A/N: Here's another slow chapter before things kick off a bit. Next chapter will have a fair bit of action and will be followed by a glimpse into what's going on outside of Ylisstol. We aren't at the point where things will ramp up just yet, but we're almost there so bear with me a little longer. As usual, thank you all for the follows and Favorites, they mean a lot to me.

If you do like this story and want to find more stories by other authors that don't necessarily write Fire Emblem related stories, swing by the Fanfiction Treehouse Discord Server (Code: 9XG3U7a). There are plenty of brilliant writers there in the process to telling their own stories or having already told their stories and it's a pretty nice place. They also have a Podcast on Spotify called the Fanfiction Treehouse Podcast if that interests you. With that, onto the Chapter.

The day the Shepherds set off came and went. Nicola was out of bed by that point and chose to see them off, wishing the group safe travels and promising not to look for any trouble. Chrom and Frederick gave the spearman nods while other members of the group, one of which he recognized from his visit to the baths, gave various forms of thanks in turn. Robin wished him luck in his research, asking if he would keep an eye out for any particularly interesting tidbits. Finding out that Virion was joining the group was a mild surprise, to which the noble explained that he had his own reasons. The teal haired man then promised a game of chess when he returned, which Nicola wasn't the most enthused about. Still, it was better than lessons in etiquette and the like.

Lissa gave him a bright smile as she joined the others, followed by a silent Kellam. She had chosen to wear his coat over her dress and it had apparently resized itself to fit her over the past few days. It looked nice on her with how it matched the shape of her dress, widening around the dress' cage and flowing just past it in three separate tails. Nicola made a note to try and write down everything he remembered about the legend he was supposed to fulfill when he had the time. He needed to talk to Emmeryn first and get his research started at the very least.

Once the group had gone from the city, hailed by knights and citizens alike, Nicola made a beeline to speak with the Exalt. He was quickly halted by her escort, a group of spear wielding women wearing light armor with wing motifs.

"The Exalt is currently preoccupied, dear guest. She will send for you within the hour," a stern looking woman with short blue hair tied into a bun and sharp red eyes. If he remembered correctly, he'd seen her back at the parade alongside Emmeryn and during his audience. The fact that her armor was different from the others guarding Ylisse's ruler told him that she was of a different rank, a higher one based on how ornate hers was comparatively.

Nicola nodded along, not interested in forcing the issue. He'd use his time to wander the town and pick up his spear if it was ready. When he told the guard as much she sighed.

"Then I will arrange for someone to meet you at the appointed time. Please do not wander outside of the capital's walls or it will make our job much more difficult."

"Understood. Perhaps it would be better for them to meet me at Anna's smithy near the appointed time? That way we nip any confusion or searching in the bud."

"That would be preferable." The stern woman gave a curt nod. "Now then, please go about your business."

He didn't need to be told a second time. The former summoner walked through the castle with a mild spring in his step. Truth be told he didn't like castle's much, in part because they reminded him of Askr and because of how large they were and how easy it was to get lost in them. He didn't pay the servants in the castle much mind, quietly stepping out of their way or out of their paths if they were busy working. He did offer the occasional nod or wave in greeting as he passed, which were mostly returned. A small number of servants offered glares instead and hurried out of his way, but he didn't pay them any mind. They were insignific- few in number and hardly worth his time so long as they didn't take aggressive action.

Soon, he was outside the castle's gates and within the large town.

"Maybe city would be better in this case," he mused to himself... Not that he'd seen one that hadn't been in ruins for a very long time. At least, that was the case before he'd arrived on Zenith. He chose not to dwell on that as he strolled through the markets.

He needed to buy several things and ask a few questions, namely a large amount of parchment and ink. A spellbook would also be helpful, though he still needed to find out about his magical aptitude before that became a necessity. The biggest thing would be several sets of clothes for travelling. He thought better of it a few steps later, realizing he hadn't brought his satchel with him. He did have his coin pouch, which had a way of ending up in his pocket from wherever it was, but that wasn't going to hold anything other than coins.

