They left the two familiars–who were making each other laugh hysterically with increasingly bad jokes–in the atrium and retreated downstairs to the kitchen.

"Do you cook at all?" Ariom asked as he led the way down the stairs.

"I can make basic things," Thenio said. "I can't do anything really fancy, though."

"Basic is fine. I'm not fussy, and I prepare Iggy's meals in advance and keep them in storage. I won't make you cook regularly if you don't enjoy it, but it will be helpful if you can at least take a turn on days when I'm especially busy. You won't be doing any cooking for a while, though. The kitchen here has all magic appliances, and I'll probably have to make some alterations to them to be sure you can use them safely. We need to do some testing to see how you react to different kinds of magic tools."

"You need to go through a few weeks of food sensitivity testing, too," Bero added in. "It's probably better to let Ariom handle all the cooking during that time, so he can monitor what you're eating as closely as possible. They should have told you about this at the Center. It's part of the standard procedure for figuring out patient management programs."

Thenio nodded. Several doctors had mentioned that he'd have to go through an analysis period to try to identify anything in his surroundings or lifestyle that might be affecting his magic. It normally would have happened as soon as he'd started being treated at the Stability Center, but they'd postponed it because of his magic circuit damage.

"I'm not really expecting there to be any problems with everyday things, since there's no record of them finding anything like that with previous chaos morphs." Bero shrugged. "But it's also possible that we'll find some things that are affecting you in very minor ways, that previous researchers might have overlooked. Even little things can add up over time, so it's worth checking everything we can."

"Now that I think about it, there wasn't anything about spiced food in the files the Association sent over, was there?" Ariom asked.

Bero shook his head. "No, but it's common sense not to let instability patients eat anything with magic in it. Not to mention that most of the other chaos morphs were studied when they were still children, so they shouldn't have been eating anything like that to begin with. The researchers probably never thought it was necessary to test it."

"Really?" Ariom sounded a little skeptical. "If we know he reacts to external sources of magic, it seems natural to me that we should explore that to try to understand the underlying processes that cause it."

"That's because you're a void sorcerer, Ariom. Most people couldn't guarantee that they wouldn't kill the poor kid off by giving him a glass of redflower juice."

"Fair point."

They had reached the kitchen. Like the rest of the house so far, it was spacious and well-designed, with what looked like high-quality tools and appliances. Thenio was a bit disappointed that he wouldn't be able to try cooking in it for a while.

Ariom pointed to a line of dark tiles that ran across the floor, dividing the kitchen from the dining area next to it. "This is the dragon barrier line. No dragons beyond this point without permission and human supervision. I probably don't have to tell you which little black dragon inspired that rule. I really don't ever want to have to clean mashed potatoes out of his scales again...." He sighed and then gestured toward a small, glassed-in room on one side of the kitchen area. "We call that a 'dragon box.' There are a few of them around the house. They're safe areas where Iggy–or any other magic beasts who happen to be around–can play and watch what you're doing without getting in the way. They're also insulated to protect whoever's inside in the event of any magic accidents. And it's not what they're designed for, but they should also work to protect you from being destabilized by surrounding magic. Keep that in mind, all right? It could come in handy."

Thenio nodded, once again amazed by the lengths Ariom seemed willing to go to for Iggy's sake. He liked the little dragon and all, but...it wasn't normal to design your entire house around your familiar's needs, was it?

"Let's just chat a little in here while Ariom's working on dinner. Have a seat," Bero said, patting one of the chairs by the table.

They both sat down while Ariom went into the kitchen and started getting out pans and cooking utensils. Bero had brought along the sheaf of papers he'd been looking at up on the balcony, and he set them on the table in front of him. Reading upside down, Thenio noticed the Stability Center's logo on the top sheet, along with his own name. Bero must have been looking through the patient information the Center had passed on to Ariom.

"We're not really going to get into your new training program until tomorrow," Bero said. "And I know Ariom already gave you an overview of what he had planned. But I thought you might still be a little anxious about what exactly is going to happen from now on. Is there anything you want to ask?"

Thenio thought for a moment. "Ariom said something about the Wizard Association sending information on chaos morphs. Is that something I'm allowed to look at?"

