Chatting with Tetra was a pleasant distraction from my other concerns. One of the first things I learned was that she wasn't a noble. Lord Runax was her guardian, not an actual relative. She was, in fact, something akin to a political prisoner, except she was here willingly at the request of her father, who was a famous Alchemist in the City. She wouldn't reveal much more than that, except that the City was "bloody boring", and everything was "so much more interesting" out here on the frontier.

When I tried to press for more details about her life in the City, she suddenly seemed to remember that her Guardian had tasked her with bringing me to his office immediately after I woke up...

The hallways of the Citadel were very similar to those of North Stone Fort, but right away I noticed that this section, at least, was much less richly decorated. Lord Runax's office was quite a lot smaller and plainer as well, with older-looking furniture and stacks of paper piled on the desk, likely due to a distinct lack of shelf space along the walls (or, to put it in an even less flattering manner, a distinct lack of space along the walls for a shelf).

Tiny office aside, he greeted me with a surprising level of warmth and politeness, expressing his sincere apologies for the actions of the soldier (Alder) who attacked me. The man was to be reprimanded once he had recovered from his injuries, I was told, and his actions in no way represented the intent of Lord Frog-face when this small test was first arranged. In fact, the soldier not only entirely disobeyed the orders he was given to ensure I wasn't harmed when he struck me with such vigor, he then ignored the express commands from Lord Runax to stand down after that first blow!

I didn't know how to react to this information, and I certainly wasn't familiar with military discipline, so I decided to simply leave the matter in more experienced hands and gave assurances that there were no hard feelings. It wasn't exactly true, since part of me wanted to have him sent to the Shieldwall for being such a stuck-up beast, but I also just didn't care all that much. After that, Tetra was asked to leave the room, and I could tell we were finally going to get down to what I actually cared about: My future.

Lord Runax leaned forward in his chair, peering at me intently past a stack of papers with his big eyes, "How much can you tell me about... ahem," he paused to clear his throat, glancing past me at the recently shut door of his small office, "about... your situation."

I leaned backward in my seat (a wood and beast-skin leather chair that would have been small for an adult, but was nice and roomy for me) when he leaned forward, maintaining the distance between us as I considered his question. Keeping things simple, and saying as little as possible, was most likely the easiest way for me to maintain this fiction, right? So I would keep that as my general strategy, for now. And it would probably help me not get tangled in a web of lies if I stuck to the truth whenever I could...

"I was told that saying too much could be... dangerous. For you, my lord, and for me. Maybe even for everyone in the entire village!" I was, of course, referring to the Celestial's letter regarding the risks of sharing my personal cultivation method with my buddy Wolfram, but as far as I knew the same could apply to others as well.

He swallowed nervously and glanced around at the walls of his office. Leaning back away from me once again, he said, "Yes, of course, young Heller. I understand."

When he didn't immediately continue speaking, his attention still on the bare stone walls surrounding us, I had a revelation: Lord Runax had encountered that crazy old man before, and the experience terrified him. Had he actually witnessed The Merrik bust through a stone wall in the past? That would certainly help explain his demeanor, and I had personally seen The Merrik demolish dozens of rooftops just by running along them, so property damage didn't seem to be a big concern of his...

The silence lingered. I still had many concerns that were yet to be addressed, so I decided to take the plunge and see what happened. "So... what happens now? Can I go back home?" I asked hopefully.

His large eyes refocused on me, and, for just a moment, I felt the same intense heat as before, forcefully locking my attention on him. Then he blinked, his expression softening, he gave me what I can only assume was meant to be a reassuring smile as he replied, "That... is a possibility. But things are more complicated than you, or your... mentor," he cleared his throat, "might realize. Allow me to explain my thoughts on the position you have put me in, intentionally or not, before we decide how to proceed.

"First of all, there are many who would not believe your claim, but it happens that I am something of a scholar when it comes to House Flameward... and I know full well that there has never in the history of our Great House been someone able to command lightning as you did, at such a young age. Even young Kodan, the next in line to lead our Great House, has just barely begun deciphering his Cultivation Technique, and he is your elder by more than a year! By the time he comes of age to begin training as a soldier at age fourteen, perhaps, if we are truly spirit-blessed, he may be able to replicate your feat... should he prove to be a cultivation prodigy like his great uncle, Firebrand, that is."

He leaned forward again, "But that is not all you can do, is it?" he asked, gesturing to my bandaged-covered arms, "You left the arena with barely a scratch. I had the healer layer on extra bandages to help fool my young ward, Tetra, plus any spies that might catch wind of the event. I would suggest you leave them on for at least a tenday."

