Naalthin was getting old, despite that, he kept teaching future generations in order to offer them as much knowledge as possible, and he was tired of the internal power struggles at the University of Magic. He had, of course, considered climbing the ladder to become dean at one time, but as soon as he realized that the majority of the university’s knowledge was denied to the greatest number, he understood that teaching was only one of the building’s secondary objectives. He quickly lost confidence in his colleagues, who never taught to the best of their abilities so as not to be outdone by their students, and gradually turned away from the meetings where magi of advanced rank and above were invited. Everything was done to maintain a pyramid-level system he considered counterproductive and dangerous in the long run. Most magi wanted to be superior to everyone else and therefore tried to hold everyone else back, which made him nauseous, which was also why he broke the school's rules as much as possible.

He didn't hesitate to show magic that shouldn't be shown to children in the middle of their apprenticeship, he taught theories and concepts meant only to be known by the highest ranks, and he often encouraged certain students, like Luka, to use the maximum of their resources so that they could gain more self-confidence. On reflection, he recalled his conversation with Luka, who claimed to have charred a vrith, leaving only ashes and his weapon. It was unusual for an initiate mage to be capable of such destructive power; his rain of fire was certainly powerful, but it would never have reduced anything to ashes. So it wasn't his most powerful spell. He promised himself to teach the boy all his knowledge personally in the future.

The old mage equipped himself with an outfit more appropriate to the journey, imposing black leather boots complementing a white wolf leather coat. He wasn't allowed to wear white, it was the dean's color, but he didn't care. The coat was perfect for journeys of this kind, he wore his famous blue robe underneath and clutched an oak staff adorned with a carved stag's head at the top, smaller than the twisted stick he'd entrusted to Luka the day before, but also much more powerful.

At last, he set off across the university, drawing inquisitive glances from his colleagues at his ostentatious lack of respect, as well as from the children amused by this facetiousness that only professor Naalthin was capable of. At the exit, he saluted the guards and asked them to bring him two horses and fetch Tim Arleon. He was about to set off for Mystria and a nearby forbidden entrance, so he didn't have a second to lose.

One of the guards headed for the western gate in search of its captain, while the other went to fetch the horses required at the nearest stable, which was nevertheless some distance away from Fay-Ilis.

The two men returned a few minutes later, accompanied by an imposing young captain and two horses.

Luka had explained the situation to Jey and the two of them had left ahead of Naalthin and Tim in order to get the whole team together for the moment of departure. Jey was reluctant to ask a group of children for help when many powerful magi would have been better suited to such a dangerous expedition, but he knew enough about the magi from the university, he was aware of the fact that they were not altruistic by nature. Some, like Naalthin, sometimes thought of the good of others and broke the mold, but the majority tended to wallow behind their majestic white walls, ignorant and disinterested in the problems of the common folks. Jey decided to strike up a conversation as they rode towards Mystria:

“I think you already know this, but I was a soldier assigned to protect Fay-Ilis fifteen years ago. I never took a course in magic, but I had a friend who tried to teach me several spells in his spare time, unsurprisingly, I never managed to cast a single spell. I was good with a sword, rose to the rank of captain and defended the northern entrance of the university as well as the surrounding villages. If you've spoken to Naalthin about me, he may have already revealed bits and pieces of information to you, which is why I'm telling you about my past. Naalthin was my friend's mentor, he gave him a lot, he taught him a lot, but over time my friend changed and became despicable. Disgusted by his attitude, which had become identical to that of most magi, I laid down my arms and stepped down as captain, refusing to protect those selfish idiots any longer. Others would be likely to give a slightly different version, though,” he concluded with an evil smile and a look lost in the past.

Luka chose not to reply and nodded, as if to indicate his understanding. He was beginning to understand the man who played the role of adoptive father to him, and he knew there was regret in him. He wondered who this friend was who had disappointed him, but didn't ask. He realized that if he wanted to give him this information, he would have done so.

“I'll leave you to collect your friends and head for the southern exit without delay to explain the situation to the two guards,” announced Jey as the village of Mystria began to appear before them.

“Don't forget to keep the existence of the forbidden entrances to yourself. If Naalthin feels they need to know, they'll be informed. It isn’t your decision to make right now, understand?”

“Yes, I'll be with you as soon as I have explained the situation to them.”

