she’d burned herself out last year trying to impress the Solidors. It was only afterward, when she’d eased off the throttle, that she made real progress.

  Maybe things would be the same with Mastery.

  “So . . .” Akari sat up straighter and turned to face her mother. “Kalden and I need revelations to advance. What about Elend?”

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Her mother brought a glass of wine to her lips. “I honestly don’t know.”

  “What? I thought you were a Mystic?” Akari reached over and grabbed her coffee mug from the end table. Dream coffee never got cold, made you jittery, or filled up your bladder. It was, without a doubt, the best part about the Ethereal.

  Well, no . . . seeing her mom again was the best part, but the coffee was a close second.

  “Something happens during that advancement,” Emeri said. “But it’s tied to this planet. Your father and I didn’t advance here.”

  Ah. They’d discussed this a few weeks ago. Both her parents had spent time off-world, but they couldn’t say where they’d gone, or even how they’d left. The Angelic Church claimed that only the Angels could leave this planet, but the Cult of Solidor had already disproven that last year. Rosintar and his team of space artists had made a portal into the Abyss, and they were just ordinary Masters.

  And no, her parents weren’t secretly Angels. That much, they’d been willing to confirm.

  Akari knew from experience that her mother wouldn’t talk about their own advancement, so she circled back to Elend. “You think he’s gonna fail?”

  “No,” Emeri replied with a quick shake of her head. “Others have used this method to advance. There’s no reason it won’t work for him.”

  “But does he know what he’s getting into?” This whole plan hinged on Elend becoming a Mystic. What if this secret took him by surprise? How would they save Relia?

  Her mother shook her head again. “The Mystics are all tight-lipped about what happens. No one knows what to expect until the moment of truth.”

  Akari rolled her eyes and sank back into the couch cushions. “Let me guess—more soul oaths?”

  Her mother gave her a sympathetic smile. “Elend knows what he’s doing.”

  Well, that wasn’t mysterious at all. What if Elend was already a Mystic, and they were just dancing through hoops right now? What if this “impossible task” was another one his training methods, like like he’d stranded them in Vordica, or how he’d made Akari the team captain to build her moral character?

  That seemed cruel, but Elend prioritized results above all else. Akari wouldn’t even complain too much if it worked. She might even thank him if everything worked out.

  Still . . . it sucked to live through it in the moment, knowing that some of her choices might not matter.

  “Speaking of knowing things . . .” Akari gave her mother a sidelong glance. “Have you . . . seen the future?”

  Emeri shook her head. “You know my aspect doesn’t work that way.”

  “It might,” Akari said. “What if the whole planet is trapped in one big pocket dimension? Or a time loop?”

  Her mother chuckled and drained the rest of her wine. “In that case, I should have seen this problem coming.”

  “What problem?”

  “It happens to most students who study time mana,” she replied. “They start questioning everything, especially their teachers. Am I in a time bubble right now? How would I know if I were? How big can time bubbles get? Can they surround the whole planet? Can they last for centuries?”

  Akari froze. Yes . . . she’d been asking those exact questions in her head..

  “How do we know there aren’t any hidden time Mystics?” her mother went on. “How do we know the true limitations of this aspect? How do we know the time travelers aren’t actively hiding their existence?” She flashed a knowing smile. “Sound familiar?”

  “Yeah . . . ” Akari spent a few seconds mulling that over. “Not helping your case, though.”

  “I’ve been in your shoes,” Emeri said. “My teachers called it time traveler syndrome.” She held up a finger. “Only because the name sounds catchy in Shokenese. Not because time travel is real.

  Akari furrowed her brow. “That doesn’t prove it’s not real.”

  “You can’t prove nonexistence,” her mother countered . “It’s also a fallacy to conflate possibility with certainty. You should focus on your training, and the information you can actually see.”

  “Never said I knew for sure,” Akari muttered. “But these seem like good questions to ask.”

  More wine magically appeared in her mother’s glass. The wine never actually got her buzzed, no matter how much she drank. “Remember how you used to play board games with Kalden and Relia?”