I nodded slowly, swallowing the lump that had gathered in my throat as he spoke.

Letting out a shallow sigh, he leaned back in his chair and raised his hands to massage his forehead before continuing, "Therefore, I am left with the consideration that either your story is true, or you are the greatest cultivation talent our civilization has ever produced... and you are telling me a truly outrageous lie." He gave me a crooked grin, raising his hand to delay me when I opened my mouth to reply, "Worry not, young Heller, for I have decided to help you either way."

Stunned by his proclamation, I croaked out a strained question before I could stop myself, "B-but why?"

"A predictable, yet wise, question, young Heller. What do you know of your mother's past?"

I shook my head, still spinning from the sharp turn this conversation had taken, "Nothing, really."

"Then it may come as a surprise to learn that Isa and I were friends, once. In truth, it would be fair to say that she owes her peaceful life in North Stone Village to that friendship. Please do not ask me about this, as there is little I can tell you without putting all of our lives at risk. Oaths have been sworn before a Runetail Truthseeker, and the matter is therefore sealed.

"What I can say is that Isa was living here under my protection, and there are few places where a disgraced noble can have such independence. Therefore, when I received a report stating that she had betrayed my trust, abusing the freedom I had granted her to live as she wished, I was understandably outraged and deeply hurt!"

I was interested in his story, but it felt a little like he was justifying his behavior - as though he was the victim. I nodded along as he explained a few more details of the law, hoping he would get to the point soon... but it took another ten minutes for him to get to the important part.

"Hopefully you can see the position I am in, young Heller, and why our options are so limited.... and why acting with haste is so vital."

"Okay, but... please just give me a moment to think," I said, taking a deep breath and attempting to put my thoughts in order. "So, essentially, you are saying that I only have a couple of safe choices, and everything else is too risky. Lemme see if I can paraphrase what you told me, and I'll start with the craziest idea first. Tell me if I get anything wrong:

"First off, we can move to the Shieldwall, in the territory of House Silverlight, where it wouldn't be illegal for me to cultivate because the Shieldwall is a neutral territory protected by a treaty between the four Great Houses... but we would have to stay there for the rest of our lives. The upside is... since The Merrik is teaching me to cultivate, he may show up and thin the unending ravenous hordes that never cease attacking."

I didn't miss Lord Runax's wince at the dour nature of my phrasing, or how he glanced around nervously when I invoked The Merrik. I had no intention of abandoning the lie now, even if Froggy promised that he would aid me regardless.

"The second option is to pull a fast one, lie to everyone, and claim that I was actually your child all along and that my parents were just helping you raise me. You can forge the documents, and take care of everything, but I would have to live with you from now on since the secret is out. You secretly taught me how to cultivate, but it is fine since I'm actually a noble..."

I fought hard to conceal the signs of my discomfort at the stomach-churning notion of leaving my parents like that. Even if they agreed - and I was in no way convinced that they would - the very thought made me sick. And Lord Runax's eager grin as he nodded along certainly didn't help...

I took a few quick breaths to recenter myself before continuing, "The upside is that nobody will question my ability to cultivate, and we can enjoy the protection of House Flameward."

"Yes, well said, young Heller! Precisely how I see things."

Having gone over the basics of the two options he had presented me with, but without all the long-winded explanations of the laws and politics involved, I decided that they were both terrible enough that I might as well try to flip the table and see what happened.

"I have a third stratagem to propose, my lord. What if I stay here, in the village, with my parents, and you dedicate your efforts to protecting us? You can still forge the paperwork as a backup if you like, but the main objective of this plan is to let me live and cultivate peacefully, with no major disruptions to my life."

He was frowning, but I held up a hand to forestall his objections until I had finished, "The upside is that I will forever appreciate your patronage, and, more importantly, we won't have to worry about The Merrik scrapping the whole 'Apprenticeship' project, exterminating everyone who knows about it, including you, and trying again in a hundred years."

I leaned forward, staring into his wide eyes, and this time he moved back away from me.

"Old men fear change!" I said, enunciating each word slowly and clearly. My voice rose with each syllable as I did my best impression of a frightened child, "Do you want to get us all killed!?"

From his lack of reaction, it was clear that he wasn't exactly convinced by my words. Yet he didn't refute my stance immediately, leading me to hope that he would at least consider my (rather dramatically presented) alternative.