Flashes of blue mana waves, followed by laughing voices battled in the background when Tercius woke up. For a few minutes, he just observed the dark room, but then he realized the situation he was in. He was drenched.
Tercius tried to detach himself from the sheets that clung to him— glued to his body by an enormous amount of perspiration. His eyes and ears felt hot, so he touched his forehead. As he expected, it was burning.
Standing up slowly, he took the mug filled with long-gone-cold tea that Mistress Lovela prescribed and went to the bathroom down the hall from his room. He spilled the tea down the drain and watched it go down. Tercius rinsed off the mug a couple of times before he used it to drink water repeatedly, cup after cup. His thirst quenched he returned to his room and took new clothes from his wardrobe. A cold shower followed by fresh clothes made the world of difference. The wet sheets, Tercius took off his bed. The pillow and mattress seemed dry so he left them be.
Everything dirty he took to the washing room that was just past the kitchens. He placed them into a large weaved basket and a woman who was there took his name. She gave Tercius new sheets and he left the woman to her work.
It was weird seeing the stone hallways so empty and peaceful. On a regular day, Tercius would have at least four to five other students— at the minimum. On his way back he stopped by the kitchen to grab a bite and surprised the workers there. They thought that they were alone.
"—they are just trying to frame him, let me tell you. The man is a fighter for our rights, that's why they are trying to besmirch his reputation with this hearing—" a male cook spoke.
"I hear you. They just keep the little man down—" another cook shook his head sadly.
"Oh shut up both of you. I can't listen to another minute of this bitching—" a girthy woman threatened with an angry swipe of a large wooden ladle.
At that moment they noticed Tercius standing at the corner. He said, "Good… whatever time of day it is. I was wondering if I can get something to eat? Maybe some broth if you have any?"
"Where did you come from? I thought them novices went to the surface." The surprised male cook asked Tercius.
Tercius shrugged. "I had other business and couldn't make it."
"Sit there child. I will get you something." The girthy woman said.
Tercius placed the bag with fresh sheets on the floor and took a seat at one of the indicated chairs.
"You're one of them, aren't you? I heard two novices would be witnesses." The cook wiped his flour-covered hands on his apron, a strange look on his face as he looked at Tercius.
"Leave the child be, Sem. If you worked as much as you talk, I wouldn't have to do your work. Maybe I could get my break every once in a while." The woman returned with a plate full of steaming broth and a loaf of bread. "Here, eat your fill."
Tercius thanked her and attacked the meal with a hunger that he was only just realizing.
"You are, aren't you?" Sem said. "Just tell ol' Sem, how much did they pay you to lie? Eh?"
Tercius just ignored the man and focused on bringing the broth-filled spoon to his mouth. It was oddly calm once Tercius turned the voices into background noise.
"Sem! One more such word and you will fly through that door."
"So you're on their side? See how he keeps quiet? It must be true, I tell you. They just want to drag good names through the mud. The Magistrate will say the truth they want him to say, we all know it—"
"That does it."
"What are y— No, no, put me down, you crazy woman!" the man shouted and tried removing himself from the iron grip of the woman with little success. He flapped about as the woman took him to the mentioned door and threw him into it. Hurriedly closing the door she wiped her hands on her apron and flashed Tercius a smile.
“His stupid head will cool in there,” she said and went to do the man’s previous work.
When Tercius smiled and finished his meal. He took the empty plate to the woman.
"Just place them in the sink there… and I'm sorry about him. My husband is just a bit…" the woman hesitatingly said, her discomfort evident.
"You have no reason to be sorry for, ma’am. His delusions aren’t a problem of mine in any way," Tercius said. "Thank you for the meal."
He took his stuff and went back to his room, but he took the longer route through the Main Hall. The large mechanical clock there informed Tercius that it was just past five in the afternoon. Inside the dark room, J'ro was still asleep. Quietly, Tercius made his bed, sat on the edge, placed a pillow on the cold stone wall, leaned on it, and engaged Meditation. The dark room turned darker and he was left alone in the black void.
Tercius relaxed.
He went through the events of the morning, the revelations Mistress Lovela gave him, then he considered what those revelations meant for his immediate future. Hours went by and the actual reasons for his long Meditation session did not show themselves. Tercius tried calling for them a few times but he gave up on that after a while. The years of carefully kept statistics showed him that the wisps only answered calls about twenty percent of the time. He would just have to be patient and do the long Meditation sessions more often.
