PERSONAL AWAKENING
Orange clouds floated on a purple sky. There had been a ti when Dallion would have found such a sight breathtaking, or at the very least remarkable. Now, it was just another day in his realm. Sitting at the top of Ondas tower, Dallion stared into the distance.
Hey, old man! the teen nymph shouted. Youre ssing up the look!
If there was one person whose arrogance had grown along with Dallions it was Onda. The hamr guardian had always seen himself as a genius and, thanks to the Moonstone in the realm, his opinion of himself had grown even further.
Youve no idea how much ti and skill it took to get it right!
Funny. Up to today, Dallion hadnt minded the attitude. In fact, he hadnt even noticed it.
I need so assistance, he said, glancing down.
At the comnt, the guardian froze. There was a spark of emotions within him that was quickly subdued.
She said not to encourage you, Onda whispered.
Harp? Dallion split into a few instances and looked around. I wont be doing anything reckless, he said with a sigh. Its forging related.
Forging? The guardian didnt sound convinced.
A while back, you said that there are more complicated things than crafting tals. I want to learn magic crafting.
Magic crafting? Onda shivered slightly while saying the magic word.
Whatever the proper term is. I know you can do it, so
Cant. The guardian quickly interrupted. She said no magic.
Seriously? Dallion grumbled. Harp! he shouted in the direction of the harpsiswords tower.
Other than a few waves, there was no reaction. Harp was determined not to ddle in his developnt, and that included not helping him with anything magic related, at least for the ti being. After what had happened in Lanitol, Dallion would have thought that hed be given a pass for reasonable requests. Apparently, that wasnt the case.
In all honesty, his request wasnt exactly safe or random. The thought of challenging the archdukes son had made him rember the duel theyd had back in Nerosal, including the origami weapons the noble had used. Creating such a weapon would be very beneficial in more ways than one. For one thing, Dallion was considering upgrading Luxs ho. Having the firebird follow him about like a bladebow with kaleidervisto sights was starting to get botherso.
What about enchanting? Dallion asked. Ive already done that many tis.
The nymph shook his head.
That was temporary.
Maintaining his calm exterior, Dallion waited for a short while longer, then left his realm. The first thing he felt was a wave of air hitting him in the face. Monts later, his senses returned to normal.
Normally, entering a realm while flying wasnt the best of ideas, but it didnt count while on a cloud fort. Initially, Dallion had wanted to avoid the fuss, but when the squad of furies within the cloud had offered to take them, the choice was made for him.
Aware of their emotions, he knew that the offer was extended mostly because of Diroh. While guard furies assisted mages, they rarely went out of their way to catch up to one mid flight. The rumors of her being royalty must have spread.
You can rest a bit, the fury told Dallion. He was a seasoned veteran who didnt have ti for all the rank bullshit. We wont reach the Academy till tomorrow.
One additional day. If Dallion had continued flying on his own, hed have been there by now.
Any news? he asked, suppressing a yawn.
Where do I start? The Azures are gathering armies in the northeast. Mages too. Im expecting a major clash in a month at most. The new archduke is also positioning her forces. Now that shes been given the new spot, she cant afford to ss up.
It was tempting to crack a smile. It would be nice if Priscord got humiliated in the upcoming battle, but that was unlikely to happen. The emperor had picked her for the position, which ant that hed back her up with so of his legions. Losing two archdukes in the sa area wasnt sothing that would look good.
Lots of crimsons are also there, the fury continued. At least we get to enjoy the skies here for a while.
Dallion nodded. He, too, was going to join them.
A bunch of rogues ford a new enclave in the west. Its out of the empire, so no ones bothering for now. I told so of your lot that its a mistake. No one listened.
Soone will take care of them.
The west, at least, was deprived of any presence. Only the Order was slowly spreading in that direction. No wonder the last Star had made his stronghold there.
Theres been a few skirmishes in the southeast, but nothing major. The Alliance is keeping the Azures in check. Only minor kingdoms are poking about, trying to get themselves noticed by one of the powers.
Yes, everyones choosing sides.
That was true and things were only going to get tougher. Settlents, cities, even small countries were quick to ally themselves to one of the three powers. Even before the war began, several of the minor players had made their intentions known. Most had allied to the empire. Now that its position was shaky, they were looking at the other options. It didnt end with whole settlents either. Guilds and trade organizations had been moving about, going further to the heart of the empire or out of it. Even hunter dens werent immune.
Before leaving Lanitol, Dallion had flown by the structure out of a feeling of nostalgia. What he found was an empty lot. He had expected so of the hunters to have gonethere were many dwarves among them. Yet, the building was missing as well. A more optimistic person might have assud that the hunters had found a way to take their den as they left the city. In reality, it had likely been absorbed by the overseer. Neutrality was a dangerous notion, especially if those proclaiming to be neutral were strong.
Over a dozen ghost towns have ford on the border, the fury said. If they remain too long without a master, the wilderness will take them.
Thats how it usually works.
