Chương 72: Chapter 125: Your Eternity

The situation at the end of Ryland's visit was resolved rather quickly. Especially since Ryland himself had helped ensure that the struggling guard was no longer suffering. Ryland was just glad that no real violence or magical shenanigans had taken place. No one had gotten hurt. No one had caused any real chaos. He was satisfied enough with that. Even if his welcome into Rhel was frostier than was strictly necessary, Ryland considered things to have gone as well as they could have gone.

That said, Ryland couldn't leave without some compromise. The eventual deal they settled on wasn't ideal, but it probably could have been a lot worse. After all, he'd had that rescue force present to help twist things in his favour. Not that he'd have needed them. He could have twisted the guards' arms himself after he had helped that confused fellow. In the end, they had settled on a shadow temporarily tailing him.

"Is it actually temporary?" Ryland asked.

"Or will you be tailing me for the rest of my stay on Rhel?"

"It's my duty to accompany you wherever you go, Marionys Ryland," the guard captain from the other day said. He had calmed down a great deal, enough to give diplomatic non-answers. The appointment hadn't been his idea, but he was dealing with it as professionally as he was able.

"For the time being. To ensure that nothing untoward happens." Ryland glanced appreciatively at the tall, gilt-edged windows lining the hallway he was walking through.

"I see. Well, thank you for your efforts." Yulkaviel grimaced a little apologetically.

"My sincerest apologies for the inconvenience, Honoured Guest Ryland." He gave the captain a soft glare, who soundly ignored it.

"And for any disrespect implied by our actions. This is merely a security precaution for all involved. Not just for us, but for you too." Ryland nodded. He didn't quite agree with an assessment like that, but he also understood that further arguments would just complicate the situation even more. Best to keep things steady, so long as he wasn't particularly inconvenienced. For the time being, Ryland was being taken on the tour that he had missed thanks to his little escapade with the guards.

He had tried to intimate that he didn't really need one, but Yulkaviel had been rather adamant. The old elvhenan didn't want Ryland to miss out on anything the institute had to offer. So, for the time being, Ryland pretended he hadn't ever been at this exact location before. To be fair, quite a few things were new. It had been centuries, after all, and this edifice of an institute hadn't existed back then.

Sports fields that changed terrain with the help of Glyphtech, towers that floated between different locations, the forested mountain of a menagerie that predominantly hosted all sorts of winged manabeasts including drakes, they were all new to him. Rhel certainly hadn't been idle over the centuries. As they toured, they came across the rest of the Arcoryx contingent. They were taking part in the last stage of their initial tour, before they'd start their first classes at the institute.

Viren came over with a fierce smile and a scowl for Yulkaviel.

"They haven't tried to do anything to you today, have they, sir?" Viren asked with surprising protectiveness. Ryland shook his head with a smile.

"I have acquired a new shadow, but it's nothing I can't handle." He pointed at the guard captain, who pretended to remain stoically unaffected. Viren focused his glare on the man.

"Can I put an Inscription on him, sir? It'll burn his underwear whenever he does anything that bothers you." Yulkaviel choked and the guard captain's stoic stance almost broke. Ryland laughed.

"I don't think that will be necessary. Also, are you even capable of something like that? It sounds like a rather complicated Inscription."

"I—um—oh look, there's Acrypha. And one of the new friends we've made." Ryland eyed Viren suspiciously but decided to move on and let him be for now. He was intrigued by the new friend comment, especially when he spotted that the student they had befriended was from the institute. His armoured uniform stood out starkly against the robes of Arcoryx Academy. Although, he wasn't the only one.

Several of the institute students were strolling amongst the Arcoryx group, and Ryland was relieved to see that they were getting along well. Yulkaviel excused himself for a little bit to go check on the other group.

"Greetings," the institute student said to Ryland in a soft voice.

"My name is Tezar. I've heard a lot about you, sub-Academ Marionys Ryland. Your pupils revere you a great deal."

"I wouldn't call it reverence," Acrypha said with a slight flush. Since the institute student was speaking Rhellian, she had switched to it too, and had gotten rather good at it over the month they had spent learning.

"Just an understanding about the difference between us and sir."

"Glad to meet you, Tezar," Ryland said.

