Professor Voynich was practically bouncing on his feet by the time Weylan sat down, the last to arrive.

"I was told you've just spent hours training your Mana Control," the professor announced brightly. "Now you can immediately apply your newfound prowess in a practical way. Isn't that exciting?"

The class, most of them still plagued by headaches and mana fatigue, did not share his enthusiasm.

"You'll now use your refined control to extract the aspected mana properties from ingredients into your potions," Voynich continued. "Each plant you receive will have several inherent aspects, but only one will be relevant to your assigned recipe. Your job is to isolate and extract that single aspect. Let the rest dissolve."

He went on to explain the process in detail. As he did, Weylan's confidence steadily eroded. This was not something he could do. Not yet. Most of the others were nearing the upper end of Apprentice tier in Mana Control. He had barely reached that tier less than an hour ago.

Weylan watched as Voynich handed out different sets of ingredients to each student. No two combinations were the same.

When the professor reached him, he placed an encouraging hand on Weylan's shoulder.

"Yveris told me you hit Apprentice tier. Well done, especially considering your, ah... unconventional starting point." He gave a grin that was probably meant to be supportive. "I've assigned each of you potions and components scaled to your current ability. I wasn't quite sure what to give you, but after some cross-referencing with the librarian, I found something that might suit your talents."

He placed three items on Weylan's table: a sealed flask made of black metal, a bundle of dark-purple root, and a small bowl of black berries.

"Light Drinker Potion," he said. "It's made from water harvested from a lightless underground lake, Shaderoot, and ripe Nightberries. The shadow-aspected mana in the berries contains the active component necessary for the tonic's effect."

Voynich tapped the side of the bowl. "The only other aspect in these is neutral mana, which should be relatively easy to separate."

Weylan stared at the ingredients, trying not to let the tension show on his face.

He wasn't sure if this was a vote of confidence, or a carefully disguised trap.

Weylan exhaled slowly and focused.

The recipe was clear. He followed every step with care.

Heat the water immediately after pouring it into the cauldron. Add grinded Shaderoot as soon as it starts boiling. Stir counterclockwise while slowly adding the whole Nightberries. Use Mana-Control to transfer shadow aspected mana properties from the berries into the mixture.

The moment his mind touched the berries mana signature, something shifted.

The mana responded. Not sluggishly, not with resistance, but like it recognized him and wanted to follow his every command. Unlike what he'd been told to expect, the full amount of mana transferred instantly. He blinked. That was it?

The potion turned pitch black inside the cauldron, then started to evaporate.

"Professor, I think it's starting to react with the air, what should I…" He could not finish the sentence before the room just… disappeared.

Darkness. Absolute Darkness.

Daylight had been streaming in through the window. Light came from enchanted crystal lamps and the many burners. It didn't matter. All light vanished and left just the cold, smothering certainty of black. Even Weylan's Shadow Sight could not penetrate it. He'd long become used to being able to see even at night, so it took a moment to comprehend what had happened.

There was a long second of shocked silence in the classroom.

Then… Clatter.

A chair scraped back sharply. Glass shattered somewhere to Weylan's right.

"Who turned out the light!?" someone shouted.

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"I can't see my brew… wait… is that yours or mine?"

A metallic clang echoed from a fallen mixing rod, followed by the unmistakable thump of someone slipping and falling.

Something hissed, long and wet.

The sharp crack of a magical reaction snapped across the room.

A moment later, the smell hit. Burnt rosemary. Sulfur. Something overly sweet. Someone gagged audibly.

"Is that… is that smoke? Is the room burning?"

"Don't breathe! I dropped some poisonous ingredients!"

Another crash.

"Who just stepped in my infusion!?"

A soft fwump, like a wet mop hitting a rug, was followed by a sudden scream: "What is that? Why is it so sticky?!"

Voynich's voice cut through the chaos: "Everyone stay where you are! Don't move! I will neutralize the effect with a counterspell."

Something sizzled at Weylan's feet. He didn't move. Didn't breathe.

And then, as quickly as it had come, the darkness lifted.

The light returned after a moment of flickering. The lab looked like a battlefield. Spilled fluids. Scorch marks. A few benches smoldered slightly. A faint layer of foam drifted across the back half of the room. One student's robe was now emitting steam from the hem.