Luka was standing in front of his friends' house, but didn't yet know how he was going to formulate his request. He needed their cooperation, but he couldn't explain the ultimate purpose of his mission. After spending several minutes frozen in front of the door, he heard a timid voice:

“Luka? Why are you staring at my house with such fervor?”

Fleur appeared behind him, her head nodding, her gaze worried, she was carrying two baskets filled to the brim with various flowers.

“Her mother is very fond of flowers,” he told himself humorously, although he was aware that it was natural for an herbalist to collect all types of flora.

“Fleur, do you know where your brother is? It's very important.”

“He is without a doubt inside. Would you like to come in?”

“Yes, please.”

The two teenagers entered the house where they'd been talking the day before and took their places around the table after asking Nyto to join them.

For the first time in a while, Luka looked at the house carefully, as if to delay the fateful moment of his request; it wasn't very different from his own, but he rarely paid attention to it. It was a traditional, spacious three-room dwelling, though smaller than Jey's, the main room had two large windows and served as kitchen and dining room, the worktop had all the usual magical tools for cooking food and keeping the dwelling lit during the short nights. The furniture and other fittings had almost all been created and carved using a variety of magics. The table around which they were sitting was a smooth stone table and the five chairs were hard but comfortable, “no doubt Jey's creations,” he thought to himself, he was lost in thought and came to wonder if their beds were of as good quality as the one he had at home when Nyto interrupted him in his reflection to ask what had brought him here so early in the day.

“A wyvern and two vriths attacked this morning,” he said in a monotone voice.

“We know all about it, the whole village is talking about it, and I heard you charred one to ashes before the sun did,” exclaimed Fleur, who was admiringly bouncing up and down in her chair as she recounted what she knew, accompanying each sentence with ample gestures meant to bring the story to life.

“We think they were scouts, we'd like to verify this theory, we need people we can trust to hunt them down, that's why I came here,” explained Luka, avoiding using words he wasn't supposed to know.

In a corner of the room, a person who had managed to escape Luka's gaze until then spoke up:

“You want to take my children on a hunt for wyverns and creatures of the night? Have I got that right?”

The voice belonged to Yoli, the mother of the two children living there. She wasn't an adoptive mother, she'd given birth to her children and was therefore more protective than any adoptive mother.

“We'll be accompanied by professor Naalthin, Tim and Jey, so there's nothing to worry about, but it's better if there's a lot of us, and both Nyto and Fleur have abilities that could prove useful,” Luka argued, feeling the situation slipping from his grasp.

“If there's nothing to fear, why do you need more people? And if their abilities are useful, aren't the abilities of the university's magi and soldiers even more so?”

Luka was devastated, Yoli's arguments were so logical that he began to collapse in on himself.

Nyto, realizing that his friend was about to give up, came to his rescue, mainly because he wanted to be part of such an endeavor:

“Mom, you know Luka, he wouldn't take us to a dangerous place if he could help it. If he asks for our help, it's because he needs us and is sure that everything will go well, and if even Tim is there, we'll be invincible. After all, none of us has ever managed to beat him!”

“I suppose you're right... However, Luka, if anything happens to my children, I'll burn down the University of Fay-Ilis and everyone in it, is that clear?”

“Mom! If anyone could hear you…” scolded her son.

She smiled at him before sticking out her tongue in his direction and declaring:

“I'm very serious, this place has caused my family enough suffering. Don’t do anything reckless. I'm counting on you, Luka,” she told him with a stern look.

“Everything will be fine, Yoli, I promise. We're going to form an elite group after all!” Luka tried to reassure her, but he wasn't convinced by his own words.

They all forced themselves to smile, but knew that things didn't often turn out the way they'd hoped, especially when it came to miserable vriths. The trio headed for the south entrance where they spotted professor Naalthin, Jey and Tim, who was dressed in the captain's armor of the guard, which was identical to that of the other soldiers but silvered and embellished with a distinctive personal helmet. Tim's helmet featured three sharp spears.

“Tim! You're a captain now?” marveled Fleur, recognizing him.

He pretended not to hear for a few seconds, then winked at Fleur, who returned to her radiant smile.

“It's been three days since I was promoted to captain of the west of Fay-Ilis, yes, I didn't think I'd be removed from my post so soon, but professor Naalthin isn't someone I can refuse assistance to.”