"Of course. You probably have more right to see it than anyone. I can make a copy for you. Just...." Bero paused, then said gently, "You probably want to wait a week or two until you're feeling more comfortable before you read it. Some parts of it are...a bit depressing."

"Oh." Thenio looked down at the table. Like everything else in the house, it was well-made, with an attractive geometric pattern of inlaid woods on the top. The varying shades of brown reminded him of Eteon and his usual basket of wood scraps. Thenio looked away, focusing on a nearby window instead, and tried to think of something else to ask in order to break the awkward silence. "Um...there's something I've been wondering about. About the treatment plan Ariom described at the meeting the other day. He said he wanted to try teaching me elementalist exercises because of the theory that chaos affinities are somehow related to null affinities, and a lot of people with null affinities become elementalists...but I don't really get how that's supposed to help. I mean, elementalists just manipulate elements, right? Like moving dirt for construction work and stuff?"

"Well...yes and no. It's true that's all most elementalists can do, but the field of elementalism itself is capable of a lot more than that. The problem is that so many null affinity wizards have low magic power. Elementalism doesn't really start to shine until you reach sorcerer level. But most elementalists don't become sorcerers until late in life, if at all. And by that time, they're already set in their ways, so not many of them ever develop to their full potential." Bero shook his head. "Well, that's really a discussion you should have with Ariom, not me. You know he has an elementalist certification, right?"

Thenio nodded.

"It's only journeyman rank, but he can still do some impressive things. Void mages actually make pretty decent elementalists. They don't have the same kind of flexibility that null mages do, of course. But their power level is a lot higher, on average, and they can learn to use most types of magic if they work at it hard enough. Which leads into the real answer to your question: The kind of elementalist exercises Ariom does, as a void mage, are different from the standard type. They should do more to improve your magic control."

Thenio frowned. "How, though? What's the difference between those and the control exercises I was already doing?"

He wasn't going to fall back into the endless loop of being given more and more magic exercises that never produced results, was he?

"Hmm. What's the best way to explain this...?" Bero leaned back in his chair and tapped a finger on the table thoughtfully. "Do you know what the difference is between chronic and acute magic destabilization?"

"Chronic destabilization means your magic is always unstable, and acute means it's only unstable sometimes?"

"That's not wrong, but it's a pretty superficial definition. They really should have explained this to you at the Center.... Well, I guess you were under pretty heavy suppression up until recently. They probably decided it wasn't the best time for in-depth medical explanations.... All right, let's start with how magic circuits work. You should be familiar with this, as an enchanting student. So, you have a flow of magic power, and a channel that it flows through. Like water flowing through a pipe. Right?"

"Right. They use that same analogy in enchanting classes."

"Okay, then continuing with that thought, you need a proper balance between the capacity of the pipe and the amount of water going through it, correct? Too much water and the pipe can't handle the pressure. Too little and the water won't flow properly. And magic works more or less the same way. So then, what we refer to as 'chronic destabilization' is when a person's magic circuit doesn't have the correct balance. That's why it's common for children to start having magic control issues once they reach adolescence. Their magic power and magic circuit aren't developing at exactly the same rate, so the balance gets off one way or the other. Though their overall power levels usually aren't high enough for it to be a serious problem. Where it does get serious is with high-level sorcerers. That's the other group that commonly experiences chronic magic destabilization, because it's easy for their power level to grow beyond their magic circuit's capacity to contain it." Bero's expression turned somber. "When it gets bad enough, their own magic power starts literally tearing them apart inside. It's not a pretty thing to watch. That's why the military is so concerned with stabilization research. More combat wizards die from chronic destabilization than any other magic profession."

Thenio swallowed. Maybe dying in a magic explosion wasn't quite as bad as he'd thought. At least it would be over with quickly....

"The treatments for chronic destabilization vary from case to case, but they all revolve around restoring the balance between magic power and magic circuit. Exercises, suppression bands, magic circuit alteration...even forming familiar contracts with magic parasites." Bero gave a small laugh. "Well, that last one isn't something that most people are in a position to do. I've heard of several people who've done it, but I only know one personally. It worked out pretty well for him, though."

"A contract with a magic parasite? Seriously? Who was it?"

"General Obarin, the current head of the Magic Corps."

