“It is with great honor and joy that we, Laoshin Magic University, present our Talent Award to our very own Elanya Shunra. We hope that she continues to strive in the magical world and dedicates her life to becoming a fulfilled Meister.”

Pretty words flowing from an unattractive man, Elanya thought as she gracefully stepped forward to accept her award.

It was the end of the semester, in fact, Graduation Day for the Seniors, but all she could think about was when she could go back to her small, but comfortable dorm room. She ended her Junior year being awarded an award meant for Seniors, all as a political show of how a commoner could outperform the upper classes' offspring. She didn’t care for extravaganzas to celebrate an accomplishment that no one would remember tomorrow. While her Talent Award was a treat, she couldn’t be bothered by the fake praises of her deficient peers. Their false smiles and half-hearted clapping wasn’t enough to excuse them from the malicious sins of the past. They had done everything in their minuscule power to stop Elanya from succeeding, at which they failed miserably. She managed the top grades within her own class, perfected magical works, and most of all, became a certified Moon Meister after most failed. Out of thousands of students, she was the only one at the Magic University to get in sync with Moon Magic, already a rare oddity, as it is only inherited. Elanya’s father had no talent for it, but she had a suspicion that her mother had it, though she couldn’t be sure as she vanished years ago.

The acceptance of her award didn’t matter without her mother in attendance. The only reason she even agreed to show up was because her father insisted on it. Nothing felt worse than letting her father down. With their already tiny family decreased, she didn’t want her selfishness to get in the way of her father’s happiness. After all, she was also his only daughter.

After accepting her award and making her way back to the side section of the stage with other high-ranking Seniors and Juniors, she stared lazily around the arena. It was lavished with blue tinted windows with the highest quality of red silk curtains draped around the top. The area was furnished with over a thousand chairs circled around three-fourths of the room with the other fourth was stationed with a large stage. The arena seats were cushioned with a felt pallet, the armrest and backboard adorned with chrome. The floor was decorated in marble with pieces of gold flickering at every other step. It was almost blinding, accompanied with strong, beaming lights projected on the bottom floor shining unapologetically at the graduates. Elanya sighed and remembered her distaste for the gaudy room.

Next to her, Elanya felt mild irritation. She wondered if it was for wasting time at the graduation or her blatantly looking bored. Her hazel eyes met narrowed blue ones and pursed lips. She assumed her annoyed neighbor was irritated.

“You should look a little more appreciative after receiving a reward many others long for,” he said, his deep voice a low grumble.

Elanya tilted her head to the side of her head, her crystal earrings swinging back and forth on her ears. “Why should I care if they pretend to care? None of it is actually authentic, Nemedion.”

“If you felt that way then you should have forfeited the award to someone more deserving.”

She chuckled. “Someone like you?”

He nodded, then turned his attention back to the Dean as he was closing the ceremony. Nemedion has been her rival for three years--since the day they walked into their Mvag language class ready to conquer the world. From there on, a battle ensued between the wealthy son and the unknown girl of unknown origin. Respecting one another and their talents, they drowned out all gossip and distractions to pit them against each other. They may not be the best of companions all the time, but there was no actual disdain. Elanya enjoyed any argument the two had, leading the other to go days without speaking. Should she relinquish the award to him after all?

Once the ceremony concluded, the two Juniors made their way to the grassland outside the front stairs to meet their parents. Nemedion was a tall man and atop his head a massive amount of brown dreads, the tips dipped in a honey-blonde dye; he wasn’t hard to miss. They could hear his mother squealing a few yards away. He tilted his square-rimmed glasses upward, sighed and gave an apologetic look.

“Excuse me, Ellie,” he bowed, then waved a caramel colored hand at his mother approaching.

“See you, Nem.” She turned to scan the crowd for her father. Instead of finding him, she was acquainted with a petite, blonde woman smiling up at her. Elanya wasn’t a very tall woman, but she knew someone even shorter than her--her roommate, Orantal.

“Ora, my dear, hello.”