“You'll have plenty of opportunities to talk on the way,” thundered Naalthin, no longer his usual cheerful self, “for now, we've got to get started and find out where those sordid creatures are holed up. The safety of your village depends on it. There won't be enough horses to go around, so we'll be moving on foot from now on. The party is complete, I presume?”

Luka nodded in confirmation.

“Arth, Nimas, you're coming with us too. imposed the professor before starting the walk.”

“Professor? We've got to protect…” began one of the two guards.

“There's nothing to protect during the day, and our mission will be over before nightfall. Besides, I don't think you have the required rank to refuse my requests. Tim's a captain and he needs soldiers, you're soldiers, you're coming with us,” interrupted the professor without giving him time to think.

Naalthin struck a powerful blow into the ground with his small staff, and an imposing dome-shaped barrier gradually enveloped the entire village of Mystria. He explained that the purpose of the spell was to prevent the lower entities from entering, so the soldiers had nothing to worry about.

The eight individuals finally took the road south to find a small group of vriths. Only three of them were aware that they were in fact tracking down a forbidden entrance and that their aim was to condemn it for eternity.

The two soldiers saluted their superior and began chatting with him to get to know him better. They were interested in his choice of weapons as Tim carried a curved sword reminiscent of a scimitar, but longer, on his left side, while he was equipped with a heavy, double-edged black axe on his back.

The scimitar was rather basic and of lesser quality, but the axe gave an ominous air of darkness ready to envelop its bearer in deep shadows. He always refused to reveal its origin, even his friends didn't know where it came from, but he carried it permanently on his back and only used it on very rare occasions.

As for the soldiers, they used traditional glaives. This was the standard weapon for all unranked soldiers. Their armor was the pale blue typical of soldiers on the continent of Faÿrum, and covered them from head to toe.

Fleur asked Luka why she had to come. She had agreed to join, but didn't understand what she would be able to do in the event of a skirmish; she had been expelled from the University of Fay-Ilis because she hadn't mastered any combat spells and was therefore a disgrace to the university's teaching.

Luka tried to reassure her, explaining that her skills as a healer could help them if they found themselves wounded in battle, and that she also had a certain affinity with nature which could prove useful in certain circumstances. Her brother teased her, saying that at worst, she could serve as a decoy so that the other members of the group could eliminate their enemies with ease.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Hearing that, Naalthin interrupted his walk and glared at Nyto, before saying sternly:

“This isn't a game, Nyto, no one will be used as bait and this kind of comment has no place here. I know you're joking, but I'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from such comments in the future. Fleur is terrified, even if she doesn't show it.”

He then turned towards Fleur and said, “To answer your question, Fleur, your skills are vital to this mission. The university is getting rid of healers such as you, but that's only because of the current dean and some of his idiotic predecessors. Keep cultivating your talents. They could save your friends in crucial moments, due to the fact that your abilities are amazing.”

The group continued their advance, all following Naalthin who was able to discern mana fluctuations in order to estimate where the vriths were, they were walking blind as their prey had not yet been spotted, but Jey sensed that Nyto had been piqued by the professor and came up to his level:

“Don't worry about what he said, he's tense. Deep down he's a good guy and he just wants to keep you on your toes so that something undesirable doesn't happen to you.”

“I know, I was just trying to lighten the mood... I guess it wasn't the right thing to say, but if we're just hunting puny lost vriths who can't move by day, why are we taking so many precautions?”

“I don't have all the answers, just trust Naalthin for now, keep your hand on the pommel of your sword and be ready to cut down any enemy that appears if necessary.”

Nyto himself was equipped with a traditional soldier's sword, which he had obtained from Tim years before. He'd trained with it every day, despite that, he wasn't very good, even Luka could take him down without much difficulty, and he was a mage who'd never learned the arts of the sword either. Not seriously, anyway.

Realizing that the air around Naalthin was becoming more serious, his pupil approached him to inquire about the situation.

As he drew closer, he began to hear whispers from his teacher, who seemed to be reciting an unknown incantation at a volume far too low to be understood. Suddenly, he became aware of his pupil's presence beside him and urged him to be careful:

“We're getting close, get ready.”

They had all heard the whispered sentence, and those with swords reflexively drew them from their scabbards. Mana gathered at Luka's fingertips, but his teacher squeezed his arm and told him to hold back.

“We mustn't disturb the flow,” he explained. “Not yet.”

