Neri's smile looked permanently etched across her face. She held up her hand and wiggled her fingers, showing off the ring Cane had given her.
"Do you like it?" she asked Ria.
"No," Ria said flatly, inspecting it. "It's just a plain ring."
Neri wrinkled her nose and gestured toward the sea. A cyclone spiraled up from the surface at her command.
"It's attuned to my element," she said proudly. "He even made an adjustment to my focal. I feel strong—like when I'm deep underwater."
Both of them glanced toward Cane, who still slept on deck. The three stars above him had only faded as the sun crested the horizon.
"He's very handsome," Neri added, her voice soft. "I mean, he always was, but… something's changed."
Ria snorted. "You know he has a girlfriend, right?"
The mermaid nodded confidently. "Yep. Me."
"No. Not you," Ria laughed. "You barely knew him when you formed the bond. That's not like you."
Neri's expression brightened, not at all grim as she said, "Remember when we first met him? We were locked in slaver pens. I didn't tell you, but… I wouldn't have lasted the night. Too long without saltwater."
Ria frowned, her stomach twisting. "I knew you were suffering, but not like that."
Neri nodded. "Then they tossed Cane in the cage between us. Do you remember what he did?"
"He had water," Ria recalled quietly. "They gave him a bucket of it. He drank a little—then shared it with me."
"I couldn't drink it," Neri said, "but you did. That made me happy. I remember thinking maybe you'd live long enough to escape."
They stood in silence, the memory a quiet echo between them.
"He only knew one rune," Ria said after a moment. "A rare metallurgy etching—that makes saltwater."
"I'd given up hope," Neri admitted. "But I persevered. For you. And then Cane appeared. That's what destiny is. It doesn't ask. It just is."
She shrugged at Ria's skeptical expression. "Not saying we're going to make little merfolk together."
Ria burst out laughing. "What are you even talking about?"
Neri joined her, grinning. "Some things are meant to happen."
"You've been reading Maude's romance scrolls again."
As wakeups went, it ranked near the top.
Warm sun on his face, the scent of salt and sea in his nose—Cane stirred slowly, blinking up at the sky. The sails above were full. Even the wind seemed eager to return him to the Academy.
He dressed and stored his things, pulling everything into the quiet vault of his ringworld.
Maude and another sailor were tying off riggings nearby. He waved and moved aside to avoid the work zone.
"Morning, Captain. Neri." Cane stifled a yawn. "I always sleep well at sea. We making good time?"
Ria nodded. "Starsong's the fastest ship I've ever sailed. We'll hit the Academy port after sunset."
Cane raised an eyebrow. "Is that the long route?"
Ria smirked. "Maybe. Want me to put you to work, or would you rather be bored?"
"I've got things to work on."
He chatted with them briefly, then found a quiet spot behind the helm, near the rail—close to the main gun. He sat and slipped a Psi-attuned ring onto his finger.
After helping Ignatius train Fury Company in casting methods, he had a general idea of how to proceed—but he had little interest in flames.
Instead, he focused on Psi.
He placed a pair of dice on the deck in front of him and inhaled slowly, sensing mana bubble up from deep in his core.
That's disconcerting.
He extended a hand, attempting to pull the space behind his palm into tension, willing the dice to lift.
Minutes passed. Then more.
Nothing happened—except a growing, rhythmic headache.
Philas had encouraged the use of the black node, but Cane was beginning to suspect that without a proper teacher, encouragement was all it amounted to.
"I should've asked Siya if headaches are normal during Psi training," Cane muttered, rubbing his temples. He remembered him casually tossing a grown man across a room like a sack of grain, and here he was—unable to budge a pair of dice.
Still, he didn't stop.
An hour passed. Then another. The headaches ebbed and returned, but he kept at it.
Eventually, his thoughts drifted to the nodes. The black one had always felt dangerous… untamed.
"Wait. Black node… black star…"
Suddenly, starlight ignited overhead.
His three aspects flared to life—the blue steady, the white and black orbiting fast.
Cane focused on the blue and white. They dimmed under his will.
The black remained unchanged—but its pressure grew.
Cane raised his hand.
Psi-mana welled up, pressing against his palm—and this time, it responded.
The world before him snapped into clarity. A thin veil of control stretched across the air in front of him, like taut thread ready to be plucked.
He focused on the dice.
Push.
The cubes rolled cleanly across the deck.
Cane's mouth curved into a slow, pleased smile.
"I see…"
Cane felt something stir within him—a small, swirling core of potential. Power, maybe. Mana, perhaps. He didn't name it, just noted its presence. Something to ask Fergis about later.
After mastering the dice, he moved on to coins, cups—anything small. The Starsong crew gave him space. At midday, Neri joined him with lunch and laughter, a soft distraction from his focused march through the edges of Psi.
Dinner came with an invitation from the Captain.
