《The Calamacy》


 The Child

    It started with the child. Many of the plans and schemes that had been laid ever so carefully over the past several decades had to be scrapped because of the child. At first her presence in the Vazeran family was but a footnote. She was simply the only child of two powerful summoners. The real issue lying with the child¡¯s father. Calhoun Vazeran was the Court Summoner to the Royalty of Eldesaria, a Kassari level summoner who was known to be able to handle dozens of high-tier summons all at once. Definitely an entity to worry about, and one that had to be planned around very carefully. Of course given the amount of time that the plans had taken to develop, he was very well accounted for. But even if one attempts to account for everything, there is always something that slips through the gaps. In this case it was the child.


    The first event where I began to get a glimpse of the frustrations to come, came when the preliminary stages of the plan were being put into effect. In order to remove the many of layers of protection that surround the Royalty and the Thrones of Eldesaria, one must first remove the sources of said protection. In this particular case one of those sources being the summons that Kassari Calhoun provides to the Royalty. After all, it is one thing to attempt a takeover on the most powerful individuals in the Royalties, but it is quite another when there happens to be an adult chaos dragon standing in between you and said individuals. So of course, the summoner had to go.


    The plan, to eliminate him, was a succinct one. There was little to really worry about. Several individuals were hired from the Shadow Clans, individuals with a particular penchant for the slaying of mages. These individuals were to then make their way to the house of Vazeran and once night had fallen on Eldesaria then they would make their move, catching the summoner, his wife, and the child asleep and ending them before any commotion could be made. Several items would be planted, a mock struggle faked and for a final flourish a medallion fallen to the side, bearing the symbol of another mage house, one known to not be on friendly terms with the Vazerans. A clean job, one that had been performed several times before, with great success. However, this night was not to be one of those nights.


    The plan went perfectly up until the Shadow Clan individuals went into the house. It seemed that that particular night in question was not a normal night for House Vazeran, it was in fact the night that Kassari Calhoun and his wife chose to have an awakening ceremony for their child. A ceremony that would establish a bond with the child¡¯s first summon. Now according to research done after the fact, this is very unusual to do with a child this young, the child in question only being about 4 years of age. Most summoner families will wait until their child is closer to their seventh year before performing an awakening to establish a bond. As an awakening requires a rather large amount of mana and a large enough mana pool to sustain the bond. All things that a child generally doesn¡¯t have until their seventh year.


    In any case, the Vazeran family as it turns out had a tradition of passing one of their own summons to their children as a way to get around this mana cost and control. As the summons were often one that is passed from generation to generation, and in that case, the parent ends up controlling the awakening with the summon being a willing participant. A pretty smart move, and probably one that had helped keep the Vazeran family as one of the premier summoning families for many generations. All information that of course was only dug up after the fact.


    Instead the Shadow Clan members finding none of the family in their beds had to spend extra time making their way through the Vazeran Manor in order to find the family. Which they did. In the basement, about halfway through the awakening ritual. This was fortunate, because Kassari Calhoun and his wife were unable to use their summons, as their mana was being poured into the awakening and used to try and transfer over one their own summons. It was unfortunate because, even though they were unable to defend themselves, they were able to at the last minute change the awakening ritual so that it defended their daughter. Their child stuck in the ritual, protected by the ritual itself, could only watch as her parents were slaughtered before her. The Shadow Clan members attempted to attack the child, only to be propelled by the ritual, and even though they attempted to dispel the ritual their attempts only to be absorbed into the ritual itself, fueling the defenses and the summoning.


    The child meanwhile in the middle of all of this kept pleading and if by some instinct activated the ritual in search for a summons for her plea. Maybe it was the plea itself that activated the ritual, no one knows for certain. Because her pleas did not go unanswered. Instead every being in the city of Lothelen knew the moment the connection was established. A being of such power and darkness that it felt as if it was destruction incarnate, answered her pleas. The being was powerful enough that it roused even the Royalty from their palace on the cliffs overlooking Lothelen. I myself remember the trembling and cold sweats that had broken out when that being arrived. Never have I ever felt myself paralyzed so. To be so afraid that even my own heart seemed to stand still. Even now as I recall the events of that night so long ago, my heart seems to stop, as if that terrifying presence is still lingering.


    The aftermath of that night should have been enough to make me forgo my plans and schemes. But I deluded myself. I deluded myself into thinking that the child was but one variable. An independent variable. Unrelated to my goals and desires except as a variable to tread a wide circle around.


    The Child


    I saw myself there again. The magic ritual glowing around me. The looks of my parents as they channeled all of their mana into the ritual, attempting to assist in creating that first bond. I see as those other figures walk into the basement, I look at them, at first not comprehending what it is that they are doing there, but then it dawns on me. As it has so many times before. I try to sit up and yell at my parents, try to get them to react, to turn and see the intruders, to do anything, except smile. They both smile at me, even as my mother is attacked first. My father as if knowing that this was going to happen all along, merely gestures toward the ritual, a sudden surge of mana is felt as both his and my mother¡¯s remaining mana is injected in the ritual. I cry out as he too falls to the blades of the intruders. I try to move, try to reach out towards them, but the ritual holds me back, it vaguely registers that the intruders are trying to attack me, but I don¡¯t care, I merely wish to reach my parents, to feel their touch once more. But I know I can¡¯t and the magic surges around me as I cry out once more, something seems to open up inside as I feel this burning rush of mana passing out of me adding to the ritual itself. As my cry rings out I feel it brushing along countless other presences, I feel it touching the minds of thousands of beings, as if trying to bring them to my attention. But I refuse none of them are strong enough to meet my plea. I go forward now with my cry, searching for a presence powerful enough to destroy the intruders before me, powerful enough to avenge my parents, powerful enough that not even the heavens themselves could defy it.


    I reach and I reach for what seems like an eternity, countless minds passing by as I try and continue with my cry, ¡°Help Me.¡±


    Finally.


    I find it, I can feel my soul stretched almost to the limit. My cry even as strong as it is slowly starting to fade, as I make contact with the presence. At first I am overwhelmed by it. Almost losing sight of my purpose as I¡¯m hit by these waves of fury. The sheer violence and chaos that is this entity, surges over me, stripping away all but the very core of the cry, I feel my soul beginning to fade back into reality as I bolster the last bits of my energy and leave those two words out there, a link to my pain, a bond to my soul.


    I fade back into my reality, my eyes open to see that one of the intruders is lying on the ground, there are three others still facing me, I can sense a change in the three as they notice the ritual starting to fade. I hold on to the small thread of a bond that remains. Knowing that my time is drawing near. Hoping that the entity will respond.


    As the last glimmers of the ritual fade, I see one of the figures move forward, and then I feel it. A pulse comes through the thread, and then a rush as the entity is summoned before me. The rush fills me up with so much chaos, I start to lose conscious, drowning in the energy, the darkness taking over, as I hear a voice resonate throughout the room.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°She is mine.¡±


    I wake up covered in sweat. The sheets below me are soaked. My first instinct is to sit up and hug my legs to my chest. But I resist it. I slowly unclench my fists as my eyes adjust to the faint light peeking into the room. It is still nighttime. The light comes from a street lantern outside. I try to calm down my racing heart by focusing on my breathing. My whole body is tense, and I know it will take me more than a few minutes to relax enough to fall back asleep.


    Not that I want to fall back asleep. That dream is a recurring one, one that I¡¯ve had ever since I can remember. There are few nights that I go to sleep without having that dream. Even though it has been 11 years since that incident. Or rather incidents, as I recall the second time that my summon appeared.


    It had been several trying weeks since the first incident happened. Trying in that I had been moving about constantly. Being a four year old left me rather limited in my options. At this point there had already been far too many individuals getting in my face, asking me questions I did not know the answers to, and demanding explanations for events I was wholly unaware of. Also the responses I was able to stumble out were more than lacking as my mind was still reeling from the aftereffects of the summoning that I had accomplished.


    At this particular point in time, I was sitting across from a Dolveran with a violet robe. Her hair was tied up behind her head and she was sitting ramrod straight in her chair. Even though she radiated primness and efficiency I could see a smile on her face. I remember earlier before she had walked in there had been a rather heated discussion outside the room. Being a four year old it wasn¡¯t until later that I realized that the discussion was in regards to what was going to happen to me next. The Dolveran sitting across from me had been arguing with another individual about whether or not they could have a child be responsible for the actions of a summon. Neither side of the argument seemed to be convincing the other, so after a few more moments the other side stormed off. Then the lady entered and that¡¯s how we got here.


    The first couple of minutes were very awkward as the Lady just sat there staring intently at me. The gaze felt impartial, one that seemed to be evaluating the very essence of who I am. The longer it lasted the more nervous I got as she simply stared at me.


    The silence was finally broken when she asked, ¡°Do you know who I am.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± was the only reply I could manage even forgetting to add in the ¡°fe¡± as is custom when greeting one older than oneself.


    ¡°Well, Salaria-vim, that makes things even more interesting considering I know a lot about you and your family.¡±


    I just nodded my head. Considering the amount of people that had either interviewed me or who I had seen in the past few weeks that knew about my family and I, this did not come as much of a surprise.


    The Dolveran leaned forward now stretching out her hands palm up, beckoning for me to place mine in hers. ¡°Now Salaria-vim, I have been asked by several of the Royalty themselves to assist you in summoning your bonded summon. I understand that you have had difficulty since you first called upon your summon, but I will be here to assist you this time. Would you be willing to try again?¡±


    There is a slight pause before I place my small hands in her palms. ¡°Do-Dolveran-fe, I will attempt to do so again, but I believe my summon is choosing not to respond.¡± I notice the lack of understanding in her eyes. I have seen it many many times over the past week, whenever I was asked to call my summon forth only to feel it shrug off the call, leaving the individuals with the same distrusting expression as I see before me now.


    As I place my hands in her palm, I hear her start to murmur a faint chant, as her own mana starts to flow into me. Closing my eyes I once again seek out the thread that is my bond to the summon. It had grown in size since the first connection was made but it still remains but a solitary thread reaching into the far beyond. As I grasp onto the thread I use the mana flowing through me to call out, Come to me.


    At first there is no response. Only a little bit of many was actually used to make the call. The rest sits there collecting, waiting patiently. After a few moments go by, I start to give up that the summon will respond, thinking that once again it has shrugged off the call. But I am quickly proven wrong as I hear one word echo through my head.


    ¡°Fine¡±


    And just like that, all the mana that had been pooling in my body is suddenly sucked up, pulling in even more mana from the Dolveran¡¯s own pool of mana, until she becomes basically empty. Her eyes widen as she feels all her mana reserves disappear and before her eyes appears this roiling black mass, completely covering me in its dark chaotic presence. She hastily pulls her hands away from mine, recoiling from the writhing mass as its presence causes even her to scream in fright. As soon as the scream lifts from her lips, several doors in the room burst open. Several Kassari burst into the room followed by another Dolveran. Their attitudes at first grim and determined but seen falling into fear and panic as they feel the same terrifying presence they had felt only weeks earlier.


    As they all stand there immobilized in their own fear, the voice of the entity that is surrounding me rings out, every word seeming to shake and disturb the very fabric of the universe. ¡°Heed me now. This one is mine, if so much as a hair of her head is harmed then I will bring forth the fullness of my wrath to punish not only you but your world also.¡±


    Then in an aside to me, it says, ¡°Child I do not know how you have done so, but you have placed a bond on me. However your power is insufficient to even begin to pull a fraction of myself into your world. As it is now you can¡¯t even maintain my presence in this form. Strengthen your bond and increase your power. Only when you can bring forth my full form, will I come again.¡±


    With but a flick of its energy, everyone else in the room is forced away from me. Most end up slamming into the wall, the Dolveran in front of me is also pushed away, through the chair that she is sitting in. The pressure from my summon doubles for an instant, causing the already battered individuals to double over as some slump unconscious. I remain wide-eyed as the summon disappears. I know that it has returned to wherever it came from. Seeing that several Kassari and even two Dolveran are lying on the ground either unconscious or still reeling from the aftereffects, I am faced with the reality of just how powerful my summon is.


    Unknown


    I couldn¡¯t believe the report that I held in front of me. Even though I had talked with several of the Kassari that had been involved or been influenced even outside of that room.


    How?


    How did that child bind with such a powerful summon? I thought to myself. Subduing even one Kassari is a feat in of itself, but to subdue several Kassari, and even two Dolverans? That goes beyond absurd. Even the strongest Royalty, who are at the godly level of Nelselph couldn¡¯t subdue all those people with just their presence.


    This second event was but another taste of the child¡¯s influence on things to come. Even though I had heard all the reports and even had interviews with most of those involved in that incident, it still didn¡¯t compare to the news that I was informed of the next day. While on my way to discuss some policy changes with the Retainers to the Royalty, I was informed by the Retainer to the Phoenix Throne that the Royalty had decided that the child would be under the protection of the Royalty themselves. Now while that is not too unusual, the real shock came when the Retainer told me that the Royalty had actually had an emergency convening, where they had declared the child¡¯s rank to be that of Calamacy. When I heard this news, I was dumbfounded. This meant that they Royalty themselves, all ranked at Nelselph, considered this girl as beyond their equal. Up until that point I had thought that the Calamacy rank was just a legend, something mentioned only in texts of old, regarding legendary deities who single handedly built empires and destroyed continents. But now the child at only 4 years of age was given that legendary rank.


    This child had already messed up so many different plans, that I knew I would have to start over from the beginning. An entity like her, could not be planned around, she would have to be planned for.

 Beginning at Dawn

    Calamacy Salaria


    I lay there blinking in the twilight. The memory still pulsing in my head. The smooth burning sensation of the mana coursing through my body. The moment that the summon reacts to the call and all the mana that had been sitting in the body is pulled out, before the summons power rushes back in. The mana changed, tinted by the influence of the summon, bringing about a sense of untold power and urgency. A sense of violence.


    I shudder again, recalling that primal feeling of taking root in my core when the summon had come through. That feeling of wanting to lash out and take what is mine. Regardless of the consequences. But alas, no matter how many times I¡¯ve tried to call out to my summon, it hasn¡¯t responded. Over the past 11 years the only thing that has changed is the bond itself. Over the years the bond has grown thicker and thicker. It was no longer the slim thread that felt like one tug too hard and it would snap. But now it was a rope, about the size of my thumb. Solid and intertwined. At the same time I¡¯ve felt as if my mana is stagnant. That no matter how I try to expand and use the power within me, it won¡¯t grow. It still remains at the level it was when I had first created the bond.


    I can¡¯t help but feeling frustrated at that. Most summoners at this age have already established two bonds and are working their way towards their third. Then again, generally the first two bonds are to low-class creatures that are used to help with more menial tasks. My summon is definitely several orders of magnitude stronger, and would probably never agree to do menial tasks. Not that that matters all that much when I can¡¯t even summon it.


    A sigh escapes my lips as I cover my face with one of my arms. I try to go back to sleep again, but as soon as I feel myself drifting off to sleep I hear the morning chime ring across the city. Sighing another time, I roll out of bed. I take a few moments to do some basic stretches, while I observe the small room which I am fortunate enough to have to myself. In front of me is a small desk cluttered with papers and various plants. A reminder that I need to finish the alchemy homework that is due next week for the Academy. Above the desk are two wooden shelves. They are cluttered with various trinkets that I have collected over the years. The main one that catches my eye is a small medallion leaning against a roughly carved salamander. The medallion is the one that my mother used to wear. It is one of the few items that I was allowed to keep when the Royalty took my family¡¯s estate. Not that there was much left to keep in the first place.


    After another sigh escapes I continue my observation of the room. To the right of the desk is the outside wall. A window being the only thing that breaks up the wooden siding.  I turn around for a moment to observe my bed. And the shelf above it. The shelf is in the same state as the desk is. Filled with miscellaneous items that I either bought or were provided to me at the academy. Most of which I will probably never use again as I am unable to use few if any other magicks with my meager mana pool. I continue my turn to look at the last part of my room. This is where my meager closet is. It holds the few sets of clothes that I have been able to buy over the past years. All of which is red. Why do I only have red clothes one might ask? It¡¯s because of my rank.


    Every individual that is a denizen of the Royalties must where the color that symbolizes their rank. For example the individuals that are of the lowest rank where gray, and their title is Ceorn. The ranks then go Dralfey who wear indigo, Whasshi with blue, Tlassel with yellow, Graldur with orange, Kassari with green, Dolveran with violet, Nelselph with white, and at the top of the chain which is supposedly a mythical rank, Calamacy, who have to wear red. Now the ranks are generally determined via one¡¯s magical ability. For an arcane spellcaster that would generally be the number of higher tier spells that one can cast. An alchemist would be ranked through the creations and or potions that they could consistently create. An Internal user would be ranked on how strong there aura is, and their ability to manipulate their aura around their bodies. A summoner on the other hand is normally ranked by the number of summons they can summon and the level of each summon. My case being slightly different because I was solely ranked on the level of my summon. My actual ability would not be enough to even reach a Dralfey.


    I reach out to the red clothes folded in the closet and grab a faded red tunic along with a darker red skirt. On top of those I layer a red robe, with that I am ready begin my day. Fortunately today is one of the days of rest given every week. I head downstairs leaving the communal ¡°dormitories¡± where I reside. These ¡°dormitories¡± barely live up to that term as they are simple buildings two stories tall. The second story being the living quarters while the first floor is completely open to the outside with various table set up and an open kitchen located on one end.


    At this point in the morning as I descend the stairway, a faint breeze rustles my skirts and wafts the smell of breakfast to my nose.


    ¡°It must be Dralfey Serac¡¯s turn to cook today.¡± I think to myself. His cooking left much to be desired in terms of the appetite department. I hurry down the stairwell quicker and move across to the kitchen. The Dralfey is currently attempting to fry something at one of the stoves. His large bulky from fills up most of the kitchen space and blocks my view of the stove itself. Since his back is turned I quickly snatch a fruit from one of the bowls and am almost away before I hear Serac¡¯s familiar rumble.


    ¡°Calamacy-vim¡±


    I turn momentarily trying not to break my stride, ¡°Well met, Dralfey Serac.¡±


    His voice calls out as I step out from under the dormitories, ¡°Will you be partaking in food today Calamacy-vim?¡±


    I call out to him as I walk away, ¡°Not today Serac-fa, there are errands that I must attend to.¡±


    I heard across some of the open grounds of the academy, toward the gates. There are already a few people up and about and I can smell the smell of other dormitories cooks preparing breakfast as I continue to walk. It is a ten minute journey until I finally reach the gates. It being a day of rest, the gates are not yet open. I will probably have to wait for the mid hour chime to ring before they will be open. I find shelter next to one of the great trees growing near the gate and sit down to wait.


    As I wait I get to see the sun finally peak over the horizon. Most of the academy with its various towers and learning halls become shadowy silhouettes against the morning sky. A sense of peace fills me momentarily as I enjoy the view of my home. At least my home since the second incident with my summon.


    Thinking about my summon snaps me out of reverie. Seeing that there is no better time than the present, I focus on the bond and pour my meager mana reserve into it. The bond seems to greedily suck it up, draining me almost instantly. I maintain my focus trying to determine if there is any response. But after a few moments of nothing, I pull back my focus and return to my surroundings. ¡°Another day with yet no response.¡± I think to myself.


    At this point I start to see the gatekeeper making his way down the main path. He slowly moves down the path, leaning heavily on his walking stick. He is an old man. Old enough that all his hair is a limp gray, and his skin seems to hang off his very bones. His very faded orange robes beginning to match his hair. I stand up and smooth out my skirt as I call out to him.


    ¡°Graldur Baal!¡±


    He looks up with a snap of his head. His eyes find me almost instantly. He stares at me for a few seconds, before continuing up the path.


    ¡°Salaria-vim, it is unusual to see you up and about so early, especially on a day of rest.¡± He says as I join him for the rest of his walk to the guardhouse.


    ¡°Ah well, while that may normally be true, Baal-fa, I have some errands I need to run this morning, besides when was the last time you actually took a day of rest?¡± I ask as we pull up to the gate.


    ¡°A day of rest, please. You know this bag of bones can¡¯t have a day of rest, else who would open the gates?¡± He says. He stops before the gates and starts muttering some incantations. Raising both arms up his mana starts to flow out of him and light up the runes inscribed into the metal itself. After a few moments the runes fade, and then the gates slowly start to open inward revealing Lothelen as it is framed by the morning light.


    I wave goodbye to Baal as I step out into the city. He waves back absentmindedly as he heads toward the gatehouse set outside the actual gates.


    I make my way through the light morning traffic to the market district. The closer I get to the district the more the crowds start to grow. I see mostly a mix of Ceorn with more than a few Dralfey perusing the goods among the morning merchants. The market itself is a two story structure with most of the produce and foodstuffs being on the second floor with most of the other household items and foreign items being traded on the first floor or in the enclosed plaza at the center of the marketplace. My goal this morning happens to be a small stall located on the edge between the plaza and the building itself. Arriving before the stall I see the familiar face of the Tlassel Fringer. He¡¯s an older man his hands worn and callused from the craft that he practices. His craft being an crystal crafter. His small stall sports two shelves filled to the brim with all the various mana crystals he has either crafted himself or found during his journeys.


