"I have, indeed. Although I must admit, I never expected him to be so young," Erumon admitted, getting a slight chuckle from Karthus in response.
"That's because everyone there is considered young to us, but I digress. I know you didn't only come to visit your old master and his daughter," he said, subtly raising an eyebrow at Vauv, who blushed slightly. "If only things were that simple. I have some rather disturbing news from Kavrass, but before that, I have a question of my own," Erumon sighed as a gentle frown began to grow.
"You may ask him anything you like, and if he doesn't answer, I'll tell you what I know," another female voice appeared seemingly out of thin air. "Lady Sildyr," Erumon bowed again as she walked out from behind Karthus. Her pure, pearlescent hair glistened in the morning rays, though her robes were much darker than those of her husband's.
"Welcome home, Erumon. It's good to see you again," she said with a smile that could have charmed a rabid ochelon. As he gazed into her gentle, sapphire blue eyes, he closed his own for a moment to bask in the mana that permeated his entire being.
"You as well, Sildyr, but unfortunately, my question will likely not be easy to answer," Erumon replied, reopening his eyes and doing his best to maintain eye contact with her. "I've noticed you had the guards intensify their vigilance, but what is the meaning of this?" he asked, causing the two elder beings to break eye contact momentarily.
It was hardly noticeable, but a thin barrier of mana erupted around the four of them before they spoke. "It seems my daughter has a way of loosening her tongue when she's around you," Sildyr sighed, causing Vauv to give her a nervous grin. "I'm also sure that you felt like you were being looked at as a traitor when you made your approach, but that was intentional. We simply don't know who we can trust here in Polarion," she replied with a dour expression.
"W-What? How can that be?" Erumon asked with genuine astonishment. "It seems we were careless. Mideia's corruption and reach might have even extended to some of the dukes, but we can't be certain at the moment," Karthus replied solemnly. "Then, allow me to investigate in your stead. If you're seen to be making a move like that, it could spell trouble for all of us," Erumon cautioned, spreading his arms pleadingly.
"No. Your work in Kavrass isn't finished yet, and it's impera-..." Karthus halted and snapped his head to the right with a furrowed brow. His eyes flared in ire, and his teeth bared toward whatever he was looking at.
What in the realms could dare to risk the ire of Lord Karthus? Erumon questioned with widened eyes as the pressure from before returned in full force.
"Erumon, I know this reunion was short-lived, but there is something I must see to immediately," he said in a darkened tone. "You must return to Kavrass and continue your work there. Vauv, please stay here with your mother. I'll handle this," he said, opening a trio of portals without so much as flexing his finger.
"O-Of course, Father," she replied, watching as his mana circulated throughout his body at an alarming rate before moving through the portal before him. "Stay safe, Vauv. Lady Sildyr," Erumon said with a bow, knowing full well there was no time for an emotional farewell. "Y-You, too," Vauv replied, almost reaching for him, but she knew what had to be done.
Erumon stepped through the portal and realized he was already back in Myrdin's training area, where Bernar and a handful of others were already training.
His way of teleportation is still so far beyond my comprehension, he sighed, but felt a tinge of worry for his former master.
"Fuck, that scared me," Gwili said, having flinched away from the sudden appearance of the titanic warden. "Greetings, Gwili," Erumon said as the portal quickly shut behind him. "G-Greetings, Lord Erumon. Uhhh, w-where did you come from?" Gwili asked, having caught only a small glimpse of the world beyond the portal before it shut.
"From my master's home," Erumon said plaintively, glancing at the others, who were conducting a training session a short distance from where he stood. "Why aren't you training with the others?" Erumon asked flatly with a slightly raised eyebrow. "I-I was on my way to get some water, but as soon as I'd made it here, a surge of mana presented itself, and, well, I think you can understand the rest," Gwili said with a nervous chuckle.
I suppose he is telling the truth, Erumon thought, glancing down at the empty water skin in the elf's hand.
"Here, I'll save you the time. I need to speak with the others," Erumon said, lifting a single finger and pouring water attribute mana into it, nearly causing the water skin to overflow. "O-Oh, thank you, Lord Erumon. Forgive me for asking, but is something the matter?" Gwili asked, noticing the Warden's expression was furrowed just enough to be noticeable.
"My master gave me some troubling news just before he opened the portal for me to return here. He didn't specify what was going on, so I need to make sure you're properly preparing for the coming war," Erumon replied with a sigh, prompting Gwili to blink a few times as if he were struggling to understand what he'd just heard as he walked behind the warden.
Within a few moments, they reached the others, who were firing off spell after spell at Anwill's command. Even Leona, Marte, and Neko were partaking in this training and doing their best to attack Anwill's targets. "Impressive progress, isn't it? I'd like to say it's only thanks to those pearls you gave us, but they've all been working extremely hard since the last time you were here," Gwili said proudly.
"Oh, Lord Erumon. Good to see you again," Bernar said, having heard Gwili's voice over the deafening sounds of their spells. "You as well, Bernar. I came here to check on all of you, but it seems Gwili was correct in his earlier statement," Erumon replied, closing his eyes and allowing a slight smile to show.
"Weeeeell, yes, but I feel like there's still so much more that we're missing to truly take advantage of the Authority," Bernar said, rubbing the back of his neck, as the others took notice of the Warden's presence. "Welcome back to Myrdin, Lord Erumon," Anwill said with a bow, prompting the others to follow suit.
"It's good to be back, though there are a few faces that are still missing. In the meantime, Bernar tells me that you're having difficulty understanding the Authority," Erumon said, glancing at the others momentarily and greeting them accordingly.
"It's not that we don't understand it, but it feels like it's out of our reach, even though we've made incredible progress already," Anwill said with a shrug as he gestured out toward the destroyed targets.
"I see. Which one of you is struggling the most?" Erumon asked, prompting Leona, Neko, and Marte to raise their hands bashfully. "I'm having trouble fully comprehending the depths of mana, but that's mostly because I wasn't exposed much to it when I was younger, Lord Erumon," Neko explained, getting a nod of agreement from Marte as well.
"And you, Leona?" Erumon asked, though it was evident she was struggling for words. "Even having broken through to the second stage, thanks to Anwill and Bernar's help, I still find it difficult to direct longer ranged spells the way I want to," she admitted, prompting the Warden to place a hand on his chin.
"Very well, then. You three, come here. I want to try something with you," he said, gesturing to the ground in front of him. Hurriedly, the trio made their way to him and stood as straight as a flagpole, though they tried to hide their nervousness at being so close to him.
Let's hope Vauv has some insight I can pass on to them, he thought, digging into the depths of his memories of their time spent training together.
It had been nearly half a millennium since they last trained together, but he was able to recall a few bits of information. "Perhaps this will prove useful to you. Neko, please step forward," he said, raising his arm out in front of him with his palm facing downward.