The sound of fire crackling had not always been a welcome sound to Alex, though time had changed that.

His little sister had come to see and accept fire as more than pain and death, and she’d been inspired to embrace its benefits, to consider making cold from flame, an idea inspired by her brother who’d used flame to smother flame at the windmill on the outskirts of Greymoor. Though she was likely a long way from achieving her goal…the concept of movingheat, controlling it to create cold, was an exciting one.

There was something there.

Moving energy, such as moving heat away from one area to another, could create cold, just as removing the initial force that started a wagon rolling downhill, would also provoke an outcome.

And that also applied to a still wagon parked on top of a hill forever.

…or a dead Ravener.

‘If its resurrection process needs energy, then it probably uses mana and fear,’ Alex thought. ‘That potent venom from Uldar’s cadaver should negatively affect its mana generation. Maybe we could corrupt it, destroy its mana pathways and disrupt its very essence, and if we can find a way to deny or siphon out the fear it takes in, we could starve it of the energy it needs. And if we’re able to do that, we could damage its protocols and disrupt the reconstitution process…’

His mind was sparking with possibilities.

‘This…this could work,’ he thought. ‘That’s three ways to ensure it doesn’t come back. A single way might be enough, but since we’re looking to end a millennia-old monster, there’s no such thing as overkill. We have to make sure that this thing stays dead. Those ideas seem promising, so maybe I should get back to the lab and take a look at Uldar’s notes again.’

“Was I helpful at all?” Professor Val’Rok asked him. “You look like you’ve been struck by inspiration.”

“Yeah…I think I have something. I’ll need to take a harder look at things, but I actually think I’m going in the right direction,” Alex said. He smiled at the professor, then lowered his head. “Listen, thank you. If this works, then you've not only helped me, but you've also helped my kingdom and generations of my people. And, I mean this sincerely, if you ever need anything from me—”

Val’Rok raised his hand, shaking his head. “You are my student, and I am a teacher. I teach so that you will learn, not so that I can reap benefits in the future. If you defeat your Ravener, then you can buy me a nice big bag of candied mealworms. There's a lovely shop near the port that uses a recipe that’s not too sweet.”

Alex smiled. “Listen, if this works, I'll make your mealworms myself.”

Val’Rok gave a high-pitched laugh. “Wouldn't that be something! Haha, in any case. I think you’ll be needing these.” The lizard-wizard handed Alex the paperwork to challenge the mana manipulation exams for credit, at the third and fourth year level. “Out of curiosity, which other courses will you be challenging to get your final credits?”

“Upper year alchemy, upper year summoning, upper year magic lore…I’d like to challenge Art of the Wizard in Combat, but…I won’t be able to do that until Baelin gets back, if he gets back…you don’t think he’s—”

“Baelin is quite nearly invincible,” Professor Val’Rok grinned confidently. “There are certain magics he’s used…well that’s not really in my place to say. Let’s just say that he would be very difficult to kill. You know how in some old tales the hero is forced to imprison a great evil rather than obliterate it, since killing it would be a near impossible task?”

“Are you saying that’s Baelin?” Alex asked.

“Exactly. In any case, then which course will you challenge if he's not back in time?” the professor asked.

“Blood magic,” Alex said. “I’d have to talk to Professor Hak.”

“A fine discipline, and she’ll no doubt easily agree, considering your paper.”

“Yeah, considering my pap—” He paused. “What paper?”

Val’Rok raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t heard? Well, that’s often the way isn’t it? It's your paper, yet you're the last one to know. You should've been informed of the news by messenger.”

“No…oh, maybe I was. I haven’t looked at all the letters and messages that came for me when I was away,” Alex said. “But, what are you talking about?”

“The paper you submitted for approval, the one about your blood magic process to enhance physical prowess and improve health,” Val’Rok said. “Well, that paper’s been approved and was published while you were away.”

“What?” Alex cried. “Seriously?”