Thenio's eyes widened. "Sunfall? You know him?"

In the Kafron military, once combat wizards reached the rank of battlemage, they were given a unique call name, which was usually some kind of reference to their magic abilities or fighting style. Common people often knew them by these nicknames, especially those battlemages whose outstanding achievements in the fight against demons had turned them into national heroes. Thenio had grown up watching other children at the park or school playground pretend to be the likes of 'Sunfall' or 'Sword Queen' or 'Jackal' or 'Hurricane' in order to fight imaginary battles.

He'd never done it with them, though. If they let him join in at all, he'd always had to play the part of a demon....

Bero chuckled at Thenio's expression. "Sure, I know him. Kalion is an old family friend. The Denifor family has a lot of military ties." He glanced in the direction of the kitchen. "Well. Not so much the younger ones...." He looked back at Thenio. "Kalion is actually one of the reasons you and I are even having this conversation. Ariom probably wouldn't have gotten approved as your caretaker without his recommendation. From what I heard, most of the doctors at the Stability Center thought handing you over to an independent wizard was too much of a risk. But as the head of the Magic Corps, Kalion also oversees the Center, so they can't exactly ignore his opinion. Grandmaster Sephior told everyone to keep quiet about his endorsement of Ariom until after you'd decided where to go because he was afraid you and your parents would be too influenced by it. He wanted you to base your decision on more practical reasons. It's fine to tell you now, though."

The famous Sunfall had actually been backing Ariom? Thenio couldn't deny that he probably would have been swayed by that knowledge if he'd found out earlier. His parents definitely would have. His mother in particular would adore the idea of having a connection to one of the most powerful people in the country.

It was probably better not to mention it to them.

"Well, getting back on topic: If chronic destabilization is caused by a fundamental problem with a person's magic circuit, then acute destabilization is caused by some kind of external influence. It can be something that affects the person as a whole, like an injury, an illness, or an emotional trauma. Or it can be something that affects the person's magic directly. Eating something that's too high in magic content, for example. Or having your magic directly tampered with by another wizard or a magic beast. Exhausting your magic power too frequently can do it, too. Whatever the cause, it's generally something that's temporary and can be resolved by removing the source of the problem. Does that make sense?"

"I think so." Thenio was quiet for a minute. "But then...what about me? People have been saying I have an acute instability, but if it's something innate to chaos morphs, then isn't it a fundamental problem with my magic power?"

"The short answer is...it's both. And neither. Why do you think it's so hard to figure out how to help you?" Bero sighed. "I wanted to make sure you understand how magic instabilities normally work so that you can properly understand how abnormal yours is. Going back to our water pipe analogy, there doesn't seem to be a problem with the pipe or with the amount of water. There's a problem with the water itself. It's almost like your pipe doesn't have water in it at all. It has an entirely different type of liquid–a volatile liquid that reacts whenever it encounters water from outside. So technically, it falls under the definition of an acute instability. But it has a chronic aspect in that it's caused by the innate nature of your magic. And if you think that's confusing...well, you're not the only one."

Thenio didn't know what to say to that. He was starting to wish he'd never asked about those stupid elementalism exercises.

"So if your magic itself is the problem.... Well, here's a puzzle for you: I told you earlier that void affinities can become elementalists, right? That they can learn to use almost any type of magic. How do you think they do that?"

Thenio frowned. That was a strange thing to say, now that he thought about it.

A null affinity meant that someone didn't have any particular affinity, so they could use all types of magic equally well...or equally poorly, as was too often the case with null mages.

Void affinities were different, though. Void magic was unique in that it only affected other magic. Having a void affinity meant a person was able to directly manipulate magic power other than their own, which was why Ariom was able to disperse Thenio's magic when it built up and started to go out of control. Void mages would be able to make use of other types of magic power if they were already present, but they shouldn't be able to produce different types on their own. Elementalists didn't have to be able to produce all types of magic–there were plenty that specialized in just one or two. But they'd have to be able to produce something besides void magic, which couldn't directly affect physical elements. So, by that logic, void mages shouldn't be able to become elementalists.

But Bero said they could. That they could even be good at it.

So how did they do it?

Just carry around a bag full of different types of magic crystals? That seemed terribly unwieldy. And you wouldn't be able to qualify for an elementalist certification if you relied on tools like that.

