Harlan made his way to the staff building, Aria declined to build a home out here, instead she relied on the facilities offered by the academy itself.
On the way he could feel that the ghost was still talking.
She kept asking something every now and then and it made Harlan feel bad, so he turned the spell off.
“Harlan… are you there? I’m sorry, please don’t do this to me. Please…”
“I am still here, I just didn’t want to listen to that anymore.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it, I don’t like the quiet.”
Harlan stopped for a moment, her voice cut deeply inside him, her sadness was clear, but far more than that was fear.
“Just… when I say I don’t want to speak on a subject, don’t push it. I don’t want you to feel like this, but on some level, yes, that woman was my mother. I can’t even imagine my sisters like that, and we aren’t related by blood.”
“I’ll be more tactful. Maybe someday you will want what I know about men and women, but not right now.”
“I know you are just trying to help me, but whatever you see between me and that woman isn’t exact. I am not her, and she was not me.”
“I’m sorry-”
“Eliza, please, I am sorry, I didn’t know it would make you so upset to be cut off from me. You don’t need to apologize.”
“Right. Let’s pretend this whole thing never happened.”
“What happened?”
She gave a small laugh, yet both sides knew the other wouldn’t be forgetting this anytime soon.
Despite her urging him before, Harlan was still there 5 minutes early.
Yet there was no waiting, Aria told the receptionist that he should be brought in as soon as he arrived.
Inside the room was not much larger than what Harlan had, Aria wanted a living space and most of what she did didn’t require using materials or blast shields.
The first thing she did was put a silencing array on Harlan with the runes that made it up exposed.
Since he didn’t take classes he didn’t really know how to disarray or disward things, but he could guess.
After a few minutes and a few ideas he placed an array with reversed runes on top of the one he was already in and the structure stably faded into mana.
“That was nice. I am almost upset that Sepul got to you first.”
“Good evening Aria. Sorry I never took you up on your offer before.”
“Oh don’t worry about that, I found you in the halls enough to know how busy you’ve been through our small chats. Besides, you’ve got plenty of girls without an old woman like me.”
She was 31, but looked closer to mid 20s.
“Fishing for compliments already? Fine, you are a youthful lady and I won’t hear another word otherwise.”
She laughed at his overly serious tone.
“So, what did you come here for? Specific problem, or just to talk.”
“Honestly, I have no idea. I just got it in my head that I needed to do things for me instead of others for once and I set up appointments without really thinking it through. Though I guess you’ve already taught me how to take down an array without brute force.”
“That was just a little test, anyone could do it. Though you figured it out quite fast, normally it would take a few classes before a student could weave an array with a backwards rune like that.”
She never broke eye contact with Harlan, she never fumbled a word or lacked confidence in what she said in all of their conversations, however short.
Harlan loved the energy and self assuredness that she had.
“No need to inflate my ego. If I get a big head I’d just do something stupid.”
“We both know you don’t need my help to do that.”
She poured the both of them a glass of hot water and they both grabbed bags of tea.
“So, champion of darkness.”
Harlan froze a moment, then realized it probably doesn't matter.
“Who told you?”
“Any archmage worth her salt is going to have information brokers. I already knew she was grooming you for your position, hearing that 50 miles of land turned pitch dark for a little bit one morning around where you live is more than enough to figure things out.”
“Well, what do you think?”
“Nice eyes.”
“Nah, seriously, I hope you aren’t one of the people who are going to have an issue with me because of this.”
“If you came to me as a champion, I would be wary and wouldn’t want to be involved. but I’ve known you, not well mind you, for months. I don’t really get how all of this champion stuff works or why the gods can’t just handle their own problems, but I don’t think you seem like a different person compared to our last chat. So I’ll trust that you are still the same boy I’ve already known.”
“Well, I can tell you why they don’t just handle everything themselves, and the answer is simple.
Their presence deforms the world around them. I've seen Cecht and The Darkness in person, and trust me, if I was standing closer it might’ve just outright killed me. My skin felt pinpricks just from standing near Sepul who was letting out his power.”
“Well, that solves that. So, any topics come to mind that you want to talk about? This is going to be a bit odd if we just make small talk the entire time.”
