Chapter 49:

Nick hesitated for a moment before reaching into his pouch and pulling out the wing bone. Although the object appeared inert, he could still feel a faint hum of energy beneath his fingertips. Holding such a marvelous artifact made him giddy, but he was also scared that he’d waste it.He extended it to Rhea. "This."

She furrowed her brow, her expression slipping into something unreadable as she cautiously took the bone. Her fingers brushed its surface, and her lips pressed into a thin line. For a moment, she remained silent, looking between the artifact and Nick with both suspicion and curiosity.

"You already used it to cast, didn't you?" she asked flatly, sounding more accusatory than inquisitive. She turned the bone over, inspecting it as if it might reveal his intentions if she looked closely enough.

Nick nodded. "As a focus. It had spectacular results."

Rhea groaned, rubbing her temples with her free hand. "Of course you did. Why wouldn't you? A perfectly good wyvern wing bone could have been sold for half a gold, and you used it for a magical experiment." She sighed heavily, shaking her head. "I should have seen this coming.”

Sometimes, Nick forgot that she was Ogden's apprentice. It made sense that she would think about the monetary value first.

Nick smiled sheepishly. "Is that a no, then?"

Rhea rolled her eyes but didn't hand the bone back. "No, it's not a no. It's a 'let me think about whether if I don't help you, you'll still do it anyway, and then I'll have your death on my conscience when it explodes on you.'" She gave him a sharp look. "Come with me. Both of you."

Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and marched away, the bone still clutched in her hand. Elia shared a bemused glance with Nick before they hurried after her.

"If you're planning on making me cast the spell again, we might want to pick a spot that's not anywhere near the fields. I've had enough of fixing them for one day.” Nick joked.

Elia gave a dramatic shudder. "Please don't. Your mom's wrath is the last thing we need right now. I feel like we barely got off scot-free the last time."racing its surface with her fingers as she muttered to herself. Nick watched her work, trying to temper his excitement. This was a gamble, but it felt like the right one. He felt so close to achieving a breakthrough that he couldn't back down now, even if it meant asking for help—something he wasn't accustomed to.

He made a note of everything as she sat in silence, testing the weight and length of the bone. Her gaze was distant and detached, and the usual sharpness in her expression had faded. He didn't dare interrupt, even though the silence stretched awkwardly. Elia, too, waited patiently, her tail curling and uncurling as she leaned back on her cushion.

Finally, Rhea let out a long sigh, sagging. She lifted her gaze to meet Nick's, pinning him with a deathly serious look.

"Before I say anything," she began, tasting the words, "you both need to promise me something."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "Okay?"

Rhea's hand tightened on the bone. "This doesn't leave us. Not your parents, not anyone. What I'm about to tell you is private—family stuff. Understand?"

Nick glanced at Elia, who gave a slight nod. "You've got our word," he said firmly.

Elia crossed her arms and added, "We won't say a thing."

Rhea hesitated, then nodded slowly. Carefully, she placed the bone on the blanket between them as if handling something far more fragile than it appeared. She seemed to gather her thoughts for a moment, smoothing her braid absently.

"My family," she began, her voice steady but guarded, "comes from Toneburg."

Nick's eyebrows shot up. He knew of Toneburg from class—it was a city in the north renowned for its mining operations and craftsmen. It was a place of wealth and power, and Alexander had described it as the industrial heart of the kingdom.

"Toneburg," Elia repeated, frowning. "That's a long way from here."

"It is," Rhea said shortly, then continued before they could interrupt. "We weren't just miners or merchants, though. My family were artificers—masters of crafting magical objects. Weapons, special tools, foci… you name it. It's a class that mostly runs in bloodlines, and mine has been doing it for generations."

Nick blinked, momentarily at a loss for words. "Wait, you're an artificer?"

"No," Rhea said sharply. "I'm an alchemist. I never took the class."

"But you could have," Elia added, her ears perking up with interest.

Rhea hesitated, her jaw tightening. "Yes. But I didn't. It doesn't matter." She waved a hand, brushing off their surprise. "What matters is what happened to us."

Nick and Elia exchanged glances; she shrugged as if to say, "Just let her speak."

Rhea leaned back slightly, fixing her gaze on the bone once more. "About ten years ago, my family became embroiled in a feud with another artificer family. That wasn't unusual—Toneburg is filled with rivalries. Craftsmanship is everything there, and families compete for contracts, materials, and recognition. It's cutthroat. But this time, things escalated."

She paused, her brow furrowing. "The other family married into a ducal house, which tipped the scales. Suddenly, we weren't just rivals anymore—we were enemies of the state. They accused us of crimes we hadn’t committed, and the duke supported them. That was all it took."

Nick frowned, anticipating her direction. "What happened?"

"We were exiled," Rhea said flatly. "Most of us, anyway. Some of my family stayed behind, trying to salvage what they could, but they were stripped of their titles and businesses. The rest of us scattered. I ended up in Floria because my grandmother had connections with the Alchemist Guild. She's the one who arranged for me to be apprenticed to Ogden and the materials to grant me the class."

Elia's tail flicked, her expression unreadable. "That's… awful."

Rhea shrugged, but the motion was stiff and defensive. "It's just how things work up there. No one's innocent in this story. My family wasn't either—we did plenty against our rivals when we had the power. We just happened to lose this time."

The silence that followed felt heavy. Although they hadn't been friends for long, Nick believed he knew Rhea well. It was strange to hear her speak about her family this way, as if they were both victims and perpetrators. He wanted to say something comforting, but nothing seemed fitting.

Rhea cleared her throat, breaking the silence. "Anyway, that's why I know about foci. I may not have taken the class, but I was raised around it. And while I didn't follow in their footsteps, I still remember some of what they taught me."

Nick tilted his head, his curiosity rekindling. "You think you can help me craft the focus, then?"

Rhea shot him a sharp look, her usual confidence returning. "I know I can. If you're serious about this and willing to put in the effort, we can make it happen."

"How does it work? Making a focus, I mean." Elia asked.

Rhea glanced at her and then back at Nick. "It's not simple, that's for sure. You're essentially imprinting a permanent spellform onto the object, attuning it to your mana and, in this case, your affinity. The wing bone is a good start—it already has an elemental resonance with wind. However, we'll need to refine it, stabilize it, and add the bindings that will allow it to channel your magic without breaking."

Nick nodded slowly, his mind already racing with possibilities. "What do we need to get started?"

"Materials," Rhea said decisively. "And time. We'll need silver thread, a stabilizer, wood, and a few other things that Ogden probably has in his shop. I'll need to draw up the spellform first, and you'll have to help with that—you're the one with a mage class, and it'll be better in the long run since it's you that it's supposed to be attuned to, after all."

"And what about me?" Elia asked, deliberately casual. "I want to help too."

Rhea considered her for a moment, then smirked. "You can keep him from blowing anything up while we work."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Very funny."

Rhea stood, brushing off her clothes. "I'm serious, though. This won't be easy, and it won't be quick. But if we do it right, you'll have a stable and reliable focus. Few things are better if you are looking for help with your affinity.”

Nick stood as well, fighting the urge to hug her. She would not appreciate it. "Thanks, Rhea. I mean it."

She waved him off, though there was a faint smile on her lips. "Don't thank me yet. Let's see if we can pull it off first."