The m, Niphru awoke before Dawn, simply lying beside her for a while before carefully getting up to avoid waking her. Feeling within himself, he judged he was a little better thaerday, but still not well enough to ma his foxfire for long. Oher hand, he didn’t think using illusions to speak would have aive effects.

  Unsure of the more involved uses, however, he decided to experiment some. By the time Dawn awoke, he had determihat using illusions for more than speaking slowly drained him. Due to this, he decided to simply stick to speaking instead to mess around with illusions, even if he had the urge to py tricks on people now that he was doier.

  After sharing a meal with Dawn, they left their residence, heading up to the library and charging area. Along the way, they entered Thomas heading downward and greeted him, taking him by surprise.

  After a moment, he replied, “Hello, I see Niphru talk now; that is great! I wish I could stick around to chat, but I’ve been summoned by my mentor to some kind of meeting. Maybe we get together ter?”

  “Sure, if not today, maybe tomorrow will work?” queried Dawn.

  Niphru added, “I’d also like to be able to talk to you and Viera now that I’m capable of it again.”

  Nodding in agreement, Thomas tinued on his way. A few moments ter, they emerged onto the library floor and Dawn exged greetings with some of those she had met before, while Niphru introduced himself.

  Upon finishing their quick visit, they headed upstairs to get a little practi. Niphru sidered for a moment before asking, “Could you please get one for me, too? I’d like to try charging mana stones, as well.”

  Dawn nodded and grabbed a handful of small crystals, bringing them out to a baly for the two of them to get to work. After setting the stones ih several on each side of the table, Dawn sat down as Niphru leapt up. After some time trying to feel what Dawn was doing across their bond, Niphru began trying as well, rapidly finding that it didn’t work the same for him.

  A short while ter, after sidering how his magic worked now, he tried to fuhe mana through his personal mana stohen into his foxfire illusion, and finally into the crystal he was w on. While it was plex and somewhat difficult, especially using ambient mana instead of his own, he did find that it worked, and he didn’t seem to disperse much during the process.

  Around an hour and a half ter, Kel flew over to their table from ihe tower. After nding oable, it removed a letter from its leg to hand to Dawn before quickly diving off the side of the spire again.

  Once she finished reading it, she shared it with Niphru so he could see it as well.

  “Dawn,” the letter read, “I have been asked to call you to join an importaing at the Church of the Green. Niphru should also e as well, if possible. We are up top in their garden, please join us as soon as you .”

  Somewhat fused by the message, they began ing up their workspad returning the crystals to their proper pces before heading down the spire again. As before, Niphru opehe door instead of Dawing a bit more practice at maniputing the entment.

  The trip to the temple was, like yesterday, retively uful. That ged ohey arrived, however, as they spotted several mages in bat gear. Nearby, there were also a number of warriors from the Church of flict, both groups looking somewhat wary of each other. Ohe groups spotted them, however, both waved them through after seeing Niphru.

  After a moment of following the path they had been directed to, Niphru stopped suddenly as he turhe er, almost causing Dawn to run into him. Ahead of them stood Morris and four es, all with their staves and weariallic-appearing robes with leather armor over them. Oher side of the clearing, a woman was sitting on a bench, two figures cd head-to-toe in crimsoher and boanding beside her resting rge two-handed swords against the ground.

  “Ah, there you are, e over here,” Morris remarked as he spotted them before tinuing a moment ter, “Lisryn here is the new head of the Church of flibsp; We have an unusual situation here.”

  Uedly, Lisryn rose only to immediately bow to them, despite them not having any kind of high status. She then sat down and decred, “I am quite different from my predecessor, and I hope that we get along. We have been talking,” she waved towards the mages, “and if you do not object, I will be allowed to join your spire. Several of the most skilled have been asked already, but you are in a uuation, having an Awakened panion apanying you.”

  An older man near Morris expined, “The Crimson Way has long opposed Awakehough Lisryn states that they will no longer do so, else they will be expelled and actively hunted down for punishment. We believe this to be true, given what happened in the past few days.”

  tinuing where the ma off, Lisryn scowled and remarked, “One of the more hateful priests apparently attacked an Awakened owl two days ago, despite my ainst such a thing. Fortunately, one of those he was bragging to about it was someone who had alreferred the idea of treating Awakened as people. As such, the matter was brought to my attention, and I was able to have him apprehended. Yesterday, we were able to verify that it was ihe truth, via mind mage, and he has been removed from the churd imprisoned, pending judgment.”

  With a sigh, she then tinued, “This of course makes it appear bad that I wish to have many of the mages with the church join the spire mages for training and cooperation on missions in the wild. I wish to learn more also, as I am, acc to your teacher, less skilled than you are. But I ot travel anywhere without at least one guardian. I personally would like to get to know an Awakened, rather than just hear about them, and have been told you are the only two I am likely to meet.”

  “I believe her, personally, but I am uain of her guards, as one of them could easily oppose two of us, let alone novices like yourself,” Morris stated to Dawn and Niphru.

  Looking towards Niphru for a moment, Dawn replied, “I would like to believe you, Lisryn, but surely you uand why I’d be worried about my friend.”