They were now about ten yards from what looked like a gaping hole in the ground, and the professor judged that they were about three miles from Mystria and about six from the village of Threys to the west. Had this other village also come under attack? He hadn't waited for any further reports after Luka's, and since his village was the closest, he would have been the quickest. He mentally decided to make sure the residents of Threys were alright as soon as he'd dealt with the situation here.

“Professor Naalthin, this isn't a simple scouting mission, it's a forbidden entrance, isn't it?” inquired Nyto with a certain terror in his voice.

Everyone around him understood what these words implied. Tim was a captain who had learned their meaning a couple of days ago, the soldiers were adult soldiers who knew about it too, and Fleur must have known what it was all about, since her brother had just uttered these words, he'd probably told her about it, concluded Naalthin, now livid.

“How do you know this term, Nyto? Who told you about it?” thundered Naalthin, forgetting where he was and the potential danger he was putting them all in.

“Nobody told me, I read it in a book my sister once borrowed from the Fay-Ilis library. Is it a secret?” asked Nyto, backing away from the anger visible on Naalthin's face.

“It's one of the many secrets jealously guarded by the University of Fay-Ilis, yes, only soldiers and adult magi know about it and are bound to secrecy. If you've read it in a book, it's because your younger sister has borrowed something that should never have been in her possession. What else do you know about the forbidden entrances?” asked the professor, regaining his composure.

“Their official name is Fâ-Lûm, I believe? They connect the surface to the underground, where the vriths live, they appear and disappear on every continent in the world. They can be temporarily blocked by magic. It's forbidden to enter them, as only death awaits you on the other side. It’s all I know about it,” he replied, pondering what else he might have forgotten without being able to find any further information.

Naalthin lost himself in thought:

“why had Fleur been able to access a book of advanced rank when she was barely an initiate, two ranks lower than him, how had she managed to get it out of the building and was it linked to her dismissal?” He wanted to unravel this mystery, but it was neither the time nor the place; they were in front of one of the terrible Fâ-Lûms, and by nightfall things could get unimaginably worse. He had to think about how to seal this place; he'd done it before, he knew the spell, but it would take some time, so he decided to explain his plan to everyone:

“Now that you all know what we're talking about, listen to me as if your lives depended on it. Because they do. Our aim is to seal the entrance to protect your village and Threys' to the west. I'm the only one capable of that type of magic, but Luka is going to help me, and he'll also be learning the incantation, while the others will be in charge of our protection. They don't like it when we try to seal their access to the surface, and they don't hesitate to make it known, so be on your guard. Fleur, you'll stay close to Luka and I'll get the others to position themselves around us to cover us during the incantation. Is that understood?”

“How long will it take?” sighed Jey, annoyed.

“The whole incantation should take about an hour,” replied Naalthin, feigning serenity.

“Are we likely to flee if the situation calls for it? asked Jey, losing patience with the realization that magi would have been more suitable for this perilous mission than a group of kids and inexperienced soldiers.”

“We shouldn't be in any danger under the circumstances, but if things go wrong and I'm unable to close this Fâ-Lûm, you'll all have to flee and warn the Dean of Fay-Ilis as soon as possible,” replied Naalthin Ka, pouting as he didn't want to see his life end today.

Everyone took up their positions and prepared to fight hordes of vriths. Luka questioned his teacher, who tried to calm him with a timid wink and a smile that was a little too forced.

Naalthin explained to his pupil how his incantation worked and why it would take longer than a classic incantation:

“The Fâ-Lûms are charged with mana already woven into a spell, and the initial flow has to be interrupted to create a new one to cover the entrance and prevent them from being undone again later.”

After a brief pause, Naalthin continued:

“You'll understand as the spell is performed. For now, load as much mana onto your fingertips as you can. I'll use it in due course, so don't think about a specific incantation, just charge up until my next instruction.”

Luka obeyed and watched his teacher carefully, this was a unique opportunity.

“Learning to close a Fâ-Lûm was not a common experience, and even a mage devoid of curiosity would appreciate the exercise,” he thought.

A minor magic shield was applied to each of the team members and the old professor began invoking his spell, first of all he had to interrupt the flow of mana and this seemed to be the most difficult part, Luka forced himself not to miss a beat and he understood that Naalthin was untangling the threads of the initial incantation one by one.

