It had all happened so fast. Azi had still been internally reeling from her expulsion and yet, here she was. She stared out the window of the airship, taking in the foreign sights as they touched down. Lisdan Academy, one of the four major Spiritualist academies on the pnet and the direct rival of Gux.

  Where Gux found its pce atop a mountain, a literal beacon of prowess and status, alone and secluded from the surrounding kingdoms. Lisdan, was the opposite. It had risen not from noble status or wealthy patronage. But as an academy for the people.

  The name Lisdan came from the city from which the academy had grown. Once a refuge for those prosecuted by wars past the humble shanty town had risen into prosperity. Most attributed this to the academy's supposed founder. A person who had passed into legend for their defiance against the Diadem and refusal to bow to Gux's rules.

  But none of that mattered to Azi, she had heard the stories time and time again growing up. History was the only subject she had ever excelled in during her time at Gux. Not that it amounted to anything.

  "We'll be nding soon. Stay with me and try not to get lost, I don't want to come looking for you."

  Azi gnced to her side. She had accepted the offer to enroll in Lisdan hoping to learn more about the unwilling contract she had gained. However, the moment she had Fein's demeanor changed.

  The privilege to freely invite someone to the academy. It should have been Azi's first clue to Fein's real identity. Only a truly special individual would have that kind of power. And special she was, not only had she paid for the bath. Fein had bought her clothes and paid for the two to ride an airship to Lisdan.

  On foot the journey would have taken weeks, months if they were unlucky. Yet here they were, not even a full two days since her expulsion.

  "You know, I'm not a child, you don't have to treat me like one. Fein." Azi stood from her seat and smiled. But Fein did not return the smile, keeping the same bnk expression she had since they boarded.

  "Professor Lin."

  "Oh come on, Fein, I'm not even a student yet and you want me t-" Before Azi could finish Fein grabbed her by the colr, pulling their faces close.

  "While we are in Lisdan you will refer to me as Professor Lin in public." Fein leaned in closer, her lips brushing against Azi's ear as she spoke. "That, stays a secret as well. Understand, Azi?"

  Azi barely managed to comprehend the words as her breath hitched in her throat. She offered a meager nod in response. That should have been the end of it but something compelled her to speak, to challenge the warning.

  Just as Fein began to pull away Azi returned the gesture. Wrapping her arms around Fein's waist she whispered back. "What about in private, can I still call you Fein then~?"

  Sultry and flirtatious, the words flowed like honey as naturally as she breathed. It excited her, she'd never spoken to another like that before. Whatever change had come with the unknown spirit was doing more to her than a simple addition to her anatomy.

  Azi loved it. Was that just another change or her true feelings? Oh well, she thought, it didn't matter now especially with the reaction it enlisted from the taller woman.

  Fein's composure faltered slightly. She clicked her tongue as she broke free from Azi's hold and turned to exit the airship.

  'That wasn't a no,' Azi mouthed inaudibly as she followed.

  Leaving the airship the two passed through the checkpoint gate and entered the city proper. Lisdan wasn't as grand as Dalia by any stretch of the imagination. But what it cked in wealth it made up in personality.

  Older, rustic homes and buildings lined the winding roads leading towards the academy. Children ran the streets pying games and causing a ruckus. Storefronts and stalls sprinkled the roads. Cries of merchants peddling their wares rose above the hustle and bustle of the city.

  None of the buildings in the city were particurly tall. The occasional home of a wealthy merchant or elected official stood out above the rest. But those only served to add to the majesty of the academy.

  Its walls towered the buildings surrounding it, a near perfectly circur campus of which the city encircled. Towers rose from the walls forming a hexagon with a rger, hexagonal structure situated in the middle.

  Six fields for practical lessons filled the space between, each with their own unique scenery and design. It was a distinct draw of Lisdan over the other academies; the opportunity to train and spar in different terrain without ever leaving.

  "This way," Fein instructed. While the academy sat merely a few roads over, the two had a different destination. Night was approaching and attempting to enter the academy after dark was a sure way to end up dead.

