Chapter 52. Ripples In Time
"How is your training going?" Adom dodged a rushing messenger, his voice barely carrying over the morning crowd. The new checkpoints had turned their walk to Xerkes into a strange sort of dance - weaving between people, ducking under floating cargo, waiting as guards checked identification crystals and waved detection rods over passing mages.
"Great!" Eren's grin threatened to split his face. "Yesterday I learned this thing with ice magic - just pulled it straight from the air! No water source! And last week-" He caught a few younger students staring, their whispers barely audible. His enthusiasm dimmed slightly. "Being the oldest first year is... weird. But hey, at least I can reach the top shelves without magic, right?"
"Most important skill for a mage," Adom said dryly.
"Obviously." Eren snorted. "Though you should see some of these kids. There's this one girl who keeps trying to levitate herself to reach books instead of just asking for help. Crashed into three shelves last week."