The small girl snorted. “Is that all you can say? You just received an important award in front of a ton of snobby Seniors! You should show some excitement.”

Elanya waved her hand carelessly. “I’m excited that it’s finally over.”

“Are you going to miss me?” Orantal asked. “I’m going home for the summer.”

The women sombered and clasped each other’s hands. Not only was Orantal her roommate, but she was her best friend. When Elanya was outcast because she was a gifted nobody, Orantal was there by her side. Each day, her blonde friend comforted her with meaningless conversation, just enough to distract from the misery of everyday school life. Orantal had to admit that she didn’t have the talent that her best friend possessed, however, she could show her the magic of being loved and adored--a wholesome friendship. Every year since the end of their first semester, they elected to stay in the same room instead of switching with new people. Orantal wanted to keep her friend and the experience of having a roommate, and Elanya couldn’t afford a private room at the University, despite having a scholarship.

“I saw you speaking with Nem,” the small woman’s eyes fluttered teasingly, “I’m sure you’ve placed a womanly touch on him for him to be talking more often with you in public.”

Elanya couldn’t control the snort coming from her mouth. “The Nemedion Salche? I doubt that brute and overachiever even cares about what anyone thinks in public, nor is he affected by a womanly touch.”

“You’re the only woman he ever speaks to,” Orantal grinned, “except for me, of course.”

The University knew Elanya and Nemedion as bitter enemies, rivals of magic and social classes. They competed for the top spot while obliterating their competition, surpassing them all in skill and wit. In the public eye, they were separate and estranged. But behind closed doors, in the warm confines of the study room in the library, they were magical confidants, constantly pushing the other, testing out strengths and weaknesses. They didn’t want to admit it to the public, but they were definitely closer friends than initially displayed.

“Enough about that, let’s get out of this crowd so I can find my father.”

The two women locked arms and waded through the obnoxious but prestigious crowd. They waited atop a flight of stairs to the left of the arena to observe the slowly diminishing crush from above. Elanya’s father had the same idea, so they bumped into the jolly, big man, beaming with parental pride. He grinned wide at the sight of his only child dressed up in ceremonial robes in which she accepted her award. Elanya didn’t fail to see the increased wrinkles at the side of his mouth and the edges of his eyes. His green eyes still held a youthful tint, always complemented by a playful spark. His head was bald, most of his hair contributing to the big bush on his face. Despite his rough appearance, he still managed to look professional in his expensive jacket that he no doubt had bought for this special occasion. Elanya thought he looked so silly with sweat drenching his brown skin, having the suit stick to him in every awkward way possible.

“Papa, there you are,” she said with a hand on her hip, showing him a teasing smile.

Her father reached for her and kissed both her cheeks, finishing with a longer one on her forehead. “I am so proud of you.”

She blushed and pushed her glasses to the top of her head. “Even though it’s just me accepting an award, I wish mama was here to see me.” She rubbed her eyes harshly to stop herself from showing more emotion than she wanted. “Having so much power and accomplishments means nothing if I can’t share my success with her.”

Orantal placed a delicate, pale hand on her friend’s hunched shoulders. “Use that power to do some good. Use it for something your mother would have wanted.”

The professors didn’t want her to waste her talent. Many of them urged her to become a Knight in the King’s Magic Regent to defend her country against the impending threat of their neighboring country, Titaneous, while others believed she should seek out Magus Town to further her legacy. Her ability to carry her mother’s soul sword, Valla, had also been not unnoticed.

“I’m not sure what to do yet, I still have one more year to figure that out.”

“You’ll have plenty of time to think it over, my dear, but for now, let’s go out and celebrate.” Her father said.

Orantal nodded excitedly and pointed toward the tall towers in the city, flaring intensely with magic. “I’m probably going to be throwing a party at The Rubies tonight. I want you to come and party with me.”

Elanya wiped her glasses with an expressionless face. Grimacing, she tilted her head in silence and replaced her glasses on her face. “You know I hate socializing.”