Professor Voynich stood at the center, looking for any immediate problems, then relaxed.

Slowly, he turned to face Weylan.

Weylan stood in place, his cauldron filled with a now faintly glowing liquid. His workspace was untouched by the chaos.

"…Young man," Voynich said, voice tight with restrained disbelief. "Would you care to explain what just happened?"

Weylan cleared his throat. "It… worked?"

A pause. Then the professor muttered, "You got the potion's quality high enough to start the reaction even without being dispersed into the air?"

Voynich closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them.

"Ten points for you. Good work. Take the rest of the ingredients and try again at the cauldron over there. That one's enchanted to protect the mixture from contact with air. You can see the protected area as a shimmering dome above it. Use the tongues and ladle to fill the potion into bottles inside the dome. And close them before removing them from the protected area."

Weylan grinned widely. That was one potion he really liked.

* * *

The headmaster's office crowned the tallest tower of the university, its floor-to-ceiling windows wrapping around all sides to reveal sweeping vistas of the surrounding landscape and the shadowy expanse of the Wildewood. Shadows drifted across polished stone as clouds passed overhead, painting the room in shifting light. When his secretary announced the arrival of his appointment, Headmaster Vaelcor Valtanis reclined in his leather armchair and instructed her to send the teacher in.

Professor Dullmere stepped in, his usual quiet composure absent. His fingers twitched at his sides before he dropped heavily into the chair in front of the desk.

Vaelcor raised an eyebrow. "Dullmere, I was surprised to hear you wanted to urgently speak with me. What can I do for you?"

The professor exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know what to do. For the past few days, dozens of students have been late to their first class every day. Not only in my class. Other professors have complained about the same. Even some of professor Kaelthorne's students dared to be late. It took time to figure out why, but after some… persuasion, she finally got one to talk."

Vaelcor gestured for him to continue.

"The students are gathering in the eastern dorm at sunrise. Every morning. To watch one of the female students 'greet the sun'."

The headmaster frowned. "Is she performing some sort of morning exercise routine?"

Dullmere winced. "Not exactly. She's a dryad."

Vaelcor's expression turned flat. "Ah. So, she's undressing to absorb more sunlight." He sighed, rubbing his temples. "Doesn't that trigger the age-censorship…" He stopped himself as he realized the reason. "No of course not. Dryads don't have a nudity taboo and the students are almost of age. Just tell her to stop. She needs to respect the academy rules. There's plenty of sunlight to go around. Eichenkiel has never complained, and he certainly never stripped in public."

Dullmere hesitated. "I intended to, but there's a problem. Addressing the issue directly would be a breach of etiquette of the highest order."

Vaelcor narrowed his eyes. "Is she sponsored by a royal house?"

Dullmere shook his head. "Worse. It's princess Ulmenglanz. She hasn't been officially crowned, but since her mother died, she's technically the ruling queen of the Border Forest Kingdom. In exile, of course, since it's currently occupied by the Krigesti."

Vaelcor let out a slow breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I would have preferred to be informed if high royalty was attending my academy."

"She didn't declare a noble title on her registration sheet. I only found out because one of the noble students in her class has a Journeyman-tier skill in etiquette and heraldry. He recognized her name and immediately reported it to me. There aren't many dryads in the kingdom, and certainly no other with her name."

Vaelcor sat in thoughtful silence for a moment before nodding. "Then we accommodate her needs properly. Adjust her timetable so her subjects are held in east- and south-facing classrooms, whenever possible. Instruct her teachers to ensure she's seated somewhere with direct sunlight. If she must absorb sunlight, she should be able to do it in class, where she belongs. Get some gardeners and a druid and let them add a layer of soil and grass to the eastern dorm's terrace roof. Then give her the key to the access staircase. She'll have perfect access to sunlight, while being out of sight."

Dullmere exhaled in relief and nodded. "I'll make the arrangements immediately. Should I address her as 'royal highness?"

"Gods no! She clearly intends to stay anonymous or maybe even has refused the title. Adress her like any other student and make it clear, we grant all dryads the same courtesy. Which we absolutely will add to the academy rules, by the way. Convey her the deepest apologies of the academy administration for taking so long to remember the needs of dryad students."

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