Thenio looked toward the kitchen, where Ariom, the resident elementalist void mage, was busy chopping vegetables. All the magic tools in the kitchen were presumably designed to operate using void magic. So how did a magic stove use void magic to cook things? Well, that was easy. The enchantment matrix included an attribute conversion formation to change it into fire magic. The efficiency varied, but most types of magic could be converted into most other types, as long as you ran them through the right conversion formation.

So if you were a void mage...who could directly manipulate magic power...as well as an enchanter who understood how attribute conversion worked...and you wanted to use different kinds of magic....

"Do they...use magic manipulation on their own magic and convert it into other types?" Thenio asked hesitantly. That sounded like it would take a ridiculous level of magic control, but it should be possible...at least in theory.

Bero gave him a wide smile. "Well done! Ariom said you were a good student. You figured it out quickly."

"Can they really do that?"

In answer, Bero turned toward the kitchen and called out, "Hey, Ariom. Do something to convince this skeptic, will you?"

Ariom paused his chopping. "You know we have to be careful using magic around him.... But fine. I can do a little." He set down his knife and held out his hand, palm facing upward. "This is one of Iggy's favorites."

A stream of water rose up from his hand, spiraling in a widening circle. It broke apart into a flock of small birds that flew around the kitchen, tiny water wings flapping and sparkling as they caught the light. After circling the room a few times, they dove down toward the sink, disintegrating as they fell and landing in a splash of water droplets.

Thenio blinked and realized that his mouth was hanging open. He closed it quickly but still felt stunned by what he had just seen. That would have been an impressive display of magic control even for a water sorcerer. But had Ariom seriously been converting his magic to a different attribute and manipulating it with that level of control at the same time? The crazy genius....

That was...so unfair....

"Do you believe he can do it now?" Bero asked with a smile.

Thenio nodded silently. His throat felt a little tight.

"Obviously you're not a void affinity, so we don't expect you to be able to do exactly the same thing," Bero went on. "But you should still be able to do some of the same exercises that Ariom does. We're hoping that, by practicing such a direct and precise method of using magic, you'll at least gain enough control over your own magic power that you can keep it from running wild. And if we combine that with some customized magic insulation devices...well, maybe we can manage to keep you alive a while longer."

Thenio let out a small sigh. Keep him alive, huh? He knew that even that much would be difficult, and he ought to be grateful for whatever he could get.

But he still ached a little inside when he thought about those water birds.

 

---

 

Thenio went back to his room after dinner. Iggy had wanted to continue their tour of the house, but Bero talked him into waiting until tomorrow, saying that Thenio had had enough stimulation for one day and needed to rest.

"Close your door if you don't want any dragons joining you during the night," Ariom had warned him as he left the dining room. "If he sees an open door, Iggy will assume it's fine to wander in whenever he feels like it."

Thenio had debated for a while, but in the end, he left both doors leading into his bedroom ajar. He was used to sleeping with his door open a little anyway. It was a habit he'd started when Butterfly was still around, and he'd kept it up because of his little brother. For some reason, when Kleyo was younger, he'd usually chosen Thenio to go to whenever he woke up from a bad dream or needed help with something during the night. Kleyo had grown out of that stage a while ago, but Thenio still found himself opening the door a little before he went to sleep most nights.

He changed his clothes but didn't go to bed right away. Instead, he got out his drawing supplies. There was a bay window with a cushioned window seat on one side of the room, and Thenio settled down there with his pencil and sketchbook. Drawing helped him sort out his thoughts, and he felt like he had plenty that needed sorting tonight.

He started by sketching a few of the decorations around the room and then moved on to Ariom's golem carriage and Iggy's tree. He was just drawing from memory, so they probably weren't very accurate, but he didn't mind that as long as he got the overall impression down. He made a rough attempt at replicating the pattern on the dining room table. Then he started drawing the familiars. Iggy wrestling with Obby and standing up to look out the carriage window and perching on the railing of the atrium balcony. Humerus looking like a normal dragon. Then Humerus as a skeleton, hugging his wooden puppet. Iggy eating out of his bowl at dinner.

"Those are nice drawings."