“Well, I guess we can just talk about arrays. I know how to make them work, and I’ve never really had problems translating them from spells. Well, other than healing magic.”
“Healing magic doesn’t like arrays. The spells are a concentration of mana and just a touch of intent. Arrays spread that energy out and make healing with an array hard to the point of near uselessness. However, I do know arrays for stabilizing people, killing the little things we can’t see with the naked eye that cause infection and disease. But growing limbs, healing burns, those arrays can be set up in an area so that the doctors have just a bit more wiggle room since the wounds are less likely to get worse, but that is basically it.”
“Huh, I guess that makes sense. What about warmagic?”
“For starters, warmagic translated to an array is a serious thing and I won’t teach you how it is done. But it works on the same principles as healing magic, warmagic is just a larger mass of energy and must be treated differently. Though quite honestly I think they are wasteful, if you know where your enemy is going to be and when, a well placed and highly specific array for cutting wind or dropping them into a pit of earthen spikes is going to get more bang for your buck, so to speak.”
“I’ve not heard that phrase before.”
“Don’t worry about it, you can’t expect to hear everything.”
They spoke for a full hour about various things, both of them were the type to get pulled into their work and feel genuine excitement when it didn’t involve doing terrible things that needed to be kept in the dark.
Eventually their reverie was broken up by the ghost.
“Don’t you want to see Ximena? I am sure she would really appreciate it if you were there when she gets back.”
“Yeah, but we don’t even know when she is going to be back.”
“Maybe you would know if you looked at the amulet in your pocket.”
He hadn’t noticed the pale blue light that came out of his inner pocket.
“Sorry, I think I should take this.”
“Of course.”
It was not Ximena as he expected, but rather it was the headmaster’s assistant.
It was one thing that Marigold had given the headmaster his connection, but now he was wondering who all actually had it.
“Sir Fomoria?”
“Yes.”
“I have been asked to inform you that your friend, Ximena, will be back soon.
Headmaster Selvis has also informed me that your permit has been filed and a physical copy, while not really needed, will be delivered tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you.”
The connection was then broken off without another word.
Once he dropped the veil Aria started up once again.
“Before we get to another topic and forget, we should probably trade markers.”
“You know, I wonder how long it is going to be before we get a single term for this. I am partial to contact myself.”
“I think the documentation in the military just calls them runes. Though I find the term odd as these are not really runes, just a piece of soul that is marked in some way.”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
They touched devices, Aria wore her’s as a bracelet instead of a necklace.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it was just because of the word rune already being known as related to magic.”
“Possible. Still, just because it sounds fine doesn’t mean it should be alright that it is wrong.”
Harlan wasn’t going to explain that her reasoning was also wrong, but there was no need to get into soul regrowth, inner and outer layers, the crossroads, etc.
“Well, you can argue with the king on that one, and, I am sorry to say that this is where I am calling this night to a close. Ximena, a friend of mine, is coming back from her first mission soon and I want to be there for her.”
“You are just too sweet.”
“Oh I know quite a lot of people who would disagree.”
“I would rather judge a man on how he treats his friends rather than his enemies.”
“Then in that case, I am not afraid to say I am a good man.”
“Have a nice night, we should do this again.”
Harlan waved goodbye to her and began the walk to the gate office.
Along the way Harlan felt that the ghost wanted to speak.
“Are you alright?”
“I realize how frazzled I was earlier, I just wanted to explain what it felt like to be cut off. I can hear and see through you, I can tap into your sense of touch and smell and taste and everything. To be cut off like that was like floating in an endless darkness, I was blind and deaf and mute and I just felt trapped inside… well, whatever I am, not a body per say. And, well, about the other stuff. I just want what I think is best for you, I know you don’t want to be like that with people. I also know you didn’t mean to hurt me, so it is just water under the bridge, right?”
“We already agreed to just forget about it, but thank you for explaining. I am sorry for doing that to you.”
“Good, now, let’s get to your friend.”
“Maybe someday she will be our friend instead. Now that we know you can speak with other people,
I wonder how long you can hold out before you decide to try for a life through me.”