    As I approach he is bent over a small mana forge. I watch as his face twists in concentration as he pours his mana into the small set of crystals that he is nurturing. Ever so slowly the crystals begin to grow absorbing more and more of the mana that he inputting several beads of sweat go across his brow as his mana begins to fade. After several moments there is no longer any more mana being channeled and the crystals have all grown about one to two inches. With a satisfied smile Fringer wipes off his forward with one of the sleeves of the faded yellow tunic he is wearing. It is then that he registers my presence. A scowl quickly replaces his smile as he barks out.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you youngsters supposed to be asleep this early in the morning?¡±


    I reply with a grin, ¡°Not this particular youngster. Besides not everyone is as lazy as that assistant you have.¡±


    His scowl only deepens at the mention of his assistant, ¡°Ai, what will I ever do with that boy, he¡¯s a Whasshi for the Throne¡¯s sake. Yet he has yet to act like he actually deserves that title,¡± he says, before turning his piercing brown eyes into myself, ¡°so I can only assume there is one thing that would bring you here this morning Calamacy-vim.¡±


    ¡°Indeed Fringer-fa,¡± I reply, ¡°You said you would have that crystal fully charged by this morning, and it¡¯s the morning.¡±


    He stares at me a moment longer, before reaching into a wooden box next to the mana forge. He pulls out a hexagonal crystal a deep yellow color. Placing it on the table he then gestures with his hand for me to keep up my side of the bargain. I reach into the bag that I am carrying by my side and pull out a small stack of papers and a worn looking book. Even before I can put the papers on the table he has snatched them out of hand and is hungrily pouring over them. I smile at his haste, and instead take the crystal and place it in my bag, leaving the book on the table


    I say to him, ¡°That is the last of the book transcribed. I hope it helps.¡±


    He nods distractedly and waves me off with his hand. I make my way away from his stall and wander up to the second floor. Up there a variety of smells overtake my nose. Including the smells from a food stall which has decided to remind that I only had a small fruit for breakfast. My stomach growling in appreciation of the smells I make my way over to find that the small counter is already full of patrons, with several others waiting for a chance to eat. I move to get in line, but the several Coern notice my presence and move out of the way, giving a small bow. I try to hide my frustration and motion them back into their place but they are already moving behind me. Not wanting to make a scene I reluctantly step forward to the front of line, but a Dralfey sitting at the counter has already stood up and motions for me to take her seat. Once again I try to refuse the offered seat, but I can only put up a token resistance before the other patrons take note of the Dralfey¡¯s actions and they quickly move to stand up to offer their own seats.


    With a sigh I accept the Dralfey¡¯s seat and with a hand motion indicate that the other patrons should retake their seats.


    The cook behind the counter, her blue robe denoting her as a Whasshi, gives me a short bow before placing saying, ¡°Thank you for visiting my humble stall, Calamacy-vim. How may I be or service?¡±


    ¡°Please Whasshi-fe, I would like one of the breakfast plates that you are serving.¡± I say.


    She bows slightly before turning back to her stove. With practiced deft motions she goes about assembling another plate. I try and get myself to simmer back down, but it is a little difficult because of the distance that several of the patrons are trying to make even as they are sitting on their stools. Not to mention several of the whispers from the individual in the lines. Normally I can avoid most of this and tune out most of the whispers by getting my own booth or just informing those around me to not treat me differently. But the latter method only works with those that I interact with on a more regular basis, while this particular doesn¡¯t quite have another booth to offer to its clients.


    ¡°I did ask for this,¡± I think, ¡°It is frustrating though how people distance themselves, almost as if I¡¯m carrying some type of dangerous contagious substance that would infect them if they were to get within several feet of me.¡± I heave another mental sigh. For I know that the people are just trying to be differential like they were taught. ¡°Why can¡¯t more people be like Altia, or that Prior ¡®Gramps.¡¯ Speaking of Altia I hope that she likes the gift I got her.¡±


    I am brought out of my musings by the Whasshi cook placing a plate of the food in front of me. It mainly consists of several scoops of shredded potatoes that have been blended with eggs and some vegetables. Each one pressed flat and fried on a skillet. It tasted as good as it smelt and was gone within moments of the plate being put in front of me. As I finished my meal I slipped some coins under the plate without the cook seeing. Standing up I moved to pay for the meal, but was quickly stopped by the cook as she started refusing to take money from one such as myself. It was an old argument and one that had almost become ritualistic for me. Almost everywhere I went especially in the common parts of the town it was always a fight to get the storekeepers to accept my money. I had learned over the years how to either make trades for items or to find another way to leave the money at the stall. Even though Altia has criticized me in the past for not taking advantage of the fact that I essentially don¡¯t have to pay for anything, that still didn¡¯t mean that I was going to do it. I manage to leave the stall before the cook discovers the money under the plate. With a small smile of triumph I head toward the nobles district.


    Compared to where the academy lies, the nobles district is over an hour walk away. The academy lies in the southwest of the city. While the nobles district is in the north with the cliffs that house the Palace of the Royalty. As I begin my walk I look up toward the Palace where it seems to sit, looming over the whole city a constant reminder of whom the true rulers are. For me the Palace represents two things. One, it is where that Prior ¡®Gramps¡¯ resides, the man who is technically my benefactor. Technically because outside of arranging for me to stay at the academy, he remains completely uninvolved in the rest of my life. Two, it acts as a good reference point to guide oneself around the city. Which is what I¡¯m currently using it for.


    The walk was uneventful up until I got to the main boulevard that runs east to west. This particular street carries much of the traffic flow of the city, whether that be from individuals trying to get across the city or merchants and foreign diplomats trying to enter or exit the city. When I approached the street I noticed that it seemed to be overflowing more than usual. A little surprising that this a day of rest. So surely there must be some sort of event going on, at least the preparations for such a thing. In any case I tried to scope out what would be the best way to get across the street without getting run over by the multitude or carts and carriages traversing back and forth.


    Seeing an opportunity arrive in the form of a cluster of monks from the Church of the Resplendent Light, I seized upon the opportunity to cut in behind the monks and then scramble the rest of the way once a gap appeared among the carriages going the other way. Arriving on the other side I breath out a of sigh of relief as I notice out of the corner of my eye a carriage pull up to the curb right beside me. I turn my head to look at the carriage as I hear a deep bass voice ring out from inside the carriage.


    ¡°Greetings Calamacy-vim.¡± The voice says as its owner steps out of the carriage, ¡°I couldn¡¯t help but notice vim attempting to cross the street. I had hoped that maybe I could offer some assistance with the matter, but by the time I grew close enough to hail vim, vim had already seized the opportunity and crossed the boulevard. A rather harrowing sight to behold I¡¯m afraid. So I felt that perhaps I should lend vim my carriage so that vim can complete her journey without putting herself in harm¡¯s way.¡± By the time he was done talking he had gotten completely out of the carriage and was standing to the side. He gave a short bow as he finished and then stood there making no other motion.


    Almost immediately when I had heard his voice I had recognized who this individual was. Standing at well over 6 feet and weighing in at quite possibly 250 pounds, the current Chancellor to the Ivy Throne is an imposing man. The sheer bulk on his frame in combination with the sharp look from his dark green eyes, only enhanced the feeling of power one associated with the green robe of a Kassari. He had a shock of graying hair that came down to his shoulders. But perhaps the most alarming feature would be his voice. That deep bass that he spoke with was so compelling and clear that one couldn¡¯t help but focus on him when he spoke. I had dealt with him a few times over the years. Every time I did he was always the model of perfection and civility yet I could feel that there was more going on behind the surface. A fact that was accentuated even now by the sharp piercing gaze that he was giving me.


    Giving him a short nod of my head I say, ¡°Kassari Vandel, the offer that fa had given me leaves me humbled, but alas I must refuse. I am quite enjoying walking out among the city and moving through the city is not the great risk that you are presuming. Now I don¡¯t wish to use up anymore of fa¡¯s valuable time so I shall be on my way.¡± I quickly leave him there standing next to his carriage, his sharp gaze still felt on my back as I walk away.


    Kassari Vandel


    ¡°This child,¡± I mumble to myself as I see her walk away, her red robe fluttering slightly in the light breeze blowing through the city. I climb back into the carriage and motion for the driver to continue the journey to the docks.


    If only I could get her on my side. Then my timetable for some of my plans would be cut in half. Yet every time that I try to help her or reach out to her, she just shrugs me off. Its infuriating. I¡¯m interrupted from my musings by the presence of another in the carriage.


    Directly across from me where there was no one but a moment ago there now sits a Kassari with her legs crossed, bluish black hair draped over one shoulder, her hands clasped in front. Her black eyes staring at me unblinkingly.


    Several moments pass as we stare at each other. I then speak up, ¡°How go the preparations for tonight¡¯s event?¡±


    The Kassari¡¯s gaze remains the same as she says, ¡°Why do you keep trying to reach out to that child?¡±


    With a dismissive gesture I reply, ¡°Curiosity mostly, she remains an unknown variable, it is merely a desire to unravel the unknown.¡±


    Blinking slowly the women, ¡°Unknown variable? As far as anyone has been able to tell, she is harmless. Her own mana pool and defenses are so weak that even a Ceorn would have no trouble dealing with her.¡±


    ¡°The variable is not herself really, it is the entity that she is connected to-¡° I am cut off as the woman interrupts.


    ¡°An entity that she does not even have the ability to summon.¡±


    Cutting her short I say, ¡°Exactly, when have you ever heard of a summoner establishing a bond and not being able to call upon it¡¯s summon. Everything that is known about summoners tells us that that is impossible. So my curiosity stems from this unknown impossibility.¡±


    She replies, ¡°Is it possible that her mana pool is too small for the bond to activate?¡±


    I shake my head, ¡°In all the discussions I¡¯ve had with other summoners, mana is only required to establish the bond and for the number of bonds one can maintain. The amount of mana she has currently allows her to maintain the one bond.¡±


    The Kassari cocks her head, ¡°I still don¡¯t see why she demands so much of your attention. At this point she poses no threat whatsoever to anything that you and I have worked on.¡±


    Sighing, I make another dismissive gesture, before changing the subject, ¡°You never answered my original question. Are all the preparations in place for tonight?¡±


    Finally breaking eye contact with me she looks out the window to her left before saying, ¡°Yes, there are several individuals in place to make a move once the opportunity arises. None of which will trace back to us.¡±


    Realizing that I had been leaning forward, I allow myself to sit back in the seat and relax. The opening stages of a new plan had been put into motion, and now it was just a matter of time to see if they would bloom to fruition. I close my mind for a moment as a multitude of scenarios run through my mind, and by the time I open them again, the Kassari is gone.


    Damn, Void Mage. I had hoped to not have to bring her into this this early. But without her sources I wouldn¡¯t be able to put things in motion. Sooner or later she will have to be dealt with¡­.

 A Party to Remember

    Calamacy Salaria


    I never did like dealing with the Ivy Throne Chancellor. Every time I met him it always felt like he was trying to measure me up and figure out how to manipulate me. He was not the only one that I¡¯ve met who¡¯s tried to manipulate me for their own purposes. But he¡¯s probably the most subtle out of all of them. I only ever had my intuition to go off of with him.


    Why can¡¯t everyone be like Gramps, I think to myself. Thinking about the Prior who I refer to as Gramps I like up at the palace looming over the city. Then again, I think, if everyone were like Gramps, there would be no way anything would get done.


    At this point I had arrived at my destination in the nobles district. Another 30 minutes had already passed from when I had my run in with Kassari Vandel. I stand before the gate to one of the noble¡¯s houses. The gate is a simple affair for nobles. Two massive pieces of metal in an opening large enough for a carriage to fit through easily. The crest of the family, a winding tornado with two lightning bolts flanking it on either side is carved into the gate itself. The name of the family, ¡®Stormcaller,¡¯ is written in big brass letters above the crest. This is the home of my friend Altia. As I stand there looking at the gate, sounds start coming from the other side, and soon the gate opens. Stepping out from inside the compound is Altia¡¯s mother. Her tall lithe figure stops when she sees me.


    ¡°Salaria-vim¡± she says, pausing for a moment to give a short bow, before continuing, ¡°A pleasure to see you child, what with the chaos erupting on this day, I haven¡¯t been able to help Altia with her own preparations.¡±


    At that point several of her aides had caught up to her and tried to start discussing issues with her, but she silenced them with a wave of her hand. Turning back to me she says, ¡°In any case I have several errands that I must run before the celebration this evening, Altia should be in her room and I know she will be delighted to see you.¡± With that she continues her stride and proceeds down the street her aides scurrying to keep up with her pace.


    I walk through the gates and nod to the gate guard as he closes the gates behind me. Walking along the cobblestone path to the main house I take a moment to admire the Stormcaller residence. There are 3 large buildings on the estate. From where I was standing I could only see two of the buildings. The first building being the main residence where Altia and her mother actually lived, and her father too whenever he was back from whichever front he is had been assigned to fight in. That building was a beautiful 3 story mansion made out of a grey granite. It walls were completely covered in rich ivies several of which were blooming flowers. The main path led to that building, but off to the side I could see an equally massive building. This other building while made of the same stone had multi-story glass windows. Even from this distance it had the look of an airy hall or temple. All around the grounds near the building were dozens of people, mostly Ceorn and Dralfey, who were scurrying about setting up decorations..


    My arrival at the main residence however did not go unnoticed. As soon as I made to knock on the big brass doors, they were pulled open by one of the family¡¯s guards. Bustling out the door came Altia herself. She quickly wrapped in one of her hugs before moving behind me.


    ¡°Save me,¡± she whispered as she tried to hide herself behind my back. Before I could ask from what, one of Altia¡¯s attendants came out through the doorway. She had what looked like an indigo dress tucked under one arm and several ribbons in her hand.


    ¡°Calamacy-vim,¡± the aide said giving a short bow, ¡°Perhaps you could convince Altia-vim, to return to her room and put the dress on that her mother spent so much time crafting for her.¡±


    ¡°Lies!¡± Altia shrieked form behind my shoulder, ¡°Mother would never make me wear a dress, she knows how much I despise dresses.¡±


    The aide simply used the hand containing the ribbons to push up her spectacles, ¡°Kassari Stormcaller, has instructed me that you are to wear this dress as is befitting your station of the daughter of a Duchess to the Cinder Throne.¡±


    Seeing the tension building between the two, I slide out from in front of Altia. Placing a hand on her back I gently push her forward while saying, ¡°Altia, you can¡¯t always be running around in pants, and besides I believe that that dress will match perfectly with your silver hair.


    After being pushed forward a small look of panic crosses Altia¡¯s face as she looks at me. Before she can get away the aide clamps a hand down on one of Altia¡¯s shoulders and proceeds to pull/drag her back into the house. I follow along and chuckle quietly to myself as Altia proceeds to barrage the aide with all manner of threats.


    As we make our way back to her room, I can¡¯t help but notice how much she looks like her mother. She has a similar tall lithe figure, with flowing silver hair, and storm cloud colored eyes. Her skin is a rich brown hue that is most commonly found in individuals from the lands of the Cinder Throne. There lies little to no trace of her father in her features.


    Over an hour passes as I sit and watch the aide fuss over Altia. Finally when she is satisfied she steps back from with a triumphant smile across her face. Altia on the other hand is sitting on the chair a pouting look marring her features as she tries to sulk. I reach into my bag and pull out the crystal that I had gotten for her.


    Waving the crystal in my hand I call out to her, ¡°Altia I got this for you.¡±


    The moment the words leave my mouth, a smile spreads across her face. She rushes over to me and I hand her the crystal.


    ¡°OH! Wow Salaria! You shouldn¡¯t have. You really shouldn¡¯t have. I can¡¯t believe you got me a focus crystal! And one that was fully charged too! This must have set you back pretty far.¡± Her eye look up at me questioningly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I happen to know a crystal crafter and we made a trade for it,¡± I say trying to dispel her curiosity. ¡°In any case I hope that crystal helps breakthrough whatever block is preventing you from tapping into your family¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°Possibly, possibly,¡± she murmurs, her mind having already switched from one thing to the next. Her focus now on the softly glowing crystal in front of her. ¡°Come Salaria, let¡¯s go to father¡¯s meditation room!¡±


    ¡°Altia-vim! Don¡¯t forget that you have a party to attend later this evening.¡± The aide calls out to her as she grabs my hand and drags me off to the other side of the residence.


    We enter her father¡¯s meditation room, which is furnished with several large cushions on the floor and a table against the far wall, in which several containers of incense stand. Altia almost immediately plops down on one of the cushions and holding the crystal in her hand begins to focus. I close the door behind me and watch her for a moment before taking my own spot. Left to myself I retreat into my thoughts


    I really do hope that she is able to break through that barrier. Its hard to really guess if she will ever be able to break through whatever barrier is blocking her, as far as I can tell no one really knows how the Stormcaller family is able to connect with the elements. It definitely is not through their mana pools, Altia actually has a larger mana pool than her father, yet her father can create massive winds and gather storm clouds with just the swipe of a hand.


    A brightening of the room brings me out of my reverie. Where Altia is sitting I see the same yellow glow that surrounded the crystal now covering Altia herself. Her hands rest on her knees and her eyes are closed. The crystal is floating in the air just in front of her. I notice a gentle hum reverberating ever so slightly around the room. With a sigh I close my eyes and focus inward to my own mana pool.


    If only focus crystals worked for me.


    In the past I had attempted to use several crystals to supplement my own mana pool and try and call forth my summon. The only reaction was for the crystal to become quickly depleted and crack. The bond itself would be completely untouched, no growth and no response.


    Seeing that my mana pool had filled up again over the past couple of hours, I focus in on the bond itself. In my minds eye, I take a hold of the strand and pour the little mana I have into it. Once again the mana disappears along the strand. I wait for several moments just as I always have. Yet the strand just hangs there stretching on into what seems like infinity.


    When I bring myself back to reality, I see Altia sitting there, a light frown on her face. She is holding the crystal in one of her hands, and is staring at it in a contemplating manner.


    ¡°No success?¡± I ask


    She rests her chin in her other hand and continues to stare at the crystal as she says, ¡°Not yet. But I got CLOSE. There was something there. But no matter how I looked or tried to connect to it, it remained just out of my grasp.¡±


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll be able to ever reach it?¡± I ask again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Altia sighs, ¡°Mother and father have both described what happened whenever they finally awoke to their powers, and in both their cases it just clicked for them, they never had to struggle to find it and connect to it, whatever IT is.¡± With that she placed the crystal on the ground and turned toward me. ¡°What about you? Any luck?¡±


    I just shake my head.


    She gives another sigh, ¡°Two of a kind, eh? Both of us with our abilities just out of reach.¡± She leans back and reaches out with one hand, as if attempting to make a grab at the source of our yearnings. I see the look of disappointment and yearning on her face for just a moment before it is quickly covered up again.


    Smiling she looks at me again and says, ¡°Well at least you get the rank even if you can¡¯t use it.¡±


    I snort derisively at her and throw one of the pillows at her face. Before Altia can retaliate, there¡¯s a soft knock on the door. Altia gets up to answer it and when she opens the door her aide is standing on the other side.


    ¡°Altia-vim, your mother asked me to inform you that several of the guests have arrived, and she asks you to attend to them.¡± The aide says.


    Altia sighs, ¡°Very well Vallsea-fe. I¡¯ll be down in a moment.¡±


    The aid nods her head and leaves. Altia closes the door and flops down onto one of the pillows next to me.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°Ah how I wish that my mother hadn¡¯t put on this stupid party.¡± She says, as she grabs another pillow and buries her head in it.


    ¡°Now, now,¡± I chide, ¡°every noble family has a party for their daughters when they turn sixteen. This party is more for the parents to meet and gossip than it is for you. Besides at least you get to have a party.¡±


    She takes the pillow off her face and throws me a dirty look, ¡°I would trade places for you in a second, that way I wouldn¡¯t have to attend to all the guests. They¡¯re all so stiff and formal, and they never mean what they say. Not to mention the ones that are our age.¡± She covers her face again with the pillow.


    I smile at her, used to her antics and the rants that she tends to go off on. ¡°We should get going, no sense in making your mother angry at you.¡± I say, as we both get up and head downstairs.


    Dralfey Altia


    Finally done! I breathe a sigh of relief as the last of the guests comes through the gate and I can finally make my way back to the party itself.


    In front of me I see the family¡¯s guest hall lit up with a crowd of people making their way inside. The sun was just beginning to set as the last group of guests arrived and the last traces of sunlight still lingered enough to paint the sky a fabulous watercolor of reds and pinks.


    Reminds me of the Cinder Lands, I think. The sky had much of the same hues that were present the last time I had gone to visit. The family¡¯s actual lands and history all came from the Cinder Lands, and as such during the academy breaks, my mother often took me back there to visit. If it weren¡¯t for my father being a companion to the Royalty of the Cinder Throne then my mother would never leave the Cinder Lands themselves. Speaking of my father, I think to myself as my footsteps echo on the stone pathway, I wish he could be here, I haven¡¯t seen him in almost a year. If he were here, I know that I would be looking forward to this party rather than dragging my feet about it.


    As I get closer to the hall itself, I notice several of the caterers, all Ceorn standing and talking to each other rather than serving or working the tables inside. I stare at them for several moments while I make my way to the hall. At one point one of them notices me and waves for the others to fall silent. He smiles at me and bows. When he is eyes make contact I feel a shiver down my spine. I look away and hurry inside.


    Something¡¯s off about those Ceorn. I think to myself as I enter the hall.


    My mind quickly puts those thoughts aside as I enter the hall. The hall looks magnificent with the large windows filtering in the last of the sunlight from outside, along with a dozen or so mage lights providing the main source of illumination throughout the building. There are decorations filling all the wills, curtains and draperies in the gray and white that are the Stormcaller colors along with streamers of indigo as a nod to my own rank. The tables themselves are draped in great white cloths with a gray square in the middle. On top of that gray square sits a vase filled with white and indigo flowers. All around the hall the guests are milling about. Many of the guests have the darker skin tones, them being denizens from the Cinder Lands. While others have the lighter tones associated with the other Thrones, including several individuals with the telltale brass rings about their upper arms marking them from the lands of Brunkaalm, a land currently controlled by the Royalty of the Brass Throne, and the one that my father happened to be stationed at.