Ultimately, he chose to browse a few shops before heading to the smithy. Most were tailors and various sorts of general shops with differing goods, but a few did stand out. A small shop sold trinkets and precious stones, calling them good luck charms from Valm. Nicola looked over a few, his eyes lingering on a cloth charm adorned with a golden crest in the shape of a seven-pointed flower. When he asked about it the stall owner explained that the charm was rare and supposed to grant good dreams to the one wearing it. Nicola promptly bought the charm, anything to help out with pleasant sleep was something he wanted.

In addition, there was a small shop selling blank spell books and offering to test an aspiring mage's potential. That piqued the summoner's interest, figuring that this would be the fastest way to figure out what sort of spells he could use. The process was quick, consisting of him placing his hands on a crystal ball and trying to direct power into it. He did so without much issue, causing the orb to glow and orbit around him, much to the shopkeeper's surprise.

Unfortunately, the shop did just as it stated: it tested the potential of aspiring mages, specifically if they had the potential to use magic in the first place. Nicola was disappointed by that in part, though having his magical potential confirmed was valuable nonetheless. He was informed he'd need to speak to an established mage from the halidom's magic academy in order to find out about magical affinity.

"It's outside of my capabilities as a mage," the shopkeeper explained. "It's my job to direct fledgling mages to the academy, where they can be taught, and sell basic supplies. Affinities are something they teach there, which is why our mages tend to specialize in particular elemental disciplines rather than a full array of elements."

"So just... Anima magic, no Light or Dark magic?"

"Anima is a rather antiquated way of referring to the elemental magics. Light magic is particularly rare, only the royal family and some members of the clergy are capable of utilizing it. Dark magic is utterly forbidden by the church and is to be avoided at fear of persecution."

Huh. That was sil- idiotic. Nicola agreed with the intrusive thoughts this time around. Dark magic tended to get a bad reputation for all of the harm it could do, but it wasn't all hexes and curses and despoiling. He distinctly remembered talking with a dark mage about that, several actually. Each had their own array of spells and magical know-how that lead to mixed interpretations of what was and wasn't a use of the branch of magic, but they all agreed on one thing: Dark magic had a price. How steep that price was varied, as did what was used as payment, but that was the core concept behind it. That was also part of why it was so reviled compared to Anima and Light magic, neither of which had a tangible cost to use. At least, that's what he'd been told. He hadn't been able to use Dark magic back on Zenith, Light magic had been his bread and butter.

"I see," he said after a moment of silence. "May I ask where this 'magic academy' is?"

"You just did," The shopkeeper remarked, earning a withering look from the summoner. They cracked a wry smile in turn. "It's near the building near the chapel, down the rightmost path. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait until summer arrives if you plan on enrolling. They do not accept walk in visits from the outside unless it is dire or is from an important individual."

"Ah." Well, there went that plan. Perhaps he could have asked Emmeryn for assistance there if he was to accept a reward from saving Lissa, but he still had no interest in that. No, his planned audience with her was to thank her for helping him through whatever had been afflicting him and to state that they were now even. That, and let her know about the odd visit from the clergyman a few nights ago.

He thanked the shopkeeper and paid them several gold. The shopkeeper gave a content hum in return.

"Come back when you get accepted, young man," they smiled. "You've a great deal of potential for the magical arts, but what you nurture that into is up to you."

"Right." Nicola nodded as he left the shop. He hadn't planned on enrolling anywhere, but if that was how he was going to learn magic he'd at least give it an attempt. With that in mind, he made his way towards the smithy. It was somewhat early, maybe twenty or so minutes before he needed to be there, but he'd rather be early than late from continuing to look around shops.

"Ah, you're here early," Jake greeted when he arrived, manning the shop counter. "Anna's looking over your spear one last time to make sure it meets her standards. Should be a few more minutes before she's done."

"Fair enough. I got the feeling she was very serious about weapon quality from our first meeting."

