Aurian Magic Institute - Semester 1
After twelve years spent as part of Special Unit 317 (not counting ~10 years spent frozen in time due to a colossal-range paragon-class spell effect from Sloth [See The Seven Sinners and Middle America Chronostasis Incident]), Syl entered the Aurian Magic Institute alongside former Crown Princess Bianca. During matriculation, he noticed external influences spying on the entrance ceremony [See Sanguine and Cascadian Infiltration of Aurian Terror Groups (74 AFI)]. He tracked down the operative and killed him, making a note for this unit.
Due to poor performance on practical exams, Syl was assigned to class 3 of the AMI. As Bianca was the single best overall performer on the entrance exams, she was scouted for the competitive circuit team as well as the the Graduate Reserve, an alternative to military service for members of prismatic families [See Aurian Oligarchy] and high-achieving members of national Aurian institutes. As the two already operated closely before their ten-year time stop during which both were fully awake and aware, they continued to be inseparable afterwards. Thanks to this, Syl alienated Drew Violet [See Kingdom of Auria Loyalist Faction], a master-class mage and experienced duelist. Using standard techniques and preying on Violet’s overconfidence, he easily won a duel and averted suspicion from authorities [See Strategic-Class Projection-Type Specialist General Allison Violet]. Shortly afterwards, he and Bianca were instrumental in thwarting an attempted shooting of AMI student and prismatic heir Lyon Red by agents of the terrorist group Sanguine.
Uriel Indigo, another prismatic heir, identified Syl as a more powerful magician than he claimed to be. She invited him to the circuit team tryouts, where he gained notice by defeating master-class magician James “Wildcard” Rokho in a fair duel. After being accepted on the team, he befriended prismatic and magical engineer Jennifer Viridian as well as duelists Waylan Red, Lia Jeksen, and Wildcard.
During this time, he achieved a breakthrough towards solving one of the fundamental unsolved conjectures of magic [See Zero’s Conjecture of Free Casting], allowing him to cast pre-programmed spells without a flux casting device under certain conditions. This design is currently being incorporated into certain specialized FCDs [See Incarnate Engineering].
The circuit team’s first outing was to Gate 74AMI-C16, a C-class Gate with primarily low-class creatures within. Unbeknownst to them, a small group from Sanguine as well as a number of tactical and master-class Cascadian magicians had laid an ambush within the Gate, using as of yet unknown Cascadian magical techniques to enhance the monsters within it as well as setting landmines and other pre-placed magical effects. In the ensuing ambush, four Aurian students were killed and multiple more critically wounded. After Bianca evacuated the Graduate Reserve members from the ambush, Syl eliminated all but one of the enemy magicians [See 74 AFI Cascadian Prisoner Interrogation], whom he pretended to kill in front of General Violet to prevent the Aurian government from patching over the entire incident.
In the wake of the ambush, it became clear that dissatisfaction with the kingdom was rising amongst the current generation of magicians, many of whom were aware that Auria actively suppressed information that would paint the country as anything except flourishing and powerful.
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During the service held for the four slain students, during which the administration explained they were killed in a tragic accident, Syl realized that Sanguine was once again targeting AMI and eliminated their entire power base.
Afterwards, he continued to work with engineer Jennifer Viridian. They succeeded in making a breakthrough with her flux hypersensitivity, successfully creating a device that would allow her to mimic Cascadian methods of more efficiently casting spells.
Uriel Indigo then recruited him for an underground prismatic organization [See List of Student Resistance Movements] assembled out of circuit competitors and Reserve members intended to replace the Aurian circuit team assigned to irregular war games with Cascadia.
At this time, SU-317 was notified of a potential breach in information security with regards to Syl’s identity. This was dismissed due to the lack of actionable information obtained by Drew Violet and Jennifer Indigo.
Ultimately, Syl participated in the war games adjacent to the Santa Rosa Tower. During this time, Gluttony [See The Seven Sinners] appeared, breaking the FCD Syl used in place of his voice. Once again, Cascadia deployed an ambush, starting by a Cascadian magician killing Lia Jeksen after his non-lethal knockout was reversed by rain.
Back and forth lethalities were traded until Drew Violet revealed himself and joined a three-on-three battle with Syl and Bianca. There, Bianca reports that the Violet identified the former Crown Princess as a threat to Aurian national security and made a temporary truce with the Cascadian faction to eliminate or capture them.
Syl killed Drew Violet, then occupied enough attention for the Aurian forces to escape. Afterwards, he activated Horizon Breaker, his paragon-class full-body FCD, for the first time since he used it in the San Francisco Bay Incident three years prior. Total casualties included James “Wildcard” Rokho and an estimated three hundred Cascadian magicians.
The ramifications of this event are still ongoing. Our private intelligence reports that Cascadia has committed to military action towards Auria. There are extant possibilities that certain members of the Graduate Reserve [See Jennifer Indigo] are now more aware of the extent of Syl’s power.
Finally, the following transmission was intercepted by SU-317 two days ago:
It’s been a long time.
Gluttony has made your acquaintance once more. I’m sure you’re aware by now that she’s not dead. Don’t worry. She’s not displeased with you. The opposite, in fact.
It’s good to see you active again. After Sloth hit you, even I had written you off for a loss. When San Francisco happened, I suspected, but the cloaking job was superb. I chalked it up to my imagination. Thank Gluttony for noticing the patterns. She has friends in low places.
What happens next is up to you, as it always has been. I’ll be watching. So will the others. Gluttony won’t interfere with your battle, but remember: the first quake isn’t always the biggest. When you finish this, we all know there’s going to be an aftershock great enough to shake the world.
You have your war. Soon, we might all have one.
Isn’t it nice to be home, Pride?
Yours in life and death,
Zero.
Syl’s identity has been compromised. War is at Auria’s door. The kingdom itself seems primed to detonate.
SU-317’s contingencies can be viewed [here].
Aurian Magic Institute - Semester 2
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