“I had a life once, not my own really, but I know what it is like. I don’t think I want or deserve another one.
I am only as stable as I am because when you made me you twisted her up with your desire for love and made me better than her.”
Harlan didn’t really like the way it sounded at all, that he had forced a new person out of her, one that didn’t like her original self very much as a result.
“Don’t be like that, I am sure you hate some parts of yourself. You just can’t separate yourself from them like I can. If you gave a person who hated themselves the option to instantly make them able to love again, don’t you think they would take it?”
“I didn’t give you the option, you were just born different because I had no idea what I was doing. You might like what I did, but that might just be because you can’t feel like I wronged you.”
“Oh trust me, I can feel angry at you, I am not some pseudo soul that can’t think for itself.”
It wasn’t exactly convincing for Harlan, but it was better than nothing.
Harlan sat at the gate office and found Migal alongside a few other people.
Harlan assumed he was waiting for his younger brother and avoided him, yet he didn’t really have an option.
“Hello, are you here waiting for somebody?”
“Yes, Ximena is coming back from a mission. I heard Delmet took my spot since I was… indisposed and couldn’t be asked for the mission.”
“Yes, he thought it would be best to keep her safe. I have been meaning to speak with you, do you mind?”
“Of course not.”
Migal sat next to Harlan on the bench.
“What are your thoughts on us?”
“You mean you and Delmet? Or the Golden in general.”
“My people.”
“Every Golden I’ve met and liked has been either an exile or an outcast. But I try not to judge others based on what they are instead of who. You’ve avoided insulting me or picking a fight so far, which is more than I can say about your little brother.”
“You might’ve noticed, but his pride is easily wounded. Already he has surpassed me as a fighter and a mage, I don’t have the drive he does.”
“Wait, let me guess. He is immature and I shouldn’t hold it against him. I get it, and that is why I don’t go after him despite the rumors he spreads about me.”
“I am not going to defend his worse actions, but yes, he is immature and I am glad that you can be the bigger man between the two of you. Yet, he isn’t a bad person. I am sure you will come to see that once he is back.”
“And what is that supposed to mean?”
Migal did not answer, instead he simply walked away.
Harlan sat in silence with his arms crossed and his head down.
10 minutes passed, then 15.
“Are you really just going to sit here? Don’t you want to talk, to do anything?”
“Sometimes I like to just sit and listen. You see the girl with the red pin in her hair? Her younger brother is on the team with Ximena, they went to accompany some soldiers to clear out a large goblin tribe.”
“You could just talk to her instead.”
“I don’t know her name, I don’t care. If I talk to anyone I end up tied up in something else because once you start helping people without asking for anything then you are expected to drop whatever you are doing to help.”
“But you like helping people.”
“Depending on what happened, I want to be here to support Ximena, I don’t have time to deal with the petty bullshit of nobles.”
“No need to snap at me.”
“I’m just anxious. I wish she had asked me about this before she decided that she wanted to run off to be a hero.”
“She just wants to be like you. Even if you don’t believe it, you inspire hope and bravery in people around you.”
Halran let out a sigh.
“That sounds a bit too naive of you.”
“No, really. You are a hero, sure you’ve killed people, and your actions have led to a lot of death, but every good hero is like that. Yggdra the first didn’t stop Reino from conquering everyone and forcing them to worship their shitty dead gods by talking about it. He tried that, he kept trying that, but in the meanwhile he put hundreds of thousands to the sword. You don’t think he didn’t also do some evil things for the greater good? Tell me, really, is this doubt just because you don’t want to disappoint Ava?”
“The gate is open.”
Out walked Redhead in front, followed by Ximena, then a girl he didn’t know, a boy he didn’t know, and Delmet, missing an arm.
He looked pale, well, as pale as someone of his complexion could be.
He had lost some blood, but he was stable and walking on his own.
He pushed away the staff who tried to help him walk until Migal convinced him that he should calm down.
In just a few hours he would be resting in the medical ward with a new arm, depending on how long it had been he might have a day or two of therapy before he was back at his full dexterity and strength.
Ximena looked tired and Harlan could feel that she was very upset.
She noticed him, but barely lifted her head as she walked towards him.
