04. Aether's Apprentices

Gregory was beyond happy when his second year in the Magi Academy began. Now married to both Yukiko and Jenn, Gregory had more love than he ever thought he would find. It was also a time for friends. Daciana and Nessa, their novice friends, found another in Victoria, who also quickly became close with Gregory and his wives.
Gregory found still more friends in Clover and Ling, two clanless apprentices who shared his tactics subgroup. The eurtik-blooded magi were earnest and eager to learn, so they were quickly taken under the Aether’s Guard apprentices’ wings.
With so many friends around him, Gregory felt the year was bright. The hatred of the Eternal Flame still pressed down on them— although the clan seemed strangely quiet during the first half of the year, the threat of violence was still there.
The friends trained hard to fight as a unit, intent on being the champions to raise the clan’s name and reputation. The first tournament of the year came quickly, with a few surprises. The biggest was because of the merchant, Carlisle, belittling eurtiks. Hao Warlin suckered him into a bet that grew and grew until the merchant lost a massive amount of money. Hao took it gladly, using it to purchase gifts for Daciana, Nessa, and Victoria. Those items allowed the three novices to not only survive the remainder of the tournament, but also to emerge as the victors.
Gregory and his wives fought honorably and hard to advance to the finals, where their last fight was against the Eternal Flame. With their rigorous training and communication, they managed to defeat the arrogant clan, letting them stand alongside their novice friends as champions.
The excitement of being the champions was not the happiest part of their year, though. That came after the tournament, when all five of their friends— Nessa, Daciana, Victoria, Clover, and Ling— joined Aether’s Guard.
The apprentices weren't done yet, as they had other major events ahead of them. The tournament for their tactics…