It was the last person Dallion expected to see, especially here. Adzorg—while posing as Nil—had told him that the gorgon had joined the Alliance of Stone and Steel, though never explicitly in what capacity.
One look was enough to see she had become a full noble, still leading him by a few levels. Her empathy trait had increased by a fair amount, reaching the mid-twenties. Yet, more important than all, since Dallion had gotten rid of the void within him, the sensation of being close to her had returned. No longer the dull inertia he had felt on and off during his time at the Academy, his feelings for her had rekindled, which sadly was the worst possible time.
“You’re a n—” he began, only to be stopped by her finger on his lips.
I don’t have much time, she whispered in the language of griffins, of all things. Her snakes moved about casually, glancing in all directions. You’re in danger. The archmage is planning to kill you.
The sudden change of topic caused a flurry of mixed feelings within Dallion. There were times when he would have considered that statement a given… just not now. Despite their mutual hatred, Alien and Dallion needed each other. Not only that, they had all but made Moon vows not to kill each other. It was Dallion who had earned the man his current title, and in return received a special one of his own.
He can’t, Dallion whispered back in the same animal language. He needs me too much.
No, he doesn’t. Trust me, I know. I can’t tell you how, but I know. He—
“The emperor is waiting, emissary,” the child overseer said, appearing out of nowhere. “Your reunion can wait for later.”
If there was any emotion within the entity, it had been buried too deep for Dallion to sense. Even the expected ripples of annoyance were no longer present. It was as if a chunk of ice had materialized in the room a few feet away.
“I’m aware.” The snakes on the gorgon’s head straightened out in a clear display of hostility. “But that’s for him to say, not you.”
The authority in her voice was strong enough that even Dallion felt like taking a step back.
“It was nice seeing you again, Dal,” she added, no smile on her face. “We’ll continue this at a later time.” And with that she stepped forward, the metalins opening the door for her.
You had to expect that, Gen said, within Dallion’s domain. Knowing her, there’s no way she could have remained a hunter.
Yeah, no way… Dallion replied.
“Where is Adzorg?” he asked, turning to the overseer in an attempt to mimic the gorgon’s attitude.
“The prisoner has been taken to the imperial healer,” the other didn’t appear at all impressed. “You’ll get him back once the emperor decrees.” There was a brief pause. “Along with all his missing body parts.”
There was that. Magic could only mimic that much.
“Very well. I’ll be…” Dallion’s voice trailed off. A new crystal elevator had appeared on the floor. Its occupant was someone Dallion expected to meet here as much as he expected to see the gorgon. Alien, he said to himself.
Any other day, Dallion would view this as a coincidence. It was well known that Alien went to report to the emperor on a frequent basis. Having him spontaneously arrive just now, of all times, suggested there was more to it, especially after Eury’s warning—which happened to be an actual coincidence.
“Archmage,” Dallion said respectfully with a slight bow as the other stepped out of the elevator.
“We need to talk.” Alien went straight to the point. “We’ll need a room.” He glared at the overseer.
“Yes, archmage.” The platinum blond child all but sighed. Still, he gestured to a segment of the wall behind him. A doorway formed within, leading further in.
Without a word of appreciation, Alien walked straight in. Dallion followed, ending up in a small six-by-six-foot room. Comfortable, it was not, although it was safe to say that no one would be able to listen in. Just to make certain, the archmage cast a spell covering the entire space with an aether barrier.
“Fly up,” he said in a harsh tone as he levitated off the ground.
So much for congratulating me on becoming a mage, Dallion thought and cast the spell.
“Only three of us are left now,” Alien said.
“Katka’s dead?”
“No, but she might well be. The idiot took everything we had and set off to attack the Azure battlemage in full force, never considering that she must stumble on more than one of them.”
Given the strength of a battle mage, one could only imagine the devastation several could make.
“Thomas is also gone and Leora went back to hiding in the west as she always does.” The old man grit his teeth as he spoke.
From what Dallion could assume, Thomas had to be the water construct and Leora, the cloud woman. That must have been what the emperor meant when he said that Alien had overestimated the situation. By all accounts, the Academy held an advantage when it came to mages. Along with the cloud forts, it was expected that they would achieve victory even if at a high cost. Clearly, that hadn’t occurred.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
“What about Grym?” Dallion asked.
“Conflicting reports,” the other said as if that was besides the point. “Some say he’s leading the Azure armies, others that he’s sitting on the throne of the newly established sea capital. Everything’s gone to shit! And it’s all because of you!”
“Me?” What the heck? “I captured Adzorg and—”
“If you hadn’t joined the Academy, we never would have split! The battle mages had been grumbling for decades, but without you they’d never have done anything more! In any event, not now!”
The archmage continued venting for several minutes, assigning blame to Dallion for everything beneath the sun. In some instances, it was difficult to deny the ex-hunter’s involvement, but in most of the examples, the links were barely tangible at best. Humming a tune to calm himself internally, Dallion listened on, forcing himself to remain as quick and understanding as humanly possible.
The display utterly changed his perception of the archmage. Up till now, he’d seen him as a capable strategist, weaving plots through the empire and beyond. Now, the last thing he looked like was someone who was in control. Rather, he appeared as someone who was losing it.
“What do you want me to do?” Dallion asked after the stream of Alien’s tirades finally ended.
