“What are you doing?” Elder Teacher asked.

“I’m teaching Churot,” Adam replied.

Elder Teacher remained silent, thinking this was one of Adam’s jokes. He was the kind who showed no fear in front of the Chief, and was rather playful with most people who could kill him.

‘No,’ the Great Elder thought. Though it was true that he was playful with most people who could kill him, that number had decreased substantially due to Adam’s previous fights with his Aunts and Uncle. It wasn’t just his fights with those three, but also the fights with the pair from the Ruv family too, who he managed to defeat fairly soundly, even without his magical weapon.

“Why are you revealing your spellbook to young Churot?” Elder Teacher asked, having waited for some time for Adam to refuse to explain his joke.

“How else am I supposed to teach him?” Adam stated.

‘Just how much are you willing to joke?’ Elder Teacher thought, but as the seconds passed, it was evident.

Adam wasn’t joking.

“Is that bad?” Adam thought, quickly closing his book. ‘Is it because the runes of the magic can cause issues when the person is too young?’ Adam began to theorise as to why it was dangerous for a young teen like Churot to learn magic.

“Scribe Mages like you do not share your spellbook so openly,” Elder Teacher informed. “Such a thing is unheard of. Even between parent and child, they do not share their spellbooks.”

“Sure, but I’m no Scribe Mage,” Adam said. “Churot isn’t my son, either. He’s my Cousin.” Once more, Adam emphasised the word to show that he was a Cousin, and not a cousin, which was an important distinction to make in the Iyr. He noticed that Jarot used grandson instead of Grandson, but he wasn’t going to give the old man such satisfaction.

It held no relevance to the discussion, but Adam thought to lighten the mood with a light joke, since there seemed to be some unsaid tension in the air.

Elder Teacher was beginning to understand more about Adam, and why the Chief showed the Half Elf so much favour. Adam sometimes acted so strange, so alien, but there were times when he spoke like an Iyrman.

“Come with me,” Elder Teacher eventually said, before turning and leaving.

Adam followed the Great Elder, acutely aware of the fact the Iyrman had a mace at his side. The Half Elf relaxed once he saw the Chief, who was at his gazebo in his estate. He was certain the Chief would not try to kill him without some warning.

‘Where is his spellbook?’ Elder Teacher wondered.

“Is there a problem?” Adam asked, biting into the snack the Chief offered.

“I wished for you to explain these concepts,” the Chief said, revealing a handful of papers, each with the different mathematical concepts he had introduced to Churot.

“Oh, sure,” Adam said, spending the next few hours explaining the various concepts to the Iyrmen. ‘This feels weird,’ he thought, thinking about how he was explaining simple mathematical concepts to the Iyrmen, who were fairly intelligent from what he gathered. ‘Though, I guess that’s because of how I was raised?’

There were another dozen or so Iyrmen who appeared, each of them remaining silent as Adam taught them.

“Who were they?” Adam asked, watching as they left.

“My aides,” Elder Teacher said.

Adam nodded his head in response. ‘That makes sense,’ he thought.

“Where is your spellbook?” Elder Teacher asked.

“It’s…” Adam scrunched his brow. “I forgot it at the estate.”

The Chief was no longer capable of being surprised by the Half Elf. Elder Teacher remained befuddled.

“Thank you for your assistance, Adam,” the Chief said.

“Any time,” Adam replied.

“These concepts, do they have anything to do with what we last spoke about?” Chief Iromin asked.

“I believe so,” Adam said. “I think, without these concepts, those things, among other things, couldn’t exist.”

The Chief remained silent for a long moment, with Elder Teacher maintaining the silence. If they were talking about the last time they conversed, then it must be the reason why the Chief had been so pale.

“Please escort Adam back,” Iromin stated.

An Iyrman, who seemingly appeared out of Adam’s shadow, caused the Half Elf to tense up. “Yes, Chief.”

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“What’s with you Iyrmen, seriously…” Adam groaned, feeling his heart pound within his chest.

The Iyrman escorted Adam back to the Rot family estate, leaving the Chief and Elder Teacher, seemingly alone. The Chief motioned for Elder Teacher to sit opposite him, and when he did, they truly were alone.

“Will you still keep it a secret?” Elder Teacher asked. “I, as Elder Teacher, should know what to teach our children.”

“The Great Elders which need to know, know,” Iromin replied, speaking of Elder Story. He thought of the concepts Adam had introduced, each of which would be further expanded on by the aides who worked under Elder Teacher, in order to greater increase their efficiency.

“I am still suspect of the young Half Elf,” Elder Teacher admitted. “However, I can see that he is like me.”

Iromin bit into one of his fried dough snacks, waiting for Elder Teacher to expand on his statement.

Elder Teacher thought about how he had become Elder Teacher. He wasn’t the smartest Iyrman, and he hadn’t been the most passionate about teaching. However, once he had taken to the role, he understood what his predecessor had told him.

Out of every Great Elder in the Iyr, it was he who never once felt bored with his role. To watch as the children grew, from those he personally taught, to those who were taught through the curriculum he devised, which was revised every few years.

There was no greater joy which could be found in the Iyr.

From the small joys which could be found, from children learning how to put on their own shoes and wash their own faces, to those who built the structures of the Iyr, or assisted in keeping the warehouses half full, it was something which filled him with great pride.