Tercius was sometimes able to feel the presence of the wisps as a tingle that ran all over his body, but most times their presence went unnoticed without active Meditation. It was how he noticed them in the first place, all those years ago.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
When he finished with the session he felt … better. His cold shower followed by the hot meal and then compounded by a few hours of Meditation made Tercius feel as if he could once more take on the whole world, physically and mentally.
“Time to learn more.”
Once Tercius got up he noticed that someone had placed a blanket over him. Glancing at J’ro’s bed he saw that it was empty. Mistress Lovela’s instruction to Master Lazarus came to his mind.
Tercius found both of them in the Main Hall, where meals and classes were held.
“Tercius, good to see you up. How are you feeling?” Master Lazarus asked.
“Just fine, Master. Is J’ro all right?” Tercius asked when he looked at the boy who seemed half-dead in his seat.
Master Lazarus slowly explained, “Mind magic is dangerous, Tercius. Right now the aftereffects of the tincture and the tea are keeping him tranquil and almost asleep. Tomorrow he will be much better. Don’t worry.”
"I see," Tercius said as he observed the barely open eyes of his roommate. His fists clenched. "What punishment will that woman receive? The mind mage?"
“Considering that she confessed and undid her spell… most likely eight to ten years with her mana suppressed. She will most likely be sent to one of the correctional facilities that the Pyramid has where hard physical work awaits her. Her assets will be seized and sold and J’ro and you will get half of what she owned. When she pays for her actions and returns, she will have no job, no currency of any kind, and she will bear the stigma of an ex-criminal. A difficult life.”
“All that, and she still did it?” Tercius was stupefied. “What was she thinking?”
The older man had a sad smile on his face as he fed the half-asleep boy. “The trappings of human nature, Tercius. Greed. Want. Desire. Actual reasonable thinking probably had very little to do with her decision.”
Tercius nodded slowly in agreement. The emotions were powerful, Tercius would give them that, but to such a degree? Humans and their emotions, the greatest and fastest mutable mystery there is, Tercius thought. “Master, I will be in the reading room seven if you need me.”
“You should sleep Tercius, and not read books. The tea—” Master Lazarus gave Tercius a long look and a realization came to his face. “You didn’t drink the tea, did you?”
Tercius smiled guiltily. “No, Master, I did not. I fell asleep on my own.”
The Master shook his head. "Well, I won't stop you, but I strongly advise you to sleep. Oh! Another thing. I talked with one of the cooks. Apparently, she thought that a student would complain of some inappropriate behavior another cook had and came to me to ask for a lighter punishment. I was confused by her story, as I had no idea what was going on. I'm guessing that this incident occurred to you? Can you tell me what happened?"
“Nothing worth a mention, Master.” Tercius waved his arms dismissively.
“Maybe so, but indulge me. Tell me what happened.”
Tercius hesitated for a moment but explained what happened at the kitchens. Master Lazarus wouldn't let him go until the man had his answers.
"I see." Master Lazarus observed Tercius, his giant eyebrows creased. "Why didn't you come to me with this?"
"It's a minor matter, Master."
"Depends. He is a cook, Tercius. He prepares our food…" Master Lazarus frowned as he gazed at his and J'ro's plate. "I think I just lost my appetite."
"He wouldn't poison us, would he?" Tercius asked with a sudden realization, his eyes wide.
"No… he wouldn't dare. But the poison wasn't my worry." Master Lazarus said with some distaste.
"What then?"
"...People can be petty, Tercius. Small acts of revenge like…" Master Lazarus shivered as he brought a hand to his lips, an audible gag soon following. The man's face was slowly going green. "Can you take J'ro to your room? I need a moment,"
***
The reading room was probably the emptiest it has been since the students arrived over a month ago. Tercius grabbed the history book he started reading the previous day and made himself comfortable in a seat.
History was a favorite of his and he always began his reading of the day with at least half an hour's dose of historical accounts as told by the Pyramid's historians.
The book detailed how exactly the sea-and-mountain-bound Kingdom of Augusta Belia rose to the prominence it had today.
The first Emperor had been born as the fourth son to the previous King and his third wife in the year 508 of the New Pyramid Calendar.