  Akari nodded. They’d never talked about that, but she wasn’t surprised her mother knew. Both her parents were just figments of her subconscious right now, which gave them selective access to her memories.

  “Kalden usually does well,” her mother said. “But he has a tendency to overthink his moves. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  Akari chuckled into her coffee mug. They’d once played a game called Predator’s Gambit, which involved collecting certain card combinations and deciding when to play them. Sometimes, holding onto a combination would increase its value in the long term. Other times, you might lose the opportunity to play it.

  Naturally, Kalden did a bunch of mental math to figure out which cards came next in the draw pile. That sounded reasonable enough, even for a game that involved imaginary cartoon mana beasts. But then he took it a step further. He went beyond basic math and used his aspect for . . . Talek only knew what. He’d once spent ten whole minutes on a single turn—long enough that Akari and Relia had started a second card game on the side.

  “Okay,” Akari said. “But you still didn’t answer my question.”

  Her mother heaved a long sigh, but she didn’t really look annoyed. “We both know what will happen if I start denying your theories. Even the outrageous ones.”

  “And that would be . . . bad?”

  She nodded. “We’ve been over this.”

  “Yeah,” Akari said. “And you seem really confident. Almost like you’re a time traveler.”

  Her mother gave her a look.

  “What?” Akari grinned back. “You said to focus on what I can see. You look like a time traveler. ”

  “You know what I meant. You’re going to stress yourself out with all these theories.”

  “Too late for that.” Akari squeezed her coffee mug, feeling suddenly cold.

  Her mother scooted closer and put her arm around her. “Answers don’t always make things better.”

  “Speak for yourself.” Akari twisted the cup in her palms. “Secrets stress me out.”

  “I believe you, but there will always be more secrets.”

  She shrugged. “The more I know, the better I’ll focus.”

  Her mother raised an eyebrow at that, and memories of Last Haven flashed in Akari’s mind. Back then, she’d wanted to aspect her mana, but her parents wouldn’t let her. They’d explained their exact reasons in detail, but she still hadn’t listened to them. Instead, she’d aspected her mana in secret, and her parents had paid the price.

  Of course, neither of her parents would ever play that card against her. They didn’t need to. Akari’s mother was dead because of her. That mistake had already tainted all their interactions, and no amount of forgiveness would ever change that.

  “This isn’t like before,” Akari said. “I’ll listen to you. I promise.”

  “Will you?” Her mother gave her a gentle smile. “I thought I told you to focus on your training.”

  “Shit,” Akari muttered. It seemed like no matter how much she learned, she kept making the same mistakes. Tears of frustration threatened to burn her eyes, but she blinked them away. They’d had a dozen variations of this talk, and every secret felt like a betrayal.

  She was so close to real answers. Why did it have to be so hard?

  “I know.” Emeri turned and kissed the top of her head. “Your teachers will always tell you exactly what you don’t want to hear.”

  “I trust you,” Akari said. “Really. But does that mean I can’t disagree?”

  “Of course you’re allowed to disagree.”

  Akari swallowed. “I can probably imagine worse things than the truth. And I think secrets will distract me more than answers.”

  There was a short pause while Emeri considered that. “I still can’t tell you that much. Some answers are impossible for reasons I can’t explain.

  She leaned forward. “I’ll take what I can get.”

  “I’m not a time traveler, and I’ve never been one.” Her mother gestured around their living room. “This is all happening for the first time. Your choices matter, and your friends really do need your help right now. There’s no predestined outcome that’s going to save you.”

  Akari gave a slow nod. It still wasn’t a complete answer, but it did make her feel better. “So . . . you’re saying Elend’s not secretly a Mystic?”

  “I can’t answer that one,” Emeri said with her usual smile. “But let me ask you this—does Kalden always win those board games you play?”

  Akari considered that for a moment. “More than me and Relia. But no, not always.”

  “Why not?”

  “I dunno. I just follow my instincts.”

  “Good,” Emeri said. “Then you should keep following them. You might make some mistakes along the way, but that’s the only path to Mastery.”

  Web of Secrets Book 1 is now available on Kindle and paperback:

  https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0D7XSBKH2

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