"Just before he tried to kill Irun during our assault on Coltend Castle in the Between, I put a draining spell on him and his core to prevent him from casting. It shouldn't have been possible for him to know it at that time, but his spell was loosely based on the principles of Wraith mana, allowing him to cast it anyway," Ardrin began, getting a look of surprise from everyone else present.
"I was only able to recognize that fact because I once had the Nethersong Mask, the artifact that allowed me to use a claw-like construct of Wraith mana," he said distantly, averting his gaze momentarily.
"Lady Kalia took great interest in him when I told her and was going to teach him to wield the Wraith mana herself through her and the Duranjin's training, but someone else had already given him a tincture for it," he explained as the hegraphenes nodded their head, finally beginning to understand.
"Lady Kalia would not have taken him as a disciple if she hadn't seen or tested his strength for herself, so I suppose what you say is true," Niashin said reluctantly with a shake of his head, prompting Ardrin to look at him curiously. "You don't know the potential value of having not one but two more Wraithborn here at this crucial moment, do you?" he asked plaintively.
The hegraphenes' eyes opened widely. "Two more?" Baruza asked, not bothering to hide his surprise. "There was another who came here inadvertently with the boy. She also drank the tincture he had, which I only discovered myself when I delivered Athar into Lady Kalia's care," Ardrin explained.
"Athar is still alive?" Niashin asked, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets in genuine surprise. "According to Krozz, yes. He's been keeping me informed of their progress through our friends in the mountains, but like them, I must ask you not to speak of it again until the time is right," Ardrin said firmly.
"O-of course," Niashin said quickly with a respectful bow. "In the meantime, continue your training because you will be acting as a shield against the creatures he's sure to summon to his aid when we make our move," Ardrin said gravely. "We will do as you ask," the hegraphenes replied in unison.
For all our sakes, I hope you do, Ardrin thought as he watched them leave.
Meanwhile, in Codrean, Edryd was undergoing a brutal training regimen provided by none other than Pyle himself. Sweat poured from his brow as he desperately held onto his sword.
"You're slowing down, Ed," Roburn said in jest, his irises glowing bright with Ethereal mana from his fourth stage. "That's because we've been at this for ten days," Edryd replied with a wry grin.
"True, but if you were using your mana more efficiently, you wouldn't be as tired in your second stage," Roburn retorted before dashing in with a strike aimed at Ed's face. He reacted just in time to deflect it, but not before earning himself a scrape across his cheek.
Shit, he almost had me, Ed thought, feeling the training sword graze his cheek.
He carried the momentum from his deflection into a sideways slash, aiming a swing at his opponent's gut, but Roburn was just able to catch it in time. Ed pressed forward, leaning into the fact that he now had Roburn on his back foot, sending a series of strikes his way.
Roburn deflected each strike with refined precision. He wasn't relaxed by any means, but very few other than Pyle or Taegin would have noticed just how hard Ed was actually pushing him.
Of course, he would never admit to that.
"Not bad! Keep that pressure up," he said, dodging a strike aimed at his head. Ed suddenly jumped, hoping to catch Roburn off-guard while aiming a blow to his back.
This is it! Ed thought, using the rotational force of his leap to help carry his blade.
Roburn, however, grinned before stomping the ground beneath his feet, sending a pillar of earth right into Ed's ribcage. The sound of the air fleeing Ed's lungs was all he needed to know that the attack had failed. Ed fell flat on his back, knocking whatever air remained in his lungs far out of their reach.
"Fuuuck. That hurt," Ed wheezed, immediately releasing his second stage and returning his eyes to their dark brown color. "It sure sounded like it did," Roburn said with a light chuckle as he outstretched his hand. Ed took it, and with a pained grunt of exertion, he was back on his feet.
"How the hell do you do that so fast?" he asked through an intermittent cough as he struggled for air. "A lot of practice," Roburn replied, gingerly patting the dust off his training partner. "You're almost at the third stage, and I suspect it won't be long before Pyle puts you through his examination to reach it," he continued encouragingly.
"I don't even want to know what that's going to be like," Ed began sarcastically. "But if I can finally catch up to Thoma, I'll take whatever he can throw at me," he continued with a crooked, pained grin.
"That's a good attitude to have, but remember to go at your own pace. No good will ever come from comparing yourself to others, so just focus on your own progress and be proud of it," Roburn chided lightly, wagging his finger. "I know, I know. I just can't wait to spar with him again when he gets back from Caegwen," Ed replied with a glisten in his eyes.
The Master didn't tell anyone aside from the elves, Master Pyle, and I about what happened, so I should probably keep it to myself, Roburn thought as a pained smile grew on his face.
