Chapter XI
After realizing that his conversation with Ryokumo wasn’t going to get him anywhere, Eric finished his breakfast and went back into his room to change into his clothes for the day—a dark brown shirt and black pants, both with gold trim, and some boots. He always thought he looked odd when wearing them considering how different they were from his daily clothes back in Wilham, but he found himself growing rather used to the style the longer he was in Ijiria. Though, that didn’t mean he wasn’t anxious to get back home and return to his normal lifestyle.
Then again, I’ve already been here two months which, according to Ryokumo, means that four months have passed back in Omaruo. It’s already August there…and my senior year is starting, not to mention that I missed the last handful of weeks in junior year. Even if I save everybody from the erased realm, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to truly go back to normal.
The thought made him sad and, as he walked through the silver halls of the Citadel, he once again found his thoughts shifting to everybody he lost to the erased realm. Unfortunately, Ryokumo didn’t know much about what that realm was like, so Eric had no way of knowing what state Lilly and the others were currently in. All he could hope for was that they were at least safe and happy. He wished he could see them again. He desperately wanted to be back in that clubroom on the third floor of West Wilham High, planning his next magic investigation with Lilly, Damien, Liz, and Vinny. The realization that he would never be able to return to that life made him want to break down, but he forced himself to keep together. Even if their time in the clubroom was over, that didn’t mean everything was lost. So, he took a deep breath and composed himself just as he came to the silver and black door of Iris Mackia’s office.
Alright, here we go.
Psyching himself up for another lesson with the Master of Nature, Eric pulled open the door and stepped inside. He was immediately greeted by the smell of lavender that had overwhelmed him on his first visit, but was now far more tolerable. The room was full of desks, leading him to assume that it was normally used as a lecture hall or a classroom, but all of them were currently empty. The wall on the opposite side from the door was made of glass, filling the room with natural light and revealing the wooden balcony on the other side. Flower pots hung from the ceiling and vines were wrapped around the walls, with bright red roses growing on them. Overall, it was the most unique classroom he’d ever been in.
“Good morning, Eric.”
At the sound of the Master’s voice, he turned to his left to see Iris waiting for him at the front of the room, a mischievous smile on her catlike features. She was wearing a dark green dress with flowers wrapped around her waist like a sash, and her golden hair was pulled back in a braid, giving her an elegant appearance despite the pointed ears atop her head.
“Good morning,” he responded as he moved through the room to take a seat at one of the desks just in front of her.
He then reached into the bag he had brought with him to produce the notebook he’d been using, as well as a pen that was magically charmed to never run out of ink. Iris watched him silently as he did, her yellow eyes almost seeming to bore into him until he opened the book and looked back at her, indicating that he was ready to start the lesson. He wasn’t sure whether it would be another history lesson or if she would teach him more healing magic, but either way, he was slightly excited. Despite his circumstances, he did find Ijiria to be fascinating. He had, after all, spent much of his life dreaming of his mother’s home, so he couldn’t deny that he was deeply interested in studying it
“Now, before we properly begin, I do want to ask if you finished reading about the First Trovian War?” she inquired with a knowing grin.
“Er, well, I have, but to be honest, I was so tired that I don’t remember much about it,” he admitted. “I’m sorry.”
Iris laughed then folded her hands behind her back. “No, don’t worry about it. I actually had a feeling you were overworking yourself when we met last. You’re putting in more work than I expected you would, and to be quite honest, I can’t say I’m not impressed. So, I thought I’d give you one more day before we have any exam on the Trovians.”
Eric exhaled in relief, having known that he wouldn’t have done well had she decided to test him on it that day. Iris had told him that his performance on his history tests would determine how much magic she would be allowed to teach him, and she also hinted that the better he did, the more likely it was that Reigious might come to properly trust him. Had it come from one of the other Masters, he would have taken it with a grain of salt, but because his sense was comfortable around Iris, he found himself believing her words. If he wanted to gain the trust of the Ijirians, he needed to perform well in his studies.
“Thank you,” he replied. “I appreciate that. And I promise that I’ll give the chapters another read later.”
She grinned with an excited glint in her eyes. “Yes, I imagine you will. Now, since we won’t be discussing the Trovian Wars today, I thought instead, we could discuss something a little more…fun.”
Eric frowned. Even though he felt he could trust her, that didn’t mean he couldn’t already tell that the Master of Nature was one who enjoyed a bit of mischief and teasing, so he could never tell when she was being serious or not, and it put him a bit on edge.
“Now tell me, Eric, have you ever heard of the Realm Forgers?” she inquired after a moment.
