Six months changed things.
Not dramatically. Not obviously. But Wei Chen felt the difference in his bones, in his magic, in the weight of copper coins hidden beneath his bed.
He was five and a half years old now. Still small. Still young. But no longer quite so helpless.
MAGIC
Shadow manipulation had become second nature.
Where once Wei Chen could manage eight or nine manipulations before exhaustion, he now reached twenty-five before his core felt depleted. The shadow quartz helped—its resonance sharpened his focus, smoothed the rough edges of his technique.
Elder Shen noticed during temple lessons.
"Wei Chen. Demonstrate shadow extension."
Wei Chen stood, raised his hand, and pulled. His shadow stretched across the floor—smooth, controlled, reaching twice his body length before he released it.
"Again. Faster."
The second time took less than two seconds. The shadow responded like a trained dog, obedient and precise.
Elder Shen's expression remained neutral, but something flickered in his eyes. Approval, maybe. Or concern.
"Adequate. Sit."
Adequate. Coming from Elder Shen, that was practically praise.
Wei Chen had learned three fundamental techniques now:
Shadow Extension - stretching shadows beyond their natural length. Useful for reaching distant objects, tripping opponents, or creating distractions.
Shadow Shaping - molding shadows into basic forms. Wei Chen could create crude shapes—blades, walls, grasping hands. Nothing complex yet, but functional.
Shadow Concealment - wrapping shadows around himself to blend with darkness. Imperfect—he couldn't become invisible—but effective in dim light. Merchant Liu's paranoid client had been easier to approach because Wei Chen had used this technique to seem less threatening, more like a passing shadow than a person.
Three techniques. Basic applications. But already more versatile than most beginner mages achieved in their first year.
Progress.
COMPETITION
Yun Hao progressed faster.
The gap hadn't closed. If anything, it had widened slightly.
Yun Hao could now perform fifteen water techniques before exhaustion—more than Wei Chen's darkness manipulation count, despite both having intermediate cores. He'd learned advanced applications: water healing (minor cuts and bruises), water sensing (detecting movement through moisture in air), water prison (encasing objects in mobile spheres of water).
His family had hired a private tutor. A retired Water Academy instructor from the capital, visiting for the summer season. Two gold for three months of specialized training.
Wei Chen watched Yun Hao demonstrate water healing during a temple lesson, mending a shallow cut on another student's hand. The technique was smooth, practiced, flawless.
Elder Shen praised him openly. "Excellent control. Your foundation is exceptional."
Yun Hao accepted the compliment with characteristic humility. "Thank you, Elder. My tutor has been invaluable."
Wei Chen felt the familiar burn of envy. Not hatred. Not resentment. Just the cold, practical recognition that resources mattered.
Yun Hao had them. Wei Chen didn't.
Yet.
After the lesson, Yun Hao approached Wei Chen as he often did now—their relationship had evolved into something between friendship and rivalry.
"Your shadow techniques are improving," Yun Hao said.
"So is your water healing."
"Different applications. Yours are more... tactical." Yun Hao's tone was respectful but tinged with something else. Curiosity, maybe. Or wariness. "Darkness magic suits you."
"Because I'm dark and mysterious?"
"Because you think like a hunter." Yun Hao studied Wei Chen with those sharp, assessing eyes. "Water flows. Adapts. Heals. But darkness... darkness waits. Plans. Strikes when the moment's right."
Wei Chen said nothing. Yun Hao wasn't wrong.
"I'll catch up to you eventually," Wei Chen said finally.
"I know. That's what makes this interesting." Yun Hao smiled—genuine, without malice. "Competition makes us both stronger. My father says iron sharpens iron."
"Your father's right."
They parted ways. Wei Chen watched Yun Hao leave with his usual composed stride, surrounded by the invisible shield of wealth and status.
Someday, Wei Chen thought, I'll have that too.
WORK
Merchant Liu's employment proved more valuable than the copper it paid.
Three shifts per week. Five copper per shift. Fifteen copper weekly, sixty monthly.
But the real value wasn't the money—it was the education.
Liu taught Wei Chen how to evaluate goods. How to spot fake magical items (most were fake). How to negotiate. How to read customers—their hesitation, their desperation, their willingness to pay.