He knocked on her cabin door, smiling as he stepped inside. "I had you in mind when I laid this out. Built-in scroll shelves, oversized desk—for all the chaos you like to throw around."
Ria poured him a glass of rum, but raised a hand when Neri reached for it. "No drunk mermaids while we're on duty."
Unphased, Neri poured herself something else. "Saltwater tastes better anyway."
Dinner was basted salmon, vegetables, and warm apple bread with butter. Cane took his time, enjoying the meal.
"What's your timeline for getting Jonas?" Ria asked between bites.
"Immediately. Now that I know he's alive, I won't waste another day."
Ria nodded. "And after?"
Cane paused. "Once Jonas is safe, I've been tasked with a second mission. A deeper one." He kept some details quiet but shared what he could—about the empty village, the graves, the plague signs.
"You're risking your life to recover bodies?" Ria asked, frowning. "Cane, you're too valuable for that."
"I understand your concern," he said quietly, "but if you knew what I know, you'd see why it matters. I have to do this."
They didn't speak for a while, but Cane could feel the tension at the table.
"I'm worried about you," Ria said at last.
Cane smiled. "You heading back to the Defiant after this?"
She pulled a face. "Give me this damn ship, Cane."
He laughed. "You can crew it—for now. But it belongs to the Academy."
The Starsong made port after dark, tying up at the private dock. Cane said his goodbyes and slipped away with a wave.
With a day left before Second Cycle break ended, his thoughts drifted—not to the mission, but to the new classes ahead: Psi Elemental, Melee Combat, and the mandatory History of Magic.
Climbing the stairs to Seven Tower, he noticed a light glowing from under his door.
Sophie.
She looked up as he entered and ran into his arms. "Cane!"
He caught her, laughing, lifting her off her feet. "Your timing is amazing."
"Welcome home." She kissed him, then pulled back, studying him. "You look… different."
He closed the door behind them with a nudge of his foot. "It's scary how clean my room is."
"I clean when I'm bored," she said, blushing. "How did it go?"
"That's a long story. But I got answers. The boy from my dreams—the one placed in Cold Iron during the First Rise of Man—he's my grandfather. Philas Ironheart."
Sophie's eyes widened. "The First Rise? That would make him—"
"Old as dirt," Cane finished, chuckling. "Time flows differently inside Cold Iron. I'm still sorting it all out."
She cupped his face gently. "Take your time."
Cane tapped his Psi rune.
Cane: I'm back.
Fergis: Barely beat you. Got in this morning. Welcome back.
Clara: Hey! The boys are back! We've been working hard while you were gone!
Dhalia: Welcome back, both of you.
Cane: Meet me at the town smithy tomorrow at 0700. Important mission.
Fergis: You got it.
Dhalia: Okay.
Clara: Cya then.
Sophie leaned against him, sighing. "You're going away again?"
Cane shook his head. "Just for a quick strike—something we can handle during break. Elohan might help us scout."
She nudged him backward onto the bed, curling up beside him. "You seem different."
"Different good?"
She nodded. "My parents will be happy you're back. I think my mom misses you as much as I do."
Cane laughed. "You've been staying here?"
"Off and on," Sophie said. "No announcements during break. I went to the capital, attended an auction… met some interesting people. First Knight Meya Rowe says hello."
"Anything else?"
"Relen's family moved into the cottage on your estate. His little girl's adorable." She kissed him gently. "Princess Melina's still there, by the way."
"Good."
"Can I ask what tomorrow's meeting at the smithy is about?"
Cane shook his head. "Not yet. But you can come."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Later, while Cane slept, Sophie turned down the lights and drifted off next to him.
In the early dawn, they walked together hand in hand along the sea path.
Fergis, Dhalia, and Clara were already waiting at the smithy when they arrived.
Cane unlocked the door and stepped inside, lighting the forge and shoveling in a few scoops of coke.
"Sit anywhere," he said. "What I'm about to tell you is top secret. Outside this room, only a handful of people know."
Fergis perched on a bench between Clara and Dhalia. Sophie took a stool nearby.
"I think you all know how I arrived at the Academy," Cane began. "How I lost my mentor and friend. What I didn't know—what I just learned—is that he's still alive."
"He wasn't killed by pirates?" Fergis asked. "He's alive?"
"Jonas Ironfist was taken prisoner. He's being held on the Western Front."
Fergis whistled. "Damn. Why?"
"He's a master blacksmith. The best I've ever seen. They've likely put him to work."
Sophie tilted her head. "Wait. Jonas Ironfist—that's the name of the masked blacksmith here in town."
Cane nodded. "Exactly, but impossible."
He turned and lifted the blacksilver mask from its hook.
Sliding it on, his body shifted. Shoulders broadened. Hair greyed. Even the lines on his neck changed.
"Because that Jonas…" his voice dropped an octave, "doesn't exist."