    I have but a few moments to notice all of this before I am immediately greeted by several students from the academy.


    ¡°Dralfey Stormcaller,¡± one of them calls out, ¡°Thank you for inviting us to your party this evening.¡± He was a taller than average student. His white hair and greenish eyes marking him as a noble of the Ivy Throne. Out of the five students who are greeting her, he is the highest ranked having risen to the rank of Tlassel. All the others in this group were Whasshi.


    ¡°Greetings Tlassel Klass. Thank you for honoring us with your presence.¡± Almost as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she knew she had made a mistake.


    One of the Whasshi sneered slightly as he said, ¡°An honor indeed, if it weren¡¯t for your mother, no one would bother with attending the party of a mere Dralfey.¡±


    The whole group chimed in agreement with the Tlassel smiling triumphantly. He had always done this to me. He liked to pick on those weaker then himself, and recently because of my inability to get out of the Dralfey rank or use my family¡¯s powers I had become an ever increasing target of his teasing.


    I started to feel flush in my face. My whole body was starting to heat up, and it started to feel very stuffy even in the big spacious hall. I couldn¡¯t leave though, considering that this was my party. I couldn¡¯t tell if the reason for being so warm was because of my own embarrassment or because of the anger building up inside of me.


    Fortunately at around this time Salaria arrived and quickly maneuvered through the group of students towards me. One look at her face and I could see the anger and frustration boiling inside of her. She grabbed one of my arms and made as to move in deeper into the hall. When she had arrived the students had all quieted down and where waiting to see what the Tlassel would do.


    As she made her way to move deeper into the hall, Tlassel Klass stood in her way, his arms crossed in front of her chest.


    ¡°Move.¡± Salaria said to him.


    He stood there for several moments each moment in obvious defiance to her command. Until finally he stepped aside. The heat in my body continued to rise in tandem to my own anger, frustration taking the place of embarrassment.


    As we passed by him he said loud enough to hear. ¡°My father tells me that giving the Calamacy rank to one so young was a mistake.¡± Salaria paused for a moment as he continued, ¡°He said that if he had been in charge she would have never made it to see the next day.¡±


    Salaria stopped and turned to face him. I could feel her whole body trembling in anger as she stared at him. She simply stared at him, her with the look of cold fury on her face and him with a smirk plastered across hers. Several moments passed as she continued to stare at him. The other students all started shifting uncomfortably. I could see in their faces that they all thought that Klass had gone too far.


    One of them tried to break the tension by saying, ¡°Klass-vos, we should go¡­¡±


    At which point Klass interrupted him, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of some phony who can¡¯t even call upon her summon.¡±


    Salaria merely stood there staring angrily at him. Her hand tightened on my arm as she replied through gritted teeth. ¡°Well apparently your grandmother was afraid, considering she was one of the one¡¯s who gave me this rank, Tlassel-vi.¡±


    That comment seemed to strike home, not just because Salaria had insulted Klass¡¯s grandmother, who happened to be the current Royalty of the Ivy Throne, but also because she had called him ¡°vi¡± instead of ¡°vos¡± implying that he was not only younger him but that he was a child compared to her.


    The smirk on Klass¡¯s face disappeared and I could see his own anger building at the two-fold insult. Several of the Whasshi students started coaxing Klass to calm down, trying to diffuse the escalating tension before Klass did something stupid. Which of course he did.


    As the other Whasshi were trying to talk him down, he spat out one last retort, ¡°At least I didn¡¯t kill my parents.¡±


    That was the last straw for me. The heat had built up to a pounding in my head and when those words left my lips, I saw the shock in everyone¡¯s eyes, including Salaria¡¯s. The anger seemed to be swelling up inside me, and then something clicked. The whole world seemed to take on a sharp focus. I saw Klass standing there, a slightly feral smirk on his lips, for he knew that that comment had hit home. I saw the widening of everyone¡¯s eyes, and before I knew what I was doing I felt a surge of energy pour through me. Extending a hand out, I could feel the energy focusing in my hand just begging for release.


    ¡°Leave,¡± I whispered. Letting go of the energy I felt a gale wind erupt from my hand, the wind itself slamming into Klass and the other Whasshi. Everyone except for Klass were pushed away, several losing their balance completely so that the wind picked them up and threw them out the open door to the hall. The Tlassel was trying to remain standing against the wind pressure, but was slowly losing ground.


    A hand on my shoulder shifted my attention away from the students, and I saw Salaria standing there.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± I heard her say. Behind her I could see everyone in the hall had stopped what they were doing and were watching silently.


    Realizing what I was doing I let go of the wind. As the wind died down I fled from the hall, not wanting to have to face all those individuals, especially my mother. I would have to face them eventually, but not right now. Not with what just happened.


    Calamacy Salaria


    I stood there in the aftermath, watching as Altia came back to her senses and left the hall. The students who had been provoking us scurried out of the way as Altia passed by. Even that Tlassel Klass didn¡¯t do anything, there was merely a look of not comprehending what had just happened written across his face.


    Facing all the students I say, ¡°I think it would best if you retire for the evening.¡± They merely nodded their heads and one by one left the hall. Giving assistance to those who had fallen completely on the ground. Outside I could hear the sound of raindrops beginning to fall.


    I turned around to face the rest of the crowd and saw Altia¡¯s mother staring at me intently. The hall was still fairly silent, many of the individuals still curious as to what happened. Several looked outraged but they seemed to be containing their emotions for the moment. Taking this opportunity I made my way through the crowd toward Altia¡¯s mother.


    When I arrived in front of her, I looked her in the eyes and said, ¡°Duchess Kassari-fe, I apologize on behalf of your daughter for the disturbance this evening, but it seems due to discussion with one of our classmates from the academy your daughter has managed to finally breakthrough and call upon the Stormcaller magic.¡±


    Watching her eyes, I saw the understanding dawn on her and also the questions that she wanted to ask. But before she could I ask I gave her a small bow and excused myself from her presence. Walking out of the hall I headed for where I knew Altia would retreat to.


    It didn¡¯t take long to find her. Even though by the time I had reached her I was thoroughly soaked at the rain coming down. I found her standing in a small clearing near the edge of the estate. Her arms were out and her head was tilted back.


    ¡°So this is what my parents meant.¡± She said. She continued to stare up at the sky as the rain was pelting down on both of us.


    I stood there silently waiting for her to continue her thought.


    She finally brought her arms down and looked at me. ¡°No wonder they couldn¡¯t describe how to connect to it, it¡¯s just¡­.. there,¡± She said reaching a hand out to nowhere in particular.


    I spoke up a slight smirk crossing my face, ¡°Congrats Altia, you not only managed to break through, but also managed to assault the grandson of the Royalty of the Ivy Throne.¡±


    A smile broke across her face as she looked at me, ¡°I did, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°The look of surprise on that jerks face was well worth it in my opinion,¡± I say.


    At that we both burst out laughing. The rain started to lighten up. Since the sun had gone down we could only rely on the lights of the hall in the distance to guide us as we made our way back.


    It was silent for the first few minutes as we both calmed down. Finally Altia asked, ¡°Do you think mother is going to be mad at me?¡±


    ¡°Probably not, I already made some apologies for you, and I figure she never really liked Klass in the first place, so you¡¯ll probably get off because you managed to tap into the family power¡­.¡± I trailed off because I noticed Altia had stopped moving. She stood there for several moments unblinking.


    Feeling something was off I stepped forward to touch her, when I noticed a movement out of the corner of my eye. Something in all black rushed toward me and a small glint of medal flickered at me. I felt a moment of panic as the realization struck home, I¡¯m being attacked.


    Then everything went black.

 An Endless Abyss

    Unknown


    There it was again. I thought to myself. Feeling the ever so familiar tug that has been calling to me for over 11 years now. It has definitely gotten stronger.


    ¡°What¡¯s gotten stronger, brother?¡± I hear the thoughts of my brother inside my mind. With a slight shake of my head I look across the table at him.


    ¡°Your shields are down you know.¡± He says a slight smirk across his face.


    I snort quietly but make no effort to raise my mental shields. There¡¯s no need at the present moment. It¡¯s another peaceful morning. My brother and I sit across from each other at the grand table that I built. Around us several of our friends and companions are waking up and going about their morning rituals. It¡¯s a familiar and peaceful scene to me.


    Using the special telepathic connection I have my with my brother I say, ¡°That¡¯s the second time today that she¡¯s called me.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± he says, ¡°but what¡¯s this about getting stronger? Surely something as trivial as this is nothing compared to the ¡®Great Riros.¡¯¡± The smirk on his face grows slightly larger as he eyes twinkle mischievously.


    I take a sip out of the mug I¡¯m holding, savoring the special brew, before replying, ¡°Well its nothing more than a nagging feeling in the back of my mind, but it has grown over the years. It used to be just a small itch that you couldn¡¯t quite scratch.¡±


    My brother¡¯s face turns more serious, the mischievous twinkle turning into a sharp piercing gaze. He leans forward resting his arms on the table. His own mug held in his hands. ¡°Is it that time?¡±


    I shake my head again, ¡°Not quite, it would take her possibly the next 100 years in order to be more than a brief annoyance. But she has reached a point where if I were to respond, it would be very difficult to return.¡±


    He takes a sip from his rug, ¡°I still don¡¯t understand how she was able to make such a connection in the first place. You said she was a small child when she first reached out to you.¡±


    ¡°She was,¡± I say interrupting his flow of thoughts, ¡°I resisted the connection at first, but the constant cry for help was just something I couldn¡¯t ignore.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t save them all, Riros,¡± he says one last time before sitting back in his chair.


    I¡¯m not trying to, I think to myself, raising up some of my mental barriers and blocking out my brother from his intrusions. I sit there sipping on my mug, letting my own thoughts churn for the moment.


    Fortunately today is an off day for me and the rest of the group of companions that my brother and I lovingly refer to as our ¡°Crew¡±. So the day passes mostly uneventfully. There¡¯s a few sparring matches with some of the rowdier members of the Crew. But for the most part everyone is relaxing in the grand hall that we call home.


    With free time readily available I turn my thoughts toward myself and study the strange source of mana that has been pouring into me steadily over the past 11 years. Every day the source grows larger. Several discussions with my brother and others of the more magically inclined members of our family have led me to believe that she has tied up a significant portion of her mana pool in an attempt to actually summon me to wherever she is. The mana pool that she used to call me last time was pitiful compared to this, and as such she only ended up calling forth a fraction of my actual essence. Which was an interesting experience in itself..


    This time though the amount of mana she has poured through our connection into me should be enough to actually pull all of me away from her. If I let her. The connection that she created seems to be similar to the one that my brother and I have, except that I also pick up on her emotions. Fortunately it seems that even the most simple of my mental barriers that I have in place prevent her from picking up on anything that I send out.


    While I am contemplating the effects of the connection, I feel a growing sense of foreboding coming from the connection itself. Standing up quickly from where I was lounging I look to the other chair where my brother is relaxing. He looks up from the article he was reading and once his eyes meet mine, he understands.


    All of a sudden I feel panic coming through the connection, and three words echo through my mind, I¡¯m being attacked.


    Nodding to my brother I stop resisting the call and close my eyes, letting all the girl¡¯s mana that was coursing through me take over and I feel myself shift. Except this time I make sure all of me shifts. There is a distortion that happens around me, as if all my senses are being shifted and pulled in ways that they aren¡¯t meant to, and then it is over.


    I know it is over because I feel a faint breeze against my skin, and I can smell the familiar yet slightly off smell of grass and woods and plants. I open my eyes and find myself standing in a small clearing. It is night time outside, I¡¯m standing in the middle of a pathway with some lights lighting up parts of the path. Off in the distance there is a hall of some kind full of life and I can hear faint echoes of chatter and people. Looking around me there is no sign of her.


    Where is she? I think to myself.


    I take a closer look at my immediate surroundings and see signs of a small scuffle. Also there is some kind of liquid splashed on the ground. It doesn¡¯t appear to be blood. I dip one of my fingers and the liquid and take a small taste.


    A disinfectant of some kind. I think, possibly to throw off someone¡¯s tracks. I study the scene for a few more moments. Then I give a sigh. Looks like I¡¯m going to have to try and locate her through the connection.


    Duchess Kassari Stormcaller


    Where is that child, I think to myself, she should have returned by now. Looking about the party it has gotten late enough that people are starting to trickle out. The whole night I had been fielding questions about where she had gone and I could only tell them that she had stepped out to get some fresh air. Of course not all those that wanted to see her had benign intentions. Speaking of which, one of those people are now approaching me. Although this one is definitely trouble.


    A large giant of a man approaches. His pure white hair spilling over his shoulder and down his back. Vibrant green eyes stare at me intently. He is wearing a dark violet silk tunic with silk pants. Emblazoned above his left breast is the wrapped ivy strand of the Ivy Throne.


    I wish that husband of mine was here, he would be able to take care of this situation. I think to myself, as Dolveran Carheim Wostrauss stops in front of me.


    ¡°Kassari Stormcaller,¡± he says using my rank rather than my title, ¡°Where is your daughter?¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Dolveran Wostrauss, I am not sure, she may have retired for the eveni-¡± I am interrupted before I can even finish the sentence.


    ¡°Feh, why would she retire before she even has a chance to present herself to everyone?¡± He says waving one of his large arms as if to encompass the rest of the partygoers.


    ¡°You must understand Dolveran, that when a Stormcaller comes into their own power it can be a very taxing undertaking.¡± I say.


    He lets out a huff of derision, ¡°You call attacking the grandson of the Ivy Royalty a taxing undertaking? By the Throne¡¯s woman. If I hadn¡¯t trained my son in Whasshi-level barrier magic he would be nothing but a pulp against the door.¡±


    By now tension was starting to grow in the hall itself. Wostrauss¡¯s voice could be heard quite clearly, cutting through the burble of conversation. The hall grew quiet as many of the individuals waited to hear my response.


    ¡°I would hardly call that being smashed to a pulp. Your son¡¯s friends seemed to be just fine and they had no barrier magic to protect themselves. I¡¯ll admit that I had hoped for her to gain her powers in another fashion, but the Storm magic for which we get our name is one that is based on our emotions.¡± I say feeling the rising of my own frustration at the man before me. I could feel the movement of the air around me. A breeze started to ripple throughout the hall, while outside storm clouds gathered, hidden by the night sky.


    Dolveran Wostrauss seemed to be feeding off the tension that was developing as he said, ¡°So you¡¯re saying that I should dismiss this outright attack against my son as nothing more than an emotional fancy? So if she were to attack and kill another, we should just dismiss it as nothing more than an emotional fit?¡±


    He was winding himself up. This whole situation put him in his element. I knew that this was going to take a while, and the whole time he would be attempting to not only get me to capitulate but also to get the other individuals here to agree with him. He was always playing the politics.


    Why do you have to be gone Darien. I think again.


    In the middle of his tirade everyone stops. Everyone is frozen in fear. Even I myself feel small beads of sweat starting to trickle down my spine. Everyone here remembers this sense of dread and sense of powerlessness. Not even Wostrauss in front of me can move as I watch his eyes widen in surprise, and the fear take over his face. Even amidst my own fear I allow myself a small smile at seeing Wostrauss affected.


    Three figures appear in our midst. Three flowing white robes flap at the winds my own fear is producing. One of the individuals, a shorter female with flowing black hair claps her hands together and almost immediately the pressure is lessened. I see what looks like a burning seal floating in the air before her, before my own view is obscured by another of the white robed figures.


    I come to my senses to see standing before me the Cinder Royalty himself. His almost reddish almost black skin radiating warmth. I look up into his eyes as he takes his hand into mine. They are like glowing embers, ready to burst into flame at any moment. I hear his voice, he seems to be speaking to me, but I can¡¯t tell what he¡¯s saying. I try to focus on his words now that the menacing presence has lessened it comes to me easier.


    ¡°Valeria, I need you to control your emotions. Valeria hear my words. Valeria, I need you to hear me.¡± He is saying. Repeating the same phrases until finally he sees that I am understanding him.


    As I do I finally hear the roaring of the air around me, the wind is coming in so fiercely that it has blown out the tall windows and is whipping all around us. I feel the storm outside as it is raging across the city, the elements having reacted to my own fear.


    Nodding my head at him, I take my hand out of his and try to steady my own emotions. Slowly my breathing comes under control and the winds and pressure from outside fade to but a dull roar. The still present presence of powerlessness and fear preventing me from fully calming the storm down.


    ¡°Thank you Valeria,¡± The Cinder Royalty says to me, his tone reminds me of a more peaceful time, a time in which the Cinder Throne was but a glimmer of a dream in his eyes. A time when it was just three of us playing in the fields of the Cinder Lands.


    Next to him Wostrauss is regaining himself. Seeing that the Cinder Royalty is standing before him talking to me, I watch as his face starts to heat up again, as he prepares to launch himself into a tirade


    ¡°If you will excuse me Your Royalty. But I have several grievances whi-¡±


    The Cinder Royalty turns to face Wostrauss, and Wostrauss face turns back to the same pale it had earlier when the presence had arrived.


    ¡°Dolveran Wostrauss-vos, this is hardly the time or place for you to air your grievances. I expect you to hold your tongue until after the issue at hand is solved.¡± He says before turning back to me, ¡°Valeria-vos I will need you to accompany the three of us as we move to the next step. Remember it will be important for you to remain in control.¡±


    I nod my head hesitantly confused about why I must follow them, but before I can say anything the Cinder Royalty has already pulled me toward the other two Nelselphs. The black hair one I recognize as one of the Prior of the Onyx throne. She gives me a slight smile as she looks at me with her completely black eyes. The other individual I recognize almost immediately. He is the Prior to the Phoenix throne and arguably the most powerful individual alive in all of the Royalties of Eldesaria. His massive mane of bright red hair has streaks of gray running through it, and his eyes glow with a burning intensity which is completely startling after seeing the Cinder Royalties smoldering embers. He nods his head at me and with a clap of his hands teleports the four of us away from the hall.


    Dralfey Altia


    I wake up by falling out of the bench I was laying on. I hear the creak of floor boards above me. I try to sit myself up and find out two things. My hands and feet appear to be shackled together and I have a massive headache. Opening my eyes doesn¡¯t help, because there¡¯s nothing really to see. In the darkness that surrounds me I can only make out the vague shape of what looks like bars to my left and another shape that looks vaguely humanoid lying on a bench in front of me.


    I try to remember how I got her and the only thing that seems to come to me through the fogginess and the pain is that Salaria and I were walking back to my family¡¯s hall together. I heard Salaria stiffen in surprise and when I turned to look at her all I saw was a figure covered in black burst out of the underbrush towards Salaria. That figure hit her over the head with the butt of a dagger and then I myself was grabbed and¡­..and¡­¡­.


    Black, I think, Everything just goes black after that.


    Looking around again I notice that my eyes seem to have adjusted a little better. Where exactly am I? Was I actually kidnapped? If so how did they get into the estate? So many questions, so little answers. My head is pounding. I feel something slick sliding down part of my face. I reach up touch it only to find that the moment I touch my face there is a searing pain throughout my head. Some of the liquid is on my finger and I give a tentative lick to taste it.


    Blood.


    That¡¯s definitely not a good sign. Speaking of not a good sign, there¡¯s something missing that I¡¯m not understanding about the whole situation.


    What is it that¡¯s bothering me? It¡¯s not the kidnapping is it? The more I think the more my head throbs. Leaning back against the bench I feel the cool stone against my back. I lie there for a little while longer trying to let the headache fade.


    That¡¯s when I my breath gets caught in my throat as this terrifying feeling of despair and powerlessness washes over me. My mind immediately remembers where this feeling is from. Eleven years ago comes flashing back immediately and I find myself as the same small child lying in her bed woken up by this presence. Unable to breathe or speak, only my heart beats echo in the ensuing quiet. I recall that feeling even now as my head is pounding in sync with the beat of my heart. Everything is quiet. Too afraid to even move I just lie there, every muscle in my body locked and the pounding in my head the only terrible constant against the unbearable pressure. One question resounding throughout my head, Why? Why is it back?


    Only vaguely does it register that there are noises upstairs. The pounding is too much the fear is everywhere, all-encompassing soaking down into my very being, slowly ever so slowly I feel myself succumbing and everything starts to fall into darkness, true darkness, not the faint darkness that I am surrounded with.


    There¡¯s a touch on my shoulder. The pressure is gone instantly but the pounding remains, there¡¯s so much relief that I let out a gasp as my body begins to try and breathe. My lungs greedily suck in as much air as they can and I swallow my own saliva and choke. Coughing, my lungs spasm and I fall forward. I stick my hand out and brace myself on the ground.


    Wait. Wasn¡¯t I shackled a moment ago? How come my hands and feet are free?


    I open my eyes and everything around me seems to be glowing. I can tell that it is still dark outside and I can feel what I assume is dried blood now cake on my face. But why is everything glowing. I notice a glow even about myself as if some of what is glowing is being expelled by me.


    Getting control of coughing, I breathe in deeply as the burning in my lungs starts to fade. I shift back and push my hair out of the way. I stop again frozen in place.


    Squatting before me is an abyss. An unfathomable well of darkness. Even the faint glow that seems to be floating around and is coming off of me is being absorbed and devoured by this entity in front of me. The feeling of despair and helplessness starts to creep back in as the entity shifts and I meet its eyes.

 Confrontations

    Summon Riros


    Well shit. I think as I see the terror creeping back into the girl in front of me. I didn¡¯t expect to meet someone who could see the mana flows. That¡¯s going to make this a little harder.


    I reach out my hand toward her head. I see the fear flare up even more. Her body remains paralyzed by indecision though. The moment my finger touches her head I try to communicate with her. She stiffens up even more as the words echo in her mind.


