I smiled a big goofy grin. I was going to be mentored by the only other Emancipate in recorded history, and one of the only three Citizens who had completed an Ascension. I couldn't wait to learn everything she had to teach me.

  "Well, come sit down," she urged. "Thank you, Quill N. Squib, for treating her and bringing her here. You can go now."

  Quill bowed low.

  "Thank you, Ascended One."

  I sat down to the left of Niraza, who cupped my chin in her hand and turned my face this way and that as she examined me.

  "Well, you'll be fine in the morning. I am so sorry about that: I've been worried sick that I punched you a bit too hard after you went limp so quickly, but you're every bit as tough as I thought you'd be. What was that spell you used, though? It looked almost as powerful as the Berzerker ability Darlene activated."

  The only thing that I could think of was the spell routine that I had activated before fighting Darlene.

  "Oh, well, I purchased a set of enhancement spells and figured out a way to store them until I needed them to activate. And really, I should be apologizing to you. There was a problem with the Disassociation spell I cast and I couldn't stop myself."

  "Oh, don't worry about it. Most of the time someone has to step in and break up a fight during the Oathtaking. Anyways, don't blow all your Emancipation mana on one-shot items like that, okay? Your estate is going to hemorrhage mana for a while, I know mine did. It was a nightmare getting everything the way I wanted it."

  "Manticore Niraza, would you mind introducing us now?" a voice from across the table asked.

  "Hold your horses for a second, Evan," Niraza laughed before turning back to me.

  "I guess I should have expected that. Everyone is dying to meet you. At least you'll be safe here for the moment: only those who participated in the Oathtaking and their mentors are allowed up here. And, of course, her Royal Majesty, but she's not here."

  My mentor pointed to the person on my left.

  "We'll just go around the table, it'll be easier. That's Narabel the Turtle's mentor, Jarod the Fortunate. Skipping to the lady at the end of the table, that's Naiya the Newcomer's mentor, Dawn of the Aurora. The guy in the orange jacket is Evan Omnipotent, JayJay the Cray's mentor. JayJay won't be here tonight, but I'm told he'll be just fine in a few days. Next is Darlene Indominus' mentor, Alana Allheart. Finally, there's Karen the Catastrophe, Scintillating Seraphina's mentor. All right, now you can all say ‘hello’ to Arabella."

  There were a few minutes of polite, boring conversation before the food was served. The first course was a yummy onion and leek soup with bread crumbs floating on top. Then were served duck meat flavored with an orange sauce. For dessert, there were tarts, fresh fruit, and sweet pastries filled with crushed almonds. I couldn't help but notice that I was the only one among the new Citizens that had a healthy appetite, the others mostly picked at their food. Seraphina looked particularly unwell. Must have been all the puking.

  "So, let me tell you about how mentorship works," Niraza said when dinner was over and the conversation lulled. "First of all, it can last for as long as the mentee wants to continue, up to a decade. The point of mentorship is to help you if better understand how to be a productive Citizen and master your powers. Often a mentor will help their mentee find their first job or possibly even employ the mentee if they have a trade. They also help tutor the mentee by showing them how to cast some spells, although from what I've seen you probably don't need help there. Don't worry, I can still give you some tips on how to cast some of the more difficult spells and recommend some books you should read."

  "So do you have a trade?" I asked eagerly, hoping Niraza would offer me a job.

  "Aside from the occasional relic hunting, no. And it would be too dangerous to take you on one of those trips for a few years at least."

  "Why is that?" Relic hunting sounded like a perfect match for a Sensate like me.

  "Centuries ago, the world was quite different. Instead of massive Estates separated by open land, there were enormous population centers full of magical and technological marvels. During the geological upheaval caused by the Manaclysm, many of these 'cities' ended up underwater, where they were largely protected from the other catastrophes that followed.

  Some of the magical artifacts left in the cities are quite powerful or valuable for other reasons. I like to visit them to see what remaining artifacts I can find, but the work is tricky and occasionally dangerous. Not only is the water pressure potentially lethal when you go down deep enough, but there are also mutated sea animals, traps that incorporate both mechanical and magical elements, and the occasional so-called 'warp-zones' where magic doesn't work properly. On top of all that, a lot of the best stuff is hidden really well, so it's time-consuming. Most people don't have the patience."

  "That sounds amazing!" I blurted, still a bit starstruck at the thought of hanging out with one of the most powerful people in the world. Will you take me when I'm ready?"

  "Sure, kiddo. But you'll have to work hard for quite some time to get strong enough to survive the trip, and I don't take dead weight. You'll have to find a way to make yourself useful."

  "I promise I won't let you down," I vowed. "I'll keep working hard until I'm ready. As for pulling my weight, I did take the path of..."

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

  "Quiet!" Niraza hissed, cutting me off midsentence. "While some Citizens reveal their path progression to trusted friends, we are currently in public. It would not be wise to blurt out such valuable information here."

  "Oh, right," I muttered., before speaking up again. "Thank you for preventing my indiscretion, Manticore Niraza. If this is not also secret information, would you mind telling me what 'Manticore' means?"

  "A Manticore is a magical beast that has a human-like face, the body of a great cat, and a tail that shoots poisonous spines. They use magic to fly and can turn almost invisible for a short time."

  Niraza stopped for a moment and her eye went distant. Then she smiled.

  "As to why I chose the name, it has to do with my emancipation. You see, I lived in a remote work camp at the base of a mountain back before my powers manifested. One day, someone found a clutch of enormous eggs in a nest near the summit mountain and managed to lug one back to the camp to cook it. It turns out the eggs belonged to a Manticore and she was mad when she found out her nest had been robbed. Like, 'kill everyone in the vicinity' mad.