“He is certainly queer,” Elder Teacher began. “No, he is certainly more than that. He is crazy. He is dangerous.”

“Is that how you are the same?” Iromin joked.

“Perhaps.” The Devilkin Iyrman smiled. “I have many doubts about him, and many suspicions, but I cannot doubt that he is at least suited to teaching. Though his teaching may seem sporadic, at least he is thorough, and free, with his knowledge.”

The Chief sipped some of his water, thinking for a few moments. It seemed that Elder Teacher had softened slightly about Adam, which was fortunate. “I will inform him not to teach Churot the more dangerous spells for some time. I do not believe he will, as he shares his knowledge to a certain extent, but it will do us good to make sure he understands.”

“Chief,” Elder Teacher called. “Since both Elder Wrath and Elder Forest hold negative feelings about him, does that mean it’s positive?”

Chief Iromin smiled at the joke. “No. That only works for multiplication, not addition.”

“And subtraction,” Elder Teacher joked. “He might come for my position in the future.”

“It may not be the craziest thing he has done.”

Elder Teacher bowed his head.

The pair were eventually joined with the other Great Elders, including Elder Wrath, who was still in the process of stepping down.

“You must have met with Adam,” Elder Gold said, noting the queerness about the pair of them. “What did he do this time?”

“He has allowed Churot to read his spellbook,” Elder Teacher said. “When I walked in on his teaching, he was showing the young boy how to spot the differences between the spellbook’s spell and the spellscroll’s spell.”

Elder Forest almost dropped into the chair with shock, unable to control her brows as they shot upwards. “He…”

Elder Wrath, who was still so solemn, perked up upon hearing the ridiculous statement. “That young man is crazy.”

Elder Gold exchanged a look between the Chief and Elder Teacher. She had been the second Great Elder, after the Chief, to understand how ridiculous Adam was, especially when it came to his family. She recalled the deal she had made with Adam, which Iromin had advised her on accepting, even though it went against their teaching.

“It appears he wholly accepts the Rot family as his own,” Elder Gold said, sipping some water.

Elder Peace, who was the most calm and collected of all the Iyrmen, due to her role, thought deeply about what she had been told. “It is well known that Scribe Mages guard their spellbooks as though it is their life.”

“Yes, but Adam is not a Scribe Mage,” the Chief stated.

“He is nothing in particular,” Elder Teacher said. They had tried to understand what Adam was. He held the same abilities most Iyrmen held, but usually one would keep within a particular path of abilities. Adam held many abilities of many different paths, from that of a Scribe Mage, to a Priest, and even the abilities of a Guardian.

“If Adam truly teaches Churot how to use magic in the same way as the Scribe Mage, it is a great boon for the Iyr,” the Chief said.

“The changes which are brought to the Iyr must have stable foundations,” Elder Peace said. “We have allowed him to bring many changes, but they must be discussed until we come to a firm conclusion.”

The Chief sighed, and the other Great Elders looked to him. “I heard that young Turot wishes to become Elder Peace.”

“You speak of Adam’s Cousin?” Elder Peace asked.

“The very same,” Iromin said. “I cannot help but think that, with Adam’s help, that may very well come to be.”

“Though he has been spoiled by his grandfather, young Churot’s intelligence is still greater than most of his peers,” Elder Teacher said. “The roles of Elder Teacher and Elder Peace may very well be in the hands of the Rot family.”

“Then comes the matter of the pair from the Kan and Jin families,” Iromin said. “It is highly likely either of them become the future Chief, either as my successor, or the next Chief’s. One of the Kan’s is also enamoured with the young man.”

“That would place three of the Great Elder positions in the hands of a single shared family estate,” Elder Teacher said. “Each favouring Adam.”

“Shaool’s grandniece is also close with him… and it seems he has collected favours from both Sir Merry and Sir Royce,” Iromin said, the flow of the conversation slowly changing.

At first, the conversation had been about the dangers of Adam and his influence on some Iyrmen, and though it sounded ridiculous, it was not in the Iyr’s blood to leave a stone unturned. However, the other Great Elders noted the shift in the Chief’s tone. Iromin had thought about the first time he had met Adam, and what he had thought of the Half Elf, who seemed so alien. There was a high chance that he would not survive after the Iyr viewed him as a potential threat, and his alarming rate of growth continued to press on the Great Elders.

Iromin, as well as Elder Story, had heard Adam’s tale. Though it had been a near impossible tale, Iromin had to believe it was true, because he was the Chief of the Iyr. The Iyrmen had almost died once, and they had become a shadow of their former selves. It was a tale which was passed down, vaguely to most Iyrmen, but in great detail to all Great Elders and their aides.

It had instilled a great sense of responsibility on the Great Elders’ shoulders.

That tale of his, and though it was a near impossible tale, Adam had confirmed a theory of their old enemies, the Giants, revealing their Frostbridge. Though, there was also a part of his tale, something the Chief had only vaguely mentioned to the other Great Elders. The tale had revealed new enemies of the Iyr in that world, enemies which did not yet exist in this world.

‘Even after all you have seen in the Iyr,’ the Chief thought. ‘Do they still terrify you?’