"Yeah, she is. It's her dream to be the best smith among the Annas."

"That's admirable of her."

"It is, but it's also stressful. She has to constantly compare her work to that of her sisters and elders and find ways to improve on that. That's part of why I'm here, aside from travelling the land with her by choice."

"Oh?" Nicola raised an eyebrow at the red-eyed man.

"I... do you know the relationship between Jakes and Annas?"

"No, I've only met Annas before meeting you." More specifically, he'd met the Commander and her sister who watched over the gate before meeting this Anna. Others, he'd only heard hearsay about. He'd heard of Jake from time to time, but he hadn't known that there was a second family as strange as the Annas.

"I see. Well, the short version is we tend to get along well. Our families have been connected for thousands of years and we understand each other quite well due to that." Jake chuckled to himself. "There's just a lot less of us than there are Annas since we tend to be fighters or travelers more often than we're merchants."

"Ah." So, they died from conflicts more often than Annas did.

"It's a personal choice, not a compulsion. One of our ancestors fought alongside the Hero King and plenty of us wanted to follow his example, fighting for worthy causes and travelling the world alongside our companions."

"Is that something you wanted to do, fight and travel the world?"

"I did for a bit, before I met my Anna that is. I would have been a ballistician and sniper, but nothing worth fighting for was going on when I'd finished my training. The war between Ylisse and Plegia was already over, not that I wanted any part in that bloody affair."

That was presumably the reason why Emmeryn led Ylisse rather than her mother or father. He hadn't asked about it, he hadn't seen a reason to do so. He was mildly curious now, if only to find out what had sparked the conflict. Before he could ask, the side door of the shop opened and a soot covered Anna walked in. She carried a long object in both hands, wrapped in fine black cloth, and set it on the counter with a content sigh.

"That was a rough one," she remarked, wiping sweat from her forehead with the back of a gloved hand. She gave Nicola a nod in greeting as she unwrapped the object, revealing a simple looking black spear. The tip looked like an arrowhead that cut inwards towards its base before flaring out into rounded wings and was nearly a quarter of the weapon's length. Thick metal bands held the tip in place, stopping just short of the leather wrapped around the upper section of the shaft. Another set of leather wrappings was present closer to the weapon's center and more metal bands adorned its end, holding a second blade in place at the weapon's butt. This second blade was smaller than the spearhead and lacked wings, but was still nearly as long as a dagger's blade and looked to be as sharp. The shaft of the spear was made of a fine dark wood, smooth looking and polished to a shine.

"It's perfect," Nicola breathed, eyes glowing bright green as he looked over the weapon. He gave Anna a look, asking if it was fine for him to pick up the weapon. When she gave the okay, he lifted the weapon and found that it was lighter than it looked. When he asked her about that she explained that it had to do with the metal she used. It was hard to work with and extremely resilient, but it was remarkably light and took to magic quite easily.

"If not for that, it would have been a brittle mess," the smith added. "I could have used steel or silver, but the former would have made the weapon far too top heavy to use effectively. The latter could have worked, but it would have required a lot more regular maintenance and upkeep in exchange. This metal was the better choice, given the money you gave me to work with on top of what you paid to cover the price in general.

A metal that was light, but hard to work with. That sounded familiar. He could think of two from the top of his head.

"Did you use tungsten," he asked. Anna's response was a good natured laugh.

"No, tungsten is very heavy and dense. Getting enough to make the spear tip alone would have cost you five times as much as I charged for the weapon as a whole. Finding a material strong enough to hold it would have cost much more."

"Then was it titanium?" Jake raised an eyebrow at that, as did Anna. He knew what titanium was? He'd come from far away indeed, considering the metal didn't exist on Archanea or Valm. Then again, he knew what tungsten was and only Valm had that.

"I'm surprised you know what either of those metals are." Anna said, placing a finger on her chin and tilting her head to the side.

"Oh, I've worked with them before," Nicola replied offhandedly, paying more attention to the spear than the others. If he had been he'd have seen the looks of alarm and confusion on Anna and Jake's faces.