  Instead, Fein led them to her personal residence. Unlike Gux where nearly every student and professor lived at the academy. Lisdan only had dorms for a select number of students. The rest found lodging in one of the many student homes surrounding the academy. As did the professors.

  "Here." Fein stopped in front of a quaint single story home. A small yard containing a weeping willow bordered by a wrought iron fence surrounded the simple building. Joining the road to the door was a path of hexagonal bricks interced in a staggered design.

  Azi questioned the consistent use of hexagons that kept popping up around the city. A strange design choice but one that oddly fit given the simirly shaped basalt they had passed earlier.

  Inside a small foyer gave way to a rger room. The building was more open than the outside would have led one to believe. A dining room, kitchen, and small den shared the room each with their own designated area.

  Two doors set against opposite walls continued further into the home leading to a small bathroom and two equally sized bedrooms. Decorations were minimal aside from a few items holding sentimental value.

  "Truly a welcoming abode," Azi joked as she scanned the interior. She kicked off the ill fitting boots and sighed relief. "I take it you don't stay here often?"

  "My position as instructor is unique in offering me the chance to visit other academies. Rarely do I find myself here longer than a day or two." Removing her own boots as well as her coat Fein deposited the items onto a small table beside the door.

  "And what position might that be?"

  "A scout," Fein replied as she leaned against the dining table.

  "A poacher, you mean." Azi had heard rumors of the academies stealing talent from each other but she hadn't much believed them till now.

  "That is what some call me, yes." Fein shrugged. "It's not as if Lisdan is alone in these acts. Even Gux has their brigade of scouts visiting other academies. Lisdan is entertaining one right as we speak if I recall."

  "Is that why you were in Dalia, to scout," Azi asked with a raised eyebrow.

  "No, I was simply passing through for a personal matter. At least, I was." Fein stood, eyeing Azi as she did. "It's getting te, I have a spare bedroom you can use until we can find you a more permanent solution."

  "Oh, thank you, Fein."

  Fein rolled her eyes, ignoring the obvious test. "Tomorrow we will have you enrolled proper at Lisdan to start in the next term. However, even as my pnt you will still need to pass the practical exam."

  "Wait, what? You didn't tell me that!" Azi's eyes grew wide. "I couldn't contract with even the simplest of spirits at Gux and now you want me to fight?"

  "Yes, I do." Fein's tone left little room for argument but Azi persisted.

  "But… I don't even know what spirit I'm contracted to let alone the basics of combat. It could a… a… flea for all we know!" It was a childish protest, and Azi knew that. But she had failed before and the fear of failing again gnawed at her.

  "A flea? Really?" Fein's lips curled into a slight smirk. She stepped forward, a glow of white energy gathering around her. Ears like a fox began to manifest upon her head as a tail sprouted from her back.

  Azi tried to step back but she couldn't, her back pressed against the door. Fear, instinctual fear, filled her body. The piercing gaze sent shivers down her spine and she felt she should run. And yet…

  The very air began to vibrate, every step she took echoed with power. She approached Azi, seeming rger than she had before. "Well, whether it's a flea, fly, or even a dung beetle. I'll make a spiritualist out of you somehow. Now, get some rest, you're gonna need it."

  Then, everything vanished and the room returned to its calm. Fein turned around, pausing for just a moment to roll her eyes at something, before retreating to her bed for the night.

  Azi, still shook by the dispy of power, stood with her back against the door. The adrenaline rushing through her body began to fade and she inhaled deeply. She had been unknowingly holding her breath. As the oxygen rushed to her wanting limbs she felt a whole nother reaction to the situation. One far less warranted than she would have liked.

  She stared down, her eyes tracking down her body towards an uncomfortable familiar tension. It pressed hard against the front of her trousers and left a distinctive spot of wetness against the fabric. Swallowing hard Azi's eyes left the growing problem and retraced Fein's path.

  "Oh… okay…" It was a te response, one that Fein assuredly would not hear. Yet one spoken none the same. Despite the instruction to sleep and in spite of the problem between her legs Azi stared at the door leading into Fein's room.

  Perhaps she could…