He considered the question for a moment, recalling both his mother’s old stories and the little Ryokumo had taught him in the weeks since his arrival. “Realm Forgers? N-no…I don’t believe I have.”
“Good, that’ll make this all the more fun,” Iris chirped. “In that case, we will begin there. Realm Forgers are the legendary blacksmiths who first created the realm daggers…a talisman I know you’re familiar with.”
Eric straightened his posture, suddenly intrigued by the turn of the conversation. “The realm daggers?”
He’d never given much thought about how the realm daggers were made, but now that Iris brought the topic up, he couldn’t help but feel his interest growing.
Iris nodded, beginning to pace around as she spoke, as if she, too, were already enjoying the discussion. “Yes, the realm daggers. They are one of the most valuable items in Ijiria, and that is because there are only four known daggers left in this world, three of which are in the possession of the High Council, with the final one’s location currently unknown.”
“Unknown?” he parroted. “Was the final one not mine?”
She shook her head. “No. Yours was originally stolen by your mother behind the backs of the Iijis. The Citadel always suspected she had it, but after her death, we were never able to properly locate it. It remained missing for quite some time, and it was only when the gem was taken to Omaruo that we learned of it. Unfortunately, the fourth one is a separate matter, and vanished around the same time as your mother’s but the recent interrogations of the Children of Reiner have confirmed that she did not have it.”
Eric cringed at the mention of the Children of Reiner. Ryokumo had explained what they were—orphans that his mother had adopted after returning to Ijiria, who had since been almost completely wiped out after their raid on the Citadel one Ijirian year prior. Ryokumo had told him that a handful still lived, but he also stressed the likelihood that they would soon be dead as well. He didn’t like thinking about them, and so, he tried to push the thought from his mind.
“But why are there only four?” he asked in an effort to change the subject. “You brought up the Realm Forgers so…why haven’t they crafted any new ones?”
Iris flashed him a toothy smile. “Good. I was hoping you’d ask that question. You see, it is not the daggers that enable us to jump realms, rather it is the gemstones that make up the blade itself. They are small, bluish-green jewels that are quite rare in this world, and on the few occasions where they are found deep in the mines, it is nearly impossible to melt them down and craft them into blades without running the risk of destroying them. It’s a…delicate process.”
Eric listened intently as she explained it to him. “So then…are there no more of these stones in existence?”
“No, there are still plenty, though the Citadel keeps a monopoly on them,” she answered. “The issue with crafting new ones is that the process has been lost to time. You see, the Realm Forgers no longer exist. Many centuries ago, those with the knowledge came together and decided that life was never meant to explore the multiverse. After a series of atrocities in magicless worlds, the Realm Forgers took their blades and fled into other realms, never to be seen again. The few who remained behind soon died off, and with them, the process was lost. At the time, Ijiria only had six daggers left. Since then, two were destroyed and the third was the one we were just discussing.”
Eric took the information in and found himself feeling some relief.
So the Realm Forgers no longer exist. Does that mean…that if somebody were to take the three that remain and escape into another realm, Ijiria would never be able to return to Wilham?
He stopped himself from smiling at the thought, knowing that it was far too idealistic and hopeful. He would never be able to accomplish such a feat and especially not if they were as valued as Iris said they were. As he tried to stay focused on the lesson, he asked something else that came to mind.
“So then…does the Realm Forger’s decisions have anything to do with the law that ordered the erasure of my friends?” he inquired.
Iris leaned her back up against the wall and to his surprise, her smile briefly wavered. “Always asking the right questions, aren’t you? Yes. The Realm Forgers weren’t the only ones who noticed the danger of crossing realms. In particular, the difference in power between magical people and magicless people were incomparable. There were a couple of realms that were dominated and enslaved by magical countries. There was…a lot of death. In fact, one of the most appalling events in Ijirian history is known as the Kairan Genocide…where Ijirian forces invaded a neighboring magicless realm for their resources and in just a few years, killed almost every living being that inhabited it…all because they were seen as inferior beings.”
Eric clenched his teeth, recalling the disgust with which Album and Nigreos spoke about his friends back in Wilham.
I guess that mindset hasn’t changed much since.
“It was because of that genocide,” Iris went on, “that a princess at the time, Oralia Iiji, decided to rise up against her uncle and put a stop to it. Her rebellion succeeded just around the time when the Realm Forgers fled Ijiria and so, with the few daggers left in her care, Oralia decreed that magical people should never enter the realms of the magicless unless absolutely necessary. The Oralian Isolation Act was the name given to it, and once erasure magic was discovered by the Luz family near the middle of the Age of Ascension, the act was amended to include a need to erase all presence of magical influence from every nonmagical realm. It is the reason Noctis and Luz did what they did. Under no circumstances should magic ever come into contact with magicless.”