"We'll all have a go at him once he gets back," he said, giving Ed a final, firm pat on the back. Just as Ed looked up to ask him what he meant, he noticed Meliss standing by one of the half-open fortress doors. Roburn, naturally, noticed her long before their sparring session ended and summoned her over with a wave of his hand.
Why is she in traveling gear? Is she going to Caegwen, too? Ed thought for a moment but quickly dismissed the idea.
"Meliss! Why, uh… why are you dressed like that?" Ed asked with a tilt of his head and a blank face. "I need to ask you something, but I would much rather do it privately," she began shyly. Roburn flicked his eyes between them rapidly, drawing his own conclusion. "Ohoho! I see," he said with a shit-eating grin on his face.
"N-no, it's not like that," Meliss stammered, quickly raising her hands in defense of whatever thought had just entered his head. "Oh," Roburn said with visible disappointment. "Well, if I'm not needed here, at least come find me before you go," he continued with a brief wave. "I will, I promise," Meliss said, feeling a slight amount of relief that he'd not pushed his joke any further.
"So, what did you want to ask me? Need help to break Thoma's heart again?" Ed asked half-jokingly, hoping Roburn was out of earshot, earning him a slap to the face. "Nice one, you ass," Roburn called out with a glance over his shoulder, having overheard his comment.
Alright, I deserved that one, Ed thought briefly as he rubbed his cheek.
Meliss shook her head, rubbing her knuckles since she'd hit a piece of his armor. "There's a journey I need to go on, and, well, I've already spoken with the Master about this, but I'm going to the Gramm Isles," she began in a hushed voice. "Wh-what? Really?" Ed asked, widening his eyes in surprise.
"Y-yes, but the Master said I needed to bring someone along with me, someone I can trust to watch my back," she sighed. "Why me of all people? You could've picked Rosie or even Roburn to help with that," Ed asked, gesturing around the training area. "Because you're the only one here who knows what I said in that letter to Thoma," she began.
"Is it just because of that? I hardly think that's a good metric to base your judgment of me on," Ed said with a raised eyebrow. "Not just that, but it's because I trust you not to tell anyone, not even Thoma, about what happens there," she said, lowering her voice even more to a mere whisper. Ed regarded her with unbridled curiosity, but the steadfast look in her eye told him she was serious about it.
Brother, please forgive this transgression yet again, he thought, adding yet another secret to his tally.
"Alright, let's say that I agree to go with you. What are we doing there? I won't tell anyone, I promise," Ed asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Meliss hesitated, glancing over her shoulder once or twice before responding. "I need to know what really happened to my father and to my family," she whispered, prompting him to raise his other eyebrow in surprise.
"You honestly think you'll find the answers there?" Ed asked quietly. "There's only one way to find out, but I can't do this alone. Will you help me?" she asked, her deep green eyes piercing his. Ed scratched the back of his head while he battled with all the potential outcomes he could imagine.
"Argh, fine," he finally grunted. "Thank you," she said with as much honesty as she could muster in a faint whisper. "You're welcome, but I have a few questions of my own," Ed said with a heavy sigh. "Go on," Meliss said, feeling a slight tinge of anxiety beginning to twist in her gut.
"Have you really moved on from what happened with Thoma?" Ed asked bluntly, his serious tone conveying the severity of his question.
Her face immediately paled, forcing her to take a small step back.
Meliss pondered the question for a moment, her features shifting from surprised to concentrated with a furrowed brow. After a few moments, the tension from her face slowly faded away. She breathed deeply through her nose as a small gust of cold, winter air gently brushed a few strands of loose hair across her pale face before she exhaled, closing her eyes.
"Yes, I have," she replied with a warm, placid smile. "I will always think fondly of him, of course. Like I said in the letter, it was out of convenience, after all," she said, getting an understanding nod from Ed. "And do you think this journey to the Gramm Isles will ever change your perspective on that?" he asked, still holding the same stare.
"No, because I think he'll understand what it truly means to be loved someday," she replied wholeheartedly. Ed half-scoffed and broke into a light chuckle. "Sounds like something someone who's still in love with him would say," he said jokingly.
"I do love him; after all, he's a fantastic person. But it's because of that fact that I can never be the romantic partner he needs. Do you understand what I mean?" she asked him in earnest.
"Yeah, I love the lanky bastard, too," he said with a grin and a shake of his head, earning him a warm smile from Meliss in return. Ed looked up at the cloud-scattered evening sky momentarily before letting out a heavy sigh. "Ah, fuck. Alright, then. When do we leave? I'm sure Pyle will send us both off with some sort of hellish training to do on our trip," he said.
"We leave at first light, and yes, I believe he will," she said with a knowing smile before glancing towards the other Synners as they left the training area for the day.