“Nice speech.” Jirni was mildly amused whereas Orion was moved. “Did you call me mother time and time again to manipulate me? I mean, you are an orphan and I’m pregnant.
“You know that only a monster would be unfazed by such a declaration of filial love.”
“Yes.” Nalrond nodded, making Orion spit out his tea. “Did it work?”
“No, but I like you even more now.” Jirni chuckled. “I knew you were a smart cookie.”
“Thanks.” The Agni nodded. “Before we start, there’s something you should know. Holograms are something that anyone can do, even with a weak mana core. Constructs, instead, require great strength. Or at least so I thought.”
Nalrond looked straight at Jirni while telling her about how he had seen Aran and Leria shape hard-light constructs with their bright yellow cores, keeping Dawn out of the story.
“I don’t know how they did it, only that it’s possible. Keep it in mind during our lessons and if any of you comes up with a plausible answer, please share it.”
“It takes a good man to set his pride aside and admit to having been bested by children.” Orion patted Nalrond’s shoulder. “I too like you even more now, son.”
“What about me?” Morok asked, feeling left out of the conversation and a bit offended.
“Excellent question. I’ve been asking that myself for months now.” Jirni replied. “If any of you comes up with a plausible answer, please share it.”
***
Distar Marquisate, White Griffon Academy, a few minutes later.
Headmaster Duke Marth was surprised to hear that Quylla Ernas required access to the Warp Gate in his office, but he was always glad to meet an alumnus.
“Quylla, it’s so good to see you. Congratulations on your pregnancy again.” He held her hand with both his own. “Have you thought about our offer to resume your position as Assistant Professor?
“Now that you are the Royal Healer and a Light Master, you are this close to being a second Manohar.” He said.
“Thanks, Headmaster, but what about Manohar the Second?” She chuckled, referring to Marth’s son. “Won’t he be jealous if I steal his name?”
“Dhiral, please. His name is Dhiral.” The Headmaster sighed.
“Thanks for the offer, Headmaster, but I’m not here on an official visit. “She gave him a polite bow. “I came for personal matters. I need to speak with Professor Vastor.”
Quylla couldn’t talk about the matter with Lith, Friya was likely to be equally confused, and Morok was bound to say something insensitive that would piss Quylla off even more. Her best shot at clarity was talking with her old mentor.
Vastor had helped Quylla since she was a fourth year student. He had given her a tonic to fix her stunted growth, taught her everything she knew about light and darkness magic, and after her graduation he had taken her in as his Assistant.
Quylla was unaware of Vastor’s identity as the Master, but she knew that his position in the Kingdom and his participation in the War of the Griffons gave him clearance to access the dealings between the Council and the Royals.
The old Professor was the only person Quylla could think of who would understand her situation even without knowing all the details since he also was a friend of her parents and had helped them reconcile.
“He’s currently lecturing the fifth year students.” Marth replied. “Is this an emergency or can it wait until the end of the lesson?”
“No emergency, thank you.” She replied. “I just need advice on personal affairs.”
“Then be my guest.” He gave her the Assistant Professor ring back. “Feel free to take a tour of the academy, use our facilities, whatever you want. I’d love to keep you company, but I’m swamped in paperwork.”
“Thanks.” Quylla shuddered at the vision of the piles of documents encumbering the Headmaster’s desk. It was one of the things she didn’t miss of her academy life.
She Warped to the empty canteen, glad to have the place all for herself.
All that inner turmoil had worked her up quite an appetite and she needed time to come up with a story that covered all the key points of her issue without mentioning the Gernoff and her parents’ Awakening.
When the gong signaling the end of the lessons resounded, she had emptied many plates and found her answer.
“Gods if I missed this.” She burped with satisfaction.
The cooks of the White Griffon were worthy of a first-class restaurant and the food was delivered via small Warp Steps, avoiding her embarrassing interactions with waiters. The kitchen staff had no idea a single person had eaten everything.
She Warped outside the Healing Magic lecture hall of the fifth year and waited for the doors to open. Professors would rarely come out first because they would either answer the student’s questions or reprimand those who had misbehaved during the lesson.
Once the youths started leaving the classroom, many of them looked at Quylla’s deep green robes with admiration. She was “just” a Great Mage but such a position was hard to accomplish, especially at a young age.
To them, she was akin to a demigod.
“Quylla, my girl, to what do I owe this pleasure?” Vastor trotted out of the room, the sea of white uniforms parting in front of him.
“I need to speak with you, Professor Vastor. Do you have a few minutes to spare?”
“The next lesson is after the lunch break. You can be my guest in my living quarters, if you haven’t already eaten and need privacy.”
“That sounds delicious, I mean, perfect. Thanks, Professor.” Vastor Warped them both to his rooms and ordered a meal for two. “What’s bothering you?”
Vastor took off his robe and offered to hang Quylla’s as well.
“Sit down, please. This will take a while and might be hard for you to hear.” She replied while eating her food with grace since she was already almost full.
Almost.
In her version of the story, Jirni and Orion just wanted to Awaken and had yet to succeed. Their attempts had aroused the wrath of a nondescript Awakened faction who wanted to protect the secret of Awakening from greedy fake mages.
This way, Quylla hid her parents’ success, keeping Vastor from becoming envious of them and demanding to be Awakened as well. Also, the story explained the feeling of betrayal tormenting Quylla and the danger Jirni and Orion had put themselves into.
All of her precautions were pointless since not only was Vastor already an Awakened, but he also already knew everything since he was the one who had Awakened the Ernas.
The only shocking part of her story was that her parents were so desperate that they had come clean with their daughters and asked their help.
“By the gods!” Vastor jumped up in outrage. “How could they be so stupid? Didn’t they realize the risks of getting you involved in their own mess?”
His anger was genuine. He didn’t care much about Orion and Jirni. They were good people and decent business partners but that was it. Friya and Quylla, however, were another story entirely.
They were the kind of talents with whom the Master wanted to share the fruits of his research about human evolution once he completed it.
