In the many hours that passed, Jack decided that drowning all of his thoughts in knowledge was a pretty good idea. He poured over his books on runes, spell casting and enchantment to quiet the darkness lurking at the edges of his vision. He had been left alone shortly after talking to Mother Siobhan, his visitors were kicked out and the Jann fell asleep at the foot of his bed.

Last nights events outlined something very clearly. He wasn’t strong enough. Not strong enough to fight off his attackers, not strong enough to fight that ghoul, not strong enough to save Arthur from the consequences of his own choices, and most importantly he couldn’t save a little girl that was right in front of him. It was time for him to change.

Jack doodled runes on a piece of paper and contemplated his options. He needed a spell that could be used in actual combat. His Fireball spell took at least five seconds to cast and used his full concentration. When he became more powerful the spell would become useful as it could cause a wide variety of effects and he could always pump more mana into it for a bigger explosion but right now he needed something fast and cheap.

First, he started with a defensive spell. It's purpose was to act as a shield that he could hide behind and he was using the working title Flaming Shield Of Burning. Sigh! He was terrible at naming things. Next, he wanted a long range option. This spell was going to be designed in the style of a semi-automatic. Small flares the size of a ping-pong ball would fire from his finger in half-second intervals until the spell was canceled or he ran out of mana. This was the best he could do and even now, he was still trying to get the spell forms down on paper.

With a sigh, he bundled up his last attempt and threw it into the overfull trash bin at the corner of Arthur’s section. His trash bin had been flooded hours ago. The door at the end of the hall opened and a large figure stooped in through the door before straightening.

Felix strode down the ward with a reassuring smile on his face until he reached Arthurs bedside. The look slipped for a second when he examined his son and Jack saw the grief and exhaustion that hid behind his careful facade of control. This brought Jack just a little closer to this new brother but was still withholding hope. Who knew if Felix blamed him and if he did, Jack wanted to brace for the heartache now.

“How are you feeling?” Felix asked him.

“I feel fine, better than fine as my body absorbed all the Fire while I was unconscious. Once the repairs on my soul are set, I should be ready to go back to the academy.” He had been sneaking peeks at his recovery whenever Mother Siobhan wasn’t looking. The Earth mana holding him together had hardened enough that he felt he could almost risk a trip into his Soulscape. In fact, his perception had just returned to his active control a few minutes ago. It only spread half a meter out but he was going to take it.

Felix winced apologetically. “You will not be returning to the academy. Last night we kicked the proverbial hornet's nest and they are buzzing around, looking for someone to sting. The academy is their home territory and you would be exposed and in danger, if you went back.” He paused and stroked his beard in anxious contemplation. “We will be sending you to the only place that will truly be safe for you. The Sorcerer’s Tower is a neutral location situated in a no-man’s land.”

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He reached into his pouch and pulled out a rolled-up map. He spread it on the bed in front of Jack and pointed to a dark spot in the center of the continent. “This is the only place in the known continent that is currently unclaimed by humans, Fey or Djinn. A good friend of mine is the current overseer of the territory and has agreed to continue your education there. You will be safe under his tutelage.” He stopped when he saw Jack’s downcast appearance.

“So I am so useless that you have to ship me off to the middle of nowhere,” Jack responded after an awkward pause.

Felix waved his arm at him in negation. “Nonsense! You have been here for less than a week. Do you know how long I had to cultivate to get where I could defend myself? Twenty years! That was with a mortal body. You have already fully ascended, so you will be able to surpass my development by leaps and bounds once you have all the tools and resources we can provide you. This place will do that, besides it’s not like I won’t see you daily wherever you go. We are linked by our very souls and will be able to transfer to the others location once we reach a certain level.”

This information put things into perspective. Everyone had been expecting him to act out his role and make his place in society on day one. Subconsciously, he had just followed along and adhered to other people’s expectations. Being pigeon holed yet again made steam come out of his ears he was so mad. He had only been here a week, the nobility and academy could wait for all he cared.

Very good, dear. Never let the mortals define and control you. at the end of the day, they are mortal and will disappear soon. You will be the one holding on to their baggage when they die.

Jack nearly fainted in surprise when the voice popped into his mind. Master, is it safe for you to talk to me like this? My soul is still setting.

Yes, it is good to hear that you are well. I am using your elder brother to channel my voice to the mortal world, thus we are bypassing the patch job. We were unable to completely heal your injuries due to Felix’s inexperience with this form of power. Tonight, you should be able to enter your Soulscape. We will speak then, for now, you should rest and study… I am proud of you. Know that you faced foes that we're far above your level and returned. That is a victory in itself.

The connection severed with enough whiplash that Jack saw stars for a few seconds before blinking them away. Even that small conversation had stressed his spiritual wounds but it had been totally worth it. His master was his rock. Being cut off from them was indescribable.

When he came to, Felix had his hand over Arthur. Brown wisps flowed into the boy and his complexion improved slightly. Jack only noticed due to his superior eye sight. He could see color more vividly than ever and he suspected that he was looking into more than the visible spectrum.

“How was the senate trial?” Jack asked when Felix started to withdraw his hand.

The big man smirked evilly. “You are now looking at the new governor of the old capital district, which is senate speech for either half pipe junction or the orphan ward, depending on who you ask. Now that I don’t have to work around that pompous waste of space, things are going to change. Resources will finally go to feeding, clothing and housing for the children instead of parties and debauchery.”

Felix pulled out a bronze colored medallion a few centimeters in width and flipped it over to Jack. He caught it out of the air and examined it. Both faces depicted an eagle with the laurel crown in its beak. “What is this?” He asked.

Felix grinned even more and replied. “That is a medal of valor. You exposed Pomp’s crimes and stalled him long enough for me to sentence him. I pointed out to the senate that you were still tier one and that he could have crushed you with a thought. Thus, you demonstrated your Valor!” He trumpeted that last part and made a heroic pose. It was the most ridiculous thing Jack had ever seen.

“Why do I feel this is some kind of bribe to get me on the senate's good side?” Jack asked dryly.

“You think so because you are no fool. The senate fears the allies you are making and are setting up to either work with you or stab you in the back, most likely both. That is why you need to leave the spotlight for a bit. I intend to make enough fuss that they postpone any schemes aimed at you.” Now there was a grin on his grin. Jack swore it went beyond his face. He was starting to question his opinion of Felix’s sanity.

“That’s enough of that. Get some sleep tonight. You have much healing to do if you want to travel. Goodnight little brother.”

“Goodnight Felix.” Jack replied. He put his supplies away and closed his eyes. He had some sleep to catch up on.

The End