The day, a number of new arrivals showed up within the spire. While most wore red clothing, a few had other assorted colors, signaling that they had most likely beembers of the spire instead of the church.

  Niphru was worried about the reas of the red-clothed mages, but, with Dawn’s help, he found a way to be certain of their iions. Upon first seeing them, he asked Dawn to return to their dwelling with him, then he remained inside. He then requested that she go outside and close the door. With some effort, he mao both look through her eyes and proje illusion beside her.

  Seeing this, Dawn smiled, exg, “This is great! I’m sure they wouldn’t do anything to me, but this keeps you safe too!”

  Unfortunately, his illusion flickered out about halfway to the stairs, reminding him that his magic was ected to his mana stone, just as his spirit was. Dawn had returned when she saw his illusion disappear, fortunately without worry sihey could both feel each other through their bond.

  While she returned, Niphru expined, “It appears my illusion is also ected to the stone, so I will have to e along, though the range should let me stay on another floor. That should be enough to keep me safe even if they try to attack me.”

  After a moment of thought, he tinued, “Actually, perhaps this is a little too early, I could always just hide myself and watch them for a while to see how they act to other humans before showing myself, even as an illusion.”

  Dawn arrived and opehe door before replying, “That does sound like a good idea, as long as you stay hidden. I’m not sure if they would be able to sense you or not though, so maybe mix the two ideas? You could stay on another floor and watch with my vision while hiding there? Then, ter on, we see if they spot you.”

  Nodding, Niphru merrily remarked, “That does sound like the best idea, and I even know how to test if they see me! It will be a surprise, I’m sure.”

  Dawn shot him a questioning gnce before shaking her head and closing the door as Niphru walked bato the hallway with her. While she went up the stairs, he carefully followed a fair distance behind, struggling to manage walking, using his own vision, watg through Dawn’s eyes, and hiding himself with an illusion all at once.

  Along the , Dawn entered Morris, who gave her an odd look when he didn’t see Niphru with her. After shaking his head, he talked to her, though Niphru couldn’t hear what Dawn did. Askio repeat it for him over their bond, she reyed, “He was just letting me know that they kept all the new mages together on the opposite side of the spire just in case, so none should end up near us uhey happen to go between one of the locations below us on the first floor and one of the higher floors.”

  Hearing this, Niphru dropped his illusion and ran up the stairs to meet both of them, thanking Morris for setting up the new arrivals oher side. After nodding iing to Niphru, Morris tinued, “I have also been requested to invite you to the ‘elite’ group in light of your ability to directly use force magibsp; I believe you already know Thomas and Viera, and the others introduce themselves if you decide to join. Feel free to take a few days to think about it.”

  After a moment of thought, Niphru asked, “Would that offer include me? I don’t want to be left behind without Dawn!”

  Nodding, Morris answered, “Of course, they all agreed on that dition already. her of you are really skilled enough to join, but direct force magic is incredibly rare, and you help teach them about Awakened. Many people keep pets, including some mages, and the mana we passively expel tends to eventually awaken said pets, so it is important for all of us to learn about them. And sihey are the most likely to reach a point where it could be an issue soon, it would be best for them to learn sooner rather than ter.”

  With a quick look at Niphru, Dawn replied, “We will think about it, but it does sound like it has no real downsides.”

  “Well, you will be expected to advance more rapidly by most people, and there is the issue of others thinking you are ‘trying to go above your station,’ like that trio before,” Morris cautioned while shaking his head.

  He then finished, “At any rate, I’m afraid I have to go for now. Hopefully, things will quiet down soon.”

  Dawn turo Niphru as Morris left and remarked, “I guess there is a bit more chaos from this than we expected, huh?”

  Niphru hen began up the stairs once more, hiding himself with illusion again. Just before reag the library floor, he split off from Dawn, instead remaining on the floor below. Dawn, however, headed inside, cheg for any of the newly arrived mages. Finding some was quite easy, three of them sitting with the group who focused on theory and information, discussing the finer points of water magic.