“The forbidden entrances were therefore the result of an incantation, they didn’t appear and disappeared over time, rather, a Vrith wizard formed them and a mage sealed them afterwards. Why was this information kept by the magi? It made no sense.” He thought, before remembering that he had to stay focused, so he dismissed those useless thoughts and watched his teacher work through several mana knots one after the other. No one interfered, and Luka was glad that it went so well.

They'd been there for half an hour, waiting for an enemy who never showed up, and some of them began to relax when the sky lost its clarity and turned into an unlikely dark color.

It wasn't yet nightfall, however, and two of the suns were still shining, but a strange powder was floating high in the sky, blocking the sun's rays from reaching the eight companions and the Fâ-Lûm they were trying to seal.

In a matter of moments, the entire area around the hole was in a sort of ominous, hostile penumbra, several dozen yards in radius.

“They're coming, get ready!” shouted Naalthin as three wyverns mounted by vrith riders emerged from the hole and made a violent U-turn before swooping down on Arth and Nimas, who barely dodged.

Still in shock, they saw the rest of the enemy forces who had emerged from the Fâ-Lûm to interrupt its closure, and two of them were immediately cut down by the scimitar of Tim, by far the most experienced of the group. Nyto, on his right, struggled against a duo of vriths armed with small daggers and was unable to cause them any damage, prioritizing defense and his own survival in the face of repeated assaults, while the soldiers Arth and Nimas covered each other against the incessant and increasingly rapid attacks of the wyverns and their riders.

Jey, realizing that his position was not under attack, moved between Tim and Nyto and sliced a vrith in two vertically. The power of his arms was phenomenal and Tim, who caught sight of him out of the corner of his eye, was admiringly impressed, before turning his attention back to his own enemies, the wyverns slyly attempting to attack him at times. Nyto took advantage of the confusion to get rid of his second opponent by plunging his blade into his eye. The first wave was defeated, but the wyverns continued to attack the three soldiers, who could do nothing but dodge them. The rest of the group wanted to help, but Naalthin had made it clear that they were all to hold their positions. Only Jey had already chosen to ignore the order.

Nimas was hit while trying to protect Arth and his arm was broken by the impact of a wyvern charge that had become accustomed to the movements of the three soldiers.

“Luka, aim your rain of fire at the wyverns as soon as they regroup. Make it compact and powerful, don't waste too much mana.”

He considered the situation and agreed that it was a good idea: he'd built up a lot of mana and was ready. The three wyverns were now close together and he could hear the vriths snickering.

The rain of fire appeared in the sky just above the wyverns and their riders, the fiery surge seemed infinite and left no chance for the winged beasts whose resistance to fire was rather weak. The three animals crashed to the ground with an eardrum-piercing rattle of agony. Their riders tried to recover from the shock, but were immediately finished off by Arth and Tim, who had left their positions. Fleur rushed to Nimas' side to heal his broken arm. The armor was making it difficult for her, but she managed to restore his arm regardless, giving him a bit of energy at the same time.

“It's not over yet, take up your positions! ordered the professor, who had just untangled the last filament of mana and was now preparing to seal the hole forever.”

As soon as he had said those words, they saw a new wave of enemies, more imposing and more ferocious, but none of them were riding wyverns. Tim ordered his companions to focus on defense more than anything else. There were now eight medium-sized vriths, about six feet tall and equipped with rudimentary armor. Their gray skin was darker than the smaller members of their race, and their black eyes were deeper, oceans of darkness amidst a face of suffering embellished with powerful fangs.

Nimas and Nyto were already exhausted, and Arth was not skilled enough to overcome his opponents. When Luka saw Jey decapitate one of Nyto's opponents, while he himself was already fighting two of the creatures, his heart sank and he wanted to rejoice, but it was still far too early for any kind of celebration.

Tim threw his scimitar at one of his opponents between attacks and grabbed his axe with both hands, manipulating it so as to deliver a downward blow at his nearest foe, who tried to parry with his shabby dagger. He was promptly cut in two by the weight that had just fallen on him. At the same moment, a violent wind made the vriths near the axe wielder waver, and two of them were eliminated by Jey and Nimas during the brief moment of surprise that caught them off balance. Only four vriths remained, however, Nyto and Arth were on the ground, having also been hit by the impromptu gust of wind and unable to keep their balance. Their opponents immediately realized this and prepared to eliminate them, when several arrows struck the still-living vriths. One of them was eliminated instantly, three arrows having penetrated the back of his skull, while the other three were surprised and slowed down their movements, before a new attack from the axe wielder decapitated one of the remaining creatures. Jey was now protecting Nyto from his adversary and Nimas was trying to shield Arth, but he had no strength left. Another volley of arrows struck the remaining vriths, rendering them unable to move and condemning them to a decapitation as severe as it was life-saving for the group.