“Keep us alive,” the other replied, fear emanating from him. “In case you haven’t guessed, the emperor has put our heads on the chopping block. He wants a victory and if he doesn’t get one, he’ll get personally involved.” Heavy silence filled the room. “And if he gets involved, it wouldn’t matter on whose side we are. Everyone will be annihilated.”
“Come on. You can’t think that—”
“That an all-powerful noble will throw his entire toy set in the fire because one piece got scratched while playing? You think that because you’ve spent a few minutes with him, you’ve gotten to understand him? I know him better than you think. This “nice” chat he had with you was a warning you completely misinterpreted. Just because he’s polite doesn’t mean he’s forgiving. One more mess up and you won’t have to worry about the Academy—there will be no Academy!”
There it was: terror mixed with hatred—the terror of someone who had failed and knew it. It didn’t matter what punishment would follow, it was possible all the emperor did was retire Alien and have another take his place, just as he had done in the past. In the otherworlder’s mind, though, a completely different reality had taken hold. After everything he’d done - the plots, the betrayals, the backstabbing needed to get to where he was, he feared that he’d be subject to the same treatment should he lose control… and the worse things got at the front, the more he was losing the meager power he had. Right now, Dallion appeared to be his only hope, and also the person he feared the most—the one he would betray, given the opportunity, if only to prolong his illusion of control.
“Alright,” Dallion nodded. “When do I set off?”
“A cloud fort is waiting at the top of the tower.” Alien had somewhat regained his composure. “Put on your new robe and wait for me there. We’ll be heading to the front.”
“I’ll need my apprentice with me.”
“The fury?” Alien arched a brow. “Why? She’s useless.”
“She won’t be once tower vortexes start shooting up from the ground,” Dallion used his music skill to subtly nudge the archmage. The man was already terrified of losing, so a gentle suggestion was all it took for him to see there’d be more power in numbers.
“I’ll see to it.” Alien cast a triple circle spell. The magic barrier surrounding them faded away.
With the disposition of a storm cloud, the archmage left the room, leaving Dallion alone. While the shameful display had shown him to be a lot less invincible than he presented himself, Dallion knew that in a one-to-one fight, the other would likely win. In addition to having decades to hone his magic skills, Alien also had all the spells and magic devices of the Academy at his disposal. Even now, he probably had dozens hidden on him, providing him with all sorts of advantages. The only way to win was to change the battlefield, which meant that he could no longer delay making a choice.
“It always comes to this, doesn’t it?” Dallion sighed.
PERSONAL AWAKENING
Reality shifted, yet the new one wasn’t of Dallion’s personal realm. Rather, he found himself in the courtyard of an orange castle. A single fury with orange hair was there, sitting on a stone bench, looking at the setting sun on the horizon.
“Dararr?” Dallion asked. “I thought that—”
“That it’ll be Astreza?” The Orange Moon looked at him. “No, it was always me. He just indulged himself, as always, wanting to have a chat with you. Can’t say I blame him. You’re one of the interesting ones, and a human, to boot.”
Is that significant? Dallion wondered, though chose not to voice his question. For once, the deity didn’t react to his thoughts with anything else but a smile.
“So, you’ve made your decision?”
“The world made it for me,” Dallion replied.
“Really?” The fury tilted her head.
There was a long moment of silence. While there were factors that had hastened his actions, Dallion had always known exactly how he wanted to proceed. The only reason he didn’t want to go so fast was because it would make him a target sooner than he’d like. Being thrust into a polite society of backstabbing politics was going to be a lot easier if he didn’t have to worry about nobles and other awakened charging at him on the field of battle.
“Is there a way I could hide passing through the gate?” he asked. “Just for a while.”
“Still demanding conditions. Astreza was sulking for weeks after you turned down the offer.”
Weeks? “I didn’t turn down—”
“Of course you did,” the Moon interrupted. “You never had any real intention of stopping at level eighty. Even with the curveball you received from Aether, you were on the course to join the nobility. You could have said that there and then, but you postponed the grand moment, and just after you’ve purified the void. A few of us were worried you might fall and become the next Star.”
Upon hearing that, Dallion tensed up.
“Or Adzorg,” the Moon continued. “Both of you fulfilled the requirements. It was fun watching you push each other away from the path you were both heading towards.”
Adzorg could have become the Star? Having an archmage obtain the power of the void was extremely troubling, especially since he still had the knowledge to make a device capable of bringing forth the end of the world. And yet, the way the Moon spoke of it was as if it were nothing more than a game.
“So, you’re really ready this time?” She stood up, floating up to him. “No indecisions, second thoughts, and all that.”
“I’ve got many, but yes, I’m ready.”
“You’re sure?” The orange fury narrowed her eyes. “Once you pass through, nothing will be the same.”
“I’ve heard that before.” Dallion forced a smile.
“Maybe, but each gate changes things more than the last. Up to now, we’ve been holding you by the hand as a child. After this, you’ll be treated as an adult.”
“I thought I was that now.”
“We know,” The Moon chuckled. “Everyone reaching this point thinks they have it all figured out, just like teenagers given a brief taste of freedom. I won’t lie. Some regretted taking the final step.”
Dallion glanced at the door. As the saying went, one could never un-lose one’s innocence. However, refusing to go forward means spending the rest of his life going back.
“I’m sure,” he said, then pushed the massive door of the castle open.