Syntinnial was waiting for him as he exited the bustling square and approached the small lodge he had stayed in after the battle. "You did a good thing for these people today Cypher, and I don't mean defeating Gaizeal. You showed them that even the most powerful of Conductors are still, at their heart, human and capable of compassion towards those weaker than themselves," said Syntinnial with an approving grin on his face.

"Magick is powerful to be sure, and it flows through the veins of every being in this world. However, not everyone can wield it as we Conductors can. It's up to us to ensure that those who can use magick don't use it for ill causes."

Cypher smiled at him as he finished speaking. He wobbled a bit, still a little hazy in the head from all the wine. "Ahh," began Syntinnial. "I see you took my advice a little too seriously. Maybe telling them about Stratos wasn’t the best of ideas, but given the circumstances its better that they find out at a time like this. Err, but nevermind me, you enjoyed yourself, and that's what's important. Still, there are matters that we must attend to. I ask that you forgive me if I'm being a little too forward in doing this."

Syntinnial cast another short spell that was surprisingly similar to the one he used before. Cypher shuddered as the Magick took hold, and his head cleared up once more. Cypher yawned and shook his head as he returned to a sober state.

"Blegh..." he said. Cypher still hated drinking, even if it made him forget his problems for a little while. "Thanks, Syntinnial. You're right. We do have much to discuss," finished Cypher as they walked inside and sat around a small wooden table.

"Alright then, Cypher, as promised, I shall answer whatever you ask of me, " Syntinnial said, his voice solemn as the firelight danced around the room. "I will be completely open and honest, but I ask you to keep in mind that there are things you are not yet ready to know of due to your power. If you desire it, I will inform you of them once you've grown stronger. Additionally, some things, due to their importance and precarious nature, must stay with me. I have sworn oaths that, despite my best efforts, are not easily broken."

Cypher nodded and stared down at his hands, wondering what to ask first. He had given it some thought, but now that the moment was here, he faltered a bit. After a moment, he gave up trying to find one particular question and instead asked, "How is it that I wasn't killed in my battle against Gaizeal? How do you know so much about my friends and me? I get that you've been watching me, but how do you know that they haven't been captured or killed yet?"

Syntinnial paused for a moment and frowned as he fell into deep thought. "To answer your questions, I will have to explain a few things first, so bear with me. I'll begin with why you didn't die, and from there, my other reasonings and motives will become apparent."

Syntinnial cleared his throat and stretched a little before he began speaking, "What I am about to tell you remains a highly guarded secret. I tell you only because I know you can keep this to yourself and because these matters concern you and your family. May I see your father's Ark Cradle?"

Cypher looked a bit confused and pulled the belt out into the open. He handed it over to Syntinnial, and the old man took it with steady hands. He studied it carefully, a look of mixed emotions on his face, and sighed as he rubbed his thumb across the faceplate.

"The Ark Cradles do more than simply increase your overall battle power, although that is their primary use and function. They also have the power of preservation. I'm sure you've noticed that when you equip this, a large amount of Zight is consumed from your Orrium, right?"

Cypher nodded but paused as he remembered something, "Actually when I put this one on, that doesn't seem to happen. The drain on my Zight is almost negligible. But, I did find one during the exploration of an ancient ruin with one of the Professors from the Academy.

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"That Ark Cradle absorbed almost all of my Zight the moment I put it on, and for a while, I worried that it would suck up the rest of it as well," said Cypher, a shiver running down his spine as he remembered the first time he put on the Ark Cradle.

Syntinnial gave him a puzzled look, but he quickly hid the expression and continued speaking, "That is... somewhat strange. You see, normally if a user of an Ark Cradle is about to die or suffers a fatal blow that does not result in instant death such as decapitation or vaporization, the armor will divert all of its remaining power to preserve their life."

"It will heal any wounds and restore the user to a stable condition but in exchange, the Zight used to equip the Ark Cradle will be consumed. Normally when one ends the transformation and recalls the armor back into the Ark Cradle, a portion of the absorbed Zight is returned to their Orrium. If that isn't happening with Fenix's Ark Cradle then there can only be a few explanations."

"And those would be?" asked Cypher. He held a worried expression but maintained himself well. It wasn't as though he was worried the Ark Cradle would kill him, but he couldn't have this thing randomly shutting off in the middle of a battle.

"I cannot be completely certain. I was not the one who created the Ark Cradles. I know of their basic principles, functions, and overall uses, but the finer details are something I am not privy to. However, I can only assume that the reason your father's Ark Cradle doesn't absorb a large amount of Zight when you equip it is because of the way he removed it."

"Ark Cradles are some of the most advanced magickal artifacts Conductors have ever produced. They lock themselves to whoever wears them first and nobody else is capable of using them unless the original wearer dies. Even then, a period of seven years has to pass before a new user can equip it. What's strange in this instance, is that even though Fenix died almost twenty years ago, this Ark Cradle is still connected to him."

"Then, does that mean my father could still be alive?!?" asked Cypher, a strange sense of hope carried by his voice as he spoke.

"Sadly no, your father is dead I'm afraid. He was entombed in a secret location and his body still rests there to this day. However, that only serves to add more mystery to this already confusing puzzle," replied Syntinnial.

Cypher looked down and held back his pain as his hopes were shattered. He berated himself for being so foolish, but in his heart, he had always hoped that maybe his father was just out there somewhere biding his time and waiting to return. As far as he was concerned, if his mother had been able to survive then perhaps his father could have as well.

Hearing the news from Syntinnial, along with the knowledge that Fenix's body was actually buried somewhere finally put those foolish hopes of Cypher's to rest. He couldn't allow himself to break down now though and forced the emotions deeper into his mind for reflection at a later date.

"You mentioned something about the way he removed his Ark Cradle earlier. What did you mean by that?" Cypher asked, his voice a little shaky as he finished suppressing his emotions for the time being.

Syntinnial nodded slowly with his eyes closed, and said, "Yes, normally when one wants to end the transformation, they simply speak the command phrase or remove their Ark and the armor will doff itself the same way it appeared. However, according to your mother, he simply recalled the armor back into the Cradle and then took it off."

"If I consider what I know about the process, Fenix's transformation never technically ended. That would also explain why you can wear and make use of his armor. From there I can also assume that it uses his Zight to achieve this and only absorbs some of yours in order to link with your mind and body.

"Members of your family have exceedingly high Zight reserves. With your Orrium only at the end of the first rank and your body in the early stages of the second, the amount of Zight needed to use the features of the armor so far would be negligible for someone with reserves as large as your father's.

"As I said before when one removes the Ark Cradle, a portion of that absorbed Zight is returned to their Orrium, however, if there is no space for that Zight, it remains within the belt. Your father was an amazing warrior, and more often than not he ended battles without ever using much energy. He was incredibly efficient. Given these things, it would not be too much of a stretch to say that it is this that has allowed the Ark Cradle to remain in an active state for all these years."