EBelt: First, off I did enjoy Euan’s fight scene I thought it was well described and I understood everything he and his opponent was doing. Every fight scene seemed pretty well described. The whole tournament-type set-up was interesting, and I did enjoy it. I thought it was really fun. Everything about that was fun and interesting. And I do like Euan. He’s a fun character that I’m definitely looking forward to reading more about. As for redoing Tia and Allen’s conversation as a flashback I personally wouldn’t because I enjoyed reading that in the moment. I feel like it would have been just a little better if occasionally there was a reaction from her like, Tia’s heart stopped, all of his siblings dead? Now, maybe not something as on the nose as that, maybe something more unique, but something to tell us her feelings in the moment. I think if you changed it into a flashback it would lose that heartwarming, sad, yet sweet moment. One more thing that I liked was that we could see how the magic worked in this chapter after we got the exposition, (this is during the Assessments), which really helped me personally to remember what does or, who has what power. We got the exposition then we got the example in an interesting way, which I think helps when giving raw exposition. However at the beginning of the chapter Tia seems so confused about why the assessments are happening. If she had three to four weeks to train wouldn’t someone have explained to her why this was happening? And I also feel like during that time you could have had one more training session to tell Tia what Evelyn told her at the beginning of the chapter, and you could have Albert come by and that could be a great time to learn more about his character. It would also be a great time to maybe show just how Tia and her dad aren’t getting along, and how that affects their relationship. Instead of “She spent the rest of her time with her grandmother and, seething and silent, avoiding or ignoring her father entirely. Days sped by all too fast in a blur.” (from Chapter 5), And then maybe show Allen really coming to terms with Tia growing up (you referenced this in one of the first chapters), and how he needs to let her go. Back to Albert super quickly, he seems like an interesting character, but I’m just not getting a feel for him. At Assessments it almost let like he was just there for exposition. We didn’t even get to see how he did. Although if I’m being honest, I’m just not that emotionally attached to him, yet. And I haven't seen him do anything plot relevant yet, besides exposition for the magic systems. But I'm sure he will be of significant importance later on. (I just haven't gotten there yet.) But overall, good chapter. I like how you reminded us that the king and Ghislaine are still looking for the shape-shifter, and I loved the moment between Allen, Tia, and Evelyn in that hidden room. I thought that was really sweet and a good way to help bring the family together before Tia has to leave. And I do like that even if it was just one moment it was a nice sweet moment, and I think you wrapped up that mini subplot up really well.   LeeStepp: Yes, Euan is a great character, I have a lot of fun with him. I'm glad the scene with Tia and her father doesn't need redoing and yes I should mention more of Tia's reactions. I think sometimes I get too focused on one character's mind and forget about who else is present. As for the magic, its a lot easier to figure out seeing it in action given its two primary functions to each person (though some of the more rare forms can get a bit complicated). I suppose I didn't consider adding in another scene before assessments, I had begun to worry I was dragging this portion of the story on for too long and too much of the capital may be boring. It's interesting you mention Allen recognizing Tia is growing up, I originally had a moment of him talking to Tia about that in their conversation but cut it out because it sounded too synthetic. As for Albert, I suppose I'm being a little too reserved with his reactions. I know his back story and why he is acting superficial with Tia so far but I realize I'm not letting the reader in on that enough. He busts out of that in the chapter I'm working on currently, when Tia has unknowingly crossed a line, but perhaps he needs a bit more sooner. And don't worry about not seeing his assessment, it wouldn't be anything exciting, he wasn't exaggerating about his lack of physical skills. Oh, and I'm happy the secret room went over well! Really wanted to touch on Evelyn's struggles and similarities with her son, hint at how terrible Titus was. I should definitely consider your suggestion for another scene before assessments.