Back in the dean's office, that same night, two distinguished women waited in the flickering candlelight for their connection to stabilize. At last, the scroll shimmered, and the arcane link ignited. Without hesitation, Madam Sxailar began her report.
"Your Excellency," she said, her voice calm yet deliberate. "I have just finished interrogating the child I mentioned earlier."
Text rose slowly from the glowing parchment:
"I understand. What did you find? Any relevant information about the artifact?"
Sxailar responded smoothly, "Yes, Your Excellency. We believe it to be the doing of the Repatent Order. Additionally, it may be linked to an artifact tied to the Pale Star. Unfortunately, as of now, we currently lack the personnel to combat them effectively. Thus, we have reached out to the Archamists, the Woundbearers, and the Saura Order. On this matter, my second-in-command and I would also like to recommend a potential recruit."
A brief pause. Then more text floated forth:
"Who is it?"
Sxailar answered, "Sir, Whitney Winterskern. A student at Hermandry. I'm sure you've heard of her father, Maxwell Winterskern."
A moment passed before the scroll responded again:
"I have. Why do you believe she is suitable?"
Sxailar tilted her head toward Dianna. The vice-captain blinked, surprised, then quickly did an unnecessary bow out of shock and reverence for who she was speaking to.
"Greetings, Your Excellency, I am Dianna Crysis, vice-captain of the Hansforth branch of the Sky-Chasers."
"I am aware."
Dianna swallowed and continued, "Whitney has affinities for both fire and frost, and I believe her true force density is quite high as well. She, from the preliminary tests we have done, possesses remarkable raw potential for manipulation of true force. Furthermore, due to her high force density, it is possible for her to use inefficient and exhausting travel and support magic, thus increasing our travel and support capabilities. Given the urgency of our situation, that sort of utility is more valuable than precision and offensive magic. Since the loss of our colleague, Mason Tudram, our travel times have increased drastically, and support capabilities have worsened quite a bit. Whitney could help fill that void for now."
The scroll pulsed once more.
"Individuals like her are rare. But we must reach full consensus before inducting a noble's child in secret. Still, the times are dire. If it really is the Repentant Order, support is necessary. Make her a provisional member. Do not teach her anything truly sensitive. She is a child before she is a noble. Focus on movement magic, speed, and basic defenses. After observing her performance, we will decide how to proceed. I hope we need only use her for this mission. Inform her when you deem it appropriate. I will disconnect now."
The arcane light dimmed. The scroll went dull and silent.
Both women sat in thoughtful silence.
"Captain," Dianna asked, "Should I tell Whitney to meet us here tomorrow or the day after tomorrow?"
Sxailar gave a quiet nod.
They discussed a few remaining details before Dianna excused herself. The office door shut behind her with a soft click, leaving Sxailar alone once more, engrossed in deep thought.
...
In a winding dungeon far beneath the surface, two cloaked figures sprinted through the twisting stone halls, their footsteps echoing in tandem with distant screams and the sobs of dying comrades.
"Who is that?" one whispered harshly, panting. "Why is he hunting us?"
"I don't know," the other replied, eyes darting behind them. "We have to regroup. The others already escaped."
"But we didn't even have anything worth this. The artifact was already moved two weeks ago."
A voice suddenly reverberated from back where they were running from:
"How did you dodge th—"
Hearing that, the two cloaked figures promptly stopped talking and started to run even faster.
They could hear the screams of plea and pain of their comrades. They were both plunged into an unspoken silence.
As they ran, they couldn't do much but think. Think about everyone who they had seen lose their life.
James...
Yene...
A man standing over carcasses of their comrades. He wore a large coat and black gloves. His hands were bloody. The friends and countless memories, gone just like that. Bodies on bodies of their loved ones stacked on top, with fright and hopelessness in their still eyes.
I was there for Jason's wedding. I was there for the birth of his first child. He is just gone.... Just like that.
An empty feeling swept over one of the hooded figures. His pace started to grow slower.
She was just a child. She had only been with us a year. I still recall her sobbing while lying down near her deceased parents' bodies. We saved her because she would just die like that in the cold winter... She was a bright child.... Did she have to die like this?
The second figure's whole body quivered in fright and sorrow.
They both couldn't help but think:
Why did they have to die? Is this a test? What kind of test is this...?
The two figures kept on running for their lives.
Soon at the end of a series of turns, there was a set of stairs.
As soon as the two figures reached the foot of the flight of stairs. They noticed something they had failed to notice before. The sounds of screams and pleading had stopped.
The entire dungeon was filled with a terrifying silence.
As they looked back, there was no sound, just a veil of darkness.
The back of their necks suddenly was filled with goosebumps. It felt as if they were being observed. As if they were animals imprisoned in a cage, just waiting to be killed.
They started to climb the stairs and pushed open the trapdoor to the outside.
...
The serene light of the moon was a direct contrast to the terrifying silence back in the dungeon they came from.
They were in the middle of the jungle. In the chilly atmosphere of the spring night, the light of the moon bathed the whole forest with a terrifying but yet calm look.
The two panting figures looked around to block the trapdoor with something heavy to buy themselves time. Soon, they found a medium-sized boulder that fit their description and blocked the door.
The two figures started sprinting as soon as they were done blocking the entrance to the dungeon.
They both started to sprint through the unyielding dark forest in search of their comrades and to escape from this situation they had found themselves in.
As the two of them were both engrossed in their own sorrows, they had failed to notice each other drifting further and further apart.
One of the figures soon realized they were alone when they turned to face their friend to ask what they should do next.
As the realization set in, the hooded figure was overcome with terror.
Should I yell? Where did that motherf**ker go? Why the fuck did she separate from me... Yelling will only give away my position. Even if he has not escaped yet... it would still be stupid of me. There are still many corrupted creatures roaming around....
After considering his options, he decided to follow the original plan and get to a city, then think about what to do next.
...
As he started running, he noticed that the trees seemingly grew denser and denser. The limited light that was permeating through the forest started to slowly grow dimmer and dimmer.
A chill ran down his spine.
He knew that the inner forest was denser... but was it this dense?
He kept on running, but his pace grew slower and slower.
After an unspecified amount of time, the trees had grown to be the width of a human body. Light had almost stopped coming, though; the only light was the little amount of light that somehow got through all the highly congested leaves.
The hooded figure was now quite tired and felt that he was sufficiently far enough. He stopped running and started to slowly walk forward.
Were the trees always this dense? I think so... In any case, this is exhausting. We normally use carriages and rarely come here, so I never knew it was this far away from the nearest town. This is exhausting. We were stationed here to get rid of any evidence we were ever here. Who knew this would turn out like this...? Why is h--
Before he could finish thinking, he caught a glimpse of something. A tall figure. As he was going to turn around, a slight breeze enveloped him from the back. Suddenly a sound echoed from behind it. It sounded like someone was rapidly approaching.
Fuck! Is he already here? I have to move quicker!
Then he broke into a sprint even though he was already dead tired.
...
At the top of a large tree, a figure was standing ominously. It was a man.
He was looking at the hooded figure running through the dense forest.
As if a dark veil were covering him, most of his face was covered. Only one thing on his face could be seen.
A Huge Grin.