Cooper followed Morgan out of the grand hall. She led him to a stone staircase that spiraled upward away from the bustling hall and entryway, towards the silent solitude of one of the spires. The climb was long and arduous, a test of endurance that would have left Cooper breathless if not for his years of labor in the fields and on the fishing vessels. Yet, Morgan led the way with a quiet determination, her gaze fixed ahead, her mind seemingly lost in a world of her own.
Finally, they reached the top of the spire. The view that greeted them was breathtaking. From this vantage point, the academy sprawled out below them, a vast complex of stone citadels, each a testament to the power and prestige of the Order. The first-year lodging halls were close by, with the halls for the second and third years visible in the distance. The colossal coliseum loomed large, its titanic size even more impressive from this height. The sun was setting, painting the sky in hues of orange, the black stone spires of the main keep rose ominously, casting long shadows over the academy.
It was here, against this backdrop of beauty and foreboding, that Morgan finally broke her silence. Her voice, usually warm and caring, was now heavy and serious. “I must apologize to you Cooper. Mordred reminded me that I may have gotten ahead of myself...”
“What do you mean??” Cooper asked, taken aback. “I don’t really think you need to apologize…” He added.
Morgan answered by closing her eyes and letting out a long sigh. “I told you before that I intend to change the Order, change how we’re viewed…but I never told you why.”
Cooper swallowed hard and stared back at her, sensing the weight of the atmosphere shifting.
Morgan recounted a tale from her past. Five years ago, before she was a Master, she was stationed at an outpost within the northeastern wilderness of Avalonia. The outpost sat along the main roadway leading out of Avalonia and into the Holy Kingdom of Saranthium. It was tasked with a simple purpose, keep the path clear for commerce and travelers to move between the two kingdoms. However, this simple task was made quite difficult due to the high incidence of monster sightings and attacks. There had also been numerous reports of Dark Magic users in the area.
To make matters worse, the outpost was in a sorry state. It was poorly equipped, not properly maintained, and its commander was a corrupt Mystic Knight, more interested in his own advancement than in the welfare of those under his command.
One fateful night while out on a scouting mission, Morgan and some of her colleagues discovered a large pack of werewolves controlled and herded by a Dark Mage moving dangerously close to the roadways. Morgan reported their findings to her senior Sorcerer, but rather than act upon the information, he fled. Afraid of what was to come, knowing that in its current condition, the outpost stood little chance of surviving an attack. Desperate, Morgan implored the outpost commander to halt the incoming merchant convoys, and to demand reinforcements from the Order. The knight, in his incompetence, ignored her suggestions. Instead lecturing her that the current force at the outpost would suffice, and of the detrimental effect that halting the flow of commerce might have.
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Then, as Morgan feared, the merchant convoys passing by the outpost were destroyed by the Dark Mage and his pack of werewolves. The Mystic Knights and Sorcerers who had been escorting the conveys were all killed. A few nights later, the wolves fell upon the outpost, easily breaching its defenses. The remaining defenders were slaughtered with a ruthless savagery that Morgan hoped no one else would ever have to witness. She herself only managed to survive due to the efforts of one man. Her friend, a Mystic Knight named Gawain, gave his life to buy time for her to escape. She ran, angry at herself for it, but unwilling to throw the life that Gawain’s sacrifice had bought, forever carrying the pain of that night, of being the sole survivor…
As she told her story, Cooper could see the hurt. in her eyes. The tears welled up but never fell. Yet, there was also something else there. A burning resolve that spoke of her determination to change the Order, to ensure that no one else would have to suffer as she had.
She turned to Cooper then, her gaze remaining steady. “It wasn’t your magical potential that drew me to you. But rather, it was your willingness to leave it all behind. To abandon your old life, not for your sake, but for those around you.”
Cooper could sense her pride and determination building. The fire he saw in her eyes moments ago was but a small kindling, yet now it was growing, expanding into a raging blaze.
“It’s that quality. That ability to make the hard, uncomfortable choice for the betterment of others. That is what the Order needs.” She explained, her finger pointing into his chest. And then, with a deep sigh, she asked for forgiveness. “I’m sorry for declaring you as my apprentice. I’ve been known to be a bit overzealous at times…I should have asked you first, but I ignored your feelings in favor of my own…”
Cooper, moved by her honesty and courage dropped to his knees in front of her. “Miss Morgan-I mean-Master Morgan! Please! Please teach me! I promise, I’ll do my best! To be worthy of calling myself your apprentice!”
As Cooper made his pledge, he saw a change come over Morgan. The tears that had been threatening to fall finally did. But these weren’t tears of sadness. They were tears of relief, of joy. She had bared her soul in front of this young man and he accepted her as his Master. “And for my part, I will do everything within my power to ensure that you become the best Sorcerer you can be.”
And so, as the sun set and the stars began to twinkle in the darkening sky, a new chapter began in the lives of Master and student, a chapter filled with promise and potential, a chapter that would shape the future of the Order and the world of magic.