“Yes! I wouldn’t kid you about something so important!” the professor reached into a desk drawer, retrieving a periodical, flipping through the pages until he finally found what he was looking for. There it was; a study written by an author with a very familiar name: ‘Alexander Roth’. “Here you are, my friend! It was published recently! Your name’s been the talk of the blood magic faculty. Congratulations! People seem to be interested in follow-up studies, and there have been whispers about developing the method, investments, and the like. It sounds like your process has the potential to be quite lucrative.”

The archwizard looked stunned.

He’d accomplished so much; casting ninth-tier spells, crafting advanced golems, summoning beings of astounding power—but, this achievement felt different.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

It was his own academic discovery.

“My name…my name’s right there among the same pages as so many highly-regarded scholars,” Alex murmured.

Val’Rok chuckled. “It’s your first taste of immortality, Alex. Stories of your deeds are already being told by bards around the city and now, your achievements have been noted in academia. I wouldn't be surprised if you’re contacted by the actor’s guild looking to create a play about your rise from Fool to warrior, to scholar and Hero! It all sounds very intriguing!”

“I…I don’t know what to say,” the young archwizard whispered.

“Then, don't say anything!” Val’Rok laughed, clapping him on the back. “Simply…stand proud.”

“This is incredible…” Alex said, looking at the professor. Val’Rok had done so much for him, even after he’d stopped taking mana manipulation. “Professor…can I ask you just one more thing?”

“Of course,” Val’Rok said. “I would be a terrible professor, if I didn't answer questions.”

Alex chuckled. “How did you know that you wanted to go into mana manipulation? What made you decide that was the right path for you?”

“Decide?” Val’Rok gave another high-pitched laugh. “I didn't. I didn't even want to be a wizard.”

“What?” Alex asked. “Seriously? But you love it!”

“I do now,” Val’Rok looked through the window again, his smile turning melancholic. “When I was young, I didn’t even know what mana manipulation was, never mind having an interest in it. I had zero interest, you see, but I did have a lot of interest in stealing things. I grew up in a small village in the southlands, on the edge of a swamp. My mother was the village’s finest healer, and my step-father was its oracle; he used mana and divinity to guide everyone. They both expected me to follow in their footsteps, but I was far more interested in taking shiny things from wagons belonging to merchants who’d stopped in our village. One day, I stole a small magical device from a very strange merchant—or someone who I thought was a merchant. That device turned out to be a simple mana conductor and I was able to unravel its mysteries in the few days that I had it in my sticky little claws.”

He grinned, scratching the scales under his chin. “It turned out that this merchant was actually a wizard, a recruiter for the university. She wasn’t particularly pleased when she discovered that I'd stolen her device, but she was impressed by the fact that I’d been able to figure it out as quickly as I did without any instruction. Because of that, she invited me to visit the university, and my parents insisted that I do so. I gave running away some thought, but…in the end, I became curious when she described the city. All I could picture was a sea of wonderful shiny things everywhere. I suppose you’d have to say that my motives for coming here were less than academic. But, they became academic when mana manipulation took the place of my love of thievery in my young life. So, when I began my studies, I chose a mana manipulation course since it was the first discipline I'd ever learned anything about. Turns out, I was well suited to it and—before I knew it—I was forty, had long given up my life of crime, and was teaching here. I fell into this path out of the blue, but came to embrace it, you’d have to say.”

“What about your parents?” Alex asked. “Did you ever go back home?”

“Well, they were proud of me,” Val’Rok said. “But, we didn’t see eye to eye on my future. I wanted to stay here, and they wanted me to return home and do what they did. Thankfully, by then, my step-sister had taken on the role of village oracle, and my step-brother was its healer. In the end, my parents got what they wanted, though they still demanded that I come back and use my talents for the village. We argued, and…well, that’s a sad story, and probably one that would ruin both of our days. Let's just say we never did see eye to eye, but my answer to your question is; I accidently fell into what would become my future.”

