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

Alvin sipped his tea for a moment longer, and then set it down as he began to speak in an even and gentle tone, “I know this is difficult for you, and I don’t want to make things worse than they already are, but you have to realize how completely and totally irresponsible you were to act as you did. You know that right?”

Alvin was doing his best to remain passive and gentle in his scolding of his disciple. He knew that Cypher hadn’t had much experience with using Magick. He had no doubt that the whole thing had been an accident, and in part, he blamed himself for not being more thorough in his examination of Cypher’s abilities or in making sure that he was responsible with them.

If he had, this might not have happened. He could have warned him not to try something so dangerous. Still, this was not the time to worry about what he could have done, there were more important matters that needed to be addressed first.

“The damages you inflicted were far beyond what kids your age are normally capable of. I’m not sure how you managed it, but the entire Elder council had to gather to discuss the implications of what you’ve done. They deliberated for several hours, and a decision was only made once Alex’s condition had been determined.”

Cypher took a deep breath and looked up at Alvin at last. “How… how bad was it?”

Alvin sighed and ran his hand through his hair, “I won’t lie to you, it was very bad. Alex sustained extreme burns on over fifty-seven percent of his body. Several of his internal organs were nearly reduced to ashes and his budding mental space was almost completely destroyed by your wayward spell.”

Alvin awkwardly sipped his tea again, each movement slow and deliberate as he tried to give the boy before him a moment to respond. Seeing that he had no plans to, Alvin continued in a low voice, his eyes never leaving Cypher’s as the boy stared back.

“He died a few times while the healers tried to repair the damage you caused to him. The head nurse said she had never seen such incredible damage done to a student in all her years here at the Academy. But… he’s going to live. Alex is alive. More surprisingly, miraculously even, he is going to make a full recovery. It will take some months of healing and rest, but he will pull through.”

The wave of relief that washed over Cypher was indescribable. It was as if all the muscles that had been tensed up this entire time relaxed all at once. He sunk low into the couch and closed his eyes. He released a long sigh before leaning forward and resting his head in his hands.

Alvin was silent for a moment as he allowed Cypher to digest his words, and then an apologetic half-smile tugged at the corners of Alvin’s mouth before he continued, “You will, however, have to face certain consequences for your actions. This situation is quite tricky, you know that don’t you?”

Cypher looked up at Alvin after a moment and nodded, ready to accept his punishment.

“It is clear that what happened was an accident. Several of the other students who witnessed the event have vouched for you, but sadly their testimony was mostly disregarded by the council. In the end, it was the input of your combat instructor that tipped the scales in your favor. If it hadn’t been for Professor Boltain who had been watching the entire time, I don’t think that things would have turned out the way they did.”

“Normally an incident like this would be easy enough to handle. The student in question would be expelled, their Orrium would be permanently sealed and we would, of course, have to compensate the parent of the injured party. However, this is a strange and unique situation. Quite frankly there’s a lot of mystery surrounding it.

“You cast a spell that, by all rights, you should not have been able to. Your spell contained the power of the second tier. That alone is impressive for someone who does not yet possess a rank-two Orrium. However, even if we ignore that rare occurrence you also somehow cast it in triplicate, a feat that should be completely impossible for you at your level.”

“The amount of Zight required to do so is enormous and should have killed you on the spot. Glenda would have stopped you herself if she hadn’t been so stunned by a first-year casting in such a way. It’s simply inconceivable.

“Most of the more experienced Conductors who’ve heard about the incident are rightfully curious as to how you managed such a thing. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered. In light of that, the elders have decided not to expel you, or even seal your abilities for the time being.

“Instead, they are going to inspect your mental space and examine that spell you learned. They will also be looking through your memories of the incident, and if they replace that you had malicious intent, further steps will be taken. I however do not expect that they will replace anything like that.

“I don’t know you all that well, but I know what you did was purely accidental. Foolish, but accidental. From here on out your power will have to be thoroughly tested, and this punishment is not going to be a pleasant experience. You must be ready for that. Mental examinations are not a delicate thing. They will have to force themselves inside your mental space and if you resist them, it could shatter under that kind of pressure. I know you don’t realize this yet, but the mental space of a Conductor is a sacred place.”

Cypher only remained silent and Alvin let out a sigh. From the moment he had met the boy, Alvin had noticed how Cypher was always eager to learn more about the world of Conducting. He had always had questions to ask, and once one was answered, two more would take its place.

He was hoping that by dangling something like this in front of him it might help pull the boy out of his current state. However, the offer of knowledge went unnoticed and Alvin was a bit disappointed. He could, however, understand how he must feel.

It was truly a terrible accident and quite traumatizing for someone who was new to the dangers that the art of Conduction posed. He tried again, hoping that something might kindle the flames of curiosity inside his young disciple.

“Within them, we keep our most private secrets and dangerous skills. Everything we are can be discovered by these examinations and to undergo one against your will is considered to be an ultimate violation. The technique isn’t even taught to most Conductors.”

Cypher had no idea what to say to that. Most of Alvin’s explanation went unheard, he was too preoccupied with Alex. It didn’t matter though, he would accept whatever punishment they decided to inflict upon him. He had nearly killed a fellow student. A friend. His power was dangerous and he knew that now.

His mind again wandered back to his previous line of thought, and he still didn’t know what he would do about it. If he wasn’t going to be expelled, then he would have to continue his journey as a Conductor. How could he though? If it meant potentially hurting innocent people, he couldn’t bring himself to be a part of something like that.

There were however many different fields of study in the world of Conductors, perhaps he could replace another route that didn’t lead to the frontlines of battle. He would have to worry about that later though. For now, he could finally rest easy knowing that Alex would eventually be alright.

He was exhausted due to his pounding headache, the night of restless sleep, and the constant use of mental energy as he pondered his actions. Even his Athenaeum hadn’t fully healed yet because of that drain on his energy.

Alvin left a while later. His direct attempts to coax his disciple out of his stupor had failed but he had noticed a slight change. Cypher was clearly in no mood to talk at the moment, so Alvin chose to give his disciple some space once he saw that the boy was starting to come back to himself.

Cypher tried to sleep after that, but he was too overjoyed that Alex was going to be alright, that he was going to live. Still, after giving it some thought he very much doubted that Alex would ever want to see him again, let alone still be friends.

That would be a difficult conversation, but despite that, he had to apologize and let Alex know that he had never meant for this to happen. He would make amends if he could, and he only hoped that Alex would be able to forgive him…