  Niphru then asked, “Why do you suddenly want to work with the spires when before you opposed them?”

  Lisryn looked shocked for a moment before replying, “Well, it is ohing to hear you speak, but still a surprise to experie yourself. To answer your question… the Church of flict reviously run by someone greedy for power and status. He actually went against flict’s will many times, from what I uand, but I have not had any warnings about my choices, and many have e with approval from od. I just learned as well that he was responsible for humanity nearly being wiped out, then c it up by killing tless others. I wish to return to the inal purpose of our church, to push the limits of human ability, and use that to aid humanity. There is plenty of flict with the world around us, we do not o oppose each other on top of that. It is my hope that both of our people learn from each other, aually bee allies, as those within the spires have followed goals simir to what I desire. Does that answer your question?”

  “Yes, it does, but I still worry about the idea of one of those scary people being nearby; what stops them from deg to attack me?” queried Niphru.

  Lisryn shook her head and sighed before answering, “I’m afraid I ’t prove it to anyone, but the Padins of flict serve od through my instrus, and will not act against my will unless it is to protect my life. Their loyalty to flict is absolute, even more than my own. And sihey know that flict is accepting of the idea of Awakened being treated as people, unless I were to say otherwise, they will treat you as any other person.”

  “Additionally,” Morris expined, “she has agreed to the idea of being watched by multiple elders until we decide she is safe, without any notice to her. I am sure you’ve noticed some degree of the magic of the spire, but the entire struct is yered with tless entments, and it is possible for the elders to observe and act through the spire itself.”

  Dawn took a moment to think before replying, “I think I’ll let Niphru decide, since he is the o the most risk.”

  Tilting his head to the side, Niphru sidered everything he had heard, and how Lisryn acted for a few minutes. While he was doing so, Lisryn appeared worried and hopeful, and, for some reasohought he ought to give her a ce, though he wasn’t fortable with the idea of being around her yet.

  Once he had finished, Niphru announced, “I think I am okay with it, but I don’t think I want to be around her for a while just to be sure. Would that work?”

  A female mage who hadn’t spoke answered, “It is indeed workable. I shall be moving to your spire tomorrow, in that case. I focus on wind magid will keep ao the wind. Now I believe that was everything?”

  As everyone looked around and no oioned anything, Lisryn stood once more. She then bowed to both the gathered elder mages, as well as to Dawn and Niphru. Following this, she gestured towards another path around the garden, and her guards moved to both lead and follow her back to the street.

  As the elders began to walk back along the path they had ehrough, Morris spoke to Dawn and Niphru, “We made several agreements before calling for you, so you will likely see new faces soon. Those who are joining us will all be under close observation as well, but if anyone worries you, feel free to let us know. Thomas and Viera are allowed access to the higher levels of the spire and pass a message up until it reaches the elders, if you o do so. Now, hopefully, we didn’t disrupt your day too much, and we return now.”

  Before Dawn could speak, Niphru replied, “We were just doing some practice, I learned how to charge mana stones, as well; it is much different than how Daw!”

  “That is great news, Niphru, I am happy to see you are trying to learn more, as well. I will see if I find some more books the two of you will find useful,” Morris responded as he led them back towards the spire.

  Dawn then remarked, “Apparently our bond also became strong enough we see through the other’s eyes if we focus on it, it is really disorienting, however.”

  “Now, that is incredibly impressive, you two! Most of us have to use rather plex spells for such a thing,” excimed Morris, clearly w if it was a trick.

  Seeing the disbelief in his eyes wheurned around, Dawn stopped to focus for a moment and closed her eyes. She then stumbled slightly as she walked alongside him, keeping a bit ahead and to the side of Niphru. Shortly before they reached the curb of the road, Dawn paused before carefully stepping up the small ledge and turning to tinue following Morris, only to stop as he stared.

  “Well, I think I’m vinced. You could have just memorized the street, but I don’t think it would be terribly easy to do so, especially so quickly. It would be great if more of us had a bond like that, but, unfortunately, most of us only have a bond simir to friendship, not a magical one like you,” remarked Morris, shaking his head.

  Dawn opened her eyes again, smiling at having surprised him. The rest of the trip, they discussed what sort of books would be useful to learn from, and which exercises would be a good tinuation from their current progress.

  Niphru mentioned, “Now that I am doier, maybe I should read the books you have already finished, Dawn.”

  “That is a great idea, I also help out if you want to practice!” Dawn excimed before pig him up and hugging him.

  As they had reached the spire, she quickly raced back to their dwelling, pulling out the books ohey entered. The few hours were filled with reading, though Niphru had to ask Dawn to turn the pages. He had realized using his paws would damage the books due to his cws, so he had used his nose, and after about a dozen pages, he mao get a really nasty papercut, which he could fortunately heal on his own.

  Following their study session, they both headed to the bedroom, hopping into the bath after flipping the bed up out of the way. It was quite veo be able to get out of the bath, dry off, then hop directly into bed, which they took advantage of as they settled in for the night.

  Shard