“Do you see a direction for my future?” Alex asked.

“I don't really know!” Val’Rok giggled. “Isn't that the exciting part? I didn’t even know what I saw for my own future, so, how am I supposed to see yours? Take it one day at a time, follow your feet, and follow what works best for you. You're smart, Alex, and I'm sure you'll figure it all out. Take things step by step. If you can come up with a successful plan to destroy a kingdom-ending monstrosity, then I'm sure you can decide what you want to do with your life after that.”

“I…thank you for that, professor,” Alex said. “Seriously, thank you. For everything”

“Bah!” Val’Rok turned away. “This is another reason why I hate this time of year, you’re going to make me cry! Tears, tears, and more tears! Now, go on, go on. You have exams to write, and kingdoms to save. I'm sure you'll do both with distinction, just like you have with everything since I’ve known you. It’s been a pleasure knowing you, Alex. I'm sure our paths will part eventually, but maybe they'll run side-by-side for just a little longer.”

Alex smiled, choking up a little. “If we’re lucky, professor.”

“That’s right…if we’re lucky,” Val’Rok sniffed.

----------------------------------------

Alex materialised in Greymoor’s courtyard, his mind in a turmoil.

‘I’ve said a lot of goodbyes lately,’ he thought. ‘A lot of goodbyes with my professors…maybe not ‘forever’ goodbyes, but…Val’Rok was right, things will be changing.’

Alex thought about Uldar and the Ravener—two relics from Thameland’s ancient past who were disrupting the present even now. He thought about Gabrian lashing out even after he learned that his god was dead.

Neither him, the secret church, his god, or Uldar’s Ravener had accepted their circumstances, they’d clung to a dying past and punished untold generations of innocent people.

…yet not all ancient things were like them.

Baelin was a relic of the past, so to speak, and Professor Jules regularly said that he was a monster from the dark days of prehistory. Alex had to admit that in some ways, the goat man was barbaric by today's standards, but he was also open and wise; his wisdom from lifetimes of experiences was something to be embraced as well.

‘Besides,’ Alex thought, looking up at Greymoor’s sky. ‘One day, I won't be young anymore, I'll be the one passing on wisdom. I'll be the one, carrying knowledge from previous seasons into the next.’ He inhaled the air. It was beginning to smell like spring. Winter was melting away, life was reawakening in the natural world.

Change was coming, and time kept flowing.

All Alex could do was flow with it.

As he looked down, his breath caught when he spotted a familiar sight.

The aeld tree was glowing, standing tall in the middle of the courtyard, golden-green light emanating waves of joy. It seemed to be rejoicing at the coming spring.

In the time he’d been gone, the tree had grown, despite the cold weather; now, at least a foot taller, its trunk and bark were thicker and stronger, due in no small part to its caretaker’s devoted attention.

Professor Salinger was busy at its roots, working the soil, adding a unique blend of nutrients and green tinged liquid to them, feeding the young tree.

But the professor and glowing aeld weren’t the only living things that had caught Alex’s eye.

Beside Professor Salinger, working the soil with spell and spade, was a very busy little goblin. One not named Selina.

“Kybas!” Alex waved.

The goblin whirled, peering about, jumping when he recognised the archwizard. “Friend Alex! It’s been so long.” Behind the goblin lay an unexpected sight…a fallen tree, and a thick one at that.

What were they doing with it? Were they planning to plant it near the aeld?

Alex went closer as Professor Salinger stood and wiped sweat from his brow.

“Ah, it’s good to see you!” Salinger waved his spade.

“It's great to see you both, too,” Alex chuckled. “How’ve you been? How’s Harmless growing, Kybas?”

The goblin gave him an evil grin and looked behind him. “You tell me!”

Alex stopped, puzzled.

It was only when the tree behind the little goblin grunted, that he realised he wasn’t looking at a fallen tree.