Thenio jumped and turned his head toward the unexpected voice. Then his whole body froze. The pencil slipped out of his hand and rolled onto the floor.

There was a dragon skeleton floating in midair a short distance away, watching him with fiery green eyes.

The two stared at each other for a long moment.

"Hehehe! You should see your face right now!" Humerus suddenly burst into laughter. He flopped down and started rolling around, cackling.

While still floating in midair.

"Humerus!" came an angry voice from the bedroom door. "Don't bully Thenio!"

Thenio looked down to see Iggy run into the room and jump up onto the window seat, where he held his wings out protectively and glared at the floating skeleton.

"Bad Humerus! Ariom told you not to scare Thenio! I'll tell on you!"

"All right, all right.... I just had to try it once." Humerus said, still giggling. "But your magic really does flare up when you get startled, doesn't it? I thought maybe Ariom was making a big deal over nothing."

"It's bad to pick on Thenio! Say you're sorry and promise not to do it anymore. Or no eggs for you!" Iggy told him sternly.

"Okay, fine. I'm sorry. I won't do it anymore." Humerus finally stopped laughing and floated down to land on the still-frozen Thenio's shoulder.

Thenio's face twitched. He was relieved the revenant was no longer hanging unnaturally in the air, but having a recently-floating-and-cackling skeleton sitting on his shoulder was a little....

"You're really good at drawing." Humerus bent down to examine Thenio's sketchbook more closely, seemingly oblivious to his discomfort.

"Huh? I want to see!" Iggy either decided to forgive Humerus or was distracted from being angry. He abandoned his protective pose and stood up on his hind legs with his front paws on the edge of the sketchbook. "Oh! Thenio was drawing us! That's me! And Humerus! And Obby!" His tail started waving energetically.

Watching the little dragon happily looking over the drawings, Thenio finally relaxed and let out a long sigh.

"Come here. You don't need to look at them upside down." He lifted Iggy onto his lap and repositioned the sketchbook so both familiars could see it.

"Aren't there more before that?" Humerus asked. "Turn the page back! I want to see the rest."

Thenio obediently turned the page so they could see the drawings he'd done earlier that evening.

"That's my climbing tree?" Iggy tilted his head. "Oh! And our metal horse!"

"It's a golem," Humerus corrected him.

"But it's a metal horse, too, you know?" Iggy argued. "It's a metal horse golem, okay? We have lots of golems. I have to call it by the right name to know which one I mean!"

Humerus sighed. "Whatever...."

He acted annoyed by the younger familiar a lot of the time, but Thenio had noticed that Humerus usually caved in easily whenever Iggy wanted something. He was starting to suspect that the revenant was actually very fond of the little dragon.

"I saw these ones before," Iggy said after they'd gone back a few pages in the sketchbook.

"I didn't. I want to see them, too!"

"You can look at them later, okay? I want to watch Thenio draw some new pictures!"

"Oh." Humerus thought for a moment and then nodded. "Okay, then. Let's watch him draw for now."

Thenio made a face. Apparently they didn't think it was necessary to ask his opinion.... Well, he didn't really mind, though.

He looked around. "All right. But I need to find my pencil first. I'm not sure where it went."

"I see it!" Humerus said brightly. "It fell on the floor. I'll get it for you."

The pencil floated up off the carpet and drifted over in front of Thenio.

"Uh...thanks." Thenio took the pencil, a little reluctantly. He had to admit that Humerus' magic was handy, but did he have to keep doing the creepy floating thing...? Shaking his head a little, Thenio turned to a blank page in the sketchbook and held his pencil over it. "Is it okay if I draw some animals for you? That's what I'm best at."

"Mmm!" Iggy said happily. "I want to see Thenio draw animals!"

"Animals are fine, I guess." Humerus pretended to sound disinterested, but Thenio could feel the skeleton's bony tail waving against his back.

He filled several more sketchbook pages with various animals. Iggy kept up a constant stream of chatter, asking questions about each animal and calling out excitedly whenever he recognized the newest one Thenio was drawing. Humerus mostly watched silently, occasionally asking a question or making a snarky response to something Iggy said.

Looking at the two of them, Thenio wondered if this was how Eteon felt whenever he and Kleyo came to the park to sit and watch him carve.

It was really...kind of nice.