    Dralfey Altia


    ¡°Little one, I am not here to harm you, I am here to ask for your help.¡±


    These words echo throughout my mind. My first reaction is to try and move away, but as the word leave my mind I force myself to relax a little bit. There is still a dull pounding in my head but that is probably from whatever injury I have.


    The entity in front of me removes his hand and rests back on his leg. I blink a few times watching as he continues to absorb all the floating glowing¡­.stuff¡­.


    I hear his voice echo through my mind once again, ¡°I am Riros, I understand you¡¯re afraid right now, but I need you to know if you can understand me?¡±


    It takes less time to understand him. I hesitantly nod me head. I try to say, ¡°My name is Altia.¡±


    The moment I open my mouth he holds up his hand as if to stop me.


    I hear his voice again in my head ¡°I cannot understand your tongue, if you wish to say something you must think of it first and then imagine you are saying that toward me.¡±


    Alright, I think to myself. I think, My name is Altia.


    I look at him expectantly. He shakes his head.


    I hear his voice again, ¡°You must think at me. Imagine as if you were going to actually speak to me as you earlier but do it in your head.¡±


    This time I build a picture in my mind of me talking to him, and I think, ¡°My name is Altia¡±


    Almost immediately I know it works. As I think those four words I can feel them connect in his own mind. I¡¯m almost overwhelmed by the sensation of it. For the brief moment of contact as the words were out into his mind a felt an indescribable sensation of closeness. As if I was peering into the very fabric of who he was and being made a part of him. A shiver runs down my spine as I recall the sensation.


    ¡°Hello Altia,¡± He says and smiles at me.


    At least I think he smiled at me. I am actually unable to see his facial features in the dark, and even with the strange glowing he remains completely shrouded in darkness. It was more like he sent me a picture of him smiling. The more I thought about it, the more confused I become.


    His voice cuts through my confusion, ¡°Now Altia, I need your help with the girl on the bench. She doesn¡¯t appear to be breathing well and she seems to have suffered a head injury.¡±


    I turn to look at the girl on the bench and then it hits me.


    That¡¯s what I had been forgetting. This whole time I had been trying to remember what I was missing and there it was right beside me.


    Salaria.


    Summon Riros


    I watch as the girl Altia turns to look at the other girl. It takes her but a moment before her eyes widen and I see her body start to panic again. I can sense on the surface of her thoughts that there is great turmoil going on inside.


    I remain patient and wait several minutes as the turmoil inside dies down. I use those minutes to remove the remaining shackles from the other girl. I check her pulse again, and it is faint. If it were not for the connection with her I would be more worried. But it seems for the most part whatever injury she has is not that severe.


    As I am examining the girl who called me I hear the Altia girl¡¯s voice in my head.


    ¡°Are you here for Salaria?¡±


    I look back at her. There is still turmoil going on but she seems to have herself mostly under control.


    Interesting, I think to myself. Then to her, ¡°Her name is Salaria?¡±


    Altia nods her head, and asks another question, ¡°Are you her summon?¡±


    In the darkness I can tell she is attempting to look me in the eyes.


    ¡°She is the one that called me here.¡±


    Calamacy Salaria


    Tired. I feel exhausted. It feels as if I ran across Lothelen several times without taking a single break. I feel that I¡¯m laying down. Its uncomfortable. I try to move my body, but it¡¯s super sluggish. I try to open my eyes, and it seems to take forever. It¡¯s like trying to roll a boulder up a hill. Eventually I do open my eyes and I see the strangest sight.


    I see Altia hovering over me, her hands seem to be wrapped around me head. Her hair is a mess and there is blood down one side of her face. There¡¯s a white light that¡¯s providing illumination floating just above her head.


    I try to move my hand to cover my face but I find that my body is still extremely sluggish. One of Altia¡¯s hands moves over and gently pushes my arm back down.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Salaria,¡± she says, ¡°You need to stay still and conserve your energy. You¡¯re apparently suffering mana fatigue.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I mumble through sluggish lips.


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit of a long story unfortunately. And you need your rest, just know that we¡¯re safe now. So go back to sleep and we¡¯ll be here when you wake up.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± I mumble, the urge to sleep is strong and right when I¡¯m about to nod off, I think to myself, Wait we?


    Kassari Valeria Stormcaller


    The sight before me is one that would make any person shudder in awe. We¡¯re a little ways away from Lothelen, not too far, because I can still sort of see the city in the horizon. But in front of me there is an old abandoned estate house. That¡¯s not the awe inspiring part thought, that part comes from the fact that there are currently nine Nelselphs surrounding the house. Three of which are Priors such as the two who brought me here. Besides the Cinder Royalty there is also the Brass Royalty who came out to be a part of what was going on. Besides the Nelselphs there are also twenty Dolverans who are slowly approaching the house itself. The amount of power represented here amounts for almost all of the top ranked individuals that the Royalties have in all of Eldesaria. There are probably another score or so Dolverans scattered at the various warfronts who aren¡¯t here and of course the other three Royalty who couldn¡¯t make it. Just being able to see one or two Dolveran in a lifetime, would be enough to make the lower ranks weep.


    Yet even with all of this individuals here, they were still under the pressure and influence of the entity that was in the estate. Even now with several Nelselphs maintaining suppression spells against the presence of the entity I can still feel its influence.


    I give a small shudder and feel a hand on my shoulder.


    ¡°Are you still afraid Duchess Valeria-vim?¡± I turn to see the Prior to the Phoenix throne. His tall well-built frame standing a head taller than me, and I¡¯m by no means short.


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of obvious don¡¯t you think,¡± I motion toward the surrounding weather, and the strong winds that were buffeting everyone, I look back at him and say, ¡°Although I¡¯m more worried than anything.¡±


    The burning intensity of the Prior seems to soften slightly as he squeezes my shoulder. ¡°I really wish she wasn¡¯t caught up in this. But as far as we can determine, there seems to have been something that put Salaria-vim in danger, and it looks like your daughter was caught up in it.¡±


    ¡°I understand now why you petitioned all the Royalty to give her the Calamacy rank.¡± I shudder again remembering the bodies that were found around the building. There had been what looked like a sizable force guarding the abandoned estate. All of which had been found in various forms of dismemberment. All of them had been dead when we had arrived. As far as they had told me many of them had been Gralders with more than a few Kassari mixed in. A formidable force even for a Nelselph.


    That¡¯s what really worries me though. You don¡¯t see a random grouping of higher level individuals all just doing guard duty. There is something else going on here. I doubt that all that force was meant to face the summon. It looks like it was more targeted for dealing with a Kassari or even a Dolveran.


    I was brought out of my reverie by the disappearance of that terrible presence. Almost immediately all of the individuals around the house came to even more attention. The Phoenix Prior squeezed my shoulder one more time before stepping forward to join the rest of the group.


    I heard shouts from several of the individuals in the group, yelling that the entity was on the move. The tension seemed to build as everyone waited. With the tension rising my own worries started to increase causing the wind blow even fiercer. Rain clouds also began to gather, but no rain was released.


    Dralfey Altia


    After seeing that Salaria, had gone back to sleep and was sleeping peacefully I finally turned the simple healing spell I had onto myself. With the last bits of my mana I managed to heal the wound enough that the pounding in my head finally subsided.


    Sitting back on the floor I let out a sigh of relief. Behind me I hear Riros stand up and check Salaria again. I watched as he took off his jacket and wrapped Salaria in it. When he took it off I let out another breath of surprise. He was only wearing a vest underneath. His arms were now fully visible and they were crisscrossed with scars. So many in fact it was hard to tell what exactly his original skin color was. With the light from the illumination spell I could now make out his face better. For some reason the actual light seemed to prevent me from seeing the glowing stuff. His face was also scarred, not nearly as much as his arms but it was there. Somehow though it didn¡¯t seem to detract from him and instead enhanced the mystery that surrounded him.


    Seeing where I was looking, he gives me a slight smile.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    I look away immediately, slightly embarrassed for staring.


    ¡°Now that she is stable we should get going.¡± He says, the words projecting into my head, ¡°I¡¯ll warn you though, there appears to be a lot of powerful individuals surrounding this building. At the moment I can¡¯t tell whether they are enemies are allies.¡±


    I look back at him and project into his head, ¡°Wait we¡¯re surrounded? If so why haven¡¯t they attacked?¡±


    He shrugs and picks up Salaria cradling her in his arms. It is at that point I realize just how big Riros is. Salaria looks almost like a small child in his arms.


    ¡°Probably because I¡¯m still projecting my battle presence, in any case it might be better if you walk behind me when we leave. It will be easier to assure your safety.¡±


    Remembering the footsteps that I had heard above when I first woke up I ask him, ¡°What did you do to the people that were originally here?¡±


    ¡°I eliminated them.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait, you just killed them, you didn¡¯t ask any questions or try to figure out who they were working for? Are you planning to do the same thing for the people surrounding us?¡± I project into his mind.


    He starts to take steps forward out of the cell we had been sitting in. It is then that I notice the iron bars that were at the front of the cell had been completely ripped off and thrown to the side. The door beyond that was also a splintered mess, and part of it was barely swinging on one of its hinges. Paling slightly I project to him once more, ¡°You can¡¯t just go around killing everyone!¡±


    ¡°Why not? I already told the people of this world that if she were to come to harm then there would be consequences. This just happens to be part of that consequence.¡± He paused outside the cell and looked back at me.


    Standing up I say, ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you kill me?¡±


    ¡°It looked like you were in the same predicament. Therefore you probably had nothing to do with Salaria getting hurt, and then I found out that you were her friend.¡± He shrugs again, and shifts Salaria so that she was cradled in one of his arms.


    ¡°Look, as Salaria¡¯s friend I¡¯m pretty sure that she doesn¡¯t want you to just murder everyone that stands in your way.¡± I say, but looking at his eyes I see no change in his expression. Taking in a deep breath I project toward him once again, ¡°I have an Idea which could help you determine if the people outside are enemies or people that are here to help.¡±


    Several seconds pass as he stands there contemplating before finally he waves a hand at me to continue.


    ¡°Alright, how about you pull back your presence¡­.thing and then walk outside. If you aren¡¯t trying to pressure them, then if they are allies, they probably won¡¯t attack.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that I should give them the advantage in order to figure out if they will attack me or not? That doesn¡¯t sound like the smartest idea to me.¡±


    ¡°Look,¡± I say again, ¡°just give me the benefit of the doubt. That¡¯s all I¡¯m really asking. Please.¡±


    He stares at me for several more seconds before I feel his presence disappear. I actually hadn¡¯t even realized he had his presence up until it was gone. It had been like a faint tickling in the back of my mind.


    ¡°Alright.¡± He says into my mind, before turning around and heading out the door. I follow him up the stairs. When we arrive at the next floor I see chaos all around. There are bodies in various states of dismemberment, and broken furniture and walls and blood everywhere. I gag at the sight. It takes all of my self-control and will just to present myself from barfing. It¡¯s at that point I notice the blood covering his legs and the jacket sleeve I see hanging down from Salaria.


    Shuddering, I ask myself, Salaria just what did you summon?


    I follow behind him as he makes his way through the destroyed front door. We step out into the night and almost immediately I can feel the presence of a multitude of very powerful individuals. He stops. We both wait. Several moments pass. Finally several figures appear in front of us.


    I step slightly to the side of him to get a better look, and I see three Nelselph standing about 50 feet away from us. Even in the faint moonlight and little illumination from the small light hovering above us, I can see that each of these individuals is absolutely radiating those soft glowing lights. Looking around I can spot several more individuals who outputting the same amount of glow even though they seem to be hidden.


    Once again a silence descend upon the area. The only sound being the wind that is blowing through the area. It is a strong wind, enough so that at times I fear that it might knock me over, yet the moment the wind comes into contact with me it becomes a gentle breeze flowing around me.


    Several more moments pass before the Nelselph in the center takes a step toward us. He calls out to us and says, ¡°Are you Calamacy Salaria¡¯s summon?¡±


    I look up at Riros expectantly but then hear in my head, ¡°What did he say?¡±


    With a moment of panic I remember now that he can¡¯t actually understand our language. I hurriedly project into his head, ¡°He is asking if you are Salaria¡¯s summon.¡±


    He sends back, ¡°Hmmm, they haven¡¯t attacked us. Which would mean they are probably allies or enemies that are waiting to see. Can you translate for me? I can talk to them, but I¡¯m not going to be able to understand their responses without actually establishing a connection.


    I nod my head and project another thought to him, ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I recognize one of the individuals in front of us.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Probably not an enemy.¡± I reply.


    He stands there for a moment staring at the three Nelselph in front of him. Finally he project his voice into all of their heads, including mine.


    ¡°If I recall correctly, the last time I was here, I left a warning that not a hair on her head was to be touched.¡±


    I look at him in shock. The mental projection was much different than how he had been communicating earlier. This felt like the deep reverb of massive drums being played. It absolutely resonated inside of me to the point that it was beginning to verge on being painful. The three Nelselph I noticed seemed unaffected.


    Kassari Valeria Stormcaller


    Even from this distance I could feel that voice resonating inside of me. Shaking me down to my very core. Struggling to contain my emotions I look back at the scene before me. The same three Nelselph that had come to get me from the party were standing before what was presumed to be Salaria¡¯s summon. The Phoenix Prior was a step ahead and seemed to be taking his time studying the summon. I knew with but a flick of his hand he could send everyone here towards the summon at the same time. Thankfully though he was holding off.


    I say thankfully because I saw that my daughter was standing just behind the summon. She seemed to be dwarfed behind the massive size of the entity.


    He looks human, I note to myself. From 100 feet away I could make out most of his features. He was holding Salaria cradled in one arm. The other arm was at rest by his side.


    I hear the Prior speak up now, ¡°For the past eleven years it has been so. Under our authority not a single person was allowed to lay a finger on her. The punishment being death. It seems though that you have dealt the punishment to those who hurt her.¡±


    Several more moments passed as the summon stood there. Everyone remained tense.


    His voice once again echoed in our minds, ¡°I have yet to decide it that is sufficient punishment, tell me though, why are there nearly 3 dozen of you surrounding me at this moment?¡±


    The Prior responded almost immediately, ¡°Considering the circumstances regarding your last arrival, we though it prudent to be prepared if you were less inclined to be diplomatic.¡±


    ¡°HAH,¡± his laugh echoed out. This time the laugh was not in our heads, but actually a sound that he made. The air and ground seemed to resonate with the sound. Shaking his head he spoke once more into our minds, ¡°I have no desire to be diplomatic. The only reason I did not come out fighting is because this child stabilized Salaria. She has earned my trust. Now if you wish to me to be diplomatic, then I will ask that you take me to a healer who can cure mana fatigue.¡±


    He gestured to my daughter. I felt pride at hearing my daughters actions, yet at the same time I grew more worried at the fact that she was with the summon.


    ¡°That can be arranged.¡± The Prior said, ¡°Would it be alright if we approach you.¡±


    Several seconds passed before he nodded his head. The three Nelselph all began to approach the summon. As they did so, the Prior motioned for everyone to stand down. Several other Nelselph stepped out from where they were hiding and only approached to what they considered a safe distance. I rushed forward toward Altia, not quite caring about the summon holding Salaria.


    When Altia saw me she too ran forward to meet me. When she came into view I saw the blood on her face and immediately a surge of emotions ran through me.


    Seeing the look on my face, Altia immediately assured me that that she had healed the injury and that it had happened when she and Salaria had been kidnapped. When she had calmed me down slightly I noticed that the summon was now standing next to her. His voice echoed in my mind again, much more gently this time.


    ¡°Excuse me, but I need her to translate for me.¡±


    I look up at him and nod my head. Both Altia and I turn to see the Prior waiting patiently. The Cinder Royalty comes up next to me and stands there, a comforting presence after the events of today.


    ¡°Summon, may I see Calamacy Salaria?¡± The Prior asks.


    There is another slight pause, and this time I notice as Altia looks up at the summon. Only then does he respond, by shifting Salaria slightly in his arms so that she is more accessible. The Prior takes that cue and steps forward holding his hand over her head and chanting a quick spell. After a moment of concentration, his eyes open and he steps back.


    ¡°She is indeed suffering from mana fatigue. I think now would be a good time for everyone to return to their homes. I will take responsibility for Salaria and the summon.¡± He says. As his words echo out many of the other individuals gather around whichever Nelselph is closest and most of them disappear, shifting back to the city. After that the only ones that remain are Altia, myself, the Prior, the Cinder Royalty, the summon and Salaria. After a moment the Prior holds out his hands and all of us step forward to touch him, before we too shift back to Lothelen.


    Kassari Vandel


    Once again, I sigh, things did not go to plan. What was supposed to be a simple snatch and grab has turned into a mess. All because of that child.


    I am sitting in my desk chair staring out the window. It is morning time now, and while there should be sunlight attempting to filter through the windows. There is just a stormy sky blotting out any attempt from the sun. From the streaks on the windows, it appears to be drizzling also. I can only see the faint outline of the Palace sitting on top of the cliffs. The same palace that for so many years now has remained just out of my reach.


    With a sigh I turn around. Sitting in a chair on the other side of my desk is the same black haired Kassari.


    ¡°So you got my message,¡± I say.


    She stares at me with those same unblinking eyes, ¡°You said we needed to talk, so I am here.¡±


    Leaning back in my chair I return the stare, ¡°Are you aware of the events of last night?¡±


    ¡°As much as anyone would be.¡± She says.


    Shaking my head, I say, ¡°Someone attacked the Calamacy. That part you probably know.¡± I pause and she nods her head, I continue, ¡°What you may not know is that the Calamacy was not the only one to be attacked. It seems that the Stormcaller¡¯s child was also attacked at the same time.¡± At this I get a reaction out of her. Its slight, but I notice a slight tensing of all her muscles as understanding dawns on her. With a slight smile to myself, I continue once again, ¡°I was also informed that many of the Dolveran and Nelselph went looking for the Calamacy, only to find her and the Stormcaller girl at an abandoned estate on the very outskirts of the Lothelen. Apparently the Calamacy¡¯s summon had gotten there first. For they were greeted by the sight of a one-sided massacre.¡± By the time I finished the Kassari¡¯s face had turned even paler than she normally was.


    A silence descended upon us I waited for her response. It was a wait I cherished as I watched her struggle to regain her composure. When she did she asked, ¡°We should still be covered though. There should be nothing tracing back to us from that group.¡±


    I say, ¡°I sincerely hope so. One of my contacts informed me that the Calamacy¡¯s summon is not satisfied with just killing all of the kidnappers, and for that matter the Duchess Stormcaller is also apparently pressuring the Royalty to find out exactly what happened.¡±


    The Kassari stares at me for several more moments, letting everything I just said sink in. She then asks, ¡°So what¡¯s the next step then?¡±


    I laugh, a short almost bark of a laugh, as I smile at her through gritted teeth. ¡°There is no next step for you. You messed up the one task I had given you. Now you need to lay low, and let me fix the problem. I¡¯ll contact you once I feel I have a task that you can actually accomplish.¡± With that I dismiss her and turn back to the work on my desk. When I look up again several moments later, she is gone.

 Awakening to a New Reality

    Calamacy Salaria


    I¡¯m standing in snow. In front of me stands a massive building made of stone. A huge archway covers the front. It is filled in by a massive wooden door. The building itself reminds me of a cathedral. With tall arched buttresses and tall panes of glass. The snow continues to swirl all around me. Standing in front of the doorway, I see a man covered in white clothing. There¡¯s an oddly warm feeling that develops when see this man. I take a step forward. My body feels different. Looking down I see large muscled hands. Scars run up the arms. I¡¯m wearing a vest of some kind. Yet I¡¯m warm. I take a few mores steps forward. My legs feel entirely too large. I approach the man in white, the warm feeling growing as I get closer. Stepping out of the doorway from behind the man in the white, is a woman with long white hair, bundled up against the cold. Bright violet eyes stare up at me, a warm endearing smile spreads across her face. I feel a surge of emotions run through me. The most prevalent a deep searing longing for the woman. But there is also a sense of peace, of a burden fading away. I stop only a few feet away, each breath visible in the cold air. She steps forward and embraces me. The man in white smiles and I hear his voice.


    ¡°Welcome home Riros.¡±


    I wake up. I open my eyes expecting to see the wooden roof of my dormitory. Instead my eyes rest on a stone ceiling. Thinking I¡¯m dreaming I close my eyes again and try to pinch myself. I wait a few moments and then open my eyes again.


    Same stone ceiling.


    With a small sigh I cover my face and try to recall how I got here. The last thing I remember is seeing Altia¡¯s face over mine, saying we were safe. From what? I ask myself. I try to go back farther than that, by the only thing that I remember is talking to Altia before everything went black.


    What happened? I ask myself. As I try to recall more details, I remember seeing Altia¡¯s bloody face. Something bad happened, but for the life of me I couldn¡¯t remember what. I try to recall exactly what she was saying. But for the life of me I couldn¡¯t remember what she said at the end of her sentence.


    I¡¯m brought out of reverie by a voice echoing softly in my head.


    ¡°It¡¯s not nice to intrude on one¡¯s dreams you know.¡±


    I sit up startled. I immediately recognized that voice. The deep resonating echo of it unmistakable. I do a quick survey off my surrounding looking for the source of the voice.


    I¡¯m in a large chamber, resting on a very large bed. The chamber is completely made out of stone, but its walls are finely decorated with large vibrant tapestries. There¡¯s a set of windows off to my left which are letting in the light of the morning sun. Sitting in a chair to the right of the bed is a large man. He is wearing a worn black vest and a pair of pants made out of a rough faded blue material. It¡¯s not until I see the scarred arms and chest does it click who this individual is. His name escapes my lips, ¡°Riros¡±


    He smiles and I hear his voice in my head again, ¡°Hello Salaria.¡±


    I just sit there stunned. After all these years of the summoning not working, here he was sitting across from me. My Summon. I can fill the bond that connects us, and it is connected to the individual before me. My mind is finding it hard to comprehend how the roiling black mass from so long ago could possibly be the man standing before me.