She sat next to him and put up a veil to block sight and sound.
“Do you want to talk?”
“Delmet almost got killed.”
“Let me guess, he did something stupid and you had to pull him out of the fire.”
Harlan felt the sadness and anger welling up inside her as he realized he said possibly the worst thing he could.
“I froze, I froze and he almost died because of me. I hate it, I wish I was just born brave like you.”
Tears filled her eyes and she leaned on Harlan as he placed his arm around her.
“What happened?”
“We found the goblins, I was supposed to go with Delmet while they were sleeping and finish them off. Then… we found their meat, orcs were there, we aren’t supposed to find orcs.”
She shivered and grabbed her stomach, fighting the urge to vomit.
“The heads were still there, with their eyes open. I froze. What if Delmet had died? What if I had died?”
“Orcs are cannibals and man eaters. You should’ve never seen that, I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”
“Where were you?”
“I am now the champion of darkness. You are the first person who didn’t ask about my eyes first.
I got taken away by some liches and I met Marigold.”
“Really?”
Hearing about her was enough of a revelation that she could push away the part of herself she didn’t like from the foreground of her mind for a little bit at least.
“Yeah. She reminded me of Mary actually.”
“What about the liches?”
Now it was Harlan’s turn to avoid the topic.
“They tested me for new powers. That’s it.”
“Alright. Do you think Adina is still awake?”
“Well, it’s about 9 now, so probably. Do you want to just call her first?”
“Yeah, I’ll call her on the way, if not I’ll just go to sleep. We should talk another time about Marigold, I bet Liat would be green with envy.”
“As long as she isn’t red with jealousy.”
Ximena laughed a little and left.
Then just as soon as she smiled it was gone.
She felt wrong to do so, having seen what happened to those people, wondering if they could’ve been faster, if they could’ve saved those people.
Harlan walked to the medical ward, finding Migal was waiting nearby while the doctors put Delmet under and grew a new arm for him.
“Well, that was fast.”
“Do you have communicators?”
“No, we do not.”
“Alright then, I’ll make three of them, you can talk to your mother and brother through them.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“I want to get ahead of Delmet trying to lord this over me, besides, regardless of why, he saved Ximena, and I don’t want to just ignore that.”
“I am sure I can convince him to take the gift then. Did you come here just for that?”
Harlan sat down in the waiting area next to him.
“How come you didn’t end up like him?”
“Have you heard the hypothesis about how no mage is ever really right in the head?”
“I already came to that conclusion myself.”
“Then I don’t need to explain too much. Delmet, despite the 10 month difference between us, is already twice the mage I am. The only question is if his pride and ego came from being a good mage or if they made him a good mage. I admit, if you talked to me at the start of the year, I would’ve been like him.”
“What changed?”
“Your terrifying growth. I took telekinesis classes myself last year. This year I heard about how you went from being unable to lift 15 pounds to being able to move nearly a ton within just a few months.
Honestly, it stung my pride quite a lot, so I looked at your other classes. I could’ve been upset that you are top of most of your classes, but why? Because I am Golden? Because I should be better?
If our pride in what we are comes from being stronger, I really had two options.
I could be irrationally angry about you being talented, or I could accept that our pride comes from strength and that means I should respect you instead of hate you.
I think Delmet was supposed to learn that lesson before I did, but he is too caught up in who he is to accept that. Can I ask that you keep this in mind?”
“I’ve avoided him until now, I already know it isn’t anything more I should be doing for him.”
“How about this, challenge him again, and instead of berating him when you win, try to give him pointers. You could be friends.”
Harlan looked at him like Migal had just asked him to turn day to night.
“Why would I want to be friends with him?”
“Because you could help him become a better person, like you did with that girl from Reino. I know it can be hard to turn one of them into something resembling a human-”
Migal stopped and looked for the threat, his sixth sense told him that his death was lingering very closely.
Only when he turned towards Harlan and that his eyes went from black and white with a fire in the middle to just darkness and fire did he realize what was happening and try to flee.
Harlan placed a hand on his shoulder and he froze.
“I have other things to do, see you later.”
Then Harlan walked away, his mood ruined.