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

Alvin stepped into the beam of light just inside the central tower of the main castle of the Academy. He was quickly lifted to the upper floors and when he reached the top, he stepped out and onto the stone floor. Before him, stood an iron door bound in thick metal bands with large studs embedded into it.

He knocked twice upon the metal and then tapped one of the studs with his ring, a low chime filling the silence of that enclosed area. The door swung open slowly and he stepped inside. The headmaster, Sequinnen Dardallus, was sitting at his desk reading a long scroll and he gestured for Alvin to come and have a seat.

“So, has he finally done it?” Sequinnen asked, and Alvin sighed as he sat down in front of the headmaster.

“Yes, and now I’m concerned about where to go from here. Do you have any idea what she left him?” Alvin asked and Sequinnen set his scroll aside and leaned back in his chair to gaze at the ceiling above him.

“Knowing her? Eh, it was likely a message, you know how she was, especially after her awakening. It wouldn’t be too far of a stretch to assume she would use that power to talk to her only son, considering the circumstances. I don’t care that she might have done something like that. Meddling with time is something she’s quite good at,” the headmaster paused then and stroked his beard, “Actually, there is no question about it. The boy is currently looking for you as we speak, she obviously told him something of interest that he now wishes you to explain.”

Alvin shifted uncomfortably in his chair, “You wouldn’t happen to know what that something is would you?”

Sequinnen chuckled softly and laced his fingers together, “Unlike that woman I’m not able to see into the future. I have no idea what it could possibly be. You’ll just have to talk with him to replace out.”

It was Alvin’s turn to sigh now. He had signed up for this task, but it was quickly becoming more than he bargained for. He didn’t dislike Cypher, in fact, he was quite fond of him, but he didn’t enjoy lying to him. If he came asking questions too advanced for his current level, Alvin would have no other choice but to lie. He was already lying about his connection with Cypher and adding more lies to that would only add to his guilt.

Sequinnen continued, “We should be prepared for the worst-case scenario. If he knows about the Order at such an early stage, things might get complicated. I had hoped that they would have the sense to keep to themselves for a few more years at least, but they just had to go and kick the hornet’s nest didn’t they? Nothing we can do about it now though, at least Cypher knows where he comes from and who his parents were. That, at least, is something we can manage.

“You should know, there have been more reports of activity from the Order as of late. A ruin in Farnor was attacked recently and several of the royal guards sent by High Matriarch Ophani were found dead with mysterious wounds. Their corpses reeked of Catastrophe Magick so we have good reason to believe the Order was behind it, but other than that we don’t really have any proof. I have my men investigating as much as they can but as you can imagine, we’re quite limited at the moment.

“I usually give the same speech at the entrance ceremony every year, but it seems that this year, my warnings are coming to fruition. It’s best we prepare as much as possible, it’s only a matter of time before they’re moving out in the open, and once that happens, it’ll be much harder to keep things under wraps.”

Alvin grew still at that moment, “You think it has something to do with the-” he began.

“Yes, I have every reason to think so. It’s still too early to tell for certain, but I believe another Shadow Shift is upon us. The sentries in the astrology department have been keeping a close watch on the three Great Balance Arks, and the Natural Shift seems to be waning. I expect it’ll only be another few years before it comes to an end entirely, and at that point, we’ll be at our weakest. I have no doubt that they’re planning to strike in full then,” Sequinnen said, a grim look on his face.

Sequinnen stood, and then paced around his office for a moment. He would mumble something every few seconds, but then he turned to Alvin and said, “He needs to rejoin his classes, I imagine that after this painful blow to his morale, he’ll be eager to get stronger. If he’s anything like his father that won’t take him too long either, so be prepared for that. He’s already stronger than most second-years and he’s quickly catching up to the third-years. I understand that his training to use battle pressure is almost complete?”

Alvin nodded, “Yes, he’s made incredible progress, and if he was the son of anyone else I’d be quite concerned at this point. What takes others years, he’s mastering in weeks, even knowing what I do it’s alarming how quickly he’s growing. He’s only twelve, and already he could win a fight against everyone in his year despite them all being three years older than him. Perhaps we should have taught him separately from the start. I don’t know if mixing him in with older kids was such a bright idea, especially after what happened to the Kazen boy.”

