Magician: Connection, Power, Communication, and...

I've begun to grow accustomed to the salty scent carried by the gentle sea breeze. Licking my nose, I can almost taste the warmth the rising sun spreads across the distant sea, the sensation of the air gradually warming.

The fine sand beneath my feet is still cool and occasionally sticks to my fur—an annoyance, but I can rely on the tiniest vibrations it transmits to gauge my surroundings.

As expected, I sensed the movement and felt the rush of wind pressure bearing down on me. I twisted my body and tilted my head to one side to avoid the attack.

A swift gust of air whistled past my cheek—my judgment was spot on.

Without wasting a moment on feeling proud of myself, I adjusted my stance and lowered my body as I shifted, sweeping my right leg toward my opponent’s foothold.

The absence of any tactile feedback made me hesitate. I tried to verify the situation using the waves I sensed, but there was no response—I could only assume it had been neutralized.

I contemplated whether to attack again but quickly decided to adopt a more cautious approach. Using the rotation of my sweeping leg, I pulled myself up into a steady stance, raising my hands into a light fist position by my lowered chin, awaiting my opponent's next move.

Slowly rotating my upright ears in all directions, I focused on capturing the slightest sounds.

The ocean waves lapping back and forth against the shore, the rustling of palm leaves brushing against each other, and... there it is—the sound of the wind cutting through the air!

I sidestepped swiftly, chopping my right hand at the wrist I had anticipated. A solid impact confirmed that I succeeded this time. Seizing the opportunity, I reversed my grip on the wrist, took a step forward, and pressed my shoulder against his chest, intending to throw him. Unexpectedly, his stance remained unmoved, and I ended up being the one caught instead.

Realizing his hold tightening around me, I hastily encoded a wave of reinforcement, intending to enhance my body’s resilience and generate explosive force to break free. But once again, just as the command inscription was finished, it dissipated without any effect.

There wasn’t even time to feel disheartened. The sudden sensation of being flipped upside down left me briefly dizzy, and by the time I regained my senses, all I felt was the cool, fine sand wedged between the gaps in my fur, scratching my skin with an itchy sensation.

Exhaling heavily through my nose, I pulled off the blindfold wrapped around my eyes and saw a sturdy white wolf standing nearby, looking down at me with clear blue eyes that had a faint reddish hue slowly fading away.

"Failed again?" Piqsirpoq made no effort to hide his schadenfreude. He stuffed the blindfold into his pocket, then offered me a playful smile and extended his right hand.

"Yes," I muttered, grabbing my brother's hand and pulling myself up. "At least I can finish the inscription now."

"But wouldn’t expanding your consciousness solve all your problems? Why are you so insistent on this?" Piqsirpoq tilted his head, scratching his ear.

"The Master's Field believes I rely too much on the intensity of Domination, so my control within the Domain is poor," I replied, averting my gaze so I wouldn’t have to stare at the muscles visible beneath his fur, tensing and shifting with his movements. "So, I’ve been practicing the waves I'm not good at, trying to get the feel of it."

"I still don’t get why you can’t build reinforcement waves. The Snow faction is renowned for their physical prowess, and the other gray wolves don’t have this issue..." Piqsirpoq’s voice trailed off, his expression turning awkward as he realized where this “issue” might lead. "Anyway," he cleared his throat and shook his head twice before continuing, "are you going to the welcome party?"

"No choice. The Master's Field assigned me a lot of tasks." I found it easy to fake disappointment since I couldn’t agree that cleaning his lab and washing dishes in the cafeteria counted as “tasks.” "I might go for a bit during the assessment."

"Oh, alright," Piqsirpoq shrugged. "At least there's still time for a few laps with me?"

"Well..." I glanced at the gradually brightening sky, once again torn about whether to find an excuse to skip this activity I had little enthusiasm for.

"Hurry up!" As always, Piqsirpoq made the decision for me before I could think of an excuse. He flicked my right ear with a nudge of consciousness before running off. "Loser buys breakfast!"

Watching my brother’s retreating figure and his fluffy white tail swaying up and down, I felt a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

I took another look at the sky as the dawn broke, reflecting its rainbow colors on the ocean’s surface. Taking a deep breath, I set off to catch up.

"Not bad!" My brother hooked his arm around my neck and pressed his knuckles against my head, twisting them back and forth. Still out of breath, I couldn't focus on the pain and just let him be. "You can keep up now!"

"Just barely," I replied, lightly biting Piqsirpoq’s wrist to signal he was using too much force. "The temperature’s not that low, so I’ve got more energy to keep running."

"Speaking of which, you should check out the VR room someday. The Snow faction books it on the first of every month," he said, letting go of me. "I think watching the snow every now and then is pretty relaxing."

"I hate the cold," I replied as calmly as possible, looking Piqsirpoq sincerely in the eye. "But I’ll think about it."

We both knew that even if I did go, it would only make everyone uncomfortable. Still, the fact that he extended the invitation meant a lot to me.

Thinking about it, I wasn’t sure how much I missed the snow. The vast, white expanse of Hadrian’s Wall mostly held unpleasant memories or gaps of emptiness, where it felt as if I didn’t exist.

But there were some people I did miss.

Looking down at the white sand beneath my feet, I couldn’t help but imagine snow piling up against a cliff face.

Countless grains of sand, countless snowflakes, building an endless expanse of white...

"...Going for a swim," Piqsirpoq said something I didn’t quite catch, and I only saw him walking towards the ocean. As he reached the spot where the waves lapped back and forth, he turned and shot me a questioning look. "Coming?"

"No," I replied in a low voice, moving my feet slightly to feel the texture of the fine sand. "I just figured some things out, and I want to handle them first."

"Alright then," Piqsirpoq shrugged. "Hope to see you at the party."

"If I finish early," I replied, feeling a swell of pride at how much better I'd gotten at feigning casual responses. Social skills really were my most improved area—I was quite proud of myself.

Piqsirpoq grunted in acknowledgment and started jogging before diving into the sea.

I did feel like taking a dip in the water, but the things I'd figured out seemed more pressing. The restless excitement in my chest felt like something scratching and urging me onward, making my entire body itch.

Concentrating, I swept away the sweat, grime, and sand clinging to my body with a burst of consciousness, leaving them behind as I retrieved the terminal I’d left on my neatly folded clothes. Slipping on my shoes, I headed towards the transport pod leading to the underground facility, pulling a white sweatshirt over my head as I walked.

While waiting for the transport pod, I opened the terminal and browsed through the Academy’s main platforms to ensure I hadn’t missed any important announcements. Finally, I casually scrolled through the trading and bounty zones, checking for interesting proposals or urgent commissions. This had become a routine habit—I couldn’t find a reason to ignore requests for help when my points were in no danger of running out. And since I was headed to the printing room anyway, I figured I might as well take care of a few things on the way.

After accepting a few commissions and confirming the final transactions, the transport pod arrived just in time. As the door opened, I stepped inside, stowing the terminal back in its armband and doing a few stretches to mentally prepare myself for the physical tasks ahead.