  As expected, the majority of the mages seemed wary of the newers, aside from the academibsp; Dawn headed to a nearby table after grabbing a random book and sat down to observe. A short while ter, one of the crimson-robed mages stood up and walked over to her table, stopping a respectful distance away before asking, “Is there any particur reason you keep staring at us? I noticed you peeking over your book every time I looked.”

  Surprised at being caught, Dawn was silent for a moment before remarking, “My friend and I are worried about being around you, holy. Not much point in trying to hide it if you already noticed, I hope that does not offend you.”

  The man shook his head, chug, and replied, “I certainly wasn’t expeg you to be so blunt, but I uand. Thank you for tellihe real reason; I would just tell you not to worry, but I know it doesn’t work that way. But I tell you that all of us who were allowed here have been personally chosen by the High Priestess. Anyway, you just watch us normally, you’d never make it as a spy with how obvious you are. Alternatively, you could join us ao know us properly.”

  Embarrassed at beihrough so easily, Dawn nodded awkwardly before standing to put her book up. After a moment of indecision, she decided to go join the group after all, sihe man who came to speak to her olite about it. After inf Niphru through their bond, she approached the group, and was surprised when they simply greeted her before returning to their discussion.

  Listening in, it seemed that they were just discussing water magic, specifically how it worked by maniputing the surface tension rather than the liquid directly in most cases. Apparently, one of them had almost figured it out on their own, describing it more as trolling where the liquid go and it just flowing there.

  Eventually, Daw fortable enough to join in the discussion, talking about her experiences with other forms of magid what she had read of their nature. While she spoke about earth magie of them perked up, listening carefully, and at the mention of part of the foragic being imparted to the mage, they nodded before remarking, “I suppose that expins why I felt sid unbanced when I was trying out earth magiy own. I wonder why we never learned of that…”

  Following immediately after, one of their partners responded, “Well, we were only really taught water magice the others aren’t useful for our bat style, so it makes sehey wouldn’t bother if it doesn’t impact us normally.

  By this point, it seemed reasoo assume they weren’t bad people, with how easily she got along with them, so she asked, “Is it okay if my friend joins us? He is an Awakened fox, if that would cause any trouble.”

  She was then surprised when none of them seemed to have a problem with her request, one of them even expressing i iing an Awakened, remarking that they had never had the ce to do so before.

  With a quient of thought, she sent Niphru a message over their link to hide himself while creating an illusion that he was standing a little ways to the side, and to walk towards the stairs. Following this, she asked the ied mage if they would like to go meet her friend as she went to find him, getting a positive response iurn.

  As she led the way downstairs, she smiled faintly at the pn w, letting Niphru know when they were almost at the bottom of the stairs. Fortunately, it appeared their modified pn worked, as the mage was uo see through the illusion, fog on the false image instead.

  In a move that made both of them happy, the mage bowed to Niphru and greeted him as a person, asking his name directly, though he was surprised at actually getting a respohat wasn’t from Dawn.

  Seeing this, Niphru expined, “I ’t talk normally, but I uand just fine, and, as a fox, I have access to illusions, which work well for produg sound. This lets me speak properly without needing someoo guess what I mean.”

  “Ah, that is a clever usage of magic; I, unfortunately, know many humans who wouldn’t be able to e up with su idea,” the mage remarked and shook his head sadly.

  Following this remark, the three of them headed back upstairs, Niphru trailing behind while his illusion walked beside Dawn. Upon rejoining the group, the other two seemed mildly ied, but only the one who had e down was deeply intrigued, asking numerous questions. When it came to their bond, all three began listening, as did the group of academics, this informatioirely o them.

  One spoke up, “This is very iing, do you know of any way to replicate it? The only thing we have heard so far is using mind magic, which is fairly taxing on the mage to keep active for long.”

  “I am not certain, and I don’t know how it works either, just that it happened for me?” Dawn replied.

  Shard