Moments earlier, while the battle was still in full swing around the two magi and Fleur, they were concentrating to the utmost on plugging the Fâ-Lûm.

Naalthin had forbidden Luka to release his concentration, now he had to trust his friends: they were strong, they would overcome the remaining vriths, and now it was time to seal the forbidden entrance forever.

“I will now concentrate my remaining mana, drain yours and cast the spell. Watch, listen and learn. You won't get to see me do it a second time, is that clear?”

Luka didn't say a word, but his concentrated eyes showed his teacher that he'd understood and wouldn't let him down.

He heard Nyto fall and forced himself to keep his concentration on the spell, the mana was accumulating at an unbelievable speed. Every bit of mana that had been untangled was now being absorbed by professor Naalthin, as were Luka's reserves, who almost lost consciousness and had to force himself to stay on his feet. His friends were fighting so they could cast this spell, he couldn't let them down, not now.

A moment later he heard Naalthin chanting his incantation:

“The immaculate earth is the source of life, it imposes its cruel rules on all beings, I call upon the ancestral spirits, may this infamy be washed away, may this abyss be sealed forever: SECULAR COFFIN.”

The spell took shape at an astonishing speed, the earth gradually closing what had been a yawning chasm from which two groups of gray, snarling monsters, driven by a desire to kill, burst forth. First, a layer of earth appeared, depriving the cave of its remaining light; then, an enormous pillar of earth, piled up on top of the Fâ-Lûm, and finally, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, the immense pillar sank into the ground without a sound until it disappeared, and at each corner appeared trees which grew in a handful of seconds, engorging themselves with the surrounding mana to reach maturity in mere instants where it would logically have taken several decades to achieve the same result.

The cloud that had hitherto darkened the whole area around the Fâ-Lûm disintegrated as the trees grew. Visibility returned and the heat was once again felt by all. The corpses of the vriths and their mounts became small heaps of ash as they came into contact with the sun's rays. The battle was over.

Luka was stunned by this impressive spell, and was quick to congratulate Naalthin before realizing that his professor was lying motionless on the ground.

All around him, his friends were exhausted but satisfied, and fortunately, none had succumbed to the vriths. He was reassured. He closed his eyelids to regain a little energy, but as his eyes were almost completely closed, he felt his body fail and in turn lost consciousness.

“Don't worry, they're both drained of their mana reserves. They simply need to sleep for a while to recover.” explained Fleur, who had seen this phenomenon many times before as a university student. “I can't recharge the magical energy of living beings, so we'll have to transport them. It's going to be dark soon, so it would be foolish to stay here,” Fleur finished, a hint of fear in her voice.

Tim hadn't waited for the Fâ-Lûm to be filled in before heading for the source of the arrows that had undoubtedly saved the lives of some members of their group. He put his axe on his back and retrieved his scimitar, which he sheathed in one swift movement before heading west, where several silhouettes were beginning to approach him, weapons already stowed in their scabbards or behind their backs.

“I'm Tim Arleon, captain of the west at Fay-Ilis University, and I'd like to thank you for your assistance. May I ask where you're from, soldiers?”

“We're Threys' soldier-archers, we were attacked by vriths last night and we contacted the university but got no answer. So we decided to deal with the problem ourselves, but we didn't know it was a Fâ-Lûm. One of us recognized professor Naalthin and decided to assist you from a distance, as you seemed to be in trouble. We feared that we might hit you inadvertently, but your situation seemed delicate enough for us to take the risk.”

“The village of Mystria was also attacked last night, which is why we set off in search of this Fâ-Lûm. Your messengers must have reached the university long after we left. However, your assistance saved us and we thank you for it,” concluded Tim, giving the specific salute to the soldiers who cross their arms in front of their torsos, bowing their heads noticeably.

The Threys soldier-archers returned Tim's salute and took their leave, wanting to reassure their village and bring it the latest news, one of whom, however, asked Tim's permission to travel with them to the university, which he accepted.