The fury glanced at Dallion sideways, but didnt add anything more. It was obvious he wanted to know more about the fury, just as it was obvious that Dallion had no intention of sharing. The mont of calm had given him a while to relax, and now that adrenalin had loosened its grip, less imdiate concerns had resurfaced.
Prophecies, he said to himself. So far, he had heard two. The first had co from a nymph sheet acquired years ago. The dwarf hunter who had found it swore that an otherworlder would bring to the end to the world, or at the very least a substantial change. When combined with what Cleric had shared, the worst might have co to pass. It was Dallion who had made it possible for Adzorg to construct his device. If he found the final pieces, he might pop the barrier between worlds like a soap bubble, letting void creatures pour into reality unimpeded.
If there was nothing you could do, the Order wouldnt have sent you, Gen said from Dallions realm. Theres no point in perfect prophecies.
There is if all you need to do is hide, Dallion replied ntally.
If youre hiding, youre not doing it very well.
Dallion smiled. His echo had a suitable sense of humor, even if it didnt help particularly right now.
What about vortex gleams? Dallion asked.
Vortex gleams, the fury repeated. Theres talk of a few out east. The crimsons will know more. They dont tell the rest of us much.
Right. Dallion leaned back in the sea iron sh that served as a chair. Wake up when we get to the Academy. Dont stop for anything until we get there, not even assists.
Youre the mage.
If the flight was eventful, Dallion never got to learn about it. Over a day, he spent the ti sleeping. To a large part, that was to diminish the fatigue that had stacked up in the last six months. More importantly, though, he was hoping to have a Moon dream. With the curse, he hadnt been getting anything that might help. This ti was no different, although it didnt bring nightmares either. All it brought was a whole lot of blankness: Dallion closed his eyes one mont, then when he opened them again, he was a few hundred feet from the battle mage building. According to the armadil shield, they had been there for hours, but no one had dared wake him up.
How nice of them, Dallion thought and sat up.
The fury on guard was newfar younger than the previous one, tasked with keeping the cloud stable. Everyone else, Diroh included, was gone.
Wheres everyone? Dallion cracked his back. Sleeping on war clouds wasnt as comfortable as people assud it would be.
Your novice was escorted into the building, battle apprentice, the fury replied, using Dallions standard title. All your things were moved to your room as well.
And the furies?
They were sent out on another cloud. Katka ordered that we leave you to sleep undisturbed, so
I get the picture.
Dallion cast a spell, rising up from the cloud. Without a word of thanks, he floated straight to Katkas room on the upper floor of the building, then went inside. The magic symbols on the walls glowed brighter as he passed. Recognizing him as belonging here, they remained in their present state.
The mont he flew in, the room widened, increasing tenfold in size. This wasnt normal. Katka wasnt a fan of modifications, preferring to keep things as they were. Ironically, that made many of the Academy mages see her as a snob. In their eyes, illusions werent good enough for her, since she resorted to getting the actual physical thing and bringing it here.
The current modification spell had turned the room into a modern Earth corporate office. There was lots of space, full of desks, cheap plants, water coolers and a glass walled eting room at the far side. Looking closely, Dallion saw four figures gathered there.
Just great, he thought.
The archmage was present along with Katka. The other two were silhouettes made of cloud matter and water, respectively. That ant that the entire Shimring Circle had gathered to discuss sothing. Since Dallion had joined, there had been only one similar eting. Back then, the woman Dallion had seen in Gassils mory fragnt had also been there, even if no one had formally introduced her to him. There were a few more instances in which she had taken shape to discuss sothing with Katka. As for the last mber, he remained completely unknown. Dallion was aware of his existence, but nothing more.
Dal, the archmages voice echoed throughout the room, as if he were using loudspeakers. Join us.
Taking a deep breath, Dallion made his way to the door of the eting room and went inside. The conference table was large enough to hold eight people. The seat next to Katka was left free, indicating he was supposed to take it.
This must be important. Dallion said, using his magic vision in an attempt to see the people behind the constructs. He was able to see the magic threads connecting the forms to invisible portals, but not what lay beyond. First ti I see everyone gathered.
The sharp look the archmage gave him quickly told Dallion to tone down the humor.
We heard what happened down south, the man said. What are your dealings with the Order?
You know I cant tell you that, Dallion said calmly. Moon vows and all that.
Convenient.
What I can say is that the Azures tried to take out the archduke. There was a monts pause. And myself.
You were targeted? Katka asked, more surprised than intrigued.
I guess Grym is still mad at for last ti. They managed to put echoes in a lot of the people at the banquet. Most of them were normies, but there were a few awakened as well as the local mage.
We know, the archmage said. Would have been nice to bring one of them alive for questioning.
Wasnt my fault. The archduke absorbed all the evidence. I did manage to get the mages robe, though. If theres anything to be learned, Ill find it.
Such a marvelous ability, the cloud woman said. Sotis you make envious.
Thats not why I called for this, the archmage hissed. A ssenger arrived from the emperor himself. The vortex gleam that was spotted not too long ago wasnt the only one. As it turns out, its only a drop in the bucket. There have been twenty-seven confird sightings, but unlike the last one, the levels are much higher.
Reviews
All reviews (0)