    It is unheard of. I think, my mind starting to take off in some many different ways, there has never been a case where a summoner has actually summoned another human. But wait, is he even human? What was that black mass from before? Why is he only speaking in my head? What was that dream about? Did I actually intrude onto his dream?


    Once again, my thoughts are interrupted by the sound of his voice in my head, ¡°I can tell that you¡¯ve got a lot of questions to ask. And given time I will try to answer your questions. I have my own questions for you. For now though I need to teach you how to communicate with me.¡±


    He spends the next half-hour teaching me how to project my thoughts toward him. Finally he is satisfied with my progress and he lets me start to ask questions.


    By this time I had wanted to get out of bed, but he shook his head saying that I was confined there until the healer proclaimed me fit to move around. So instead I grabbed the covers and put them over my head and sat facing toward him.


    I project my first question toward him, ¡°So, who was the white haired woman in the dream?¡±


    He laughs at that, it is a deep booming laugh that echoes quite easily in the big room. He smiles at me before replying, ¡°That¡¯s seriously your first question?¡± His laughter dies down until he is chuckling softly. ¡°Very well then, she is my wife.¡±


    ¡°Your wife!?¡± I exclaim out loud. Seeing that he doesn¡¯t quite comprehend what I said, I quickly project into his head, ¡°Your wife!?¡±


    He just smiles at me. ¡°Yup. She is beautiful isn¡¯t she?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but nod my head. Even the brief glimpse that I had gotten gave me the same impression. I ask him another question, ¡°If she¡¯s your wife then who was the man in white standing next to her?¡±


    He smile remains, as he replies, ¡°That is my brother Miros.¡±


    I think a moment before asking my next question a sense of dread starting to build up, ¡°Did I call you away from them?¡±


    His smile fades slightly, ¡°Yes.¡±


    That sense of dread builds up even more. Oh no, I think. I cover my face with the blanket and say ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡±


    I hear him shift forward in his seat, and one of his hand touches my shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s alright Salaria, they are used to me disappearing from time to time. Besides they all knew after the first incident that I would be leaving for a little while.¡±


    I can feel the sincerity in his thoughts. That only makes me feel slightly better though. Before I can ask him another question, the door to the room opens and in comes Altia, followed by her mother.  She rushes in and immediately proceeds to hug me, even with the covers still on.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake!!! We have been waiting for so long, I thought you would never wake up!¡± She says hugging me tightly.


    ¡°How long have I been out?¡± I ask.


    Altia¡¯s mother responds, ¡°You have been out for several days, Calamacy-vim.¡±


    ¡°Four days to be exact.¡± Altia interrupts.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Her mother continues, ¡°It seems that the cost of actually summoning Riros was something that your body could barely handle or so the Phoenix Prior has informed us. You had a rather severe case of mana fatigue, the Prior had several healers pouring mana into you for the first two days.¡±


    ¡°We were really worried,¡± Altia says, squeezing me in another hug, ¡°it didn¡¯t help that that big oaf you summoned was basically hovering over you the whole time.¡± With that she gives a dirty look toward Riros.


    His voice resonates in all our heads, ¡°Please don¡¯t talk about me when you know I can¡¯t understand you.¡±


    Altia sticks her tongue out at him. I chuckle slightly at her.


    We are interrupted again, when one of the healers steps into the room. Altia jumps off the bed and gives him room to do his work. He gives me a quick check by placing his hand on my shoulder and checking my mana flow.


    Once he finishes he asks, ¡°How are you feeling Calamacy-vim?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling very well, Tlassel-fa¡± I say.


    ¡°Good,¡± He says, ¡°Can I ask Calamacy-vim to attempt to cast a simple light spell?¡±


    I nod my head and focus in on my mana pool. To my surprise the moment I touch the mana pool I feel a massive well of untapped power lying there. Instead of the small puddle of mana that it had been, there is an almost bottomless feeling to the amount of mana that is my mana pool. I recoil from it at first, too surprised by this change to register exactly what it was.


    Focusing back on the task before me I create the lights spell like I had done so many times in the academy. Except this time instead of having a small flicker of light appear, there is instead a blinding white sphere that appears in my hand. Startled once again by the difference I lose my concentration for a second and the spell dissipates.


    I blink a few times as I¡¯m momentarily blinded. After a few moments the blindness fades and I see Altia¡¯s mother and the healer both attempting to recover from the spell. However it seems that Altia and Riros are unaffected.


    I hear Riros¡¯s voice in my head again, ¡°Next time, how about you turn down the mana output of the spell, hm?¡±


    I give him a sheepish grin before I say, ¡°Sorry, my mana pool seems to have grown a lot larger, and I did what I normally do when I only had a trickle of mana to pull from.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that your mana pool has grown larger, you just have access to more of your mana.¡± He says, looking thoughtfully at me.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I ask him. But we are interrupted before he responds.


    ¡°Well it looks like there is nothing wrong with the mana flow.¡± The healer says rubbing at one of his eyes. ¡°I¡¯d say as long as you¡¯re not feeling tired and or having any mental fatigue, you¡¯re okay to be moving around. But take it easy for the next couple of days please.¡± He shakes his head a little bit, gives me a small smile and then leaves the room.


    Grateful, I nodded my head toward the healer as he left. Once he had though, Altia¡¯s mother chose that opportunity to say, ¡°You must be starving Calamacy-vim.¡±


    After she said that, I heard my stomach growl. Apparently I wasn¡¯t the only one that heard it either as both Altia and her mother chuckled at me. Altia¡¯s mother looked at Riros a second before turning back to me.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    She said, ¡°Alright, Altia why don¡¯t you help Calamacy-vim, get changed. Riros and I will be waiting outside.¡± With that they stood up and left the room.


    Fifteen minutes later, with a little help from Altia I am dressed in a set of dark red trousers and a lighter red tunic. On top of that I wear a deep red robe. All of this is new, and seems to be crafted of some of the highest quality of material. Damn Gramps, I think, probably trying to make up to me now that my summon is actually here.


    Altia and I step out into the hallway. I see Altia¡¯s mother engaged in what I can only assume is a mental conversation with Riros. Her arms are crossed and I catch her frowning before she notices our presence and shifts back to her normal expression.


    ¡°Come now Calamacy-vim. Now that you are dressed we can go to lunch.¡± She turns and starts walking down the hall, leaving the three of us to trail along beside her.


    ¡°What was she talking to you about?¡± I ask Riros, as I caught up to him


    He shrugged his shoulders before replying, ¡°She wanted to know what my plans were now that I was here.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± I ask him, curious now as to his answer.


    ¡°At the moment my plan is to make you stronger.¡± He said, I got the feeling through the link that there was a second part to that statement, but I decided not to push it.


    We walked for several minutes before we arrived at our destination, Altia the whole time had been chatting away constantly, trying to fill me in on everything that had happened since I had been out. Most of which was about her gaining her families abilities and the mental training her mother had been making her practice in order to better control her emotions.


    I was only paying half attention though. Most of my attention was focused on the back of Riros. Now that he was standing and I was getting a decent look at him, I realized just how large he was. He seemed to tower over Altia¡¯s mother. Not only that, he was also built like a bear. There wasn¡¯t an ounce of fat on him, and his slightly tanned skinned was marred by scars running along every visible patch of said skin. It also felt like every move of his was restrained. That there was something that was preventing him from moving in a normal manner, it was very slight, as if he had already come to terms with it. Even so, every step he took echoed heavily in the hallway. I could feel the floor and even the walls vibrating slightly.


    Just who is he? I ask myself, what lies beneath his surface that makes him able to put out such a fierce aura. Is it even an aura? I¡¯ve never heard of an aura that could produce that effect.


    I¡¯m pulled out from the thoughts swirling in my head by the sight of a table full of food. Another gurgle emanates from my stomach. Noticing that everyone else is moving to sit at the table I quickly follow suit. After waiting to say the proper thanks, I quickly fill up my plate and then dig in. Only after the third plate do I feel satiated enough to slow down and become aware of my surroundings.


    I notice then that an odd silence has descended on the table. Normally there would be several conversations going at this point, but the only sounds could be heard was the clinking of silverware on plates and chewing. I looked around trying to get a better feel of what¡¯s going on, and noticed that the Phoenix Prior, or ¡°Gramps¡± as I call him, was sitting at the head of the table staring at me.


    Putting down my fork and knife I leaned back into the chair and raised an eyebrow, not quite ready to be the one to break the silence.


    He stared at me for a moment longer before speaking, ¡°Salaria, it¡¯s good to see you up and about.¡±


    Once he spoke, it was as if everyone else had awoke. Both Altia and her mother were blinking their eyes rapidly and looked at the Prior seemingly startled. Riros though seemed unperturbed as he continued to eat his meal.


    I nodded at him, unsure of how to respond.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you realize that due to your unfortunate state over the past couple of days, you are now several days behind on your studies at the Academy.¡± The Prior said.


    Well crap, I think to myself as a sudden surge of forgotten tasks and other items comes flashing across my mind. The most prevalent of which being the deep blistering lecture I was going to get from my teacher of Nature Manipulation.


    Seeing the downcast expression on my face, the Prior said, ¡°I¡¯ve already spoken to the headmaster at the Academy and he assures me that due to the extenuating circumstances that you will be given a chance to catch up on the lectures that you have missed.¡±


    As he finishes talking a potential problem occurs to me.


    ¡°What about Riros?¡± I ask.


    Gramps waves his hand dismissively, ¡°He¡¯s your summon isn¡¯t he? As far as I¡¯m aware the academy has no issue with summons following their Summoners.¡±


    I turn to Riros as he is mopping up the last of the food on his plate. I project towards him, ¡°Looks like you¡¯ll be joining me at the Academy.¡±


    He locks his gaze with mine, a small grin forming at the corner of his mouth. ¡°Sounds like fun.¡± I hear in my head as he gives me a wink.


    The next day I find myself at the front of the gates to the Academy. Once again I have beaten the Gatekeeper to the gate itself. This time however I am standing on the other side of the gate. As I wait for Graldur Baal to show up, I take a look at the city behind me. The light is trickling in on the rooftops of some of the buildings, and the streets are starting to fill up with all manner of individuals. More than a few of which are giving stares at Riros, who is currently standing off to my side munching on a skewer of fruit that I had bought for him.


    I can see why they would stare at him though, besides his unusual height and build, he is wearing a black vest and pants on which the blue spiral rune that represents a summoned creature is imprinted. Not only is this strange for them, but it is also strange for me.


    Last night before we retired for the night, Gramps approached me holding the clothing. He explained to me that even though Riros was another human like us, since he was brought here as a summon he would have to wear the summon glyph like every other summon. It took a fair amount of convincing in order to get Riros to wear it. Convincing that was not helped by that fact that he kept asking questions about the clothes, the colors, and the glyph itself. Only after we had answered all his questions did he finally acquiesce.


    And so now he stood next to me, the only person to ever wear the symbol of a summon. Even so, he looks unperturbed. He notices me looking at him, as he finishes off the fruit. He points the skewer back to the gate and motions toward it. I turn my gaze back toward the gate, and so the slow shuffling figure of Graldur Baal.


    ¡°Graldur Baal!¡± I call out to him.


    ¡°Salaria-vim, what are you doing on that side of the gate?¡± He calls out, once his eyes have found mine.


    He mumbles something to himself, not actually waiting for a response. I watch as he flings his arms out and his mana pours once more into the metal gates of the Academy. As the gates open I hear Riros¡¯s rumble of a voice echo in my head.


    ¡°That¡¯s an interesting enchantment.¡± He says.


    I look at him slightly surprised, ¡°You can see the enchantment on the gate?¡±


    ¡°I can see a lot of things Salaria. Enchantments happen to be one of the things that I¡¯m particularly good at seeing.¡±


    I shake my head, more questions forming in my mind. It seems that Riros and I are definitely going to need to have a discussion on what he can and can¡¯t do. I think to myself.


    Once the gates have fully opened I step forward to greet Graldur Baal.


    ¡°How are you this morning?¡± I say as I approach him.


    He starts shuffling toward his gatehouse and looks over at me for a moment.


    ¡°What can I do for you Salaria-vim?¡± He asks.


    I fall in step beside him and say, ¡°I was told that I need to register my summon with you before he is allowed onto the Academy grounds.


    At the mention of summon, he stops and turns fully toward me his face frozen in a look of shock as he says, ¡°You have a summon?¡±


    Seeing the expression on his face I can¡¯t help but grin a little bit. I give him a nod.


    He blinks for a couple of seconds seemingly trying to register what I had just confirmed.


    ¡°So where is your summon?¡± He asks.


    I motion for Riros to step forward.


    Graldur Baal blinks a few times again, the look of surprise painted on his face again.


    ¡°You¡¯re not pranking me are you?¡± He says looking at me and then back at Riros again, his neck having to crane upward to meet Riros¡¯s gaze.


    I shake my head again, ¡°Not a prank Baal-fa. He really is my summon. Hence why he is wearing the summons glyph.¡±


    It is his turn to shake his head as turns to go into the gatehouse. I hear him mumble, ¡°No wonder she is a Calamacy.¡±


    He spends several moments rooting around in the gatehouse before coming out with a scroll. He steps forward toward Riros and holds out his hand another glyph forming out of mana in front of his outstretched fingers.


    As the glyph is forming I hear Riros¡¯s voice in my head again, ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to work.¡±


    I look at him, ¡°What do you mean that¡¯s not going to work.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m correct that glyph has something to do with placing some sort of tracking mark on a creature. And something of that caliber is probably not going to work on me.¡± His says. His eyes tracking the formation of the glyph.


    Taking what he said into mind, I speak up to Graldur Baal, ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to work on Riros.¡±


    Graldur Baal looks up at me for a moment. A look of confusion across his face.


    ¡°Nonsense, I¡¯ve performed this enchantment hundreds of times and it has yet to fail to take. It was created after all by the previous headmaster, the same headmaster who now serves under the Brass Royalty herself.¡±


    By that time the glyph had finished being formed and Graldur Baal motioned his hand forward pushing the glyph at Riros. The glyph floated across the space seemingly without an issue, until it touched Riros¡¯s body. The moment contact was made, the glyph unraveled and all the mana was sucked into Riros. All in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°Well,¡± said Graldur Baal, ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡± He stood there staring at where the glyph had just been.


    Turning to Riros, I projected toward him, ¡°How did you know that the glyph wouldn¡¯t work?¡±


    He looked at me and replied, ¡°No spell, enchantment or other mana based effect survives direct contact.¡±


    I pause for a few seconds letting that sink in. No mana based effect survives direct contact with him. Another question pops up into my mind.


    ¡°Does that mean that you are immune to magic?¡± I ask him.


    ¡°Not immune, only magic based attacks that are indirect can be used against me.¡± He replies. Noticing my own distraction he motions with his head toward the gatekeeper.


    I turn back to the gatekeeper, my mind a maelstrom of thoughts and questions as I try to grasp the bomb that he has just dropped on me.


    During the extent of our mental conversation the gatekeeper had been staring between his hand and where the glyph had disappeared around Riros. He muttered something under his breath before turning back toward the gatehouse. Once again we can hear him rummaging around until he finally comes out. His robes are noticeably dustier and in each hand he holds a metal plaque.


    He hands me one of the plaques and Riros the other. As he does so he says, ¡°I never thought I would see the day when I would have to use these again.¡±


    Holding the plaque in my hand I take a moment to study it. The surface is a gray metallic color. On it lies the summons glyph and the symbol of the academy.


    ¡°Now these plaques are left over from the old system that we would use to track summons before the previous headmaster, these plaques aren¡¯t nearly as convenient as the new system, since you can¡¯t keep track of where the summon is and none of the restrictions toward fighting and whatnot are in place, but,¡± he paused here to catch his breath before launching once more into the explanation, ¡°these plaques will act as a form of identification and assuming that your summon, er Riros, doesn¡¯t break the enchantment laid on the plaques itself, will keep a record of his movements when he is inside the Academy grounds. You can also use the plaque as a means of communicating with each other, albeit in a very limited manner, best used for simply trying to get one¡¯s attention. In any case,¡± he stops to take another breath, this time straightening up a little more as his demeanor changes to that of a more somber feel, ¡°Make sure not to lose the plaque either of you, since the plaque itself is not tied to any particular person, if you were to lose it would be quite difficult to retrieve and also expensive to replace.¡±


    When he finishes his explanation, he seems to sag back down to his original form, leaning heavily on the staff that he has to his side. A small smile appears on his face as he says, ¡°Congratulations Salaria.¡±


    I smile back at him and give him a small wave as both Riros and I head into the Academy itself.

 A Challenge of Rank

    We make our way to the dormitories. Weaving through the various buildings of the Academy I attempt to get a better understanding Riros.


    ¡°How do you know so much about enchantments?¡± I project toward him.


    He appears distract as he looks around the Academy soaking in the various halls, towers, and dormitories. Yet his reply is almost immediate, ¡°From my brother.¡±


    Flashes of images come across my mind, all of a man dressed in white, some where he is smiling, some where he is talking to a group of people, and the last one of him fighting. I blink a few times unsure of where those images had come from. I look back at Riros, he still seems distracted.


    ¡°Did you send me those pictures?¡± I ask him.


    His head snaps toward me as his eyes catch mine. I feel a burning intensity unfurl from behind his eyes. As if they are burning through my exterior and gazing directly at my soul. For a moment I can¡¯t breathe as the intensity is all that surrounds me, and then right when I feel myself about to collapse, it disappears. The gaze seems to retract and his eyes seem to return to normal.


    ¡°WHAT WAS THAT FOR!¡± I mentally scream at him, after I regain my composure of course.


    At this point we have stopped walking and are on one of the pathways between two buildings, approaching the large open area referred to as Student Square due to it being surrounded by the dorms. We stare at each other for several moments before he releases a breath and sends a reply.


    ¡°I had to make sure that you weren¡¯t stealing my memories.¡±


    His answer like so many of the others only leads to more questions. Not to be deterred though I press on, ¡°How would I even know to steal your memories?¡±


    He shrugs, ¡°I¡¯m not sure, there remains much that I do not understand about the bond that you placed on me in the first place.¡±


    I narrow my eyes at him, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    He sighs again, ¡°I mean this connection that you established is something unknown and unfamiliar to me. It is also quite possibly dangerous to myself. When you mentioned that I had sent you pictures, I was worried that the bond was leeching my memories to you.


    Sensing that he finished I prodded him to continue, ¡°Go on.¡±


    I took a look at what memories that you had gotten and I realized that the bond was not leeching the memories, but merely acting as a conduit toward my mind. That in conjunction with the fact that I have my mental guard down and the use of telepathy, you were able to pick up on several of the memories that I had recalled due to your question about my brother.¡±


    His explanation helped calm me down enough, that I remembered where we were headed and started walking again, I could feel more than hear when he decided to follow.


    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate,¡± I sent to him as I collected my thoughts again, ¡°If you would refrain from doing that again.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± Was his reply.


    We walked in silence the rest of the way to my dormitory. The Student Square was fairly busy as various students were making their way from the dormitories toward the rest of the Academy. The morning classes were going to start soon, and the main reason I was headed to my dormitory first rather than to my own class was that I needed to pick up several materials from my desk. As we approached my dormitory and I saw all the other resident¡¯s summons, my mind remembered something else that I had to take care of.


    Turning to Riros, I ask, ¡°What are you planning on doing while I¡¯m at class?¡±


    ¡°I figured I¡¯d follow you. I¡¯m curious to see how the classes work here on this particular world.¡± He replied.


    ¡°But you won¡¯t understand anything that is said.¡± I say to him.


    ¡°That¡¯s not really an issue, I¡¯m fairly close to comprehending your lanquage. Given another day or two and I shouldn¡¯t have any trouble.¡±


    I narrow my eyes at him slightly, ¡°It¡¯s only been a couple of days since you arrived, how could you possibly learn our language that fast?¡±


    ¡°The Duchess Stormcaller and that other man, Gramps, I believe you call him, were more than happy to supply various texts that I could peruse while you were unconscious.¡±


    At this point I hear a voice behind me say, ¡°Calamacy-vim are you alright? This man is not giving you any issues is he?¡±


    Looking over my shoulder, I see Dralfey Serac standing at the edge of our dormitory. A look of concern is across his face. It¡¯s then that I realize that it looks like Riros and I have been staring at each other for more than several moments.


    Seeing the concern on his face I say, ¡°Thank you for your concern Dralfey Serac, but there¡¯s no issue here. This is my summon Riros.¡±


    ¡°If you say so, Calamacy-vim¡± Dralfey Serac replies. There is still a look of concern on his face, but now the look has changed from being concerned for me, to being concerned about me. Even though it seems like he wants to say more, he leaves it at that and heads off toward though rest of the Academy.


    Not wanting to continue the conversation with Riros I head up to my dorm room. I feel him following behind me until I am halfway up the stairs.


    ¡°Salaria¡­.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I snap turning around. He is standing at the edge of the stairs. He is staring at me and I see flickers of what I can only describe as chaos, in his eyes. I also notice hesitation about stepping forward.


    ¡°I will wait for you down here.¡± He says.


    ¡°Why?¡± I ask, ¡°It¡¯s not like it matters if you come up here or not. Besides I was under the impression that you wanted to follow me wherever I go.¡±


    ¡°You are under the correct impression. But I will wait here, because I do not think the wooden stairs or wooden structure or your dormitory will be able to support my weight.¡±


    I blink a couple of times, giving time for yet another fact to register on my mind. I can feel the questions start to boil up. Doing my best to suppress the rest of them, I do give voice to the most immediate of them.