The New Pyramid Calendar, or NPC, took the year Grand-Master Tergaron made the Pyramid complex as a start. Tercius tried looking for the old calendar, but he was informed that such records were only kept inside of the Repository. He did learn that the old calendar had over two thousand cycles on it.
In 529 NPC, Titus had made his way to the Pyramid where he was a willing participant in an experiment headed by one Mistress Primera. The experiment itself was classified and so were the results, but it was known that Titus was one of the few who survived it.
By 541 NPC Titus Belius had overthrown his eldest brother, took the throne, married a princess from the Kingdom whose capital was the current city of Lissea and issued the first Imperial Proclamation, as they were later called, naming himself the first Emperor. That same year The Expansion— or The Conquest, depending on the author— started.
Tercius had done some calculations and deduced that he was born during the ninth month in the year 1311 NPC. Eleven years had passed since then.
That meant that The Conquest was an ongoing project for seven hundred and seventy-one years. Each Emperor or Empress added a piece of land to the Empire, destroying opposition with an iron fist.
In one year Emperor Titus had claimed two Kingdoms, took their lands and riches and sent the captured soldiers and his armies to fight the next kingdom. The Kingdom of his wife, The Empress, joined his Empire without bloodshed--- the former Royal Family becoming one of the Great Noble Families.
And so it went on, either join or be destroyed. By the time Emperor Titus passed away and his firstborn daughter, Empress Hortensia, climbed the throne, the lower part of Nogea— from Lissea to Tripatis— the upper part of Sogea— from Spheros to Tripatis— and some islands of Isgea were already under the banner of the Empire.
The future rulers made their way to Zagea within a century, each placing towns and cities, integrating the local populace into their fold by both economic and military might.
Tercius also learned something of the il'Drusus Family, whose roots stemmed from an ex-merchant from the area of today's Spheros.
The man was one of the first to join Emperor Titus's entourage—even before the Emperor took the King's throne from his brother—becoming a treasurer and quartermaster. A trusted friend and advisor, the man had died years later preventing an almost successful attempt on Emperor Titus's life. The man's succeeding two sons were mentioned as capable in their own right and useful to the ever grateful Emperor.
Another topic mentioned was the relationship between the Pyramid and the just gestating Empire. During those days when the Emperor had been alive, the mages of the Pyramid were close friends and advisors. The good relationship continued for a long time.
The schism between the two sides began with the great-grandson of Emperor Titus, Emperor Marcus.
The young man was driven to surpass his ancestors and step out of their shadows. He wanted to do something they never even attempted— he wanted to bring to heel the fabled Pyramid.
By all accounts over fifty thousand veteran soldiers and even some mages were led by him, personally, towards the Pyramid. Some hundred and fifty kilometers south of what became Chameos, the Emperor and his army were met by three mages from the Academy.
Three gray robes against fifty thousand men and women.
If he had read this two months ago, Tercius wouldn't have believed such a claim. Today… it didn't seem so impossible.
When the young Emperor was advised to turn back, he attacked.
The account said that a mass paralysis spell had been cast by the three mages, making the whole army a picturesque museum of statues.
While two of the Head Archivists wanted to let the Emperor return home with his tail folded—a message for others to come—one of the Head Archivists saw that the Emperor had forced mages to wear slave collars.
That Head Archivist took a collar off the neck of one mage, modified it, and placed it on the Emperor's neck. The collar of enslavement was remade into one that suppressed mana regeneration. Never again was the young Emperor able to use skills nor destroy the collar without killing himself. All of the nobles present were also bound in the same way by this Head Archivist.
Only rank and file soldiers were allowed to return home in the same shape they arrived.
By the time they arrived back to the first town, the soldiers had already been starving for days. The food they took with themselves had been enough to last them to the Pyramid lands, but not the whole way back.
It was an unprecedented slap to the faces of the mighty Empire and their noble houses. A whole generation of rulers crippled for life. Tercius never read this version from any book he saw before. His breath was fast and his eyes filled with wonder as he leafed page after page.
Now it made sense why Emperor Paulus I banned slaves and enslavement with an Imperial Proclamation. The man saw on his father what the collars were able to do. To those before him, slaves were only a number on a paper—a kind of property to be used for further gain.
Tercius stayed with that book for a lot longer than he planned.