Before, Alaric had come to the Tower of Seekers at a time when it was open to hundreds if not thousands of Aspirants. He’d been informed of the special magic spell that didn’t let anyone in unless they had official acceptance from the Tower itself, a spell that at the time, had been removed to allow Aspirants access to the Tower.

An enchantment was required to gain access to the Tower, and to Alaric’s knowledge, that enchantment was embedded into the clothes he was currently wearing, ill-fitting as they were.

There were also a few exceptions, High-Ranking Seekers with items unique to them that served as their form of clearance. Wands, amulets, rings… and little trinkets of the sort.

Even rarer were people like the Master of the Tower whose very being was carved into the spell and thus, didn’t need to worry about getting vaporized by the powerful barrier protecting the Tower.

These security precautions kept the Tower of Seekers safe from malicious fellows. Of course, that also meant anyone who dared to attack the Tower would be remarkably strong to bypass those defences or perhaps… stupid.

In any case, it was because of this that the esteemed Protectors were highly trained and capable. When Alaric first came to the Tower, it had been bustling with activity, the sky filled with flying guardians and slayers while the city down below featured hundreds of luxurious carriages drawn by horses, bringing Aspirants from all over Eastern Valeria for the Appraisal ceremony.

Now, however, the Tower was different. The streets of the town were much less crowded and the courtyard was sparsely occupied by people dressed in white robes of various designs.

From what Alaric could tell, younger Seekers wore uniform shirts and trousers while the older more experienced Seekers wore opulent white robes of rich silk. His lack of knowledge kept him from identifying how it was that High-ranking Seekers could be identified by their clothes.

The stingray dove in a circular descent, landing in the place it had the last time Alaric had been here. He raised his hand in front of his eyes to see how the tiny hairs danced in response to the magic that was still scanning him. It was an odd feeling, like all his hairs were being pulled by tiny fairies, “You weren’t kidding about the defense magic.”

“Yeah… I’d give it an hour before you change into your new clothes. In the meantime, follow Garin. He’ll take you to meet with Elder Gregory and discuss your journey to the Academy,” LionHeart explained.

Alaric was no stranger to goodbyes…

Garin had allowed LionHeart to do all the talking and from the man’s tone, this was the last they would be speaking in a while, “You’re not coming?”

LionHeart rubbed the back of his head, “You made it past the first five Levels of the Glass Temper Rank. Took you a shorter time than I thought. Gunther and I are in a different division. We only leave the Tower when assigned by the Tower or on holidays.

Perhaps if we earn our stripes and can move up, then we’ll have more freedom. Thank you… for helping me past my Tempering Bottle Neck. If I can make it to Wood Rank Level Nine, I’ll stand a better chance at a promotion,” the man explained with a respectful bow.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Alaric nodded in response to his words…

He was starting to understand how abnormal his rise to the Wood Rank really was. Three days hadn’t been enough for him to master the change in his body’s strength and durability but he was getting the hang of it now.

Still, was this really the last he would see of LionHeart? He felt something tug at his heart… Perhaps they would meet later on.

[ When you go to the Academy, you’ll have to say goodbye to Garin as well. ] Alia notified him.

[ Right… This is… supposed to be normal. ] Alaric thought to himself. He’d said goodbye to the Five Hills earlier that morning and now… now he was saying goodbye to Gunther and LionHeart. Was this how Cody felt when he was leaving?

“So this is the brat the Tower has been spending so much money to protect,” a voice interrupted the conversation, “Return to your posts, Protectors.”

“Yes, Elder Caspro,” Gunther and LionHeart quickly bowed and left, giving Alaric a small wave. The clouds rumbled gently as a look of slight irritation crossed Alaric’s face.

He turned to see two older men dressed in white robes. They were both a little younger than Elder Gregory but well past their prime.

Elder Caspro was a man of large build with a bent back and generous grey beard. Unlike Elder Gregory’s gentle tone, however, this man’s voice held the kind of tone that would keep everyone around him on edge. It was the tone of a grown-up seeking a reason to punish irresponsible children for breaking a vase their mother had just forgiven them for breaking.

Alaric had heard this tone before, mostly from the trouble he got into with Finn and Darla. Right now, however, it felt heavily misdirected…

[Careful, Little Prince. This man is the kind that looks down on those below him] Alia clarified. The word ‘kind’, like she’d used numerous times before, always referred to someone’s character.

Trying to decipher the guardian’s words, Alaric wondered [Oh… Do you mean like Garrick used to?]

[Garrick was a corrupt leader so no…] Alia tried, heaving out a sigh.

[I’ve never… met this kind, have I?]

[Not quite] Alia replied.

[Understood…] Alaric groaned. Alia was his glorified teacher in numerous concepts, humanity included. Alas, the people of the Five Hills were inherently kind and friendly, leaving no room for Alaric to experience the kind of cruelty Alia tried to warn him about.

Still, she had taught him anything that could come to mind… so much so that he understood that dealing with the man before him would not be a walk in the park. He could already tell from the Protectors who briskly left his side and an uncomfortable-looking Garin that this man was trouble.

“Your tongue is as sharp as ever, Caspro,” Garin smiled at the old man.

“That’s Elder Caspro to you, Slayer. Relinquish the boy and we’ll have him go through the necessary procedures,” the Elder spoke up.

“You know I can’t do that. I’ll see to it personally that he speaks to Elder Gregory. You must have some work to do, Elder Caspro. Are you any closer to becoming an Oracle… or does the Source of all Knowledge Past, Present and Future still elude you like it has since you joined the Tower as a mere Aspirant,” Garin spoke, his voice more refined than Alaric had ever heard before.

“And you call my tongue sharp,” the Elder grimaced.

“You struck first.”

“Fair enough. Can I speak with the boy at least? I’d like to meet the reason the Tower has been wasting so many resources on an Aspirant with no achievements to speak of. I always trust the Head Keeper’s judgement but I am also curious to see the boy that caught his eye,” the man explained.

Garin turned to Alaric and gave him a nod.

The boy untied the buckle of his seatbelt and rose from his seat, easily reaching the height of an early adult. Alaric’s long dark hair blew in the wind and his skin seemed to capture sunlight and contain it underneath. His gait was graceful and when he stepped on the ground, his footsteps were noiseless.

The world around him seemed to turn brighter in his presence, acknowledging his very existence in a way that forced everyone’s heads to turn in his direction.

Garin smirked at the Elders’ reactions, ‘Yeah, soak it in. He doesn’t even look fifteen.’