Eric shook his head and scowled. “Even if the magicless didn’t do anything wrong?”
“Yes,” she answered softly. “Even then. It is not a flawless act, but it is tradition, and it is what King Markreas and Prince Reigious decided was best. Realm hopping is no longer as common as it used to be. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t get the occasional visitor from another realm. Ijirian blood was spread back in those days, especially in Kaira, where the genocide took place. Oralia abandoned them in that realm, and if I’m not mistaken, many still live there to this day, though I have never been there myself. Those who come to us are often either killed on the spot or imprisoned for interrogation. You…are one of the first foreign visitors who was spared in quite some time.”
He wasn’t sure how he should feel about that, and despite hating what was done to his friends, he was surprised to learn that the reasoning behind it wasn’t as evil as he had initially believed. Ijiria didn’t trust themselves, and so, they tried to keep magic and nonmagic as separate as possible. After what happened to him and the club, he almost found himself agreeing with that assessment. Had they never come into contact with magic, their lives would have been far better.
“So, I am curious about something,” he began after a second. “Why are there magicless realms in the first place? Is it known how this multiverse came to be? Like, is there some higher power or a scientific explanation or…?”
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Iris considered his question for a moment before folding her hands together and shaking her head. “Nothing is truly known about the multiverse, but there are theories I can tell you about.”
“Yes, please,” he replied quickly.
The Master of Nature paused once again, then began. “To explain how the realms became so different, I must first start with the basic understanding of the multiverse’s structure. Earlier, I referred to the Kairan realm as being a neighbor, and that is because there is actually a set location for each realm. Omaruo and Ijiria and Kaira, as well as two others, are considered neighbors on the hypothetical multiverse plane, and they connect at specific points called ‘gates’. No matter where you jump from, you will always appear at one of a handful of specific points. Ijiria’s gate is in that room where you first appeared, Omaruo’s is on a beach in your hometown, and Kaira’s is in the middle of some village. It is here that the realms, for lack of a better word, overlap.”
Eric nodded. “Okay, I think I get that, but I’m not sure I understand what this plane is supposed to look like? Is it 2D or…?”
“Nobody knows,” Iris answered. “As it is, there is no known way to actually observe this plane. All we know is that there are set locations. Like I said, Ijiria has its neighbors, and Omaruo would have a different set than Ijiria. For example, say realm X was a neighbor to Omaruo but not Ijiria. If you wanted to get there from here, you would have to first jump to Omaruo and then jump to realm X from Omaruo. So to us, it almost seems two dimensional even though that’s impossible. Therefore, we represent realm maps as 2D for simplicity’s sake.”
Eric exhaled softly and began writing what she was saying down on his notes. It was the first time he’d ever been given any information about how the multiverse worked, and he was fascinated by what Iris was telling him.
“Now, I must ask you something else, Eric,” she went on. “Have you noticed the fact that our world and yours share some similarities, not only in foods and traditions, but also in language? Have you wondered why we can communicate?”
The boy frowned as he looked back up at her. “W-well, I just figured there was some magic being used or… But, are you saying you’re actually speaking English?”
“I am,” Iris replied. “In fact, everybody who lives in this country can speak what we all call ‘English’.”
“B-but then, how do both realms have a shared language? Did the Ijirians bring English to Omaruo or…?”
She shook her head. “No, we didn’t. Instead, our English language evolved from the old Engal Isles of the northern coast of Ijiria. And you? Do you know where Omaruo’s language came from?”
“Er, yeah. It was from the people of Englo, who migrated to our main continent a few centuries ago.”
“Interesting, isn’t it?” she said with a grin. “The same language with the same name evolved completely separately from each other, in realms that have barely ever crossed paths. Now think about the fact that humans evolved in both realms with very similar appearances. Or that we have similar traditions, or foods that carry over. If I’m not mistaken, there is pie and stew and pasta in your realm, right?”
Eric nodded, realizing suddenly just how bizarre it actually was. “Yeah, there is. So then, even though they evolved separately, they’re still that similar?”
“They are,” she confirmed. “This is called the Torral Phenomenon, first proposed soon after the discovery of realm daggers by researcher Edvik Torral. He was the first to discover that realms appear to have a set path and many aspects of the human race evolve to reach the same point, despite drastically different routes to get there.”
Eric quickly wrote down the name of both the scientist and the phenomenon before turning back to face the Master. “Did he have a theory about why this happened? I mean, what would cause such a thing?”