“It will be fun!”

“Fun for you.”

“Ellie, please just this once. Most of us are going home for the summer and there’s no telling if most of them are even coming back after having such a brutal junior year.”

Elanya thought about it some more. Orantal was originally from Asarian Frost. She wanted to go back to do some sort of magical therapy, or to what she called “being a Healing Magus” and teach children how to come into their magic. It wasn’t the career that a baron would want for his daughter but it would do. She just wanted to enjoy her life before that.

“Let me think about it. I want to spend some time with papa before he goes back home tomorrow.”

Her father showed them a smile that was bound to break his strained face one day. “You know how to make a man feel appreciated.”

Orantal giggled. “Okay, well The Rubies tonight at seven and try not to be fashionably late.”

Once Orantal was well on her way, the father and daughter duo went to a nearby restaurant to have lunch. It was a luxurious restaurant with aquariums cemented in their walls with water runes etched at the top of the tanks. They glowed with a cool, chill flare, showing a fluorescent blue light. They requested a table on the balcony to watch the busy communities mingle outside the University. Elanya’s father has saved up a lot of money to take her here, so she didn’t argue with his expensive food decision.

Together they ate in pure bliss. Elanya, who normally held a conservative personality, was responsive and animated around her father. She complained about receiving her award, disregarding the feeling of pride she felt when it touched her fingertips. He listened intently as she discussed the turmoil of the last semester and how stressed she had become from all of it. All her life, she had studied and honed in her magic as a distraction for her missing mother. The anguish and ambition melded together over time, causing a strength unknown to gather in her heart. That was how her Moon Magic manifested--through the grief of losing her mother. She had worked twice as hard to master everything she could. She was not perfect, as her Sun Magic was adequate at best, but she was close. It was even an achievement to know that she could call upon the sun’s magic. Would mastering everything make her happy?

Talk turned to work since her father was thinking about moving his sales to Zalatine away from Asarian Frost. He often travelled through cities, towns and villages around Vaikoln selling his magical wares, most of all his magical dust. Her father was a travelling Meister and he had developed dust which helped defend against magical attacks. Once consumed, it temporarily alters the magical makeup in your body and makes your magic stronger. In reality, it was just magical smelling salts to help the body push through magical and physical strain. It was beginning to become quite popular with the Magus Meisters he encountered on his journeys. To Elanya’s jealousy, he was always able to find the entrance to Magus Town, leaving her lost in the maze-like forest surrounding the area. She stopped accompanying him to that area just for that reason.

She knew that as a Meister he, as well as many others that qualify, was welcomed into Magus Town. In Elanya’s training, she had become a certified Meister of Moon Magic last year, proving that she was strong enough to enter the town, but she wasn’t ready. After the Moon Magus came to certify her, binding her to the laws of the Meister, they told her that she wasn’t ready to study with the Magus in the town. Her mental walls weren’t strong enough, especially with the dark ambition she had when she thought about her mother. Despite her stubborn nature, Elanya heeded the Meister’s warning and didn’t pursue entrance into the town. The Magus only reminded her that she wasn’t as strong as she was led to believe. Her father didn’t let his grief control him anymore, it was time that she did the same. She just didn’t know how.

“Is there anything new?” Her father asked, grinning. “You don’t have a man yet, do you?”

Elanya nearly choked on her food. “Papa!”

“What? You’re old enough to date, aren’t you? And you are so close to marrying age. Many girls your age are already married and expecting their second child.”

Elanya placed her hands on her face in embarrassment. She was embarrassed mostly because her father wasn't a woman, nor the easiest to talk to about feminine issues. Orantal was the only person she ever talked to about her personal life, and occasionally Nemedion.

“Papa, I’m still young. I don’t need to settle down like that,” she argued, her voice unsteady.

He waved away her concern with a large hand and a sharp point of his eyebrow. “Ya-ya, you are twenty two. That’s three years away from a quarter of a century! You’re wasting your youth away with all this hard work when you could be settling down with some rich man.”

