Symphonic Odyssey
: Vol. Two: Beneath the Hawthorn Tree: Verse One-Hundred and Seven

Cypher smiled down at the baby Ceraunus and focused on the link that had formed between them. To his surprise, he could suddenly sense its thoughts and emotions. It didn’t take long before he noticed that the thoughts of a Zightbeast weren’t quite like that of a human.

They were rough, unfinished things that seemed to only carry meanings rather than coherent words or sentences. From this sensation, he could feel the confusion of this baby Ceraunus and a bit of hunger, as well as its grogginess. But a new feeling was steadily growing inside it, one of excitement and happiness.

Cypher could only smile at that and kneeled down to hold his hand out toward the pup. It uncurled itself and stood up, arching its back as it stretched and shook its horned head. Cypher chuckled as he saw that and noticed how small the curved horns were.

The pup slowly walked over to him and sniffed his hand. Its eyes widened after a moment, and it looked up at Cypher and let out a small bark before hopping onto his lap. Cypher couldn’t help but smile again as the small cute creature snuggled up against him, and he stroked its head slowly in response.

He scratched the top of its head between its horns and was surprised as a bolt of electricity shot between them which shocked him a bit. The puppy barked again and licked Cypher’s hand before hopping back down onto the floor and running out of the room.

Cypher could feel its eagerness to eat but could also feel how unused to its surroundings it was. Cypher focused harder on their connection, and after a moment, sights and smells filled his senses, and he got the impression of a wide-open field that smelled of spring grass and cool air.

“Incredible!” he exclaimed but quickly followed up with, “Where are you going, little buddy?” He hurried after the pup, which had run the length of the hall, and headed back through the armory to the living room.

Cypher arrived and saw that it was curled up on the couch, gnawing on a bone it had pulled from somewhere. Cypher focused on their link and saw that it had pulled the bone from under the couch before hopping up and feeling very pleased with itself.

He chuckled and pointed a finger at his new companion, “You stay right here, buddy. I’ll be right back.” Cypher reiterated that message by sending it through their mental connection, and he could sense that the pup somewhat understood his meaning.

He was interested in learning more about this new pet of his, but he had to finish his exploration first. He headed through the right doorway, and it opened up into another hall. One room led to a bathroom that contained a rather large tub, and the other was simply a closet that contained a few brooms and other cleaning supplies.

However, the door at the end of the hall stood ajar, and Cypher moved to inspect the interior. The room opened up into a massive library that, by all accounts, shouldn’t have been able to fit inside the confines of the home.

Towering bookshelves lined the walls and stood proud in the middle of the room, and several tables and chairs were spread around the place. A large crystal floated in the air in the middle of the room and radiated a bright but soft light that encompassed everything in the room.

Cypher moved forward to the nearest table and took notice of a book wrapped in a blue leather cover. The title read, “The Ceraunus Household: Written by Fenix Ceraunus,” Cypher flipped through the first few pages, and his eyes widened. He spent the next hour or so reading the entire book and looked up at the ceiling in awe after he finished the final page.

What he learned was incredible, to say the very least. The book was essentially a more in-depth tutorial on how to make use of this house. It had been in the family for generations, and Cypher was only the newest in a long line of Conductors who had used this abode to become stronger. As a result, Cypher was left with some conflicting emotions and concerns.

Everything he would need to become stronger was located inside this place. From training rooms containing illusory Zightbeasts of various breeds to rooms containing heavy concentrations of Zight that would increase the pressure and absorption of his Orrium, to the entire collection of Architect’s Drafts up to the fifth rank, even several rare methods for enhancing his body.

This library even contained not only the history and knowledge his parents had collected over their lifetimes but an entire section of all the spells they had learned. They were even organized according to rank, difficulty, and utility. But that was not all.

Once Cypher began making his way through the heroic ranks, he would be able to replace the special rooms each of his ancestors had used in their final steps toward the relic ranks. Within them would be unimaginable secrets and wealth that Cypher couldn’t even begin to imagine.

His father hadn’t even had a chance to see these mysterious rooms, and that left Cypher feeling all the more curious about them. That curiosity aside, however, his concerns still carried weight and pushed him deeper into his thoughts.

All of these materials would make his growth much more explosive and cut the time needed between each rank down to its minimum. With an advantage like this, what did he need the Academy for? It wasn’t like he had attended all that many classes in the first place.

Additionally, he accidentally injured Alex when he was still learning about his power which rattled his resolve and even caused him to go in front of the Elder Council for questioning. Alex had gotten lucky and had survived that accident by the skin of his teeth.

What other problems might he cause with his strength? In fact, he didn’t know much about why he was so powerful at such a young age in the first place. The things he could do were well beyond what others his age could even dream of. What if something else went amiss? Could he really trust himself to hold back?

Beyond that, what about the Order?

They wanted him for some reason and were willing to throw as many pawns as they could at him to achieve that goal. Sure, the Academy was well protected, but that didn’t mean that it was safe from the Order. If they decided to launch an all-out attack, it was safe to assume that the professors there would put the safety of the students above the protection of the buildings and grounds there.

Cypher would be protected, but at what cost? If the Order was planning something, then wouldn’t it be best to have as much firepower as possible? Staying at the Academy potentially meant that the Order could attack, and if they did that, the education and well-being of an entire generation of Conductors would be compromised. Cypher already knew that the Order wouldn’t stop trying to get their hands on him. Harold had said as much during his encounter with Ulric.

The consequences of a battle at the Academy would be devastating. He couldn’t in good conscience do that. Ruining an entire generation of potential Conductors just for his own protection was cowardly and pitiful. For all these reasons and many more, Cypher decided on a course of action.

He would have to leave the Academy.

It wasn’t easy, and it would mean leaving Alex behind and breaking his promise to Melodi, but it was for the best in his eyes. Melodi, he had just met today. The fact of the matter was that she barely knew him and probably wouldn’t even remember him in a few weeks, let alone a small promise made in passing. As for Alex, their friendship had started quickly, and the two had formed an oddly strong bond over the course of a few weeks.

Alex would undoubtedly be pissed off at him. But if it meant his first friend would have the chance to grow powerful and gain as much of an education as he could, he was willing to break that bond. It wasn’t an easy decision by any means, but Cypher was resolved to learn more about the Order of Eternal Night. To do that, he had to separate himself from any and all distractions or issues that could crop up.

Who knew how much time he had before their plans began to come to fruition, or even what their plans were. His family had become a target of the Order and if they needed him for those plans, or sought to eliminate him for some reason, their assaults against him would only become more and more desperate as time went on.

As much as he hated it, it was time to say farewell to the new life he had lived for the past few months. Putting everyone in danger just so he could keep on living in this dream that had been his time at the Academy was selfish and irresponsible of him, and that was something he simply couldn’t allow.