    ¡°Just exactly how much do you weigh?¡±


    He simply continues to stare at me, several flickers of the¡­chaos¡­.continue to swirl in his eyes. After several moments a corner of his mouth curls upward and I hear him say, ¡°Enough.¡±


    ¡°Fine then,¡± I say, ¡°Have it your way.¡± With that, I make my way up the rest of the stairs, and move to my room at the end of the hallway.


    Hearing the mid hour chime go off in the distance. I hurriedly go through my room and grab the various items needed for my classes today. Stuffing them all in a pack, I am out the door and already rushing down the stairs. It didn¡¯t take longer than 3 minutes.


    I find Riros standing at the edge of the Student Square, staring off at the main tower of the Academy. Another question pops into my mind, but I ignore it as I set off at almost a run toward the center of the Academy. He follows behind, seemingly undisturbed by the new pace.


    Ten minutes later we find ourselves in Romano Hall. The hall is one of the larger buildings at the Academy. It is only 2 stories tall, but each floor is well over 20ft tall. Not to mention that it has over 50 large classrooms for classes to be held in. It has three large parallel to each other that seem to form the skeleton the building, while many smaller arches and columns fill the rest of the exterior with windows tucked in between. Romano Hall is the main building that all Initiates and Apprentices of the Academy spend the majority of their time. Only later when one reaches their sixth year at the Academy and achieves the rank of Adept can one specialize and therefore spend the majority of their time in the other buildings.


    As we enter the main corridor of the hall, with classrooms flanking either side of it, I find that it is still packed. I breathe out a sigh of relief as I slow down my pace. I¡¯m about 20 steps into the hallway when I realize that Riros has stopped moving once again. Looking back at him I see that he is standing just inside the entrance gazing at the various columns which run to the next floor. I¡¯m about to call out to him when someone bumps into me.


    ¡°Watch where you¡¯re going!¡± I hear a voice snarl in front of me. Turning to look at the individual in front of me I see Tlassel Klass glaring at me. He¡¯s not the only one, because surrounding him, and now me, are several of his cronies.


    ¡°My apologies, Tlassel-vos, I was distracted.¡± I say, not wanting to antagonize him any further at this particular moment.


    ¡°And being distracted gives you the right to bump into me?!?¡± Klass says, raising his voice.


    Well so much for not antagonizing him. I think to myself. The hall vibrates slightly and I know Riros is on the move I glance over my shoulder to see where Riros is moving and no longer see him. However this seems to just incite Tlassel Klass more.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you ignore me! I don¡¯t care that you are Calamacy, Salaria. It¡¯s about time that someone put you in your place. To think you would have the gall to mess with the grandson of the Ivy Royalty herself,¡± he said only beginning his rant.


    My search for Riros, is fruitless however. Klass¡¯s cronies, emboldened by his rhetoric start to hem me into a circle with him, obstructing my view to where I think Riros is. I feel Riros take another step as the building vibrates again. Looking around once more, I notice everyone in the immediate vicinity stepping back, giving us as much room as they can manage even in the crowded hallway.


    ¡°Just because you think you¡¯re safe behind that red robe of yours, doesn¡¯t mean a thing, we all know you didn¡¯t actually earn that rank.¡± Tlassel Klass continues. The hall vibrates again with another step.


    At this point, I can no longer ignore him. Not that I wanted to anymore. I let loose with the first thing that comes to my mind.


    ¡°You keep making accusations Klass, but I don¡¯t see you doing anything but hiding behind your grandmother¡¯s robes.¡± Almost the moment the words leave my mouth I know I¡¯ve stepped into it. The building vibrates again.


    Tlassel Klass¡¯s eyes narrow again and I notice the people around me grow quiet. I see a gleam of malice enter his eyes, as he raises one of his hands and reaches for a small yellow piece of dyed leather. Raising it up in the air he holds it, a triumphant looking smile spreading across his face. I feel my own heart start to beat rapidly as I watch him take the piece of leather and throw it to the ground at my feet. As if to punctuate the point, the moment the leather lands on the floor, the hall vibrates.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°I challenge you Calamacy Salaria to a duel as is my right as a Throne Citizen of the Royalties of Eldesaria. I call for this duel to have Salaria stripped of her rank as Calamacy as she has proven herself unfit and unable to hold such an illustrious title, and as such has lowered herself to performing slander upon those lower than herself, and¡­.


    For me it was as if time started to slow, I could feel every heart beat and the pulse of it in my head. Tlassel Klass continued to talk as he laid out the terms of his grievances, but it soon became background noise for me. I could only stand there in my own horror at what had just happened. At this point my mind went numb unable to really believe that this was happening in front of me. I just kept thinking, What do I do? What do I do?


    And then the building vibrated.


    The vibration this time snapped me out of my stupor as it seemed to be more powerful than the last one. The whole building vibrated for a couple of seconds, causing dust and fine flecks of old mortar to rain down from the ceiling.


    Tlassel Klass stopped talking as a voice that I had not actually heard in 11 years rumbled out over the entire corridor.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    The deep rumble of those two words seemed to resonate with the very building, causing the hall to shake even more. Not only that, it also seemed to resonate inside of every person there. Even me. Everyone¡¯s faces went pale at the immensity behind those two words. Even though they were only spoken at barely above a whisper, not a single student in the corridor remained unaffected. I took a small solace on the pale expression on Tlassel Klass¡¯s face. Everything seemed to stand still for several moments, before all at once everyone shifted toward the source of that voice.


    Turning my head, I looked back toward Riros as he stood there, not but ten feet from me. With a flick of his hand he motioned for the people in between me and him to move out of the way, and with nary a gulp they moved out of the way. Two slow strides later he stood in front of me. The chaos in his eyes no longer flickering, but roiling in waves originating from the center.


    By the time of the first stride the pressure from the two words faded. By the end of the second stride most people seemed to be able to breathe again. Yet a silence still hung in the air. No one was willing to disturb it.


    I heard his voice much softer than ever before resonate in my head, ¡°Salaria, do you have a grievance with this man before you?¡±


    It took me a moment to collect my thoughts before I said, ¡°Nothing worth fighting over.¡±


    His expression turned thoughtful as he gazed at the scene just past me, ¡°I do not understand everything that was said, but I do understand the gist of it," he motions to the piece of leather lying on the ground. "He has challenged you?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I say.


    ¡°Can you choose to decline,¡± he asked, his eyes meeting mine, the roiling chaos having calmed slightly.


    I shake my head.


    Tlassel Klass having recovered at this point decided to be the one to break the silence.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but unless you have business with Calama-¡±


    He stops talking as Riros looks at him. I watch as the chaos in his eyes change again, almost seeming to ignite as if they were smouldering embers being stoked to life. Tlassel Klass tried to open his mouth one more time, before slowly closing it. All around us the rest of the students still remain transfixed, unwilling to leave before the scene before them unfolds to its conclusion.


    After Tlassel Klass subsides Riros turns his eyes back to me.


    ¡°You should accept.¡± I hear his voice say in my head, ¡°But know that for this particular duel I will not fight for you, you will have to beat him with your own power.¡±


    The little hope that had been in the back of my mind for the duel had gone away with Riros¡¯s last statement. I knew that my previous self would have no chance against Tlassel Klass. However, remembering that small spell that I had attempted perform the previous day, provides a new flicker of hope.


    I turn to face Tlassel Klass. I studied him for several moments as he stood there. It was obvious that he wanted to speak up as could be seen by the near constant fidgeting that he was doing. His expression was also rather dour, as if he had swallowed a bitter pill. I bent down and picked up the dyed yellow leather.


    ¡°I accept your challenge Tlassel Klass,¡± I said, trying to make my voice sound as level as possible, ¡°In accordance with the rights as a Throne Citizen of the Royalties of Eldesaria. The duel shall be held two weeks from now as is tradition at the Academy Training Ground, and in accordance of my own rights as the challenged, I lay claim on your titles and rank as Calamacy. The people here bear witness to my acceptance and the terms.¡±


    That last part caused a stir out of the crowd. The spell that seemed to have been cast by Riros was now broken as many people gasped and more than a few of them started to discuss among themselves everything that had just heard. Tlassel Klass on the other hand, tried to sneer at me, before pivoting on his heel and stalking away. His cronies slowly filing back in with him.


    After his disappearance the crowd dispersed. I was able to spot several teachers among the crowd as they made their own way back to the classrooms where they were supposed to be teaching. We followed suit soon after.


    Dralfey Altia


    Arriving earlier than I normally do to the morning class I was able to get several seats in a corner of the classroom for me and Salaria. I wanted to talk to her some about Riros since we hadn¡¯t had a chance to do that yet with him constantly being around. I quickly threw that idea out the window though when I felt the building start to shake.


    Why did she bring him to class? I thought to myself, Well he is a human, and not like most people¡¯s beginning summons. And it doesn¡¯t seem to me that she is controlling him besides calling him here.


    While pondering about Riros and Salaria and my own new found abilities, I passed the time until class started by looking around the classroom. Since Salaria and I are in our fourth year at the Academy, we both recently became Apprentices. The class that we are taking is an Apprentice level course and as such we would go into much more depth about certain topics. This month we were getting a more in-depth look at alchemy and arcane chemistry. For example every table in front of his various sets of beakers, burners, chillers, and their arcane equivalents. Today we are supposed to attempt to make a simple mana crystal.


    I pulled out some of my notes from the lecture yesterday and started looking over them when all of a sudden students started flooding into the room. As the students started flooding in I kept hearing whispers and snippets of conversations about an incident having occurred outside between Salaria and someone else. I wasn¡¯t able to find out more information as I was keeping my eye out for Salaria. However there was no need for the flow of students stopped suddenly and the vibrations of the building became more and more noticeable. She walked through and I waved at her to try and get her attention. When I was sure that she saw me I motioned for her to head up to where I was sitting. Trailing along behind her of course was Riros.


    When she finally arrived I noticed a strained look on her face. I didn¡¯t think anything of it a first until I saw what she was holding in her hand. A dyed yellow piece of leather. Shocked, I felt part of the equilibrium that I used to balance my emotional states slip. I looked up at her managing to catch her eyes.


    ¡°Who?¡± I asked.


    She gave a short laugh that was almost a bark, ¡°Tlassel Klass of course, who else?¡± She shook her head and seemed to absentmindedly play with the leather.


    ¡°That bastard,¡± I say, as I feel little bit more of emotional state slip out of balance, rage starting to come more to the forefront.


    She just shakes her head again before replying, ¡°He¡¯s been itching to do it for a while now. I just happened to push him over the edge this time.¡±


    I give her a small hug, she seems to perk up slightly from that comfort, and then I ask, ¡°What type of duel did he go for.¡±


    ¡°A Challenge of Rank.¡± She said peering intently at the desk.


    Upon hearing that I grow hopeful, ¡°Well that should be easy right? You¡¯ve got Riros, and he can deal with anything that that Tlassel tries to throw at you.¡±


    She shakes her head again, and in a much softer voice she replies, ¡°He says he won¡¯t fight for me.¡±


    Stunned I lean back so I can look at Riros, who is sitting on the other side of Salaria. I send to him, ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to protect her? How can you not fight for her?!¡±


    He turns his head toward mine, and while his face remains impassive, his eyes are hard and resolute.


    ¡°She must learn to become stronger.¡±


    I reply back immediately, ¡°So you¡¯re going to make her get stronger by fighting against an enemy that outclasses her in all other forms of magic. And yet the one thing that her magic has given to her, are not going to participate? Oh sure she¡¯s going to be a lot stronger for this.¡± The last part I tried to make as sharp and as biting as I could possibly imagine.


    However my effort seems to go unnoticed, as I see no outward change in his expression or eyes. His voice resonates again in my head, ¡°Altia, I want you to remember that night that I arrived her and think back to when everything seemed to glow. Think back to your mental state at the time.¡±


    Not wanting to get distracted in what I felt was a non-sequitur, I narrow my eyes and ask, ¡°How does this relate at all to what I just asked you?¡±


    He says, ¡°It will make sense when you do what I ask you.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± I send back to him. I close my eyes and think back to that moment. I try and ignore what happened beforehand, and what happened afterwards, and just focus on the particular moment, where everything seemed to glow. I remember the burning sensation that was from my own inability to breathe, I remember the panic that was starting to set in, and I remember the fear.


    As all of it starts to come flooding back threatening to try and overwhelm me again, I hear Riros¡¯s voice once again echo out in my head. ¡°Almost there Altia, now I want you to hold onto all those emotions, and breathe.¡± When he says breathe, I feel a wave of energy wash over me, goosebumps wash over me, as I begin to sense the faintest of movement of what feels like wind caressing my skin.


    ¡°Open your eyes,¡± I hear Riros say.


    I open my eyes and find that the world seems to have transformed. I see puddles and strands of energy absolutely suffused into the air. It all seems to be drifting untethered by the building and the normal laws of the world. The only things that seem too be affecting this field is the presence of numerous entities scattered about. The entities glow with various amounts of the same this omnipresent energy, and it takes me a few moments of blinking my eyes before I realize that the entities scattered about the room are in fact the students who had entered the classroom not so long ago.


    Ever so softly I hear Riros¡¯s voice intrude upon my conscious, ¡°What you should be seeing Altia is mana. The energy that makes so much of the magic of this world possible.¡±


    I turn my gaze towards where he is sitting and I¡¯m greeted by the strangest sight I have ever seen. Where Salaria sits is an a bright burning source of mana. The surrounding mana next to her seems to be ever so softly flowing in her direction. Moving as if in a web of connected strands. Behind her the unfathomable void that I remember from earlier seems to writhe silently. It too seems to attract the puddles and strands toward it. However, it has a much greater pull and every mote of the mana that reaches within a certain distance of the abyss seems to absorbed and pulled into the roiling deep complexity that is Riros.


    ¡°What are you?¡± I can¡¯t help but ask as I subconsciously push that thought toward Riros.


    I receive the equivalent of a mental shake of his head, as he says, ¡°One question at a time. The answer to your question about why I won¡¯t fight lies in front of you.¡±


    I look down at Salaria again, and see the bright burning mana. I pause for a few seconds studying her before looking around again at all the other students in the classroom. It seems that only two other individuals brightness seem to rival that of Salaria¡¯s.


    ¡°Do you understand now?¡± I hear Riros say.


    I know I¡¯m on the verge of understanding, but the strange sight of all the drifting mana and the brightness of everyone else¡¯s own mana leaves me little room to actually comprehend what Riros is trying to make me comprehend.


    As if sensing my incomprehension, Riros voice once again rings out in my head, ¡°The higher the density of mana, the brighter the mana will become. The brighter the mana, the more powerful an individual is.¡±


    Before he can finish saying the first sentence, it clicks. Looking around the room and the intensity of everyone¡¯s mana, I realize now why Riros says that he won¡¯t fight. Salaria sitting next to me happens to be one of the strongest individuals in the room, mana-wise. He won¡¯t fight, because he doesn¡¯t have to.


    ¡°I understand now.¡± I say to Riros. ¡°You don¡¯t have to fight, because she is strong enough to defend herself.¡± Thinking back to what he said earlier I jump to my next conclusion. ¡°So when you say she must learn to become stronger, you¡¯re saying that she must learn to use her own strength to win the duel?¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± I hear Riros say.


    I look back at Salaria, and watch the burning intensity of her mana for several moments, before saying to Riros, ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll win?¡±


    ¡°That is up to her.¡± Is his reply.


    At that moment I notice the glow of the mana around me start to dim. I blink my eyes several times and the world comes back into focus as it was previously. The last images I see are the intensity of Salaria¡¯s mana pool and the deep abyss that is Riros.


    I put a hand on Salaria¡¯s shoulder and it a squeeze. ¡°You can do this,¡± I whisper to her.


    She gives me a small smile. One that contains only a sliver of hope.


    You better know what you¡¯re doing Riros. I think to myself as I watch her get prepared for the lecture that¡¯s about to start.

 A Flicker of Hope

    Calamacy Salaria


    The morning class passes quickly and before I know it, the class is over and it is time to move onto the next class. I can¡¯t seem to recall anything that the professor had just said, instead my mind had been completely preoccupied with the events beforehand. Most notably Riros¡¯s refusal to fight.


    Isn¡¯t he my summon? I ask myself, as I clear off my desk. He¡¯s supposed to fight for in me in situations like this.


    I wave goodbye to Altia once we leave the classroom. She is headed to another classroom on the second floor for her next class, meanwhile I make my way to the other side of the Hall towards my own class. Even though the Hall becomes crowded again, I remain locked in my thoughts, still registering all of today¡¯s events.


    Normally it would be possible for a summoner to use the bond to force their summon to do things for them. But I¡¯ve never heard of summoners actually facing resistance from their summons. And while I haven¡¯t asked Riros to fight for me, or tried to use the bond to force him to, I doubt that I would be able to anyways.


    At this point I open the door to my next class and move into the room. The layout for this classroom is similar to the one that I had just left, except smaller. The desks in the classroom are just big enough to put writing materials on and take notes. As I walk into the classroom, I am greeted by the sight of several other students summons. Including the professor¡¯s own 20 foot long thunder python.


    Right, I think to myself, shifting the gears in my head away from my previous class, time for the Apprentice level Summoners class.


    I take a seat near the back of the class, with Riros finding a seat next to me. Even though there are only four other individuals in the classroom besides the Professor, I am one of the last to arrive. The amount of summoners at the Acadamy is very small probably no higher than fifty individuals in total, only 12 of which happen to be at the apprentice level. Most are above, with a few below.


    However since there are so few of us here in the class, Riros¡¯s presence does not go unnoticed. Looking around I notice that most everyone in the classroom, including several of the summons are looking at him. He however seems unfazed by their gazes. I watch as he shifts slightly in the chair, the chair itself groaning under his weight. He crosses his arms and shifts his head so that he can look at me. Only faint ripples are visible across the chaotic surface of his eyes.


    A silence settles onto the room. One that manages to remain unbroken for several minutes.


    With a slight cough the professor begins his lecture. The lecture happens to be fairly simple today, as the professor is talking about how different runes can change what type of summon you receive. Most of what he is saying was taught in lower level classes, and so I used this opportunity to try and satisfy some of the questions burning in my mind.


    ¡°Riros? Why did you suggest for me to accept the duel?¡± I ask.


    He doesn¡¯t shift at all. He remains facing forward listening on the class in front of him. Some time passes and I almost give up on him actually responding when I finally hear his voice echo in my head.


    ¡°As i mentioned several days ago Salaria, I plan to make you stronger.¡±


    ¡°How exactly will fighting him make me stronger?¡± I reply.


    ¡°That is not something I can tell you, that is something that you will have to find out for yourself.¡±


    ¡°You know that¡¯s really frustrating and not helpful.¡±


    At that he turned his head toward me slightly, his gaze scrutinizing me for but a moment. Shifting back forward his voice speaks softly into my mind.


    ¡°Imagine you were trying to learn the basic feel of magic, but you had never experienced it before. Instead you¡¯re trying to search for this unknown based on the experiences and recommendations of others.¡±


    Slightly confused at the change in topic, but kind of getting the drift of what he was going for I responded with, ¡°Okay¡±


    ¡°Through all these various accounts of other people¡¯s experiences you would be lulled into thinking that you understood what the feeling of magic is. That you would be able to feel the same feelings that all these other people had felt. However we know that this is not the case. The reason we have so many different accounts and experiences from people is because everyone comes to know magic differently.¡±


    I sat there and mulled over what he had just said. Memories came to me about trying to help Altia find her her way to tap into her magic, and how almost nothing that I said about my own experiences seemed to really help her.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that if I go into this fight I¡¯ll discover some hidden talent or ability that I¡¯ve never known about?¡± I ask.


    ¡°No,¡± he replied, ¡°But it will help you understand yourself.¡±


    ¡°And understanding myself makes me stronger?¡±


    I noticed a slight nod of his head, ¡°It can.¡±


    I turned back to the lecture just absentmindedly paying attention as various runes were explained and written out on the slate board.


    ¡°Salaria?¡± I hear Riros¡¯s voice ask in my head.


    I look at him and see him staring intently at the board.


    ¡°What does the rune that the professor keeps pairing with the other runes mean?¡±


    I blink at him, and then switch back to staring at the board. Looking at the runes on the board it takes me several second to find which one he is talking about.


    ¡°Are you talking about the summoning rune?¡± I ask him.


    ¡°Summoning rune?¡± I hear him ask back.


    ¡°Yeah, that rune is the primary rune used to actually call out and establish the connection . That¡¯s why it¡¯s always paired with whatever you¡¯re trying to summon. The larger rune specifies what type of summon can be connected, usually along elemental lines. But there are certain runes that have been found to target particular species. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen that rune be used before. Not to summon though, this is the first time I¡¯ve heard it be used like this.¡±


    Curious I asked, ¡°Where did you see it used before?¡±


    There was a moment of silence before he responded, ¡°My brother uses that particular rune in several of his spells.¡±


    ¡°Which were?¡± I asked growing more curious at a different application of this seemingly familiar rune.


    At this he actually looked at me. A cautious expression across his face. ¡°Mainly teleportation spells.¡±


    We maintained eye contact for several seconds, mostly because I was waiting for him to tell me that he was joking. But after those few seconds I realized that that was not the case.


    ¡°How is that possible? Using that rune? Is he a Void-Mage?¡± I started asking a litany of questions.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what a Void-Mage is by your definition, but it definitely is possible using that rune. It¡¯s just a matter of placement, similar to how when you use that rune for summoning the rune is always connected onto the left side of the main rune.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so what is the placement then for that rune in order to use if for a teleportation?¡± I ask, excitement starting to build.