Elanya was darker skinned, though she was still pretty light enough to show a slight blush on her cheeks. “Everything is just complicated right now. I want to focus on my magic.”

He tilted his head at her expression, but he didn’t press her further. Instead, he leaned forward and held her tiny hands in his big, calloused hands. “Then focus on your magic, dear. Don’t listen to the blathering of this old man.”

They ate the rest of their food and resumed talk about her frustration with school. He tried to convince his antisocial daughter into going to the party that her friend was throwing just so she will have time to relax before the summer started. All Elanya wanted to do was cherish what little time she had with her father before she would go another six months without seeing him. She wished that her father could stay in town, his face providing her with all the motivation she could ever need. However, he worked too much for his own living expenses, and occasional spending money for her, if she decided to go out in Yulin-dai. At the University, she was seen as an aloof and calculating student, dedicating herself to school work and her magic. Her grades usually ranked high. She never let anyone ever intimidate her with wealth and status, but she couldn’t keep blocking things out. With her recent hardship and realization that she may not have an adult life with her mother, the shield she had carefully surrounded herself with was beginning to crack and she wanted more. She was yearning for something different.

---

Rigesh was this close to blowing up his apartment and destroying the lives of his fellow neighbors. He sat in his study, screwing away at the bolts and nuts of his amber colored pistol, hoping to Raylith that his canister didn’t explode in his face. It had taken him months to finally figure out what type of magitech to use to hold his idea as one, and it had taken him years to get this far. All he wanted was to create one of the greatest weapons that any above average magi-human like himself could wield. From his time with the Knights, the magical sector in the King’s Army, he concluded that modern day warfare was just too plain and boring. 

Magic is composed of four main elementals--fire, earth, air and water. Along with the four elements are two sub-elementals--Sun and Moon, transmogrification, and alchemy based on magical devices. Fire and Water are mostly used for offensive fighting while Earth and Air are used for defensive. Sun and Moon are too rare to fully understand its limitation, but they have been labelled as destructive and unpredictable. Alchemy isn’t popular in Vaikoln but other nations tend to use it to make up for their shortfall of magic while Transmogrification ran rampant in less sophisticated areas. Manifesting the elements within one’s self doesn’t come easily, however, manipulating the natural aspects of the elements allowed many without skill to still use magic. Controlling an elemental in its natural habitat is more effortless than creating it in the palm of the hand, even with being born with a magical handicap.

He was lucky enough to have a solid grasp on elemental magic, even though he could use some work when casting Water Magic. A vast majority of the world is born with magic, however, many of them barely have enough to defend themselves. When magitech was created a couple hundred years ago, it enabled people who lack the ability to cast powerful magic to channel magic through technology. Magical items and accessories were crafted into everyday society to help with humans’ magical handicap, but there was still a huge issue with the absence of skilled mages. One could use a fire sword embedded with a magic fire stone, but if they didn’t have skilled magic, it’s not like they could cast any powerful spells with their swords.

Rigesh sighed as he thought about the multitude of incompetent people in the military. He wasn't the most powerful, but he could wield enough to be known as skillful. A lot of the men looked down on him because he cared more about the improvement of technology than the duty of protecting one’s home. Being raised in a small village in the northern part of Gong-dai--basically the country, he had no comprehension of protecting a kingdom that didn’t care much about the welfare of people that didn’t inherit much magic. In his large family, he was lucky enough to have even an average amount. His mother, father and siblings couldn’t wield as much as he could, even if he channeled with his pinkie, and it had estranged him from them. If he created something that could enhance magical talent whether that person has magic or not, then everyone would be able to work themselves up into a higher standing without being condemned to a life of nothing.

Without fear, he looked down the barrel of his pistol to check on the slides placed in front of the chamber. Everything looked good, but he needed to test out its power. He turned his attention to the runes etched on the side of his pistol, all the elements sans water. 

