The attendant led Leo through a quieter wing of the compound. Closed doors lined the corridors. They stopped near the back, and the attendant knocked twice before opening the door.
"Your visitor, Master Leo."
Leo stepped into a private consultation room. Magical instruments covered a side table: crystals, measuring devices, and tools he could not guess the purpose of. A faint hum of privacy enchantments filled the air.
A man stood examining diagrams on the wall. He turned when Leo entered.
Middle-aged, human, with weathered features and scarred hands. His practical robes bore the Adventurer's Guild insignia. Sharp eyes sized Leo up in one glance.
"Leo, I presume?" His voice was gruff.
"That's me."
"Aldric Venn. Lady Iori sent word that you have an unstable mana core." He pointed to a padded table in the center. "Let's see what we're dealing with."
Leo walked over. Aldric placed a hand on his chest without warning. Magic flared, cool and probing, spreading through Leo's torso like water.
Aldric frowned, then raised an eyebrow.
"Well, that's unusual."
"Bad?" Leo asked.
"You're a dual-core user. Aura and mana, both active, both functional." Aldric's tone stayed clinical. "That's rare enough on its own, but your mana core..." He whistled low. "It's like a dam about to burst. How long have you been walking around like this?"
"A few weeks, maybe?"
"You're lucky you haven't exploded." Aldric pulled his hand back. "Mana overcharge with no structural containment. Your body absorbed energy but never learned to process it properly. We need to form your first ring immediately."
"How does that work?"
"Ring formation normally takes months of gradual development, meditation, practice, slowly shaping the mana pathways." Aldric met his eyes. "But since we're doing an emergency formation, it's going to hurt."
"When has anything ever not involved pain," Leo thought. He let out a deep sigh. "How much?"
"Ever had your chest carved open from the inside?"
"Can't say that I have."
"Well it's like that." Aldric moved to the table and gestured for Leo to lie down. "The process will take about two hours. You'll be conscious the entire time. Don't try to help or control it. That makes everything worse."
Leo hesitated. "And if we don't do this?"
"Your mana core detonates, you die, probably take half the building with you." Aldric's face stayed blank. "I'm a mage, not a comfort provider. Make your choice."
Leo lay down on the table. "It's not like I really have much of a choice. Let's do it."
"Good." Aldric positioned himself beside the table and placed both hands on Leo's chest. "Deep breath. Here we go."
Magic surged.
Burning exploded inside Leo's chest. His chaotic, unstructured mana surged violently as Aldric's power forced it into shape. The feeling was invasive, like rough hands rearranging his insides.
He clenched his teeth and gripped the edges of the table.
"Relax," Aldric said, voice tight. "Fighting it will make it worse."
"Easy for him to say."
The burning grew worse. Leo felt his mana pulled and stretched into a circular path around his heart. Every nerve lit up. Veins stood out on his skin. Sweat poured down his face.
Minutes dragged by like hours.
Then Aldric's voice cut through. "Your aura core is interfering."
"What?" Leo gasped.
"Your aura is trying to protect your body. It's fighting the mana structuring." Aldric pressed harder. "You need to suppress it. Push it down. Focus only on the mana."
Leo tried. His aura kept surging every time the pain spiked, acting on its own. He fought to hold it back while the mage carved structure into his mana.
He stayed awake through all of it.
The pain swallowed everything. Time lost meaning.
Then, suddenly, the pieces clicked.
The ring formed.
Mana began flowing smoothly along the new circular path. The wild pressure eased. The burning dropped to a deep, dull ache.
Leo gasped, body shaking, drenched in sweat, muscles tight from strain.
Aldric pulled his hands back, looking tired himself. "It's done. Congratulations. You've formed your first ring."
Leo lay there breathing hard. He could feel the difference. His mana now moved in steady, organized loops. The dangerous pressure that had built for weeks was gone.
"How do you feel?" Aldric asked.
Leo checked inside himself. "The pressure's gone. My mana feels... organized."
"That's what proper structure does." Aldric walked to the side table, poured water from a pitcher, and handed Leo the cup. "Your mana will want to flow constantly for a few days until you learn control. Don't try casting spells yet. You'll hurt yourself."