"You what," Jake repeated.

"A long time ago, maybe five or so years back? I needed tungsten to help repair something back home. It was a pain in the ass to find, let alone in the quantity we needed. Ended up using titanium for the weapon I used back home, except that turned out to be a waste of resources."

"What? Why?"

"It..." He paused, trying to think of exactly what had happened to that weapon. He'd lost it after he'd been being separated from his family and friends, but before he'd arrived on Zenith. The exact details eluded him there. "I don't fully remember what happened, but it was lost. Not misplaced, though. I think something broke it and did a number on me in the process."

That was concerning, if outlandish, to the smiths. Still, Jake could tell he wasn't lying. That brought up the question, what could break a titanium weapon? Unless it had been improperly made, it was a rather strong material and hard to work with. That had to be the case, or else he'd encounter something with enough physical or magical might to break the metal, which posed a problem in its own right. Anna could only think of two people strong enough to do that and one of them was long exiled to another world to rot for crimes she'd committed several lifetimes ago. The other was...

The smith shook her head. There was no time to think about that when she still needed to see if her customer was fully satisfied with his order. She cleared her throat and gestured for Nicola to follow.

"We should test how well you feel using her," she explained, leading the spearman to the back of the shop. Several straw dummies awaited them, heavy burlap sacks wrapped around wooden posts. "Try her out and see how she feels. If you feel anything needs to be adjusted I'll see what I can do."

Nicola nodded, marveling at the simple weapon for a few moments longer. Once he stopped, he entered a stance the smith hadn't seen before. He held the spear with a single hand, tip pointed towards the ground while the shaft ran along the back of his arm. He held his other hand forward, as if interposing it between himself and the dummies. Then he blurred forward, thrusting the spearhead into the first dummy much faster than Anna expected.

"Not bad," Nicola said, more to himself than Anna. He pulled the weapon from the dummy and nodded at it. "Yes, you'll do nicely."

He made several experimental swings and thrusts with the spear, trying out different grips and positions along the spears shaft until he settled into a two handed grip along the leather grips. He nodded to himself once more then became a blur of motion.

Anna couldn't follow his movements, save for the brief moments when he appeared to be frozen mid motion. Then he would flash forward and one of the dummies would fall to pieces or be cleaved in two. In one particular case a dummy was torn from the ground, post and all, and hurled into another before Nicola drove the spear through them both.

By that point Jake had made his way to the back of the shop as well, accompanied by a red haired woman Anna knew to be a member of the Pegasus Knights. The duo joined her in silence, watching Nicola tear through the dummies like they were parchment. Jake's expression grew more curious while the other red haired woman looked on with scrutiny at first, then a sort of respect after several moments. He didn't appear to notice them as he continued his onslaught.

When a single dummy remained, Nicola decided to show off. At least, that's what Anna felt as she saw him thrust his weapon into the dummy several times then hop back. He stepped forward into a powerful lunge only to pivot into a broad horizontal sweep that he rotated into a pair of diagonal slashes with the spear tip. Then he thrust forward, striking the dummy's center only to twist into a rising slash from the butt of the weapon. He rose further as he slashed the dummy two more times then descended with a third, alternating between both ends of the weapon. When his feet touched the ground Nicola spun the weapon around with a single hand, taking it over his head and behind his back before swapping to his other hand. He spun the weapon in front of himself then swept it to his side with a satisfied nod.

"She's perfect," the spearman panted as sweat dripped from his brow. He turned to face Anna only to pause when he noticed Jake and Sumia's friend, Cordelia. His face, already red from his display, reddened further. He tried to brush it off, coughing as if he'd already known they were there and hadn't frozen like a started deer seconds prior.

"Nice moves," Jake commented, flashing a sharp grin his way. Nicola refused to make eye contact as Cordelia spoke.

"Your form was magnificent, though I will admit I thought you were simply swinging your weapon around wildly at first."