Rigesh would never be good at etching a perfect Water rune. His pistol needed more power than a simple Water Rune etched on a ship. The rune had to be condensed enough to not overload his pistol while at the same time being able to expand magic strong enough to cast spells and defeat enemies.

He moved the runic slides in front of the chamber into a straight line, locking them in place for a combined elemental spell. Not wanting to risk exploding his amber pistol without his fourth rune, he slid his water slide back and only locked the other three. Pointing to his large window overlooking most of downtown and the lake below, he began to cast a combined three-elemental spell. A pink and white light emerged from the tip of the barrel, channelling into a large spiral, but it faded as soon as it started. Sighing, he set his pistol and tools on his desk and lounged in his chair. He could cast each element through their respective slides by themselves, but he could not combine the elements unless all four were together. What a pain, he thought.

Looking at the time on his wall clock, he let out a curse and started rummaging through his basket of clothes, hoping to find his work uniform. He didn't want to be late again. There were only so many times he could use the excuse that he overslept or was stuck in traffic. He knew it was a lie. So did his boss.

Once he slid on his wrinkled black shirt and black jeans, he rushed to the door, picking up his shoes since he didn’t have time to slip them on before he went downstairs. His elevator ride, while always an enjoyable one with the open windowed view of the beautiful blue sky and green scenery in the park, was too damn long. The faster he could get to his steam bike, the faster he could be at work to avoid his boss’ untimely ire and his supervisor’s unpredictable jokes.

In the large, bottom garage, he found his lovely, red steam bike and started her up, lamenting in the hum of her engine. Without checking for his surroundings, he sped out of the garage, hoping he made it past the worst part of traffic to make it to the Transit Bureau building.

The long, concrete building was an ugly, plain one. Though near the hustle and bustle of downtown, it lay submerged in the crowded burroughs of the business district. It definitely stood out compared to the surrounding, tall buildings with their large windows tinted with chrome. The windows at the Transit building weren’t even big enough to fit one’s head through and it annoyed Rigesh to no end to not be able to see the comings and goings of outside life. A couple of times a week, he left the building to obviously recharge the rune etchings on the transportation at the two ports, but when he’s stuck writing up reports in the Bureau, he felt caged.

Suddenly, he felt a hand hit his back, leaving a disagreeable sting. “Look at you, Rig. You’re actually on time today.”

Rig turned to face his senior, a man with shaggy, sandy blonde hair and droopy, brown eyes. He was a little bit shorter than him, but he always held a big presence due to his strange humor and large laugh. Light brown freckles were splashed around his face, some of them hiding behind his dark goatee. Rigesh was a few years younger than him, but Morio had a childlike personality and sensibility. As much as he admired the man, he always wondered how he landed his job as a Senior Rune Specialist.

“I tried my best.” Rigesh shrugged half-heartedly. “Glad to see you make it on time too, Morio.” The two were a matching pair when it came to coming to work on time. They both were exceptional at their job, ignoring that Morio was simple minded and Rigesh was well...a bit different. Some would say too smart for his own good.

“So, you know that today is Airport day, don’t you?” The older man asked. “Thought you would want to look a bit better for your darling.”

Rigesh rolled his eyes. “She isn’t my darling.”

“You definitely see her a lot more than any other woman in your life. And to be frank, it doesn’t seem like she’s going to let go any time soon.”

The younger man groaned into his hand. He liked working at the airport because Air Runes were much better to work with for him than Water Runes, but it came with a price. His ex-girlfriend Yahna worked there. That’s where he’d met her a year ago. One thing led to another and they started dating, however after a month, Rigesh couldn’t deal with her. She was vain, demanding, dependent on him, and worst of all, she was obsessive to a point where he felt suffocated.

“The fact that she gets to torment me almost three days a week is unfair. I broke up with her over a year ago and she won’t leave me the fuck alone.”

Morio leaned on Rigesh’s shoulder despite being shorter than him and showed him a lazy smile. “Maybe you should stop being so damn handsome, Rig. All the ladies just flock over you.”

