When I arrive back in my room, I decide to try out the bathtub.

  It takes me a moment to figure out the armor, but once I do it easily comes off. Turns out, there was some sort of switch in my mind that I had to flick. Once I did that, the entire front opened up and allowed me to step out easily.

  It heats up almost instantly and I waste no time sinking into the deep water. There are adjustable seats and I put the water level just under my chin. My body feels like it's melting as all of my muscles relax. It is absolutely divine, just like the bed.

  Maka, I wish to take a ‘bath’ too. Lemon says from within the dragon orb. Though now that I have inspected it, it's more of a crystal than an orb. It's blue and it fits in the chestplate in my armor – which seems to have several such places, perhaps for upgrades.

  I reluctantly step out of the bath and let Lemon out. Yipee! Wait, what was that? Is that this thing called ‘happiness’? So strange. I slip back into the bath and Lemon sticks her talon into the water, as if testing it. Then she gets in with a big splash and somehow manages to swim. I guess dragons can just innately swim.

  While soaking, I decide it is a good time to review the other notification I got.

  [Path Leveling and Path Skills Now Available]

  Note: You gain one free stat cap point per path level.

  Note 2: You gain +1 of every stat cap per 5 average path levels.

  Note 3: Stats must be trained to reach their maximum capacity.

  Note 4: Path skills are capped at 25 levels per overall rank.

  Paths Unlock bonus: +5 cap to aether control, mana control, mana capacity, and aether capacity stats.

  [Scout has leveled up! Lvl 0 -> Lvl 1]

  [Lvl 1 Scout]: You are a master of stealth, speed and precision strikes. You are vital to gathering intel for your team and disrupting enemy positions.

  50% stat bonus to information-gathering based spells and skills.

  +25% base damage bonus to critical hits.

  +1 Dexterity Cap/Lvl, +1 Agility Cap/Lvl, +0.5 (rounded down) Perception cap/Lvl.

  Next Path Evolution at Level 250

  [Blink has leveled up! Lvl 0/0 -> Lvl 1/25]

  [Blink Lvl 1/25]: Instantly teleport a short distance. You must be touching solid ground to teleport. Aether cost increases exponentially with distance travelled above base. You may also teleport your dragon for an additional 5x aether cost (must be touching).

  Base range: 1m (+0.1m/Lvl)

  Base aether cost: 25 (+5 cost /Lvl)

  Cooldown: 4.9 seconds (-0.1 second/Lvl until 0.5 seconds)

  Skill Evolves at level 50

  [Stealth has leveled up! Lvl 0/0 -> Lvl 1/25]

  [Stealth lvl 1/25]: Cloak yourself from perception. If your perception stat is equal or higher than your observer’s, you are completely hidden, the effect diminishes if your stat is lower. You may not attack or activate offensive skills/spells while cloaked.

  +0.5 (rounded down) Perception/Lvl while active

  Base aether cost: 50 (+5/Lvl)

  Aether Upkeep: 5/second (+0.5/Lvl)

  [Mage has leveled up! Lvl 0 -> Lvl 1]

  [Lvl 1 Mage]: You understand the nature of magic and are able to learn runecraft to form mana into various spells. Mages are very general and are critical parts of any team. Mages usually specialize heavily once they get their first path evolution.

  5% stat bonus to all magic.

  +2.5% bonus to base mana regeneration rate (10% -> 12.5%)

  +1 mana capacity cap/Lvl, +0.5 (rounded down) intelligence cap/Lvl

  Next Path Evolution at Level 250

  [Magic Fundamentals has leveled up! Lvl 0 -> Lvl 1/25]

  [Magic Fundamentals Lvl 1/25]: You have an understanding of runecraft and how it can be used to manipulate your own mana. Further improvement in this skill will require you to increase your fluency and understanding of the nature of magic. This skill does not replace standard study of runecraft.

  +2 mana control cap/Lvl

  [Spell Book has leveled up! Lvl 0 -> Lvl 1/25]

  [Spell Book Lvl 1/25]: The spell book is an essential tool for any mage. Every 15 levels of this skill you are able to store an additional rote spell. You must fully understand the theory behind and significantly practice a spell to truly master it. Rote spells can be cast 500% faster than normal. You may remove rote spells at any time. Further improvement in this skill will require you to increase your fluency and understanding of the nature of magic.

  Current Rote Spell Capacity: 1

  This all seems awesome. Not only am I some sort of lean, mean monster killing machine. But I also can use magic, well once I figure out how atleast. Blink and Stealth seem like they will come in quite handy. The magic skills don't seem to do much comparatively, but I presume the real power is in the spells themselves.

  I take a quick peek at my current stats, just to see all the new caps added on.

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  Stats

  2 unallocated points

  Vitality: 16/20

  Strength: 7/20

  Endurance: 11/20

  Perception: 11/20

  Dexterity: 14/21

  Agility: 19/21

  Intelligence: 19/20

  Mana Control: 1/5

  Mana Capacity: 1/5

  Aether Control: 1/5

  Aether Capacity: 1/5

  It seems that the evaluations and the bonding ceremony must have improved some of my stats a bit. It is nice to see that I am improving. It means that I am getting ever closer to destroying those monsters, once and for all.

  Your skills do seem quite interesting. I too am excited to see you grow. I shall grow too, and become big and strong enough to defeat the monsters.

  I feel like you are going to be far more powerful than myself at some point. Professor Dirge made it seem like your abilities will be quite powerful. I say to Lemon.