"You could see him through all of that," Anna snarked. "I'd see him for maybe a second then suddenly he'd be somewhere else."

"He is rather fast," Jake agreed. "I had trouble keeping up with him when he launched himself into the air and fell into a sweeping slash."

"And I-"

"Cordelia, it's nice to meet you again," Nicola interrupted, face now redder than Anna's hair. "I take it you're the one who came to escort me back to the palace for my audience?"

"Yes. The Wing Commander requested I do so." The red haired knight nodded. "Were you ready to go now or would you need a few moments? Once we return to the palace I imagine you'll need some time to freshen up."

"Right, I got a little carried away there." Nicola gave a nervous laugh. "Just need to wrap her back in her cloth and I'll be good to go." He then turned to Anna and Jake. "Thank you for taking my request and allowing me to use your training dummies."

"Anything for a good customer," Anna beamed. "Just make sure you take care of her and come back if you need anything else."

"And try not to break anything," Jake added, watching the former summoner squirm just a bit. "In all seriousness, do come back if you need anything worked on or commissioned. You gave us something interesting to work on and that means a lot."

Anna nodded along, rising with her partner to escort Nicola and Cordelia from the shop. Once the two were gone they shared a look.

"...He's totally from an Outrealm."

"A wild one at that."

"Think he'll be back?"

"It's likely, especially if the rumors circulating him are to be believed."

"Oh? Anything I should be aware of?"

"Well, you see..."

Once back at the palace, Nicola was led to the guest room he'd been using to collect a change of clothes then to the baths. He spent a long while soaking in the rather large chamber and even more scrubbing his hair clean. He was thankful his hair seemed averse to knotting, but instead it got incredibly matted and oily if he didn't give it any attention.

Once he was clean and refreshed, Cordelia led Nicola to the castle's main chambers, where Emmeryn waited. He'd already left his spear in his guest room, so he didn't have to worry about handing it to the guards outside the chamber. Inside the chamber was Emmeryn, sitting at a fine wood table with a kettle of aromatic tea at the ready. At her side was the same woman from earlier in the day, the Wing Commander from Cordelia's own words. The Exalt gave a friendly smile and beckoned for Nicola to approach while her lone guard maintained her stern look.

"Welcome Nicola," Emmeryn greeted once he'd taken a seat. "It's wonderful to see you up and about after your incident."

"It's nice to be up," he said, offering a polite smile. "If I'd stayed in bed any longer I believe I'd have tried to roll my way out of it, with or without a healer's approval."

"I imagine Lissa would have pitched a fit had you done so." Emmeryn took a sip of her tea. "When she found out that you had collapsed, she panicked and wanted to find a way to heal you that moment. Tea?"

"No thank you." Nicola shook his head. "She did tell me as much when she visited, though there appeared to be some form of miscommunication in that regard."

"The healer in charge having been told that you were to receive no visitors under my orders, yes. She brought that up with me and I was able to confirm it with the person in question. I'm having that looked into."

"I've a bit more to add there."

"Do you? Do tell."

Nicola explained his encounter with the clergyman that same evening and the not so subtle threat for him to leave the capital. Emmeryn's brow creased, concern visible as the former summoner mentioned the vision he'd apparently been part of.

"That is rather concerning. Phila, your opinion on the matter?"

"I do believe that coincides with the Hierarch's attempt to have you leave our guest be, milady," the taciturn knight replied. "Though, rather than communicate his vision with you, he instead chose to take matters into his own hands."

"That's what I feared. It seems I will need to speak with him on that matter rather directly then." Emmeryn gave a warm looking smile that put Nicola on edge. "Let us change topics. Aside from that particular visit and your incident, how have you felt about Ylisse as a whole?"

"It's a rather nice place, from what I've seen so far. I get odd looks on occasion, but I'm rather used to it. I am a foreigner after all."

"And beyond that?" Beyond that? He had no idea. When he said as much, Emmeryn hummed. "How do you feel about the people you've met? The Anna and Jake running the smithy, the Shepherds. Lissa."