"Understood." Leo drank deeply.
"You're a dual-core user," Aldric continued. "That's going to attract attention. My advice? Don't advertise it."
"Noted."
"The guild will want to register you eventually." Aldric started packing his instruments. "But First House is handling your arrangements, apparently."
Leo sat up slowly. His chest ached, but the pain felt almost good compared to before.
"Thank you," he said.
Aldric nodded once. "Just doing my job. Lady Iori pays well."
Then he left.
Leo sat on the table a little longer, getting used to the new steady pulse of mana inside him. It felt right. He felt proud that he had endured it without leaning on Adaptation.
A presence stirred in his mind.
"Congratulations," Axiom said. "I'm quite impressed that you handled it yourself. Honestly, I half expected you to beg me for help."
"Fuck you Axiom... I just realized in that moment how reliant I've been on it."
"That's good. Looks like you're learning. It's also good that your self esteem is starting to rise. And while adaption is still not back yet, it would be unwise to see the ability as separate from yourself," Axiom said. "It should be a compliment, not a crutch."
"I understand. It just feels good, you know?"
"I do. Congratulations again," Axiom said. Then its presence faded.
Leo stood and made his way back to his room.
The corridor was quiet. Most of the compound had settled for the night. He reached his door and pushed it open, ready to collapse into bed.
A soft knock sounded behind him.
He turned. Iori stood in the hallway. She had changed from her formal dinner robes into something simpler. Dark fabric draped over her tall frame, softly outlining her curves.
"May I come in?" she asked.
"Of course."
She stepped inside and closed the door. The room suddenly felt much smaller.
"Aldric sent word," Iori said. "First ring formed successfully. Congratulations."
"Yeah. I felt like I was dying, but it worked."
"Ring formation is never easy, especially with your situation, but you handled it well."
"Thanks for arranging it. I know it wasn't cheap."
"Consider it an investment." Iori's expression stayed hard to read. "And speaking of investments, I've secured your enrollment at the Imperial Academy."
Leo blinked. "What? How?"
"I do have some influence. Well, my family does, but that's besides the point. I submitted your credentials, paid the fees, and handled the bureaucracy." She paused. "Only the administration knows of my involvement. To everyone else, you're a commoner who passed the entrance requirements on merit."
"Why the secrecy?"
"You don't need the complications of being seen as my protégé or some charity case of mine," Iori said simply. "You'll be judged on your own abilities. That's better for both of us."
Leo took a moment. It stung a little, but he understood. This was a real chance.
"Thank you very much. I really appreciate it."
"The academy requires a full name for official records." Iori's gaze stayed steady. "What's yours?"
"Ehh... Just Leo. I don't have a surname."
"You'll need one."
Iori stayed quiet for a moment. Then she said, "Use Arkin."
"Arkin?"
"It means an eternal and majestic prince." She looked out the window. "Given your circumstances, it seems appropriate."
"My circumstances?"
"You survived things that should have killed you. You adapt. You endure." She turned back to him. "The name fits."
Leo tested it in his head. "Leo Arkin."
"It suits you."
"Why that name specifically?"
Iori's expression softened just a touch. "Instinct. Sometimes names find people rather than the other way around."
Leo didn't push. "Alright. I'll use it."
"Good."
Silence settled between them, thick with things unsaid.
"Leo..." She met his eyes. "Don't trust easily. Not everyone at the Jubilee will have good intentions."
"Even among the delegates?"
"Especially among the delegates."
The warning about Takeshi needed no extra words.
"Understood," Leo said.
Iori stood. "We leave at dawn. Rest well."
She moved to the door, then paused with her hand on the handle. For a long moment she stayed there.
Leo waited.
Then, without turning around, she spoke quietly. "You've grown since the forest. I like that. Make sure to keep that momentum."
She glanced over her shoulder. Their eyes met. Something passed between them, quick and wordless.
Then she slipped out and closed the door softly behind her.
Leo stood alone in the room.
He touched the name in his mind again. Leo Arkin.
He walked to the bed and lay down. The new ring pulsed steadily inside his chest. Tomorrow they would head for the capital.
Sleep came easier tonight.