  Lemon swims from her seat on the other side of the pool over to me. I have no clue what this ability will do. Some part of me is scared to try it out. I get this sense of dread that things could go horribly wrong. But at the same time, it's almost like the power is calling to me and begging me to use it.

  Hmm, I wonder… I try patting Lemon on the head a few times and she seemed to like it. Also I feel a strange jolt of energy every time I touch her. Who would've guessed dragons like head pats. Are you feeling this energy too?

  I do not understand this action, but it feels pleasant for some reason. I feel a bit of an energy drain every time you touch me. I think physical contact helps to replenish your aether reserves.

  That would make sense. After all, dragons are the reason why other beings have access to aether in the first place. I guess Lemon is like a charger for my aether reserves. Which is good to know.

  Now that I have some aether, I am going to try out my Blink skill.

  Okay, be careful Maka.

  Careful? I am the definition of careful. There has never been a person more careful than me in the entire universe. I fiddle around with the system until I find what feels like a button. I ‘press’ it and concentrate really hard on appearing standing outside the bathtub. I have to keep the range very small since my aether capacity is just barely enough to use it.

  I immediately appear in a new location, and then proceed to fall right on my ass. How typical. It seems I managed to teleport into the air while still in a sitting position. I get up and look at Lemon, who is giving me a stare. It's like she is trying to say ‘I told you to be careful, and look at what you did.’

  We shall speak of this to no one else. Now, let me see if I can get the hang of this. I say to Lemon.

  I spend the next hour or so practicing my Blink. With periodic refills from Lemon of course. She seems to be able to refill me quite a bit, and we only call it quits as she starts to get a bit sleepy. However, I did manage to increase Blink to level 2. My aether capacity also improved by one, neat. I also no longer fall on my ass every time. In my book, that is progress. I don't think my aether is high enough to use Stealth yet, it consumes quite a bit, so that will have to wait for another day.

  I put on some pajamas and head into bed. Lemon curls up super adorably at the foot of my bed and falls asleep. I drift off shortly after.

  - One Sleep Later -

  I wake up with a scream. I am soaked in sweat and my heart is racing.

  It has been a while since I last had a nightmare, it was only a matter of time. Luckily, this one seems to have faded quickly. The ones that linger are the worst, they can ruin an entire day, or even week.

  Lemon stirs and looks at me, a hint of concern in her yellow eyes. Maka, what happened? Where is the danger?

  I’m fine. Just a nightmare. I think I am going to take a short walk, you can just stay here and go back to sleep.

  Okay then. Lemon then lays back down and her breathing settles back into the steady rhythms of sleep. I wish I could emulate her, but I don’t think I am going to fall asleep again for a while.

  I check the time and it is 04:00. I slowly get out of bed and leave my room and head to the kitchen. Thankfully, it seems the nutrient machine works around the clock. How convenient for me. I grab a few rice balls and some starfruit juice, a very nice combo.

  I head out onto the balcony. It is still quite bright, it's not like the star can set considering we are right next to it. But it seems the light has been dimmed a bit, it's more like a twilight.

  I am not alone. Sitting under the tree is Violet, she is wearing some cute pajamas with pink cats on them. Her hair is a bit messy, but still somehow looks decent. She is hugging her knees tightly. I approach, intentionally making a few noises so I don't startle her too much.

  She notices me once I am a few meters away. She looks up at me but doesn't say anything. There are deep bags under her eyes, and they seem a bit puffy – like she has been crying. I can't imagine myself looking much better.

  I reach out and offer her one of my rice balls. To my immense surprise, she actually takes it. She observes it for a moment, and then takes a bite. Her face lights up with delight at its deliciousness. Her smile is nice and gentle. I wish I could see it far more often. I hand her one of my other rice balls, she moves to grab it then seems to hesitate for a moment. She slowly takes it and gives me a look that I don’t understand. But she eats it all the same.

  I walk over to the other side of the tree, which is quite large so leaves plenty of space between us. Neither of us speak. I slowly finish my rice balls and juice, which are both wonderful. Whoever or whatever prepares these things must be a god.

  When I am finished, I lean my head back against the tree and look up at the star the station rotates around. I believe the star is named Arcem, roughly meaning ‘stronghold.’ It is a fitting name for such a star. Standing strong and proud amidst this reality beset with horrific monsters and grand dragons.

  The Elder dragon’s question comes back to me. What is it that you most desire? I think my answer was good, yet not perfect. It is a hard question to truly answer. After all, how does one compose all of their deepest darkest desires into words? Language simply wasn't meant for such a task.

  I definitely want to eradicate the monsters. Of that I am certain. But beyond that? Adventuring around and having fun could be interesting. But it could also be nice to kick back and relax on some agrarian planet and live my days as a humble farmer. Or at least, I think so. My entire life has been dedicated towards getting into this academy so that I can slay monsters. Without the monsters I can't really say where I would be and what things I would’ve done.

  I don't know whether or not I will ever find out what I truly desire. It seems like the dragon was implying that to find that out would come at a great price. But, I think that price is worth it. Even if it destroys me, just knowing the answer for a brief moment would be important.

  But for now I must eradicate the monsters. To do that I must get stronger. Magically, physically, intellectually and socially. I bet the induction ceremony will be a great place to get to know some other cadets.

  I gaze out at the star one final time, and then I stand up and head back to my room. Before I go, I look back and Violet is still sitting under the tree. We never spoke, but I think this somehow conveyed more than all of our previous conversations.

  I crawl into my bed and relish in divine comfort. Violet can be a topic for another day, for now I should try to sleep. By some miracle I actually manage to fall asleep after a while.

  Next Chapter: The Cadets

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