Some time had passed.

With how close Shynerai and Sarah had become over a couple of months, Shadow had become accustomed to seeing his face around his house, and on one such visit to her house, Shynerai discovered that Shadow and Sarah were packing for a trip.

When he had arrived he queried Shadow as to where they would be going. Shadow told him that he would be gone for about two weeks as they were going on a research expedition to the Ma’ein Sof University in the Northernmost mountains from Melodoria.

Shynerai was shocked to hear that Sarah would be leaving as well but it made sense since Shadow was her only legal guardian.

Since Erai and Sarah had grown quite close, he knew that he would miss her when she was gone,

But at the very same time, he thought of an idea and then quickly rushed home.

When he arrived at home, he found himself running about the halls until he finally bumped into his mother in the kitchen.

She asked him if he was okay and he nodded ‘yes’. Once he caught his breath, he proceeded to tell his mother why he was in such a rush:

"Mother, would you and father mind if I went on a trip with Sarah for the next two weeks."

The first thought coming to mind once her son had made her request made her blush profusely but after regaining composure she asked whether or not there would be an adult present to take care of them…and Erai said that Sarah's father would be coming with them to the Ma’ein Sof University.

Since Shadow was going to be there, Shynerai's mother could think of no reason to refuse her son and so after she helped him pack, she sent him off.

From this point onwards Shynerai would ask every chance he got to tag along when they were heading to the Ma’ein Sof University but by this point, he wasn't just doing it because he would be with Sarah, instead, the University had supercharged his pursuit and passion to once again learn magic.

On one such trip, which would be around the third time Erai had traveled to the Ma’ein Sof University something was about to change...for it was the first time either of them were allowed to actually enter the school.

This new privilege meant that they would no longer be confined to the monastery that overlooks the University as they could now move about the libraries, study halls as well as practice halls to name a few areas.

The children were permitted inside of the University after Shadow had informed the Principle Mages of his intentions and whether or not either of the children posed a threat. This coupled with the routine inspections of the visitors during their stay at the monastery meant that they were deemed fit to access the mage's collection.

With Shynerai routinely moving about the halls of the University, he quickly became acquainted with quite a few of the mages there.

This happened mainly because unlike most kids his age, he couldn't use magic so he believed that if he studied hard enough he might then be able to learn how to use magic instead, so his parents, never wanting to disappoint him, allowed him to chase this fruitless dream.

The result was a deep love and interest in all things magical which had intrigued some of the mages to such a degree that over time some of them were fond of him enough to let him use their more coveted material to expand his knowledge.

With time, this expanded Shynerai's knowledge and experience to the point of an Apprentice Mage by the age of seven.

As with each passing visit both his knowledge and curiosity for magic grew, but to further condense the amount of information he was gaining, Shynerai regularly petitioned to sit in on any lectures that were held by the mages present.

The lectures that he attended most often were on Fundamentals of Magic and Practical Applications of Magic Theory.

The one leading the class was talented Lynhearian mage, Shai Everglades who believed that the nature of the most simple to the most complex of magical phenomena could be broken down and understood in the same manner as science is understood.

Her curly and dark auburn hair paired with her sharp deep green eyes made her stand out among the Northerners of Melodoria,though what was even more eye-catching was how impressive her physique was, earning her more than a few yearly proposals from students and academics alike that come to the university for the first time.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Needless to say, her unorthodox desire, alluring beauty made her divisive presence within the school.

The source of her life’s work was born from her time she spent in both Mort Acysis and Amber Faltarien, nations that are responsible for reviving a lot of the Lost Technology from the era when the first Guardians still walked the First World.

As well as the incredible progress they made in making practical Alchemy, once thought a technical art of the divine and mystery but thanks to their diligence, it was brought into human understanding.

Now, mages make use of the art in the same way scholars of the Old Ages used Chemistry. But for many, such an advancement regarding other magics is greatly discouraged, believing that not everything must fall into understanding.

Due to the world of academics struggling to adapt to the inclusion of females within elitist positions of serious knowledge circles, many mages perform silent boycotts against any female mages that seek to ascend within their ranks, as such, Shai's classes are rarely ever full and on average play host to between fifteen and twenty students which is minuscule when her lecture hall is meant to accommodate over three hundred individuals.

Initially, his presence was under constant suspicion as Shai believed that he might have been sent by the other mages to disrupt her work or to simply annoy her but somehow she became accustomed to Shynerai's presence during her lectures.

During one of her more lighter lectures, he had queried her on where she managed to acquire her vast knowledge. He asked this since most high-profile mages were either sent to a prestigious academy or fell under the tutelage of a Seer, who had taken a handsome sum in exchange for mentoring an aspiring mage.

But the truth of the matter surprised not just Shynerai, but the other individuals present, Shai stated that she had acquired most of her knowledge and experience by spending almost eleven-years of her life traveling the world to learn all that she could.

She explained that from a young age she has always had a strong fascination with magic which came as no surprise to her father as members of her family have always whole-heartedly pursued what intrigued them the most.

Her grandfather was an Ocean Explorer, her father is a very successful merchant. To ensure that his daughter had the best possible start, her father managed to contact as many of his connections that he had within the most prestigious institutions in the entire continent of Lynheare.

Once he contacted them all, he organized a meeting three days from then whereby they would all arrive en masse for an opportunity to convince his daughter why she should enroll at their school.

When the day came eighty two representatives from fifty of the top institutions in Lynheare arrived and gathered in the courtyard whilst being called in one-by-one to start their presentation with her father's study.

By the time the final representatives made their statements, Shai had made her decision. When she gave her answer, everyone in the courtyard beside her father stood in complete awe. She said,

“Although you have all impressed me with your displays and accomplishments, no matter what each of you could say I will not be attending any one of your schools. I want to understand how magic could be in our world and how it's able to interact with everything uniquely.

You see, I want to not only discover the science behind magic but also what magic means to everyone because if I understand what everyone's idea of magic is… then maybe I can not only find the source of magic but bring it into our realm of understanding. "

Whilst the representatives stood trying to understand the child's abstract goal, her father merely smiled and stated that:

"If this is what you want then I'll do so in any way I can princess".

And with that the disappointed individuals began to clear out leaving Shai's father in his study with his favorite glass of Krehmattian wine in hand and staring at the flaring wisps of fire and the crackling firewood of the hearth, thinking of how he could help his daughter with this new development.

Until he looked back at his glass...and suddenly, he realized something.

Putting down his glass and lifting the phone, her father's call was met with a cheerful greeting

"Well well, if it isn't Luke Everglades, what can I do for you?"

Shai's father quickly veered the man on the phone from getting distracted and told him that he wanted to commission his skills on a project. The man's name was Yadon Vora and he was Luke's roommate when they were still in college but now he is a Head Engineer at StarLight, an aerospace company established in Krehmatt.

The reason he wanted his skills was so that he could create a vehicle that could safely take his daughter anywhere she wanted to go without hassle. The deadline for the completion of the project was three-years from their current time on his daughter's 19th birthday.

So equipped with a brilliant mind, world-class facilities, two million ulds and three years, he went to work.

During her 19th birthday, her father presented her with his gift, a large airship by the name of Indigo's Blue, which she would use to travel the world and return home whenever she wanted.

By the end of the party, she said her goodbyes and set off for her dream.

When Shai completed her anecdote, she realized her audience was gleaming with fascination and were foaming at the mouth with questions but before she could answer the first question, the door to the hall opened and Sarah rushed in with a worried look and at a loss of breath.

She told Shynerai,

"Father said it's time to go, something happened at home and they sent out a call for help."

“There’s trouble at home?”