"This crystal," Liu said one afternoon, holding up a murky purple stone, "is worthless. Colored glass. But if I tell a desperate mother it'll protect her child from nightmares, suddenly it's worth five silver."
"That's lying."
"That's business." Liu set the crystal down. "I'm not selling a rock. I'm selling peace of mind. The customer gets what they want—comfort. I get paid. Everyone's happy."
"Until the nightmares continue."
"Then they buy something else." Liu's smile was sharp. "The trick is making sure they come back to you when they do."
Wei Chen absorbed these lessons like water into dry earth. Merchant Liu was teaching him a language Elder Shen never spoke—the language of commerce, leverage, manipulation.
Not evil. Just... practical.
Wei Chen also learned inventory management, delivery routes, and the complex web of relationships that kept Liu's business running. The blacksmith who sold Liu "antique" weapons. The herbalist who provided ingredients for fake potions. The information broker who tipped Liu off about wealthy travelers coming to town.
"Reputation is currency," Liu explained. "Money comes and goes. But reputation? That's permanent. Build it carefully."
Wei Chen filed that away with everything else.
After six months, his total savings reached one gold and forty silver.
Still short of Feng's price. But closer. Tantalizingly close.
LIAN XIU
Lian Xiu changed too.
It started small. She'd make comments—casual observations about people they passed—that turned out to be eerily accurate.
"That merchant's lying about his prices. See how he touches his ear when he quotes them?"
"The woman buying bread is worried about money. She's counting coins twice, checking weight three times."
"That guard's bored. Not paying attention. Easy to slip past if you needed to."
Wei Chen noticed the pattern. "How do you know all this?"
Lian Xiu shrugged. "I just... notice things. People's faces. How they move. It's like reading, but with bodies instead of words."
A skill. She'd developed a skill.
Elder Shen confirmed it a week later when Wei Chen asked (carefully, without mentioning Lian Xiu specifically).
"Skills manifest in various ways," Elder Shen explained. "Some are born with them. Others develop through necessity or trauma. A skill related to perception and observation would be called something like [Sharp Mind] or [Keen Eye]. Useful for merchants, guards, strategists."
Wei Chen told Lian Xiu that evening. She looked pleased.
"So I'm not just weird. I'm skilled."
"You were always skilled. Now you have a name for it."
"Does that mean I'm valuable too? Like you said your magic makes you valuable?"
Wei Chen thought about that. "Yes. Different kind of value, but yes."
Lian Xiu grinned. "Good. Then you can pay me back for all the job advice with actual money someday."
"Deal."
They shook on it, two children sitting in an alley behind the market, making pacts about futures they barely understood.
But Wei Chen took it seriously. Debts mattered. Lian Xiu had helped him when no one else would. That created obligation.
Someday, he'd repay it.
REFLECTION
Six months.
Wei Chen sat in his room one evening, shadow quartz in hand, reviewing progress.
Magic: Significantly improved. Three techniques. Twenty-five manipulations before exhaustion.
Combat: Still none. Temple lessons didn't teach real fighting. Feng was still unaffordable.
Wealth: One gold, forty silver. Eighty percent of Feng's price. Close but not enough.
Relationships:
Lian Xiu: Loyal friend, developing useful skill.
Yun Hao: Respectful rival, still ahead but gap narrowing.
Merchant Liu: Employer, teacher, future connection.
Elder Shen: Instructor, authority figure, grudging approver.
Skills: Basic commerce, delivery.
Not bad for half a year. Not bad for a five-year-old Darkness mage in a Water-dominated town.
But not enough either.
Wei Chen needed more. Faster progress. Better opportunities. Real combat training.
He needed that forty silver. Then he could afford Feng. Then he could learn to actually fight, not just manipulate shadows in controlled environments.
Wei Chen closed his hand around the shadow quartz, feeling its cool resonance.
Forty silver.
Two months of work at current rate. Maybe less if he took additional jobs. Maybe more if unexpected expenses appeared.
But achievable. Definitely achievable.
Wei Chen smiled in the darkness of his room.
Six months ago, he'd been a frightened child with magic he couldn't control, isolated and uncertain.
Now he was a frightened child with magic he could control, employed and calculating.
Progress.
Not enough. Never enough.
But progress nonetheless.