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

Cypher was left saddened by Alvin’s tale and felt nothing but sympathy toward his master. Nobody had ever shared something so personal with him and he wasn’t sure what to do next. What did you say to something like that? How could you possibly console someone after recounting such a horrible event? He stood as silent as the grave, unsure of how to proceed. But Alvin managed to compose himself and wiped away the last of his tears.

“That evil bastard is still out there somewhere, Cypher. I’m positive he still has her soul as well. You see, the statue itself was practically useless outside of academic research. It was what it contained that he was after I’m sure. If I’m right, he’ll do anything to get his grubby hands on it.” Alvin held up a small scroll no longer than a finger. It was tied with a golden band and he was careful not to drop it over the edge as he showed it to Cypher.

He put it away and continued, “I filled out the incident report once I returned to Dellorim as per protocol, but I left out this crucial little detail. If I am to ever get her soul back, I know I’m going to have to use this to lure him in. She won’t be able to rest peacefully until I release her soul from its imprisonment. If I had given them this scroll, they would have simply put it into evidence lock up and I’d have never seen it or my sister ever again.”

“The ruin we were investigating was in an area filled with countless other valuable replaces that, in the wrong hands, could spell disaster. Ancient Magicks, powerful artifacts, long forgotten secrets, Sarna is full of them and this one is likely no different. I only wish that we had been more careful, more mindful of our surroundings.”

Cypher still did not know what to say, and simply stood silent waiting for Alvin to finish. “Now you know why I was upset, and why I snapped at you. You didn’t deserve that, and again I offer my apologies. Please don’t think I harbor any feelings of resentment toward you Cypher. Quite the opposite, in fact, I like you… More importantly than that though is that I’m actually…” Alvin hesitated for a moment before letting out a long sigh.

He shook his head and turned his gaze back to the sky. A moment of silence returned as he stared longingly into the distance before continuing, “Actually, never mind, that’s a matter for another time, forget I said anything.”

Cypher was curious about what Alvin was holding back but decided it might be better not to push. As surprised as he was to hear Alvin share such a profound loss with him, he had already been more than forthcoming. Pushing for more than the man was ready to share would be insulting. Still, it was not lost on Cypher that sharing something so personal with someone he had just met was a little awkward and unexpected.

“I honestly don’t think I’ve ever told anyone aside from the headmaster the full story,” Alvin continued, “It’s been tough holding on to it all alone. Opening up to my-” He cleared his throat and started again, “-my pupil, is something I hope I can continue to do. So I ask you to please keep it to yourself. I have to get her back one day and this is the only way I know how. I sense in you a measure of trustworthiness that I feel I can rely on. I hope that you won’t let me down.”

Cypher nodded his agreement, nothing would ever make him betray the trust that Alvin had just placed in him. Of that he was certain. In Alvin, he had found someone he could truly rely on. Jelroy and Molly had been the same in his eyes. They headed back inside after that and continued the lesson for a bit longer before calling it quits for the day.

After his emotional break, Alvin seemed to be a lot better than before, especially since the topic of Retvial magick was no longer being discussed. Cypher also noticed that their relationship had grown a little stronger as Alvin seemed to be less proper and more animated around him.

Since they had met, their relationship had been a professional one, as master and disciple. But now it had become a bit more than that. Now, Cypher counted Alvin as his first real friend despite only knowing the man for three days, and Alvin it seemed, shared that sentiment.

The air between them had changed, and now it was more friendly and lighthearted. Although Alvin still maintained his authority, Cypher was more than happy to accept this condition of their friendship.

Alvin then had dinner delivered to Cypher’s apartment directly from the kitchens. They shared more conversation and ate and drank well into the night as they discussed various topics. Cypher told him of his battle against Gelath, his struggles in the Galvan mansion, and of his narrow victory at Gelrin Cliff. The man listened intently and was amazed to hear about his adventures. Tomorrow they could worry about his education. Tonight was the time to celebrate their newfound friendship and help ease a year’s old burden.

The next few days after Alvin’s truth had been revealed passed quickly enough. Cypher had settled on a schedule for the upcoming year. After a more detailed explanation of the different branches of magick, Cypher was quite certain which courses would be best for him to start with.

Each week he would have five days of classes. Each day would be dedicated to a specific field of study and allow time to complete any assignments or practice any new spells one might learn. Classes started in the morning at eight and ran for six hours.

Furthermore, combat training would be taught by a woman named Glenda Boltain, and would take place every other day after his regular classes. That would tie up even more time, as it ran until sunset. The first day of the weekend would be wholly dedicated to that as well and would attempt to make up for the shorter sessions during the week.

Overall, this meant that he could only have a maximum of five classes each week and whatever he chose would be locked in for the duration of the year. Armed with this knowledge, he was able to choose a fairly balanced schedule.

Arcane magick wasn’t even up for debate. All Conductors were well-versed in this field and Cypher would be no different. There were tons of things he would need to learn, so he decided that it would be a staple course of his throughout his entire time at the academy.

This class was run by a professor named Algarth Marcy, and Alvin warned that the man was a bit of a perfectionist when it came to his instruction. It would not be easy, especially considering that it tied into combat training as well.

Diminishment magick was high on his list of choices, however, it was an advanced field of study and in order to grasp it as proficiently as he desired, he would have to pursue Enhancement magick first.

As such, he would be taught by professor Elaine Mikorus for the next few years. She was an odd one according to Alvin and quite eccentric. She was, however, one of the foremost leading experts in both the enhancement and restorative fields, so she would give him a well-rounded education in both.

A problem revealed itself, however, and Cypher was quick to recognize the issues it would present. Elaine taught both classes on different days and Cypher would have to spend two days each week with her. Both of these fields were very demanding and required a lot of focus and dedication to master.

If he had an unlimited amount of time it wouldn’t be a problem, but between the lessons themselves and his combat training, he was unsure if taking both at the same time would be wise.

To make matters worse, he would have to spend a lot of time staring at the Architect’s draft to expand his Athenaeum, as well as undergo special training to grow and improve his Orrium.

Still, he had a goal, and if nothing else he could always drop one of the classes next year and pick up something entirely new if he started to fall behind. With that, three of his five days were locked in.

Next up came his desire to learn more about the teachable aspects of Retvial magick. Alvin’s story had cemented in him a strong aversion to the forbidden aspects of the art, but the other parts, Summoning and Sealing both seemed invaluable to him.

These subjects were taught by a professor named Samuel Guinehart. Alvin could tell him nothing of his personality though since he was a relatively new addition to the staff, so he would be going into an unknown situation.

Lastly, Cypher chose to attend Alvin’s class on history which delighted the man immensely. These lessons would obviously concern the workings of the past all around the world, but more importantly to Cypher the aspects and subtleties of Conducting as a whole would be explored.

With that final decision, his schedule for the year was locked in and as promised, he would begin those classes the following week. First, though, he would have to finish his initial lessons with Alvin.