    ¡°Generally I see that rune placed below the main rune, however I have seen it used on the other side before.¡±


    I take another look at the rune pairings which the professor has written on the slate. I start drumming my fingers against the table, as the implications of what he is telling me starts to become more and more apparent. Most of what I had learned in my previous classes had taught that only certain placements were guaranteed to week. If one were to move the placement then the possibility of the spell failing would rise exponentially. It also happened that the cardinal directions around the ¡°main¡± rune are generally considered the only place to add runes, and the more runes added only added into how the runes would interact with another. Once a grouping of runes around the main rune exceeded four runes it became even more difficult to predict how the next layer of runes would interact with the original layer. As such a rune set with two layers spreading out in the cardinal directions from the main rune were very rare, and those that could put together said layers were considered experts. Our classes focused on the basics of rune sets and pairings. Only in the advanced classes did the professors start to delve more into the complexity behind creating a complete first layer and touch on the beginnings of the second layer. However the runes discussed generally only focused on the specific specialty of the field that was being taught.


    For example the basis of the summoning spell is a main rune put in the middle of the set, the main rune specifying some type of affinity (i.e. fire, water, earth), while the summoning rune that we discussed earlier is paired on the west side of the main rune. For summoning, it is always paired there. Then generally on the east side of the main rune is a binding rune, which is used to bind the target to the summoner. From there, the south side is left open for the summoner to stand while the north side has a rune that can be interchanged depending on what the summoner is trying to target. All of this works because once the summoner releases mana into the rune formation, the flow of mana from the south to the north directs the rune set to do a binding summon on a certain affinity target. In this Advanced Summoning class, the professor is discussing how swapping out the main rune and the north side rune can change the range of summons that are available.


    Taking into mind what Riros said about switching the placement I consider the effect that placing the summoning rune on the bottom would do to the rest of the rune set. If the south side had the summoning rune placed there, and the summoner were to stand there, wouldn¡¯t that mean that the thing being summoned would be the summoner? But how would you target where you are going? Different runes would be required, like ones that were more describing something definite. Just thinking about all the possibilities gave me a glimmer of hope for the upcoming fight that was to come.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    The rest of class was uneventful. I was lost in my own thoughts as I tried to explore the new possibilities. Riros on the other hand spent the time staring at the board intensely. Once class ended, I practically bolted out the door, leaving Riros to trail behind. The morning classes being done, I now had a free afternoon ahead of me, and i was determined not to waste it. I headed immediately to the Academy¡¯s Scholarium.


    Riros


    I watched as the kernel of information I gave to Salaria took root in her mind. Where once on her face was a dazed expression, had morphed into one intense thought. I watched as she began to work through some of the implications of what it meant to move the runes around. The way she zoned out the rest of the world and focused on the problem in her mind brought a small smile across my lips.


    Turning my attention back to the board in front of me I considered the rune formation before me. The system in which the runes were laid out differed greatly from what my brother and others had taught me. This system seemed to work along two main axis branching off a central rune. Another layer could be added to the main axis by placing more runes around the branching runes in a similar manner. The more I looked at it the more I was amazed at the simplicity of the system. With only a few runes it became possible to cast fairly complex spells. At least that was my understanding after following along with the professor of this class. What surprised me however was that there were many runes that were discussed that I had never seen before. And unlike some other civilizations that I had visited over the years, these runes all rang true. True in the sense that each stroke of the rune actually distorted the flows of mana ever so slightly.


    Almost as soon as the class was over, Salaria was out of her chair and practically charging through the other students to get out of the classroom. Several of the students attempted to approach her, but her quick departure meant that they were all left clustered around the doorway. I myself was in no rush to follow her, as the strange bond that she had brought me here in the first place also seemed to inform me of her general location.


    Gingerly picking myself up out of the chair, I made my way over to the slate that the professor was just beginning to erase. When I arrived in front of the slate the professor stopped what he was doing and stared at me. I noticed that he was nervously wringing his hands.


    ¡°Y-You are Calamacy vim¡¯s summon, yes?¡± He asked with a slight stutter.


    I nod in affirmation. Placing my finger on one of the central runes on the board I ask, ¡°What does this rune do?¡±


    A look of shock crosses his face. It takes him a few seconds to register the fact that I just talked to him telepathically. His clenches his hand together tighter. I notice that the long iron colored snake that had been resting next to the professor shifts uncomfortably. Two slit eyes stare at me as the rest of it shifts into what feels to me like a more offensive stance.


    Dismissing it, I turn back to the rune that I had placed my finger on. When i had placed my finger on it, the slight distortion in the mana flow had disappeared, rendering the rune inert. Taking my finger off I watched as it gradually distorted the mana around it.


    With an audible gulping sound I hear the man say, ¡°That rune is a fire affinity rune.¡±


    I nod my head again, and taking a piece of chalk write on the slate a rune of fire that my brother had taught me. Watching closely I see a similar distortion in the mana around the rune, the reaction of mana to my rune however is more pronounced. Placing the chalk down, I nod my head once more at the professor and leave the classroom, wandering off in the direction that the bond tells me Salaria has gone.


    Professor


    I let out a breath I hadn¡¯t realized i had been holding when Calamacy Salaria¡¯s summon left the room. I wasn¡¯t quite sure what to expect when the Headmaster had informed me that the Calamacy would be bringing her summon with her to class. But after witnessing the incident in the hallway, I found myself unable to maintain control. Something about its presence had triggered something deep down that made me very very afraid. It was all I could do to keep myself from fleeing the room with it as I was teaching the class. It didn¡¯t help that it approached once class was over and spoke into my mind. I almost fainted on the spot! And then it writes the rune of ¡®Call Fire¡¯ on the board and leaves it there. I don¡¯t know how or where it learned that rune, but it almost set the slate on fire! Even now, when I hover my hand over where the rune is written i can feel the heat emanating off of it. I think i may ask one of my senior apprentices to take over this class for me. There¡¯s no way I wish to continue being around that powerful of a summon.


    Riros


    I found Salaria in a library. At least that¡¯s the only word that immediately came to mind when i saw the stacks upon stacks of books and scrolls all seemingly organized on shelves that rise and descend several stories from the floor I¡¯m standing on.


    The building i had walked into didn¡¯t seem that large to begin with, however a lesson I learned early on with my brother was that things are often not what they appear to be. In any case i walked into the library and after clearing the entrance found myself standing at a balcony. The stacks upon stacks of books did give me pause for a few moments as I admired the wealth of knowledge that had been gathered here.


    Distracting myself no further I make my way to where I feel Salaria to be. I descend several staircases and watch as several tomes float past. They gently drift upward until one breaks off from the others and inserts itself back into the stacks.


    Interesting, I think to myself. Turning my attention back to the floor I had descended to, I notice several sets of desks on the inner perimeter of the floor. All the desks were facing toward me, or more accurately the stacks behind me. Most of the desks were filled with various individuals, some of which ignored my presence, while others glared at me. It was fairly easy to spot Salaria working at one of the desks in the back. Her red hair standing out amidst the black, bronze, bronze and whites that were scattered about.


    Fortunately the desks around her were open, so I chose the one to her left and sat down next to her. As I sat down I peered over her should to get a look at what she was working on. A large tome lay open before her, several sets and ¡°pairs¡± of runes were diagramed on the pages, with what I assumed to be explanations underneath. She was scribbling furiously on several sheets of her own. She remained completely absorbed in the work that she was doing. Through the bond that we had, I could feel a growing excitement.


    Smiling softly at her, I turned toward the desk in front of me. Just by placing my hands on it I could feel the thrum of magic. Several runes were glowing softly near the edge of the surface. I vaguely recognized one of the runes as a general call rune. I ran one of my fingers along the run feeling the surface, and noticed that it was inlaid into the desk itself. As I touched it, I felt the mana around it fade and as soon as my finger stopped there was a similar distortion as had happened back in the classroom.


    Curious, I thought to myself. For whatever reason there was a more pronounced reaction to runes than back on my world. Is it the inlays? Or the materials themselves? Or something else?


    ¡°Excuse me, vos, is there something I can help you with?¡± A voice says, breaking my train of thought,


    I look up and see an older woman in a green robe. Her skin is very pale with an almost bluish tint to it. Sharp black eyes stare back at me. A tightly controlled mane of black hair is draped over one shoulder. A sense an immense amount of power radiates from this woman. She is leaning slightly over the desk, one hand resting on its surface.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± I send to her, her eyes widen briefly before returning to the same sharp stare. ¡°Can I perhaps peruse through some of the books?¡±


    She shifts so that she is no longer leaning on the table, and crosses her arms ¡°Do you have a particular topic in mind?¡±


    I nod my head, ¡°Do you have a compendium of runes perhaps?¡±


    She crosses her arms and looks at me thoughtfully. ¡°There are several, would you care for the advanced, intermediate, or beginners compendium?¡±


    ¡°The beginners please.¡± I send to her.


    She unfolds her arm and places a finger on the call rune. It glows softly, and without looking away from me she says, ¡°Basic Runes Explained.¡± Taking her finger off the rune she brings it to her lips with a pondering expression before saying, ¡°You¡¯re not what I thought you would be.¡± Before turning on her heel and walking away.


    I watch her walk away and descend further down the stacks. Out of the corner of my eye I notice Salaria staring at me.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I send to her.


    ¡°Do you have any idea who that was?¡± she asks.


    I don¡¯t respond immediately, instead I keep staring out as a book floats down to this level and approaches my desk. It gently lands on the desk and I touch the surface briefly, feeling the worn leather of the cover and the faint distortions of magic that surround it. ¡°Dangerous.¡± I finally respond.


    Salaria bites her lower lip for a moment before nodding her head briefly, she takes one last look at where the woman had disappeared to and then returns back to the notes in front of her.


    Calamacy Salaria


    Before I knew it hours had passed. I stared at the page before me and take a second to study the rune set I had created. Everything was there, and if the brief insight that i got from Riros was right, then the likelihood of this rune set working went up exponentially. I was excited, if the rune set worked, then I felt like i had a chance during the upcoming fight.


    Stretching in the seat I looked over at Riros as he sat next to me. His eyes seemed transfixed on the rune book in front of him. Occasionally he would flip the page and study the next set of runes that were being explained.


    ¡°What¡¯s so fascinating about those runes?¡± I ask him.


    Not looking away from the book, in front of him I hear his reply, ¡°Many of these runes are unfamiliar to me.¡±


    I blink at him, ¡°And?¡±


    He shifts back in the seat and spares me a look before turning back to the book, ¡°My brother and I have spent the better part of our lives trying to learn and discover all the runes that were out there, we had reached a point where we thought we had believed we had done so. And then I come here and almost immediately am confronted with runes that I have never seen before. Its fascinating.¡±


    I stare at him for another moment as he flips through the book before collecting my notes. I slide my book forward on the desk and watch for a moment as the magic takes over and takes it back into the stacks. From there I get up and pat Riros on the shoulder.


    ¡°We should go. I have another class this evening.¡±


    Kassari Vandel


    ¡°I thought I told you to lay low?¡± I say at my unexpected dinner guest. I finish the cut on the steak i have before me and place the piece into my mouth. Placing the utensils down I raise my napkin to wipe my mouth and then turn my attention to the black haired void mage before me.


    She sat on the other side of the table occupying the other side of the booth that until a moment ago, I had to myself. Her sharp black eyes staring at me while the rest of her remained expressionless.


    ¡°Have you met it?¡± She asked, continuing her stare as I took a sip of wine.


    ¡°By it I assume you are referring to the Calamacy¡¯s summon?¡±


    She nods. Her expression shifting slightly to one of concern.


    Unexpected. I think to myself. It¡¯s very rare that I¡¯ve ever seen anything actually break through her usual blank facade. I motion for her to continue.


    ¡°Considering your usual preparation you take for your ¡®plans¡¯ I would assume you would have taken the opportunity to study the summon.¡±


    I wave aside her concern, ¡°I have the reports of those who interacted with this Riros. While the summons true strength appears to be unknown, outside of the Calamacy herself, it doesn¡¯t seem to show much interest in our world.¡±


    Her expression remained unchanged as she responded, ¡°I think you¡¯re wrong, I met the summon earlier and it most definitely is showing interest in our world.¡±


    ¡°Really,¡± I ask, slightly surprised, ¡°And what spurred you to actually leave your comfy seclusion to meet this summon?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to verify its presence for myself.¡± She shrugs, before shifting forward, leaning toward me the intensity of her gaze increasing, ¡°You seem to be rather dismissive of my attempt to warn you.¡±


    ¡°Is that what this is a warning?¡± I say cutting her off, this time I made no attempt to stop the contempt from my voice.


    ¡°Yes, as much as you don¡¯t want to hear it, I already have a lot invested in your schemes. Mark my words, this summon is studying us, I don¡¯t know what it''s endgame is, but when it gets there, not even you with all of your little plans will be able to stop it.¡± Her brows narrowed dangerously at me, a look of frustration passed over her.


    I wave another hand at her dismissively, ¡°If that¡¯s all, I¡¯d prefer to eat the rest of my meal in peace.¡± I turn back to my steak and start to cut another piece. I hear a small ¡®hmph¡¯ from her, and nothing else. Finishing my cut, I bring another piece up to my mouth and take a bite. I glance briefly across the table and it is empty once again.

 Dreams and Training

    Calamacy Salaria


    I wipe the dirt off my hands as I stand up. Riros and I are standing on a flat patch of ground on a more remote part of the Academy campus. He is standing off to my left and his arms are crossed as he stares at me silently. I can¡¯t really make out his expression all that well, but he definitely seems curious.


    I turn my head back to the ground in front of me. Scribbled out on the ground itself I have written the rune set that I had been experimenting with back in the library. I reach into one of the folds of my robe and retrieve the page with the rune set on it. After a quick comparison to make sure its right, I tuck the page back into my robe.


    I glance back at up at Riros and give him a grin. He shifts slightly and just waits there. Clasping my hands together I step onto the lower rune and start to channel my mana into the whole set. I¡¯m not sure if the set will work, but there¡¯s nothing in the rune set which would be dangerous to me. At least I think.


    As the mana leaves my body and flows outward. The runes begin to glow. At first it¡¯s dim, but as more mana is poured in the start to grow brighter and brighter. Finally when the runes reach a point that the brightness starts to distort the surroundings I feel a click, and the rune set activates. For a second I feel a gut wrenching sensation of being pulled sideways and then everything is muffled before I head a snapping sound. The sound makes me wince and I clutch my sides also as my organs seem to try and rearrange themselves.


    ¡°Huh,¡± I hear Riros say in my head. I wait a few seconds longer to let my insides cool down before opening my eyes. The first thing that I notice is that Riros is no longer off to my left. Instead he is now standing on my right. I take a moment to actually take stock of myself, inspecting my fingers and even my toes to make sure they are all still there.


    Once that¡¯s done I look back at Riros and give him another grin this one bigger than the last, as the excitement inside of me grows even more. ¡°It works!¡± I say to him.


    He nods his head and I see a small smile creep onto his face.


    ¡°That it does.¡±


    I rub my hands together as I stare at the now dark rune formation. Time to do more testing. I think to myself.


    After several more hours of testing the rune sets. I find myself standing back in front of my dorm. By this point the sun has gone down and night has descended. A few faint lights helped guide us back to the dorm itself.


    As we arrive I notice that there is still a light burning on the first floor. Sitting at one of the tables absentmindedly reading a book is Dralfey Serac. Next to him is a new face that I haven¡¯t seen before. She has a bowl of fruit in front of her and is picking at it. She is wearing a gray robe and is leaning back in her chair, her white hair is cut short and seems to accentuate her pale skin. She notices us and gives a little wave before setting her chair back down on the ground. She then prods Dralfey Serac.


    ¡°Is that her?¡± I hear her say excitedly. He looks up from his book as both Riros and I step up into the building. He scowls momentarily at her, before nodding his head and standing up himself.


    ¡°Welcome back Calamacy-vim. This is Ceorn Cera Draern, she is our new resident here at the dorm.¡± He says motioning toward the girl.


    She has a smile on her face as she gives me another wave. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you Calamacy-fe, I¡¯ve heard a lot about you, and when I was informed that you were actually staying at the dorm I had been assigned to, I just had to meet you.¡±


    I could feel her eagerness as she stared at me with her green eyes. I smile at her and give her a nod of my head. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± I say.


    Her smile grows even wider, and she starts speaking rapidly, ¡°It really is you! That¡¯s such a beautiful red you¡¯re wearing. What¡¯s it like being a Calamacy?¡±


    She stops talking when she finally looks behind me and registers Riros¡¯s presence. I watch as her eyes go wide for a second. In this pause I turn toward Dralfey Serac and ask, ¡°Serac-fa, do we have any extra mattresses or pillows for Riros?¡±


    He looks at Riros for a moment before asking, ¡°Is he going to be sleeping in your room?¡±


    I shake my head, ¡°Last time we came by he mentioned that it would probably not be a good idea for him to go upstairs.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Serac replies looking thoughtfully around the 1st floor and its open floor plan. ¡°Will he be alright sleeping down here?¡±


    ¡°This will do just fine.¡± I hear him say into my head. I notice Dralfey Serac¡¯s look of surprise as he hears Riros¡¯s voice also.


    ¡°Soooo cooool!¡± I hear Ceorn Cera exclaim. Both Serac and I turn to look at her as she is looking up excitedly at Riros. ¡°You must be Calamacy-vim¡¯s summon! There are rumors going around about how you speak to everyone telepathically! Now I didn¡¯t think that was possible, because who would want to speak telepathically when its just as easy and takes less effort to just talk to someone, but then you actually did it! Wow! It was so cool! Do it again!¡±


    We watch for a moment as she approaches Riros and starts to pester him with an unending stream of questions. Dralfey Serac turns to me and says, ¡°Pay her no mind. Eventually she will exhaust her curiosity. As far as Riros goes I¡¯ll provide something.¡±


    He then turns to me, a worried look across his face. ¡°Word has spread about your challenge.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯ve heard?¡± I say not wanting to see the worry in his eyes.


    There is a moment of silence as he continues to look at me, finally he speaks, ¡°What were you thinking? He is one of the best at dueling in the Academy. Not to mention you¡¯ve never been in an official duel before.¡±


    I respond, ¡°It was bound to happen, he has been looking for an excuse ever since I met him, and after what happened at Dralfey Altia¡¯s birthday, I imagine he was just itching for a chance.¡±


    He nods his head, ¡°Be that as it may, Salaria-vim, you do have a plan, right? You¡¯re not just going to stand behind your summon?¡±


    I gave him a small smile, ¡°I do, at the moment I¡¯m still trying to figure out a few details, but it gives me hope that I can win this.¡±


    His worried look continues, ¡°If you need help with some attack magics I can help you.¡±


    My smile fades slightly, ¡°I¡¯m not sure what attack magics can do besides stall for time. I know he has a better grasp of chants and mana manipulation than I do.¡±


    ¡°Then what are you going to do?¡± He sighs.


    ¡°Well,¡± I say, ¡°for now I¡¯m going to go to sleep.¡± I look back at Riros as he deals with Ceorn Cera. At least I assume he is, considering how she will fall silent from time to time before bursting out with another round of questions. I feel my own pang of frustration watching them. Several of my own questions come bubbling up into the forefront of my mind. The way he answers his questions is not necessarily helpful either.


    Sensing my gaze on him, he looks up at me questioningly. I say out loud, ¡°I¡¯m going to bed.¡± and turn to head up the stairs. I hear behind me Dralfey Serac and Ceorn Cera say goodnight. I feel Riros¡¯ gaze follow me up the stairs before hearing his voice echo in my mind, ¡°Good night Salaria.¡±


    Everything is murky. As if I¡¯m traveling through a fog. In the distance there is a brightness, the closer I travel to it, the more everything seems to focus. I see snippets of images. In one I am standing on a world off orange hues, a massive sandstorm looming in the east. Before me lies a battalion of soldiers...Battalion?....It¡¯s familiar yet¡­...not¡­ This battalion is crossing the desert to a location that is important¡­ I cannot remember why¡­ i do know it''s important that this battalion does not reach said location, and that¡¯s why I¡¯m here¡­ to stop them.


    The image shifts, and i find myself standing in front of them as they travel through a narrow pass. The soldiers are traveling in carriages which are moving forward much too rapidly. They start to open fire¡­ with what?... I feel sharp stings as a multitude of objects start to ricochet off my body. Gritting my teeth I reach into that well of power. The color in my vision starts to fade. I shift, my back foot sinks into the ground as with all my force I launch myself forward.


    There is another image. The color is almost gone. I feel myself whirling, jumping, the power in my hands and legs is propelling me forward, slashing and hacking and shooting, it¡¯s all a blur as I am in the middle of the fight. The soldiers fall around me, their attempts to hurt me insignificant. I grin, the exhilaration building. I revel in the Chaos as I travel from vehicle to vehicle. The look in their faces of hope, determination and eventually¡­ fear.


    I blink, too soon it is done. The battalion lies in ruins. There is smoke billowing out of many of the carriages. All around is a scene of death and chaos. I pull back my presence and reign in the destruction. The color slowly returns to the world. I grit my teeth as I push back the desire for more. Soon it is restrained, churning once again inside, waiting ever so patiently ¡®til i release it again.


    A new image appears. I see a man in white walking toward me. He is spotless. Even among biting wind and the rising sands. He looks down at me from where I sit.


    ¡°Well done,¡± he says something else, but something in his gaze distracts me. ¡°it¡¯s time to go now.¡± I meet his eyes, and they look at me. Not the me that is there, but the me that is watching.


