Chapter 7: The Introduction
Arner's voice spread and seeped through the rear carriage of the train, whose light brown color reflected the mysterious atmosphere of the city he had left just three days ago. He had lived there for sixteen years—his entire life offered to this city. The city of Korma. The city of Lady Frinta, one of the six nobles.
What? Am I going back home? I haven't even stayed three full days.
Kard: Well, yes… but I expected your mother, being a Baropatris and head of a wing in the city under Lady Frinta's supervision, would introduce you to much of her experience.
Arner (to himself): He looked up, as if waiting for a rain of nostalgia, his face caught between confusion and longing.
My mother… even though she raised us well and taught us morals, I only learned about her role as a Baropatris through a call with my father.
And she… she used to see my birth as a tool.
But despite our last conversation, I still feel… something. Something strange.
Am I… strange?
Kard (looking at Korma's unusually bright sky): Alright, we've arrived.
Half an hour later, they stood before a massive door, so massive it seemed to announce the grandeur of what lay behind it.
Arner stepped forward, leaning slightly on the railing. He looked around, turning right and left… again, right and left. His eyes scanned the space, searching.
Where are they? Where's Tyrea? Where's Mom?
A man appeared, wearing a coat the color of a dark night sky, his features cheerful, with blond hair.
Man: Sirs, how may I help you?
Arner (surprised, to himself): So this is the Ryk Wing, the one my mother leads. What a huge place.
I'm Arner, and this is my cousin Kard. I'm the son of Lady Asila. We came to meet her.
Man: Of course, Sir Arner. A pleasure to meet you both. You may follow this path to the end, then turn.
I apologize, I was supposed to escort you, but one of the factions is on the move. Again, I'm sorry.
Arner: No worries. Thanks for the directions.
On a long, narrow path, like a feeling that had always accompanied the two companions.
Kard (to himself): Arner seems nervous. Is it…? I thought the issue, his birth, was resolved with what Uncle Train called the final dinner.
But things like this aren't forgotten so easily.
Understanding what happened and what you must do doesn't mean you've moved on.
Arner (to himself): The factions are moving?
I need to understand quickly.
What I don't know is far greater than what I do.
He took a deep breath, a deep, heavy breath, as if pausing life itself, then opened the door, the door that stood between him and his mother.
Asila: Alright, I'm Lady Asila, head of the Ryk Wing in Korma. Welcome, my son… Arner.
Arner showed signs of slight relief, but his longing was still visible.
Arner (to himself): She's my mother, the strong woman whose calm nature I inherited.
I must forget the past.
She admitted her recklessness, and her love for me.
The reason doesn't define who she is.
Hello Mom, how are you?
Asila: Really? What's this? Aren't you going to hug your mother?
Arner: No, no, I didn't mean that. You're the head of this place, and being your son makes me feel I should act formally.
Asila: Well said. That shows you're maturing. A sixteen-year-old speaking like this… I'm proud.
She turned, her eyes barely open.
Asila: Kard, I haven't seen you in a while. How's your progress with the Patris test?
Kard (placing his hand on his chest): I'm doing well, Lady Asila. The Patris test still requires a lot of training.
Asila: Good. I hope you reach a category that matches your effort.
Don't focus only on the body, train your mind. That's the real goal.
Kard: I don't think I'm that smart, ma'am. Not like you, a Baropatris of the King category, sixth specialty. A category worthy of your strategic mind.
But I think Arner will reach that level.
Asila (to herself): Arner will take the Patris test?
I know Kard wants to become a Baropatris to search for his mother.
But why Arner? Wasn't he trying to understand the Evolution Map?
Asila: Arner, why do you want to become a Baropatris?
Weren't you searching for the meaning behind the map?
Arner: Yes, my goal still stands.
Asila: Good. But shouldn't you join the Interpretation Union?
Arner: I ruled it out. I doubt its credibility.
Asila: Really? Don't you know they discovered Governor Ombrial's warning and Lady Ivera's messages?
Arner: But they froze. No progress. No new discoveries.
That's why I decided to become, if I do, a historian.
Asila: A historian? What does an old profession have to do with your goal?
Historians record the past. Your goal is discovery.
And what's your reason for becoming a Baropatris?
Arner: A historian, in my case, might write the future instead of the past.
Because I believe the map's contents could change the future.
And if I'm the one to uncover it, that's a great honor.
I'll use the power of the Crystal Domains to defend myself.
Because knowledge is hard to obtain, and I'll be working alone, but there.
Asila (to herself, with a faint internal smile): His goal surprised me. It's good.
But his motivation, curiosity, can make him abandon his purpose quickly.
Still, his curiosity is unusual.
Not for just anything, but for things that truly intrigue him.
So I'll dismiss my theory for now.
She stood from her chair, placed her hands on the table, and spoke seriously.
Asila: To absorb the power of the Crystal Domains, you must become a Baropatris.
And to resign, you must serve at least five years in one of the six noble cities.
But I have a solution.
I'll make you an exception.
Once you become a Baropatris, you'll work under me, then I'll fire you.
Arner (to himself): She gave me the problem, then the solution, instantly.
Is this really my mother?
She's a bit different.
She never voiced her opinions in front of my father.
But she's truly smart.
But wait, we came so you could show me and explain everything I don't know.
Mom, tell me about the High Assembly, the six cities.
Asila: Alright. But focus carefully.
This might seem complicated, but it'll help you later.
Arner (to himself): Help me? How? Why?
She continued.
Asila: The six cities are ruled by the six nobles.
They're the few who reached the Noble category in the Crystal Domains.
They were elected through confrontations, not primitive ones, but in three stages.
First, a confrontation of capabilities, each presents their strengths, like strategic thinking or planning.
Then physical strength, the stronger wins.
Then combat, if the previous stages end in a tie, they fight.
Each noble governs a city.
The cities are scattered across the world.
Each city is divided into wings, neighborhoods, and each wing has its own leader, like me.
Despite sharing the same goal, the cities differ greatly in their methods.
Arner: What is their goal, exactly?
Asila: To counter the movements of the Obsession Parties.
They're corrupt, hidden factions tied to the High Assembly, a political entity linked to the Castle of the Granting Governor.
Their goal is to cross into the world of Sira.
We don't know how they plan to do it.
Arner (to himself, overwhelmed by the flood of information): What?
So much complexity.
I understand the nobles' goal and the cities' structure.
But what I still don't know is…
Mom, what is the Castle of the Granting Governor?
If the corrupt factions belong to the Assembly, does that make it evil?
And what does it mean that the cities differ in their methods?
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