Rigesh wouldn’t call himself handsome, but he knew that many people did behind his back. He had often been told that he had the loveliest of golden-brown skin, complemented with his bright, grass-green eyes. As a native of Gong-dai, Rigesh had slightly slanted eyes, framed by long black lashes which had been a source of torment from his older sister.  As a bold fashion choice, he had a slit iat the end of his left eyebrow.  To his knowledge, long hair on a male was in style, but his own hair style drew in a lot of women, although in Yahna’s case that was certainly to his detriment. His hair was faded on the sides and cropped short in the back, and he often wore his long, black hair in a pulled back ponytail, a few wavy strands cradled the top of his forehead in a slight swoop.

“You mean they flock to you after seducing them with drinks and a night of long fun,” he teased Morio, gently tapping him on his arm. The two laughed until they caught a stern look from their approaching boss. Yrin, the Director Rune Specialist, was in a bad mood. You could almost feel the rage of his magic flowing off him in waves.

He pointed to both of them, shaking in anger. “What in Raylith’s name are you laughing about? Get to work! I need you both at the Airport fixing up those runes right now, we have some important officials coming into town in a few days and I need those airships moving at full capacity.” Yrin turned to Rigesh with a scowl. “Altren, I needed the reports from the Sea port yesterday, finish them by the end of the day or I’m assigning you double reports until your fingers hurt!”

Both men balled their right hands into a fight and tapped it against their left arm as a sign of respect. “Yes, Director Yrin.” The Director stormed off, no doubt to turn his aggression on another worker. As much as he could conjure magic and finish work in a timely manner for the executives, he was far from the most pleasant boss.

The two men hopped into Morio’s steam truck, big enough to hold a family of eight, and made their way to the airport. It wasn’t as far as the sea port, but it was quite a ways from downtown. Maybe a good thing, Rigesh supposed, but it was just a bother going out so far almost everyday then heading back into downtown through awful traffic to finish up reports. He wished he could just fly with his Air Magic.

Morio parked the truck at the loading entrance of the Airport, as it was the fastest way to get in without going through multiple checkpoints. Two security guards confirmed their credentials then patted them down for weapons. Rigesh usually left his works in progress in Morio’s truck for fear of the security guards destroying them and reporting him to the authorities. Not everything he worked on with the pistol was exactly legal. Security never feared anyone starting a fight with them--authoritative training boosted their confidence that their magic would be sufficient enough against any normal antagonist. Rigesh scoffed at their notions, knowing that his time with the Knights would prove otherwise.

The older man stretched his arms and sat at a nearby bench as an airship made its way to its station. “What a pain. We have to work on fifteen airships today. All because everyone is travelling in and out of town for the summer.”

Rigesh crossed his arms, giving his mentor a pained look. “I wouldn’t complain about the work. We get a bonus each time we do five ships. This job pays us way too much for us to be complaining about work.”

Morio waved a limp hand. “You don’t understand. You’re young.”

Rigesh scoffed at him. “Yeah, whatever, old man.”

They began work when the first ship docked, dividing the ship in half to get it done faster. Rigesh’s eyes glowed a bright green as he slowly caressed his fingers over the Air etchings and chanted the etch spell. It was simple enough after years of training and once he started on one, he finished the rest like a chain reaction. The feeling of tingling, cool air slid through the gaps between his fingers pulsating along the side of the airship. It chilled his hands, enlightened his arms with streaks of silver. Summoning his magic always satisfied the hunger in the pit of his stomach.

After they finished nearly ten airships, the afternoon sun had waned and they began to settle for lunch. Rigesh and Morio did their best to find food quickly in the cafeteria before they ran into an unwanted guest, but they failed to outrun Yahna.

In all her beauty, with lovely curly, strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes, she sashayed her way to the food line they were waiting in, blinking her eyes in false innocence. “Rigesh, I almost didn’t get to see you today. It’s almost like you’ve been avoiding me.”

