Return to your... tree?

"Now, as much as I like to see you excited, you're a politician now, go address your base," Dad said, ruining the mood.

I narrowed my eyes at him and announced that I would be doing one last experiment.

I started to perceive the flow. The flow wasn't quite positive Eneru and wasn't quite negative Eneru. Sort of its own thing that could manipulate both. I focused on the Eneru battery and found that the flow went around it, which was expected because it was capable of trapping Eneru. What stood out to me was that small strands of the flow entered the battery, and wherever the flow went, the Eneru would follow, making pockets of condensed Eneru. After a short while, the pockets of Eneru dissipated and the Eneru disappeared.

"Are you aware of the flow problem?" I asked

"Yes, but I haven't found a solution other than thicker walls."

"What if you used ceramics, I've seen them block the flow just fine."

"Yes, but they break easily."

"I'll get back to you on that."

I left the secret basement, noting that while I focused on the Eneru battery, I had ignored the other marvelous relics that were stored down there. There were weapons, armor, golem husks, and a near replica of my wings, other than the big slot for an Eneru battery.

When I emerged from the soot-covered wreak of my house, I took off to the town center where people had gathered around a soldier of the kingdom. I circled for a while and found that the king had welcomed Yomo into the fold.

'Like a charm.'

I landed with a flourish and was immediately surrounded by people asking questions.

Some asked if I was ok, some asked if I worked under the king, one asked about my relationship with Laura. I shot that one down and gave the other ones non-committal answers.

"What are you going to do now?"

That was a question I was waiting to hear.

"I will be finishing school, then I will go on to university. Long-term, I plan on becoming the Royal Engineer under Prince Yomo."

The crowd cheered. With what I already invented, I showed great promise, and if a Royal Engineer came out of their town, their lives would improve immensely.

'These are the same people who burned down my house because of a rumor.'

'Funny. I was about to remind you of that.' Spirit said.

'I know I can be naive, but not THAT naive.'

I cut the mind link and answered some more miscellaneous questions and went home. When dad wasn't there, I called him.

"Oh yeah, I'd figured you had your hands full and I went to the school to arrest the remaining Constables for treason. Come back to your school, graduation is in a few days."

I took off, kicking up soot as I left. I flew at almost my maximum speed, reaching the school in a matter of hours, rather than days.

I called dad mid-flight.

"How did you get there so fast!? I've been flying for almost an hour now and I'm going to have to rest soon."

"You know kid, spatial manipulation is a hell of a thing." Suddenly I was ripped from my position and was about a kilometer above the school. "I expected you to go find a spatial mage, not spend all day flying here!" He laughed.

My cheeks flushed their latest color: violet. "Look! I have to rely on myself all the time!" I dove towards the ground, only pulling up once I was close to the ground. My landing wasn't exactly grandiose, but it was still cool.

"I'm still technically the most experienced flyer in the world. Well, with the glider at least."

I realized I hadn't named my personal glider.

"Hmm, Wyvern Wings!" A sudden burst of inspiration interrupted my usually long naming session and I started towards my recently regrown tree tower.

Calling it a tower was a massive overstatement, it was more like a tree hut, it only had one floor and it was only half-finished.

"I guess it could do with a little nudge."

I started to inject my remaining Eneru into the tree, which responded by shrugging off shackles of the anti-growth array and shooting into the air.

"One... Two... Three... Four!" I exclaimed as the tree reached those levels. "Let's start by carving out my workshop."

It took but a thought for me to reform the workshop, the tree quickly recognized its master.

"Hey, kiddo." I didn't know if it was Larry or Dad, but I turned around with the same enthusiasm.

"Hi!" It turned out to be both, walking side by side.

"Seems you're adept with all forms of manipulation now," Dad said, admiring my workshop

"Yeah, plants are the hardest because I have to change them fundamentally to get the result I want."

'Luckily they seem to imprint a layout after a time' I added in my head, not wanting to diminish my image.

"Devin says you lost both of your golems in the fight, right?"

Remembering my golems made me a little sad, but this conversation just got a lot more interesting.

"Yes, both were destroyed in the first attack."

"Alright. golemless golemancer, let's fix your situation."

'I was hoping he would say that.'

"Does that mean we're going to be making golems?"

"No, it means you will be making golems."

Larry spun his arm and a familiar rose on his arm lost its color.

"Where did you get that?" I asked as Rift Garden opened a portal and a bunch of scraps came out.

"Ah, the king sent it to me to deliver to you, but I figured using it once to give you your materials wouldn't hurt."

Dad handed me four spirit cores and Larry handed over Rift Garden.

"There is one greater core, the other three are lesser. Do what you want with them, there are no limits save materials."

"You really know how to treat a guy!"

I used flow and intuitive manipulation to simultaneously carry both the metal and wood into my workshop for a new tenure of seclusion.