“Yes, well lucky for us that was an isolated incident and the boy isn’t part of the nobility. It would have been a nightmare trying to explain away that one. God the paperwork on that… In any event, we’ll need every Conductor we can get once the Order starts its operations in full.”

“Things will become difficult for us if they grow too bold and attack the academy. We can’t have nobles pulling their kids out early, the future of the kingdom depends on them after all. That said, I’m quite sure that man isn’t foolish enough to try something like that before the Shadow Shift begins. It wouldn’t end well for him.

“On that subject, I’ve done some more digging on our little infiltrator. Sufficed to say the search turned up nothing of great note. Whoever the traitor is they’ve covered their tracks quite well. Still, with the list of suspects so narrow as it is we can at least know to keep an eye on the Elder Council,” Sequinnen said with an exasperated sigh.

“Well, at least there’s that. Glenda’s search at the Galvan estate went about as well as to be expected. As far as she could tell his family was indeed slaughtered there. She was also employing her skills in the Mystical field to examine the enchantments on Galex’s mind while he was here. Thankfully he didn’t notice, and while they aren’t too deeply rooted, it’s enough of a hold to influence his decision-making to such a degree that he should be considered dangerous. His perception of reality has been altered, that much she could tell. But replaceing out more will require a more thorough search, one that might not go so easily unnoticed,” replied Alvin.

“Yes, that much is clear. From what you told me about his conversation with Cypher he wasn’t lying about the boy’s heritage.

Alvin was deep in thought at Sequinnen’s words and he sat silent for a few moments before a thought came to him, “If Serenade left Cypher a message, then it might be safe to assume that she also mentioned his inheritance. Should I prepare for an outing then? I imagine that Cypher will be eager to see what his parents left behind for him.”

Sequinnen drummed his fingers against his desk as he thought about that and then nodded, “Yes, I’ll make sure that nothing goes wrong. Avoid using Slingates. It isn’t too long of a journey to the foot of the mountain, and you can train the boy along the way. Take Glenda with you but don’t dawdle for too long.”

“As a precaution, I’ll also inform Silent Night that they have a new assignment. Once you return you should allow him to rejoin his classmates and see how well that goes. I’ll speak to the Elders and fill out the proper paperwork, those damn bureaucrats would never let me hear the end of it otherwise.”

“You really think it’s okay to allow Cypher to rejoin the others? I don’t doubt your judgment, my Sepheliest, but what if something else goes wrong and he unleashes another deadly spell?” Alvin asked, but Sequinnen laughed again and replied,

“That will only be an issue if you haven’t done your job properly. According to you, the boy was shaken up enough after the first incident, now with recent events in mind, I’m sure he’ll do everything he can to maintain his place here, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“In any event, I leave it to you as per usual. Just keep the boy safe and make sure he collects his inheritance without issue. The Order might know where he is now, but that doesn’t mean they’ll attack recklessly, ideally anyway. I’m trusting you with this personally Alvin, don’t mess it up.”

Alvin moved his left hand across his chest and rested it on his right shoulder before bowing to Sequinnen, “I will not fail you in this my Sepheliest, it will be done smoothly.”

“Fate seems to have a sense of humor, doesn’t it? To think that now of all times, a Null user would reveal themselves to us, not only that, but they’re also the son of Fenix and Serenade. What are the chances?” Alvin said with a dark laugh as he dropped his salute and looked at Sequinnen again.

“I place no faith in chance, you know that Alvin. Go now, your disciple is probably growing impatient looking for you. You know what you’re cleared to inform the boy about. Don’t overstep those boundaries and you should be fine.”

Alvin nodded and turned to leave. As he did he heard Sequinnen speaking under his breath, “Times are gone for honest men, and sometimes far too long for snakes…” Alvin looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“What?” He asked, but Sequinnen waved his hand to dismiss the question.

“It’s nothing,” he replied, and with that Alvin turned to leave and hunt down his disciple.