Rigesh turned to grab a bagged sandwich with a cup of tomato soup. “It’s almost like I’ve been doing my job today.”

“I just don’t understand why you don’t accept what’s between us,” she leaned forward into him, placing a delicate hand on his chest, “I feel the fire burn when you’re around.”

He never felt anything when he was around her. Even in their short affair, he never felt it was anything more than a boring dalliance. When they shared a bed, his heart never beat fast and her skin never felt warm. After breaking up with Yahna, he questioned if he lacked emotions when it came to other women. Morio assured him that it was easy to be turned off by overbearing women like Yahna.

“Where are you eating for lunch?” she asked.

Morio answered, “We’re eating outside near the cargo. Surrounded by dirt and grime, much too nasty for a well-to-do flight attendant.”

Yahna showed him a lovely scowl. “I didn’t ask you, Morio.”

“Look, you’re always bothering us each time we come down to the Airport to work. I don’t understand why you don’t get it through your thick skull that Rigesh isn’t interested and we aren’t here to see you.”

Yahna opened her mouth to protest but Rigesh cut her off with his hand. “He’s right. I wish you would leave me alone. If you can’t just be friends with me, then I would rather you not talk to me at all.”

Yahna pouted, crossing her arms underneath her breasts, huffing. “You’ll come around someday. You’re just letting Morio influence your thoughts.”

The men both chuckled, turning away to an open table not far from the exit. Manipulation isn’t needed into ignoring Yahna. After becoming personally intimate with her, ignoring her was the only solution to calm the storm. She could fool her coworkers into thinking that she was a caring and dutiful flight attendant, showing her deceptively kind face, but they both knew that she couldn’t care less. She would do anything to have attention.

“You have to do something about her, man. How much longer is she gonna harass us?” Morio complained, stuffing a large piece of bread into his mouth.

Rigesh shrugged, unsure of what to do. “I really think she needs to get some help. How can you still chase someone after a year of constant rejection? If being delusional was some type of magic, she would certainly be a master.”

“Well, maybe she wouldn’t be so insistent if you would get another girl on your arm.”

“I’m too busy to be looking for another relationship. My invention is my top priority right now, and no woman is going to be interested in watching me reassemble a magitech pistol over and over again.” If Rigesh needed a release, he knew who to pick up and where to go, but he wasn’t concerned about intimacy when he was becoming one step closer to channelling magic through his pistol. Focusing on having a steady relationship and his pistols could only bring him more stress. He couldn’t properly express himself when all he could think about was his magic project.

“Speaking about that pistol,” Morio started, “have you gotten anything else done with it? You were talking about how you had a major breakthrough or something.”

Rigesh sighed, swirling his plastic spoon in his soup. “I thought I was getting closer but I’m not sure what’s going on. I can shoot individual elemental bullets, even cast certain spells with them, but I can’t combine them together without a Water Rune.”

Morio laughed at his underling, but showed him a sympathetic look. “Is your water etching still so bad that you can’t even use it on the pistol?” he asked.

Rigesh replied sadly. “Well, I can etch one but its power won’t equally balance the other three.”

The older man looked at his discouraged friend. Rigesh worked very hard at everything he did, and his pet project was consuming his life. Six years of making something that could benefit his own magic was being thrown down the drain. He had never seen the younger man look so depressed in his almost two years of knowing him.

“How about I do the rune etch for you?” Morio offered. Rigesh’s face brightened, expressing a shocked but excited face. “After work, you give me that pistol and I’ll add one on there for you. Test it when you get home or something.”

It took everything in Rigesh’s power to not embrace the man in front of prying eyes, so he patted him on the back and gave his thanks with a nod. After getting the Water Rune out of the way, maybe he would be able to actually shoot the thing properly.

Morio and Rigesh made their way back to the airship stations to finish powering up the last few ships. There was a big week ahead of them with students leaving town, tourists coming in, big deals with trade and the summer starting up. They could feel their exciting summer approaching, one filled with new friends, new adventures and new internal growth.