“There are plenty of hypotheses,” she answered. “The most commonly accepted one was proposed by Torral himself, suggesting that each individual realm is a copy of the same planet. He believed that the multiverse started as a single universe, and was only split by what we call “shifts”. Shifts are caused when there are two or more possible results from an event, and other universes are created as separate results.”
Eric sat back and frowned. “I don’t…get it.”
“Let me explain it like this,” Iris said, stepping forward to approach his desk, then picking his pen up and twirling it in her hand. “Right now, there are two options before you. Write down notes on what I am telling you or don’t. This single moment could cause a shift, creating a universe where you don’t take notes and fail your exam, and one where you do take notes and pass the exam.”
Eric stared at her in disbelief. “W-why would something so benign create another universe?”
“Well, we don’t know this for sure,” she added, placing the pen back on his desk before walking over to the window. “It was only Torral’s hypothesis, after all. He saw the multiverse as a collection of different timelines, where different events have taken place. Of course, just looking at the differences between Omaruo and Ijiria, you know there had to have been numerous shifts for them to be so unique. Ijiria has never observed another Ijiria, but Torral’s deductions have some merit, and his base evidence is intriguing.”
“And what was that?” Eric asked.
She glanced back at him and smiled wryly. “Torral spent much of his life traveling the realms before he died, and what he learned was that each realm had the same solar system. Most of the time, the planets went by different names, but there was always one sun, one moon, two planets closer to the sun than us, one terrestrial farther, and four gas giants on the other side of an asteroid belt. In addition, each realm had the same constellations. In essence…”
“Every realm is a version of the planet Earth?” Eric finished, stunned by that revelation.
Iris nodded. “Exactly. Ijiria is on Earth, as is Omaruo. It was this that made him believe that what set the realms apart was not the planet, but the events that take place on the planet. There are certain things that always happened, but there were many that would decide how different that version of Earth became. Not everybody buys into the idea that every little decision each individual makes creates a new world, but there is significant evidence that some events do shape realms, and the one that we consider the most significant is called the ‘Origin Shift’.”
“Origin?” he parroted. “So then the one that changed the universe into the multiverse?”
“Exactly that,” she said. “And the one we believe to have been that shift was whether the world has magic or not.”
Eric wrote that down, part of him having expected such a response.
“Nobody has even the slightest clue what sort of event could have caused some worlds to have magic and others not to, but if Torral is to be believed, then something must have happened in Ijiria to bring mana into lifeforms while that same event failed to transpire in Omaruo. It is that event that causes the most distinct differences between realms.”
“That’s…fascinating,” he muttered in awe.
She laughed. “Isn’t it? Some theorize that the Origin Shift took place here on Earth, others think it happened when the universe was created, and others have considered the possibility of an extraterrestrial civilization being behind it. As for me, I don’t know what to think. They all seem equally insane.”
“Agreed,” he mumbled. Then, as he processed something she had said, he raised his head and asked, “you mentioned an extraterrestrial civilization? How much do the Ijirians know about space? Back in Omaruo, we’ve only ever gone to the moon, and have barely gotten a chance to study most of the planets. Has magic enabled you to leave Earth?”
Iris was quick to shake her head. “We aren’t sure. About sixty years ago, a group of scientists teamed up with that era’s Master of Wind to try and use wind magic to fly a rocket to the moon. My grandmother told me it was an exciting event, and apparently, the ship succeeded in escaping the atmosphere and going to space but…they were never heard from again. We never found out if they made it to the moon.”
“Did Ijiria try again?” he wondered.
“They did. They sent four more ships up into space and never heard back from them again. At that point, they stopped wasting mages and put an end to the project. That was fifty years ago…and there hasn’t been anything else since.”
Eric sighed. “I wonder if they made it and just didn’t have a way to get back.”
“It’s possible,” Iris admitted. “But unlikely. Though, if they did survive, I guess that means they’re up on the moon right now. I sometimes think about that…of a civilization up there…the descendants of those first astronauts. I also like to think that there’s a realm somewhere where space travel succeeded…that humans have reached the stars.”
He was surprised to see an almost childlike glint in her eyes as she gazed out the window and up at the blue sky, as if she could see the stars despite it being just before midday. She was a Master of Ijiria, yet like Ryokumo, he found that he did like her quite a bit. There was something different about her, and even though it seemed like she tried to hide it, every once in a while, it would come out.
