Symphonic Odyssey
: Vol. Two: Beneath the Hawthorn Tree: Verse Fifty-Two

“You saw how powerful your lightning bolt spell was against the Gaelin stone, an item designed to channel Zight,” said Alvin as he rifled through the contents of the chest at his feet. “Breaking it as you did speaks volumes about your lack of control or understanding. Now, picture what would have happened if you had tried to contain that unbridled energy within your body. It would not have ended well as I’m sure you can imagine. This brings us to the second center of power. The body.”

“A Conductor is only as good as the shell they reside in, so you must remember to train your body as much, if not more than you train your Orrium. That said, this is a topic to get further in-depth on at another time, we’ll come back to it when we decide on what kind of combat style best suits you. Although from what I’ve seen, you already have a fine foundation in swordplay to work with.”

Cypher’s thoughts quickly ran to his sparring sessions with Eiden, and his own superior sword skills made him smile. If anything, his combat abilities would be the one area in which he felt that he would have an edge. Being a Conductor would require him by necessity to learn and master all kinds of magick. Keeping his body powerful wouldn’t be difficult, but would he have time to devote to that if he was busy learning a whole slew of other things?

He felt as though he might have a lot of trouble doing both at the same time, but a thought quickly popped into his head. Thinking back, hadn’t he been in a similar situation before?

He turned to Alvin and said, “Didn’t you just say that one needs a powerful body to use stronger spells? If that’s the case could it be the training I went through back at the mansion that helped me finish learning how to use my own spell?”

Alvin smiled and nodded slowly before answering. “I did say that yes and I’m surprised but happy to see that you’ve already got some training experience. That will come in handy! Yes, it was likely the training that helped you to finish learning your spell. This leads to another secret that most people overlook when undertaking the Conductor’s journey. Balance. You are a blank slate, untainted by the impatient teachings of a noble family,”

Cypher paused then, confused. From everything, he knew Eiden and his siblings were receiving the best education possible. In fact, it was a matter of great importance in the Galvan household. Even more than lessons on proper etiquette, Tyrina and Galex had always instilled the importance of their children’s training. Several times Eiden and his sisters had been punished harshly for slacking off. But it didn’t seem as though Eiden nor his sisters could use any form of magick.

Had that been the case, Eiden would no doubt have used a spell or two against the Rank-Two horned wolf back at Gelrin Cliff. Cypher wasn’t sure what to make of things and furrowed his brow.

Alvin didn’t miss the expression of confusion on his face and let out an exasperated sigh before he continued. “The nobles have a bad habit of honing in on one or two particular subjects when it comes to the training of their heirs. They have an obligation to produce powerful offspring who can carry on their rule. Without power, they have only wealth to reign in their subjects, and while that is a form of power all on its own, it isn’t enough.”

“But what does that have to do with the path of Conducting?” Cypher interrupted, still a bit confused at what Alvin was hinting at. Alvin paused and gathered his thoughts for a moment, setting aside his binder as he turned to face Cypher head-on.

“You see, lesser noble families are always trying to gain the upper hand against more influential families. Even the Galvans themselves have only had their status for the last few generations. Before that, they too were one of the lesser noble families. Conflicts between nobles are a regular occurrence in Dellorim as they plot and scheme for higher standing, and the royal family gains much from their quarrels.”

“With conflict comes the need for more powerful Conductors. In order to become more powerful, they need access to spells and techniques, the bulk of which are controlled and handed out by the royal family under strict conditions. Being in the good graces of the royals and swearing oaths of service to them is extremely important then, as without their support a noble family cannot hope to gain the resources to train their heirs and maintain their power.”

“So the royals gain loyal subjects grasping for more power who end up being trapped by oaths, while simultaneously weakening the individual noble families thus securing their rule?” Cypher asked, curious to learn more.

“Indeed, and well reasoned,” Alvin responded, pleased at how quickly Cypher was starting to understand.

“Because of that constant struggle for power and status, they’re forced to rush things that shouldn’t be. This causes an imbalance in the quality of Conductors that arise from such an upbringing, just like young Eiden. It was no surprise that he didn’t use a spell during his entrance exam and instead resorted to brute forcing his way to victory. Most of the time, noble applicants will either be proficient in combat or magick and that will become apparent during that faux combat scenario. It’s actually the reason we have a combat portion during the exam to begin with.”

“Even this academy has to maintain a certain balance within the power structure of the nation. We have our own influence to be sure, but a bulk of the resources we use are thanks to the donations from these nobles. That is why we accept children from noble families who can pay the large admission fees but also allow anyone who is talented enough and can pass the entrance exams. Most of the time the entrance exam is a formality at best, but it also lets us see what we’ll be working with before students enter the classroom.”

“This of course causes a rift between our institution and the nobles who usually withdraw their children after five years or so, instead of allowing them to complete a full education. They end up returning home with some new tricks up their sleeves and a surface level of understanding on how to grow their power further. They have no choice but to rush through everything. With you, however, I have the opportunity to explain things fully and if all goes well, complete your instruction over the course of eight years instead. You have the rare chance to take your time and become a well-rounded Conductor.”

Cypher nodded, finally understanding what Alvin was trying to say. If he played his cards right and proved to be adept enough, he would be able to complete a full eight years of instruction instead of five like Eiden would have.

“What about those who don’t come from noble families? Wouldn’t a full education put them in stronger positions than noble heirs?” Cypher asked.

Alvin sighed again and picked up his binder while holding up a finger to Cypher before he continued speaking, “If I sat here and answered questions about every little thing you don’t understand we would be here for weeks. I appreciate your inquisitive nature though, and it will come in handy during our time together. I will answer this but we really must continue with the lesson at hand.”

“I’m sorry, please go on.” Cypher apologized, embarrassed that he had forgotten the reasons why Alvin had come today.

“It’s fine, I suppose this is important too in its own way. To answer your question, those who lack the funding of a noble family and earn their entry into the academy on their own merits are granted a scholarship that expires after six and a half years,”

“This allows us to nurture their potential while not offending the nobles too much. They are also encouraged to seek employment from noble families to further prevent another rift between us and them as well as pay back the loan for their education.”

Alvin picked up his binder again and flipped it open to the page he had left off on, and Cypher took up his quill again. “Now, if we can get back to the topic at hand that would be splendid. Where was I? Ah yes. As I was saying, strong magick requires a strong body but more important is the last center of power. The mind.”

“You told me that you can see the diagram for your lightning bolt spell when you focus right? Well, what happens if you learn another spell? Then another? Are you supposed to have a series of diagrams clogging up your vision whenever you close your eyes? How would you ever manage to sort through them all in the heat of battle to choose the proper attack or defense spells? This is where the final center of power shows its usefulness and brings me to the final reason why I have come today.”