"Anna and Jake are interesting. I feel a sort of camaraderie from them as a person not from here, but beyond that I think they're good people. Anna's the second, maybe third, most honest Anna I've met so there's that. Jake is a bit harder to read, but he has a good heart and just wants to do what's best for Anna. As for the Shepherds... They're unique."

He wasn't expecting the Exalt to laugh at that. She gestured for him to go one as she took another sip of her tea.

"Each member of the group I've met seems to be quite the character, but I can't really give a solid impression of them since I've only run into most of them once or twice at best. Frederick is a bit gruff, but he has a good head on his shoulders. Sully appears to be rather determined and goal oriented. Robin is a bit of an enigma, but hopefully she finds the answers she's looking for. Chrom has a good eye for people and he has a good heart, though he really should invest in a bow if he wants to hunt bears in the future."

At that Emmeryn sighed and Phila's stern look twitched into a smile for just a moment.

"It is for that reason that I'm glad our other guest went with him. The Shepherds are a diverse bunch, but they have so few people that don't need to be up close with a threat to deal with it. Miriel is one such member, but beyond her and Robin, they are severely lacking. Lord Virion having business to attend to in Regna Ferox appears to be a boon in that regard. He is a rather skilled archer."

"And a philanderer," Phila added under her breath.

"What about Lissa? How do you feel about her?" That was a loaded question if he'd ever heard one. He found the princess cute, charming in her own way. He felt like they'd taken the first steps towards being friends, but there was nothing more than that. He didn't want her feeling that she owed him anything and he wanted to help her if she needed someone to talk to about nearly dying. There was that and...

"She's a friend, I believe. She's kind and energetic to a near infectious degree, but I think that she's keeping something that weighs on her greatly to herself."

Emmeryn's expression became contemplative for a second time, her emerald eyes studying Nicola for a long while. "I see. I do have a request of you in that regard."

"I'm listening."

"If you can, please be her friend. Lissa is kind and wonderful, but she closes herself off to others. I thought allowing her to join the Shepherds would help with that because it would allow her to be around others near her age aside from her own dear friend. Unfortunately, she hasn't really opened up to any other, only choosing to confide in me and young Maribelle."

"Which is a problem."

"It is. I am constantly busy at the moments when I would want to speak with Lissa in regard to what troubles her and Maribelle can only visit Ylisstol for short amounts of time. Chrom and Frederick made me aware that you are looking for a way back to your homeland. Is that correct?" When Nicola nodded she continued. "If you act as my sister's friend and help her through what is bothering her I will use what resources I have at my disposal to help you along with your search for home. I know that this is a rather unreasonable request, but I believe that between you and Robin it can happen."

"I see." That was a good deal if he'd heard one, bar getting the princess to open up and the fact that she would be gone for a long period of time. He would try when she returned, but attempting to force anything from someone was how you made them close themselves off completely. That would be rather bad. "I can't say I will be successful, but I will try."

"Wonderful! I will have a writ prepared for you, granting you access to the castle's main library and archive." Emmeryn clasped her hands together, smiling brightly. "Now to speak on your reward from before..."

He should have known that things would come full circle.

Nicola tried his best to convince Emmeryn that by saving him from whatever had been affecting him that they were even. The Exalt was having none of it, even stating that Robin was the one who did most of the crisis resolution so, if anything, he owed her. He hated that she was probably right. He also hated how good she was at bringing them back to a neutral point where he needed to choose a reward.

"Could we treat taking care of the church related issue as a reward?"

"If you were fine with taking a second reward, yes."

"Wha? Explain."

"If there is some manner of problem stemming from our church's followers it needs to be addressed before the issue grows far too large and escapes the control of reasonable people. Preventing such a thing from happening is of the utmost importance and expands past any misgivings and issues you may have with the church."

"History cannot be allowed to repeat itself," Phila spoke. "Speaking with the Hierarch and other leaders of the Church of Naga before they take any drastic measures is key. They do want what's best for the halidom, but that same logic once drove our people into a conflict we still feel over a decade later."

