Hundreds and hundreds of Awakened filled the sky as those coming out from Faluel’s Warp opened more of their own, but compared to the nearing titan they were but a swarm of mosquitos.
“Glad to see you here.” Sylpha said, the wings of the Saefel’s Armor flapping.
“Glad to be here.” Raagu nodded.
She had brought her best artifacts and apprentices and so had the rest of the Council representatives.
“Just one question. I’ve seen the blueprints of the Golden Griffon, but not even the collective wisdom of the Garlen Council could find a path to victory. So why have you summoned us here?”
“Because I do have a path to victory.” The Queen replied, making everyone’s eyes go wide in surprise. “The Royals have kept their secrets for a long time, but that doesn’t mean that we stood idle and pretended everything was alright.
“The Crown has studied the lost cities for almost a thousand years and has worked hard to prepare for every possible contingency, even the most unplausible one. The Golden Griffon is no different.
“The moment we discovered Arthan’s plans and the existence of his academy, we simply added it to the to-do list. We had 700 years to prepare for this moment and we can only hope that the efforts of our predecessors weren’t for naught.
“Queen Sylpha to King Meron. Everyone is in position. Over.”
“This is King Meron. I proceed to release the Royal Seal. Over.” The King pressed the six runes on his communication amulet that belonged to the six Headmasters of the great academies.
“This is an order. Expose the power core of your academy, now!”
Marth had no idea what was happening, but he obeyed nonetheless. He had already sent Ryssa and Manohar the Second away so at least his heart was at peace.
He pressed the switch on the wall on the east side of his desk, making it slide over the hinges.
At the same time, Headmaster Distar did the same in the Black Griffon, his eyes burning with determination.
‘Stupid Brinja. She refused to leave the Distar Household even though she’s pregnant with our child. If Thrud doesn’t kill her, I will.’ He thought.
The power core was still brimming with mana, but after the destruction of the Royal Array, there was just enough energy to keep the protective arrays working and keep the students safe.
“Good, now take off your Headmaster ring and point it at the power core.” Meron said. “Repeat after me. In the name of Valeron, heed my voice.”
“In the name of Valeron, heed my voice.” Archmage Lema, the Headmaster of the Fire Griffon echoed, worrying that even Meron’s mental health had deteriorated.
‘This is no spell and real life is no fairy tale. What point is there in talking to a piece of enchanted crystal and metal?’ She thought.
“Rise, my champion.” The King said and the Headmasters followed.
The rings slipped out of their respective Headmasters and floated halfway between them and the power core. The energy from the mana geyser below each academy gushed through the stone and into the power cores, bringing them back to full strength.
The world energy turned into mana that flowed into the rings and then into the Headmasters. Marth, Distar, Lema, and the others started to float as well now that the circuit was complete.
The rings became one with the Headmasters and then fused with the power core of their respective academy. The rings gave the buildings a mind while also preventing the humans from being swallowed by the power core and becoming cursed objects.
A pillar of elemental energy of a different color erupted from each of the six great academies and then spread from one to the other, forming once again the Royal Array.
Once the circle was complete, each academy became the point of a star, drawing more lines and filling the air with countless runes.
‘Great mother almighty!’ Marth thought as he could now feel every stone and room of the White Griffon like it was a part of his body.
The mana moved from the power core to the students and the Professors, their mana cores acting as the auxiliary cores of an Awakened and boosting the mana flow that coursed throughout the academy.
Yet that wasn’t all.
Unlike the Golden Griffon, the White Griffon had lain dormant for centuries but it had never stopped feeding. Every time one of its students had cast a spell, a small part of their mana had become engraved in the white stones of its walls and corridors.
Every time a Professor had given a lesson or demonstrated a spell, it had left an echo. Marth could feel the mana of all those who lived or had lived inside the White Griffon flow through his body.
He cried feeling Manohar’s obnoxious energy and his condescending attitude toward anyone who wasn’t Manohar. He clenched his fists finding Phloria’s Full Guard and her determination while holding her estoc.
Lith’s rage, Vastor’s envy, Rudd’s obsession with hierarchy, and many other personality traits belonging to past students and Professors were still there and called upon Marth to fight.
The White Griffon started to shake from its foundations.
Towers, walls, and buildings rearranged themselves in a different form. Lith could believe neither his eyes nor ears while a combination of spells, clicking, and turning of gears caused an unbelievable transformation.
“Primus almighty.” He said while listening to a familiar whirring and watching the White Knight stand up per order of the First King.
It was identical to the Golden Knight in front of it, except for the color and the open helm. The White Knight had a generic yet definite human face and it stared at its twin in hatred.
“Nice to see you, old man!” Hystar said with a burst of laughter. “I was expecting to take you out without a fight, but this works too. You are outdated. There’s no point in your healing arts when I can grant true immortality to anyone of my choosing!
“Soon you’ll be reduced to a bunch of ruins and I will take your place just like King Arthan intended. He was the only true god of healing of the Griffon Kingdom and he predicted both this day and its end.”
“Silence, you abomination!” The White Griffon spoke with a voice that belonged to Marth and all of its students at the same time. “You are a threat to the balance. Immortality is an aberration that leads to madness and stagnation.
“Without the fear of death there is no progress, only conceit. Without getting rid of the old there is no space for the new. What you offer isn’t eternal life but the torment of a soul that can’t die even if they want to.
“Arthan was a Mad King and you are his worthy creation. I will wipe you out in Valeron’s name.”
“You and what army?” Thrud came out of the Golden Griffon, her appearance almost mirroring Sylpha’s.
The main differences were her dull white aura and two sets of feathered wings instead of a bright violet aura and a single set of wings.
“Once I would have seen this as a showdown between the past and the present.”