    The images start to fade and the murkiness returns, as I feel myself retreating from the brightness. I feel myself start to become enfolded in the darkness. As everything begins to fade I hear two voices speaking, one a familiar deep, yet unstoppable rumble and the other lighter, warmer, a hint of barely restrained mirth contained within.


    The lighter one says, ¡°Have you made a decision?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡± The rumble replies.


    They discuss more, but the sound fades just as the brightness had, and the darkness enfolds me completely.


    I wake to the first rays of light descending upon my face. I blink my eyes at the familiarity, the warmth, there is a sense of peace for several moments as I look up at the worn wood ceiling of my room. The peace is shattered when I remember my dream.


    I bolt upright in my bed. My heart starts pounding as I recall the blood, the limbs, the carnage, and the excitement. I shudder. I look down at my hands. The white skin is mostly untouched a few calluses have built up where i hold my quills and the other instruments that I use for summoning. Nothing at all like the scarred tan skin dripping in blood that I had seen earlier. The pounding of my heart continues as I sit there recalling each of the images. They are so real, and vivid that I get lost in them.


    At some point I feel Riros¡¯ mind touch onto my own and it probes ever so gently before withdrawing. As it withdraws so do the memories seem to fade. I blink again and look about my room. The familiarity helps calm me down. Taking a deep breath I get out of bed and dress myself for the day. The memories are still there, but they are less sharp, less tangible, less in the forefront of my mind. After changing my clothes, I take another deep breath and head downstairs.


    Descending the stairs I find that Dralfey Serac is once again cooking breakfast. He gives me a nod as I reach the floor. I look around and I find Riros sitting on the edge of first floor. One leg is resting on the floor itself, while the other is resting on the last step down to the ground. His back is against the building column.


    I walk over to him and take a seat next to him. We sit there in silence for several moments before I feel his voice in my mind once again, ¡°Those memories are not meant for you. They are mine to bear.¡±


    I continue to sit there in silence as several of them come forward again. There is a detachment this time. I look at him, ¡°What did you do?¡±


    He looks at me for a moment, before replying, ¡°Somehow last night you shared in my own dreams, in doing so you experienced them the same way I had. When you woke up this morning, and I sensed this was what happened, I used our bond to dull the memories for you. So you wouldn¡¯t have relive it over and over again.¡±


    Not quite understanding I ask him again, ¡°You did what?¡±


    He sighs, a deep rumbling sign that faintly vibrates the area around us. ¡°The bond we share passes not only memories, but the emotions and senses that go along with this memories. Once i had realised that this is what had happened I used the bond to pass all those emotions and senses that were associated with the memories to me.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± I grunt back at him. We share a few more moments of silence before I ask, ¡°Have you always carried those emotions with you?¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Ever since they were created. Time dulls them, but they are still there.¡±


    I look out at the plaza off to our side, with all the dorms surrounding it. I take another breath and ask him another question, ¡°Why did you kill all those people?¡±


    ¡°They were my enemies. Given half a chance they would have done the same to me.¡±


    ¡°But why? Why were they your enemies?¡±


    He shifted so that I could feel his eyes staring at me. I was still looking out at the plaza, and did not wish to meet his gaze just yet.


    ¡°Salaria,¡± he began, ¡°Those people threateded the peace and security of my people and my family. I did what I did to eliminate that threat, same as when you called me here.¡±


    ¡°Wait what?¡± I send to him as I turn to meet his eyes, ¡°I don¡¯t have any recollections of when you showed up. All I remember is Altia standing over me saying everything is going to be ok.¡±


    He stares at me for several moments, the shifting chaos of his irises seeming to roll in languid waves. I hear his voice in my mind again, it feel restrained, ¡°When I answered your call, you were not where i appeared. I found traces of you elsewhere in the city and made my way there. There were some¡­.individuals that sought to prevent me from reaching you. I eliminated them. Others came due to the disturbance that was created. Altia stopped me from eliminating them too¡±


    I stare at him as I let those words sink in. In my own mind I think, he has already taken lives for my own sake, and he is more than willing to take more. I blink a few times and send another thought toward Riros.


    ¡°If you are so concerned with eliminating threats then why are you letting me do this duel? Doesn¡¯t this put me in as much danger as I was in earlier.¡±


    He continues to stare his face remaining passive, unchanging, ¡°It can, the difference this time is that you are conscious and facing said danger upfront, and considering your current level of power you should be able to deal with this challenger without my help.¡±


    ¡°And if I can¡¯t?¡± I snap at him.


    He stares at me for a few more seconds before answering, ¡°You have free time this morning before your classes start, right?¡±


    I nod my head.


    ¡°Good, I want you to practice your basic mana shield.¡±


    I blink for a second, before replying, ¡°How do you know about the basic mana shield? And why do you want me to practice it? I thought you weren¡¯t going to help?¡±


    He stands up and steps out onto the stone pathways in between the dorms. ¡°I only said I wouldn¡¯t fight for you, not that I wouldn¡¯t help you. Now let us move to a more open space.¡±


    With that he turned and walked into the open plaza in between all the dorms. I got up and followed him, still curious as to why he wanted to see my mana shield.


    ¡°Well?¡± He asked. He stood in the middle of the plaza his arms crossed observing me.


    I focused inward and sought out my mana. I then cleared my mind and willed it out. Forcing it to surround me and condense. No runes were needed for this type of magic. Instead this was all about how well I could manipulate the raw power itself. I pictured a bubble in my mind¡¯s eye, condensing and hardening such that no amount of magic or brute force could make its way through. When I was finished the air around me seemed to shimmer, the mana itself distorting the light.


    ¡°Good,¡± I hear Riros say, ¡°Now do your best to maintain your shield.¡±


    I watched as Riros casually bent over and seemed to pick something up off the ground, I tried to get a better picture, but as soon as he straightened up I heard a loud crack and watched as a single solitary crack seemed to form in my mana shield.


    ¡°What was-¡± I tried to say to Riros, as another cracking sound echoed out. Only about a foot away from the other crack, was another crack in my shield. I could only watch slightly horrified as another crack appeared above the first two. Soon more and more percussive blasts started to ring off my shield as more and more cracks appeared.


    Not having time for questions or to even discern what he was doing, I closed my mouth and gritted my teeth, willing even more of my mana to condense into the shield, trying to strengthen it. I struggled like this for the next five minutes, pouring more and more effort into maintaining the shield against this percussive onslaught. Every time I saw a crack appear, I felt it in my head, a constant barrage that threatened to overwhelm and collapse the rigid picture that I had in my mind.


    As it was building to a crescendo, I felt something give way. All of a sudden that rigid picture in my mind was shattered. I felt the mana around me disperse as I sank to my knees. Breathing deeply I stopped my fall by supporting myself with my hands. Sweat ran down my face and soaked my clothes. My whole body ached from the constant effort that was required to manipulate the mana.


    I felt the ground shake as Riros walked over to me. Turning my head to look up at him, I saw him standing there one hand holding a small pile of pebbles. The other lightly tossing one of the pebbles up, before catching it in his open palm.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± he said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to last that long on your first try.¡±


    I just stare at him for a few moments longer trying to catch my breath. Finally I respond to him by asking, ¡°Were you trying to kill me?¡±


    Tossing another pebble into the air, he replied, ¡°No, I was holding myself back, if one of these pebbles had gotten through, at the most it would have only broken a few bones and maybe punctured your skin an inch or two.¡±


    I shuttered a little at the image that brought to mind, ¡°So how does you attacking me with pebbles and threatening to seriously maim me help me?¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have been seriously injured.¡± He replies, I notice the corners of his mouth twitch upward in a slightly constrained smile. ¡°But to answer your question, this helps by conditioning you to using and maintaining a constant conscious control over your mana. Something that if not constantly pushed can have serious repercussions if you were to step into that duel unprepared.¡±


    At this point I pick myself shakily off the ground. Wiping the sweat off my face I start heading back to the dorm. I continue talking to Riros though, ¡°But the Academy does a pretty good job of making sure we learn how to control our magics, that¡¯s why we take several hands-on classes, rather than just learning the theorems.¡±


    I felt him start to follow me back as he said, ¡°Obviously, but that¡¯s why it¡¯s even more important that we continue to push your limits and test your control.¡±


    I pause to turn back and look at him, ¡°Wait, we are going to continue doing this?¡±


    ¡°But of course, you¡¯ve got roughly a week until the duel. By the time we get to that duel, controlling you magic will be the least of your worries.¡±


    I stare at him a moment longer squinting my eyes slightly before moving back toward the dorm. Once there I notice that Ceorn Cera is standing at the edge of the dorm holding a bowl in her hand. When I get close enough, she offers the bowl to me.


    ¡°Thanks?¡± I say to her.


    She nods her head, then takes a moment to draw in a deep breath before launching into her first litany of questions, ¡°That was so COOL! I had just come down the stairs to see what was going on, when I start hearing these cracking sounds, and at first I was worried, but then to my surprise I looked over to where the sound was coming from and there you two were! It was really impressive watching the way your shield managed to hold up against that onslaught from Riros. Riros what were you even doing to create that effect? You weren¡¯t even moving from you spot, yet you put so much pressure on Salaria.¡±


    Once she shifted to Riros, I moved past her and sat down at one of the table under the dorm to eat the offered food. Ceorn Cera continued to talk to Riros for another couple of minutes before Riros finally got her to quiet down. He moved to lean on one of the columns of the building, He looked out at the rest of the plaza seemingly studying it. When I had finished eating he motioned for me to join him once again out on the field.


    Riros


    I was surprised by Salaria¡¯s recovery rate. After another 3 sessions of flicking rocks at her I got a much better grasp on her basic abilities. Besides a very large mana pool, I was pleasantly surprised to find that she had a quick recovery rate, she seemed to absorb almost 2 and a half times as much mana as most of the other people at her level. She had a decent endurance that helped to keep her standing through each of the sessions. Not to mention her inquisitive mind was good at adapting under pressure.


    Even if she does get lost in her own questions sometimes. I chuckle to myself.


    My chuckle earns me a frown from Salaria. She stares at me for a moment before turning back to the lesson in front of her. We were once again back in the Apprentice Level Summoner¡¯s Class. I noticed curiously that the Professor from last time was not actually there. Instead another younger looking summoner was currently discussing uncommon pairings and actual rune orientation. I had been listening in the beginning, but most of what they were discussing was fairly familiar to me. While the whole methodology was new, I still didn¡¯t understand why they didn¡¯t consider creating matrices to organize the runes, or even use lines to channel the runes power. However that was a matter for another time.


    I was interrupted in my musings by the appearance of an older looking black-haired individual. He stepped into the room interrupting the lecture and motioned for the stand-in professor to come to him. There was a brief discussion before the stand-in returned to his spot in the front and called out to the class.


    ¡°Calamacy-vim, the Headmaster would like to have a word with you.¡± he said. I noticed an immediate spike of emotions start coming from Salaria, the most notable being fear, anxiety, and guilt. She took a second to compose herself before nodding her head.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± She says to me. We both stand up and she heads down to the older gentleman with the black hair. As we approach he steps outside the classroom holding the door open. Salaria slips by him, but it is a much tighter fit for myself. As I squeeze past him into the hallway outside, my shoulder brushes past him. However instead of making contact and causing him to stumble away like happens most of the time, I feel a brief crackle of energy and my shoulder is actually repulsed. I stare at the man briefly before continuing on. I make a mental note to myself to keep on eye on him. The amount of control and power that it took for that man to even attempt to stop my momentum means that this individual is most likely on one of the higher tiers of this society.


    Outside of the classroom, It is fairly quiet. The hallways are completely empty and quiet. Once we¡¯re all outside and the door is closed Salaria turns toward the man and gives a short bow.


    ¡°Headmaster-fa.¡± Salaria says. ¡°What did you wish to speak about?¡±


    The Headmaster stared at Salaria for several moments before he gave out a sigh. ¡°Salaria-vim, I imagine you already have several very good ideas as to what I would like to talk to you about.¡±


    I watched as Salaria hung her head a bit and started to fidget in place. ¡°Right, this is about the duel isn¡¯t it?¡±


    He nodded his head and passed a hand over his weary face. ¡°Why is it that we can¡¯t go 2 weeks around here without you riling up some kind of trouble.¡±


    Ah, I nod to myself, that¡¯s why she feels guilty.


    The Headmaster continued, ¡°This time it seems that you¡¯ve put yourself in an even more precarious position.¡±


    Salaria nodded her head, her eyes slightly downcast.


    ¡°Normally, I would just give you the normal talking to about actions and consequences, but it seems you really stepped into it this time. I have been asked by several Chancellor¡¯s to the Thrones and even the Phoenix Prior to intercede in this duel and void it.¡±


    Salaria¡¯s eyes widened as she heard the news. Before she could ask a question though, the Headmaster continued.


    ¡°However, the Ivy Royalty herself has weighed in also, and informed the rest of the Royalty that she would be rather displeased if anyone were to interfere in simple duel.¡± He finished.


    I watched as Salaria looked crestfallen for a moment before shaking her head and grinding her teeth. Curious I asked a question to the Headmaster.


    ¡°As I¡¯m not familiar with the current political situation, why does it matter if the Ivy Royalty is displeased?


    The Headmaster turns to me, ¡°Riros is it? Your understanding of our language is quite impressive.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had a long time to learn many languages, learning another is simple. However don¡¯t dodge my question.¡± I answer watching the shrewd calculating eyes of the Headmaster.


    We watch each other for several moments his own eyes attempting to peer past my facade and discern more. ¡°An enigma for sure.¡± He mutters. ¡°Rarely do we ever see a summon with such intelligence. Never before a humanoid. Hmmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Headmaster-fa,¡± Salaria says, ¡°please answer Riros¡¯s question. You¡¯re going off on a tangent again.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± the Headmaster mutters looking at Salaria before turning back to me, ¡°How familiar are you with the Royalty themselves?¡±


    ¡°They are the rulers are they not?


    ¡°Very much so. Each Royalty is a ruler of one of the Thrones of people that were brought into the fold of Eldesaria. Currently there are 5 thrones which make up the Royalties; the Phoenix Throne, the Onyx Throne, The Brass Throne, the Cinder throne, and of course the Ivy Throne. While the Thrones represent the clans, they also represent the Royalty themselves. For the Royalty are only considered the Royalty, because they are the strongest of their throne. The situation starts to become complex when you consider that all the Thrones are considered equals, so the Royalty themselves are considered equals. However as you can see this is about as far from the truth as one can be. As the Royalty themselves have varying degrees of power. Some of the Royalty are considered more powerful than others due to their size and number of ranks that their Throne contains. While some of the Royalty just ARE more powerful than the others. For various reasons the Thrones have aligned themselves into three camps. Let''s start with the Ivy Camp. the Ivy Throne, they are one of the most populous of the Thrones and are the Throne that is considered by have the largest majority of upper ranks. Following them is the Brass Throne who are the largest of the Thrones, and whose land Lothelen currently resides in.


    ¡°The opposite camp is lead by the Cinder Throne and is the newest Royalty to be folded into Eldesaria. However they are quickly becoming one of the most powerful due to some new branches of magic they are bringing into the fold. The Onyx Throne supports them. The Onyx throne are considered the mid level powerhouse, their current Royalty is a Dolveran, which is surprising considering that generally only a Nelselph reigns as the Royalty.


    Lastly we have the neutral camp, which is the Phoenix Throne. They are the smallest Throne out of all of them, but their Prior is considered the most powerful of any Prior or Royalty. Although there is some mystery behind the Phoenix Throne, ever since her ascension, no one has seen the Phoenix Royalty.


    ¡°In anycase, ¡° the Headmaster says pausing to take a deep breath, ¡°all of this matters because the people who asked to have this duel called off are from the Cinder Throne. Normally for duels like this the Royalty never get involved. However since relations between the two camps are currently strained the Ivy Royalty is most likely seeing this attempt to mess with the duel as an afront to her power. Please keep in mind though that I cannot speak for the Ivy Royalty, so I¡¯m not sure exactly what her reasoning is.¡±


    ¡°Is this purely political?¡± Salaria asks.


    The Headmaster looks at her, ¡°It seems to be mostly political, if you¡¯re referring to the fact the Tlassel Klass is her grandson, then I suppose you have a point. Although there is a lack of evidence to corroborate that.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Salaria asks.


    ¡°Others have withdrawn from duels with the Tlassel before, and she had never interfered.¡± The Headmaster replies.


    ¡°So if the duel can¡¯t be canceled, why have you come here in the first place?¡± I ask.


    The Headmaster¡¯s eyes flick back to mine before he addresses Salaria, ¡°I mainly wanted to make sure that you were aware of what was transpiring behind the scenes Calamacy-vim. I did also want to give you a note of warning, to be careful of Tlassel Klass, as he is as well-connected as he is proficient at mage-duels.¡±


    As he delivered that last part of the warning his eyes turned back to me with a deeper meaning behind them. I saw it only briefly before he turned away from the both of us and started walking down the hallway. ¡°Good luck!¡± He yells waving a hand in farewell.


    The two of us stand there watching him both of contemplating everything that he told us. I glance down at Salaria as she stands there chewing slightly on her lower lip, a slight look of consternation on her face.


    A smile crosses my own, as I think to myself, This is going to be fun.

 Invitations and Training Part 1

    Calamacy Salaria


    Over the next couple of days Riros spent much of my free time ¡®training¡¯ me. He mainly focused on the shield exercise whenever we were near the dormitories. However he had to change his method when one of the pebbles he flicked ricochet off the shield and pierced into one of the nearby dormitories. After that commotion had been settled he moved on to a new method of placing large, very heavy objects on the shield itself. At first it wasn¡¯t that big of a deal, but he complicated matters by having me start to write runes with my mana. That extra bit of concentration and exertion meant that my shield began to fluctuate. Which meant that the objects placed on the shield, generally large rocks, would slip closer to me.


    Another part of the training involved improving on one basic attack spells that I had learnt early on at the academy. I had other attack spells, but he dismissed these outright after their first demonstration. The spell he had me focus on was a very simple mana missile. Essentially it boiled down to a condensing of a particular amount of mana into a tight a space and then projecting said mana forward, preferably forward. Oftentimes when one was first learning this spell, if one would lose concentration, then the condensed mana would tend to erupt in some random direction. Thankfully, at that level the mana is not packed too tightly, so the instructors never really had to worry about anyone actually getting injured.


    However, once Riros had me start focusing on it, he made me condense the normal size ball that I had learned to create, which was at a respectable level of being the width of my outspread fingers, to the size of the my fingernails. This turned out to be much more difficult than I imagined, and more often than not I found myself in the same position I was in when I had first learned the spell. The difference being that it hurt a whole lot more when the mana missile hit something.


    All of this got me very comfortable with manipulating my expanded mana pool. After a few discussions with Altia it turns out that the amount of mana I could tap into was roughly equivalent to that of a mid-tier Tlassel. This helped to ease some of the anxiety I felt, because it technically put me at the same level as Klass. Altia, however, ruined that by mentioning that Klass was an experienced duelist who had earned his rank more from his prowess in the dueling arena, then from the size of his mana pool.


    Speaking of Altia, the only time I was able to see her, or even really spend time with her was during class. I could see the worry in her eyes every time I showed up to class, with a new set of bruises or scratches and nicks along my arms and face. Not to mention the obvious fatigue I felt after the fourth day of Riros¡¯s training.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    By the time we were nearing the end of the second week, the late exercises and my haggard appearance during classes had everyone talking. I could feel their eyes staring at me as I walked past the students in the hallways. I could hear their whispering as well, but I didn¡¯t have the energy to pay attention to it. There was simply still too much to prepare for, and my classes had become a sought after reprieve from the demanding mental and physical exertions that Riros called for.


    Today was a bit unusual for me though, it was the first time since I had brought Riros to the Academy that I was by myself. Riros had for some reason decided to stay behind after the we finished the morning shield ¡°exercises.¡± So now I was making my way toward the gates of the Academy. It was the day of rest, and I was determined to make up my lack of availability to Altia by going to visit her and her family.


    The gate was already open by the time I arrived. I saw Graldur Baal resting against the steps of the little guardhouse to the side of the gate. His staff was leaned to one side and I noticed that he had a book open, floating in front of him. He sipped at a cup of some warm looking beverage as he peered at the book through his spectacles. He didn¡¯t notice me until I was almost upon him.


    I waved at him as I approached trying to get his attention. It seemed to do the trick as he looked up from his book and gave me a warm smile.


    ¡°Ah, Calamacy-vim, what a pleasant surprise. I was just about to send a runner to deliver you a message.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± I asked, surprised.


    ¡°Indeed, it seems that the Cinder Royalty has asked for an audience with you.¡± He says as he reaches behind himself and snaps his fingers. A small scroll floats to his hand. He studies it for a moment before passing it to me. On the scroll is a seal of wax with a red flame pressed into it.


    Once the scroll was passed into my hand, there seal began to glow around the flame, until the flame actually burst into existence melting the wax out of the way and opening up the scroll. As it unfurled I studied the neat flowing handwriting for a few moments and read the scroll.


    Calamacy Salaria,


    As per the request the of the Cinder Royalty himself, I have extended this invitation to Calamacy-vim in that hope that vim would be willing to join the Cinder Royalty during his lunch hour for some food, refreshment, and conversation. Should this find Calamacy-vim willing a carriage will be waiting at the gates of the academy at ten o¡¯clock.


    Sincerely,


    Elvias Glasstriker


    Chancellor to the Cinder Throne


    As I finished reading the scroll, the ink started smoldering and slowly all of the scroll disappeared turning into cinders that were then scattered by a faint breeze that passed by.


    Well, I think to myself as I turn to look at the Academy¡¯s ethereal clock tower, it does not look like I will be making it to Altia¡¯s today.