  As luck would have it, I wasn't in the camp when the Manticore arrived to wreak vengeance. I was up on the mountain picking rare herbs. By the time I arrived, the Manticore had killed, incapacitated, or driven off the fifty or so people that lived in the camp and recovered her egg. So it satisfied itself with sending a parting shot my way. I made my way back to the Estate's manor with a spine lodged in my thigh and an incredible story to tell.

  The Citizen who owned the Estate, Mirabella the Virtuous, examined the wound herself when she heard what had happened and realized that I must have survived by using magic, primarily to negate the poison but also to staunch the flow of blood. She arranged for me to be retested, and when I was found to have the gift of magic I underwent Metamorphosis and was made a Citizen."

  "That's....incredible," I said after a moment. "How old were when this happened?"

  "I was ten," she answered before changing the subject. "So tell me about yourself. How did you get emancipated?"

  I told her my story, which after her amazing tale seemed boring. I made sure to gloss over the fact that I had bought Ronaldo after becoming a Citizen, but Niraza had already heard about it.

  "I heard you bought the Pegasus from Bandar the Grand?"

  Thankfully I had already prepared a half-truth for just this occasion.

  "Because he somehow helped me unlock my powers, and I think he might be able to help enhance more of my abilities. Maybe I have a special affinity for magical beasts?"

  Niraza leaned in.

  "I wouldn't say that too loud either," she whispered. "You certainly might be right, but fraternizing with a Pegasus could get you ostracized or worse. Experimenting with them is fine, though, so if anyone ever asks just tell them you're conducting experiments."

  "But that's what I am doing," I reiterated, trying to reassure her. I dredged up another half-truth. "It's not like we're friends."

  "Just make sure it stays that way, all right?"

  I nodded seriously.

  "Understood."

  The conversation turned to lighter topics for a while and I relaxed, enjoying some after-dinner mints and a hot drink that was named "coffee". I chatted some with Narabel the Turtle and his mentor, Jarod the Fortunate. Narabel's Metamorphosis must have been problematic because the poor kid didn't seem quite all there. He was sweet and a little shy, but Jarod seemed well-suited to the task of drawing him out of his shell. I enjoyed talking with the pair and promised myself that I'd invite them over for dinner if I ever had guests.

  As the evening wound down, Niraza stood up and addressed the table. "My dear new Citizens, thank you so much for your enthusiastic participation in the Oathtaking ceremonies today. One thing I must point out, however, is that the rules today were very different than normal. As you grow in power over the next few decades, it will become easier for you to inflict serious injury on or even kill your fellow Citizens. Thus, violence against another Citizen is forbidden outside of situations where adequate safeguards are in place. For today's games, we had capable healers and audience members ready to intervene if someone got hurt badly or was in danger of getting killed.

  If you attack another Citizen, the consequences are grave. Heavy fines, loss of privileges, house arrest, and even going to prison are possible punishments. And if you kill another Citizen on purpose, you will be guilty of treason, for which the punishments are so terrible you don't want to know them. Have I made myself clear?"

  Heads nodded all around the table, but Darlene raised a hand.

  "Manticore Niraza, what are the venues where sparring or sanctioned combat is allowed?"

  Niraza looked amused.

  "That's a good question, Darlene Indominus. There are several licensed venues where those seeking a sparring partner can find one. There are also sports: polo, ring racing, grappling, et cetera, where some level of violence is allowed. Finally, once a year there is a tournament where the year's Elected will ultimately fight to the death against Her Royal Majesty, Empress Vashti."

  "But why?" I gasped.

  "The after-effects of the Manaclysm, unfortunately. If a Citizen's soul is not returned back to Terra regular basis, mana will cease to flow. If that happens, all of us will die. It is a sad but necessary sacrifice, and one you don't have to worry about, dear Arabella Unbound. Citizens under one-hundred years old are never Elected."

  I lapsed into stunned silence after that revelation, not really listening to the rest of the conversation. It was horrible enough that our society was built on the backs of slaves, but on top of that, we even murdered our own. I had zero doubts that the Empress could have figured out an alternate solution ages ago if she had really put her mind to it.

  When the time came to leave, we were led by our mentors back to the teleportation room. As we walked down the hallway, Darlene sidled up next to me and leaned in close.

  "I don't care if it takes five hundred years, Arabella. I am going to find a way to pay you back for beating me tonight."

  Realizing that backing down would send the wrong message, I stopped and turned to face Darlene, giving her what I hoped was my craziest smile.

  "Anytime, anywhere, my friend. I'll be happy to spar with you again and again until you get it through your head: you won't ever catch up with me. Do you think you can close the gap between us? The only way you could do that is if I slowed down to let you catch up. But I'm never going to do that, Darlene. After seeing what people like my mentor can do, I'm just gonna push myself harder every. single. day. Because unlike you, I have goals beyond beating someone up. So name a day and a place, and I'll be there."

  Darlene opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Her hands balled up into fists as she struggled against what I assume was the desire to punch me right then and there. I stood there calmly, waiting for her to make the first move. Inside, however, was a different story.

  "Mia! Do we have any spells left? If she activates that ability again I'm toast."

  "All stored spells have been utilized. Manual spellcasting possible. Activation of Spiritbind possible, but not recommended."

  I could probably get off one spell before having to grapple with Darlene. Given the circumstances, Raging Strength was probably the choice that would let me inflict the most damage before we were broken up.

  Thankfully for me, Alana Allheart, Darlene's mentor, yelled at us to hurry up. Darlene relaxed her hands and with a haughty "hmph!" turned away and hustled to catch up with the others. I took a deep breath and followed.