"I would hope the Hierarch is more reasonable than his predecessor in that regard. He has been a great mentor over the years..."

"I believe he will be, milady. It's just a matter of having him see reason sooner rather than later."

The Exalt and Wing Commander went back and forth for a while longer as Nicola observed quietly. Emmeryn trusted Phila a great deal, enough to let the other woman speak candidly without reproach or interruption. Phila clearly had Emmeryn's best interest at heart, in the same way Frederick had Chrom's. No, looking more closely, this was different. Frederick treated Chrom like his ward and perhaps like a younger brother to a degree. From this interaction alone, Nicola could see that Phila treated Emmeryn like her daughter while maintaining a professional air. It reminded him of the young manakete he'd watched over during his time on Zenith, one of the first heroes he summoned.

A melancholy smile passed over his face as he remembered Fae. She'd been a sweet child, even if she had been a few centuries older than him. She was young for a manakete, perhaps the youngest he'd met, and she latched onto him like a young bird. Her dragon form hadn't helped with that impression, transforming the small magenta haired girl into a large fluffy creature that breathed streams of burning light. When the war with Hel began he'd sent her home, not keen on allowing a child to fight a god. He'd tried to do the same during the war with Muspel, but she refused outright along with other heroes who had been walked by his side.

Nicola hoped she was doing well. He hoped all of them were doing well.

"Is something the matter, Nicola," Emmeryn asked, catching his attention. "You looked distant for a moment."

"Oh, I'm fine. I was just reminded of someone for a moment." He offered a fanged smile, catching the Exalt off guard. "We were talking about a reward right?"

"Yes."

"I think I have something in mind." If he was going to get her to stop asking, he'd need to toss something her way.

"Do tell."

"I'd like to have my magical affinity tested. I've had my potential tested, but not my affinity. I was told I'd need to wait until the summer and enroll into the magic academy, but I imagine it's a bit more than going to the academy and filling out paperwork."

"You would be correct. There is a fair amount of paperwork to sign, but there is also a cost for enrollment and the need for three recommendations from accredited mages."

"Wait, I'd need recommendations before I could get in? What if I can't cast spells because I don't know any that I think would work?"

"Simply showing your potential as a mage to three mages would work. It's rather unreasonable to assume that all aspiring mages come from backgrounds where purchasing a spellbook is within reason. In that same vein, it is unreasonable to expect that all mages come from backgrounds allowing them to afford enrollment and tuition costs. To that end, they offer to waive the fee if the student graduates and displays a fine degree of mastery over the magical arts based on a comprehensive examination."

"So, get three recommendations from three mages, have enough money to pay for enrollment and go from there?"

"That is an apt summary of the process. Finding the mages would be the easier part, you've met at least three already." He had?

"I have?"

"The owner of the shop where your potential was tested would one. Another would be Ricken, who has mastered both lightning and fire related magics and is considered one of two prodigies. The third would be myself."

Nicola understood the shopkeeper and Emmeryn, but Ricken? Hearing that the young mage had already mastered two types of Anima magic was a bit of a surprise. Then again, Veronica had allegedly mastered wind related magics several years before he'd arrived on Zenith and she'd been his age. Maybe there was a precedent there?

"I imagine I would need to arrange for a second audience to handle that?"

"You would. I do not have the tools to test your potential prepared at the moment and I would need to arrange a day that coincided with both Ricken's schedule and the shopkeeper's."

"I do believe you have a free day in a month's time, milady," Phila supplied. "I can send a missive to the other parties to arrange a meeting on that day. Earlier, by your preference."

"So long as the others are available at that time, that will be fine. Will that work for you as well, Nicola?"

"It should, bar any extenuating circumstances." It wasn't like he had much else to do. So long as nothing extraordinary happened, he'd just be researching, training or exploring the capital. Knowing his luck, his chances of a peaceful month were slim to none.