“But I guess we’ll never know,” she said after a moment. “I think the Realm Forgers made the right decision. I don’t think we can be trusted with the power of the multiverse, but I do wish we could explore more—to see other worlds and see what they’ve learned. They made the right choice…” she repeated, “...but if only…”
Eric smiled, realizing how much he understood her. All he ever wanted was to know more about the world that was his mother’s, and even though he had to suffer to get there and he would have gladly given it up to save Lilly and the club, he did find himself grateful that Iris told him all of this.
“I hear you,” he whispered. “If I learned anything back in Wilham, it’s that magic should never cross with nonmagic, but if only we could explore more. So many coincidences… So many theories…with no way to prove them.”
Iris turned away from the window and looked back at him, a warmer smile on her face this time. “Anyway, I’m getting off track. Back to the Realm Forgers…”
With that, her serious and mature persona came back, but Eric found himself glad that he got her as his teacher over any of the other Masters. She reminded him of himself, and he was sad to think that he would have to throw away what she was teaching him to save his friends.
But I don’t have a choice…do I?
***
Once his meeting with Reigious and Piura ended, Ryokumo headed back to his quarters to await Eric’s return. The events down in Erika had given him a lot to think about, and after spending a few hours alone with his thoughts, he had made his decision on what to do with Eric. Not only would bringing him into the city do him some good, but Ryokumo decided that he would reveal one piece of information to the boy—one that he hoped would earn enough trust to keep Eric in check if he was allowed to accompany them into the city. As he considered everything, Ryokumo sat quietly on the couch, and it wasn’t until a little after four o’clock that the door opened and Eric walked in, looking rather tired.
“Hard lesson?” Ryokumo asked with as comforting a smile as he could manage.
The boy shrugged. “To a certain extent. It was really fascinating, but there was a lot to take in.”
Eric made a b-line for the ice chest to get himself a snack and for a moment, Ryokumo simply watched him as he grabbed another tillyberry.
“Earlier, you asked me what my motivation in helping you was,” he began, drawing the boy’s attention. “And you’re right in that I’m not being forthcoming enough. If I want you to trust me then I need to earn it so…I’m willing to tell you why I’m helping you.”
Eric seemed surprised, but that expression was soon replaced by intrigue. “Alright then.”
Ryokumo took a deep breath, gathered his thoughts, then went on. “For the last three years, I’ve had my suspicions that there were gaps in my memories. There were details that didn’t add up, and feelings that I couldn’t quite place. I’ve suspected Album of erasing somebody for quite a while, but due to recent events, I now know as a fact that there is somebody—somebody important to me that I can no longer recall.”
The boy frowned. “Album erased somebody? But…why would she do that? I wouldn’t think she’d erase anybody close to a fellow Master.”
“That’s what worries me,” he replied. “Because she’s erased, I can’t begin to guess the circumstances that led to her erasure. Album’s denied it when I’ve confronted her, but I know she’s behind this. So…I’ve decided that I want to free this woman and learn the truth about her. In order to do that, I must destroy Album’s erased realm. Talking her into giving the woman back is impossible so my only option is force…and if I destroy her erased realm, then everybody she’s ever erased will return…including your friends.”
Eric exhaled sharply, understanding dawning on his youthful features. “So that’s why…? But…why didn’t you just tell me that before?”
“It’s not that simple,” he answered. “In this Citadel, information is power and I wasn’t sure whether I could trust you with information as critical as that…but if I seek your help, then I have no choice but to prove to you that I do trust you. So there you have it. We both want Album’s realm destroyed…”
Eric stood silently for a moment, his brow furrowed as he processed Ryokumo’s response. “Thank you,” he finally said. “That makes sense… In that case, I’ll trust you. After all, without you, there’s very little I could accomplish anyway.”
Of that…I’m not so certain… Give yourself credit, boy…
Though he didn’t say that out loud. Instead, he simply nodded, then got to his feet. “Now, I’ve got some business to attend to and I imagine you have to study, so I’ll leave you be,” he said, then departed the room, heading down the hall and toward his bedroom.
The Master of Wind felt a sense of relief at finally getting that off his chest as he closed the door behind him and crossed the room to his desk.
Now I just need to figure something out. There might be a way to destroy the erased realm…one separate from what I’ve already discussed with Eric, but before I even begin dealing with that, there’s something else I need to determine…
He reached for the desk drawer and pulled it open, then reached for the spellbook laying within. Ryokumo flipped it open to a specific page then sat down in his chair, scanning the contents of the book.
This…is what could make or break me. If I can succeed here, it could change the way I approach this plan. I know it’s crazy… I know what could happen to me if I overdo it…but I don’t have a choice.
Ryokumo exhaled softly, read the word scribbled on the small slip of paper, then spoke the single incantation.
“Aniextiam.”