"I appreciate you've taken Viren and Acrypha here under your wing. They'll need your help to navigate Rhel."

"It's my pleasure, sir." Viren crossed his arms.

"I can navigate Rhel just fine by myself." Then he adopted a smoother tone after a glare from Acrypha.

"But a little help doesn't hurt." Tezar laughed softly, and Ryland smiled.

"Sir," Tezar said, lava eyes glimmering in the soft light of the day. Those eyes were basically the only thing indicating he was a golemite since the rest of him was far too covered up by his armoured uniform to discern his other features.

"Will you be taking a class here soon?" Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Ryland nodded.

"Intuitive Magic, yes. I'm not quite certain you have a course like that here at the Rhellian Institute, and if not, then I think my class will be quite novel."

"I look forward to attending, then."

"It's great!" Viren turned to his new friend with a sparkle in his eyes.

"You'll love it. It's going to show you magic you've never even thought of before." Tezar slowly smiled out a challenge.

"What kind of magic would that be?" Viren matched his smug look.

"I don't want to spoil the surprise. Just go over there and experience it for yourself." Ryland wasn't quite sure if praising his class like that was a good idea. He wouldn't want the institute students to come in with sky-high expectations just to be disappointed, after all. Which meant he would just need to make the class properly worth it. The students left soon afterwards, continuing on the final rounds of their little trip before their classes would start. Ryland wished them all a great first day.

But with that done, and with Yulkaviel returning, he had room to ask about other things.

"What was with the arm yesterday?" Ryland asked. Going by Yulkaviel's tiny frown, the Second High Adjutant was clearly aware of what had transpired within the guardhouse, which was what Ryland had counted on.

"I believe I know the source, or can surmise it, but how has it grown so powerful under Mavar's stewardship?" The captain finally broke his stance with a scowl, likely mad at Ryland using Mavar's name directly. Yulkaviel held up a hand to forestall any unnecessary statements from him.

"The spell was the work of the Hand of Freedom. They're a rebel group, as you've probably figured out, and all they want is to tear apart the very fabric that Rhel has rested upon for time immemorial."

"Which only heightens my confusion as to how they've grown so powerful. Kindly Mavar isn't known to be very kind towards those who threaten Rhel's security."

"Indeed. It's something of a concerning conundrum. Not even the Great Mavar knows just how the insurgents are managing to acquire the power they've been gifted. We understand there has to be someone behind them, and we're making efforts towards uncovering who that is, but the culprit remains elusive." Ryland hummed. This was none of his business, of course, but he was still intrigued. The magic this group had displayed the other day at the guardhouse had been very impressive.

More than what a group of ragtag rebels should have been capable of. For the time being, he had to satisfy himself with the answer he got. That would have to be enough. Right now, he needed to think about the class he needed to conduct. The Rhellian Institute had seen fit to gift him an enormous hall for his lecture. It could probably fit at least five of the classrooms he used at Arcoryx Academy. And more importantly, it was nearly filled up with students. And it wasn't just Rhellian students.

Ryland would have understood if it was a mix of Rhel and Arcoryx youths attending his class, but there were two more uniforms he didn't recognize. Ah. More magic academies. It appeared Arcoryx wasn't the only one Rhel had invited as part of this exchange semester. Ryland frowned. Had anyone on Arcoryx's side been informed? This felt like an overly significant bit of information to have left out. He also wasn't sure why he had gathered such a crowd. It couldn't have been just from Viren running his mouth, right?

Had the Rhellians said something about him to their students? Did they know about his history on Rhel and how he was intricately tied to its formation and initial establishment? Did they know how much he had contributed to Rhel surviving long enough to flourish in the first place? Ryland discarded those thoughts. It didn't matter. The other students appeared curious about things too. Ryland would simply need to carry out his teaching duties as he always did. Plus, Viren and Acrypha were present as well.

He took his position at the centre of the podium. It was raised so that even those at the far back could spot him without difficulty.

"Welcome to Intuitive Magic," Ryland said, using a small application of his Soul Glyph of Rift to send out his voice everywhere without really needing to raise his volume.

"I will be your lecturer for the duration of this exchange semester, Marionys Ryland. Before we begin, allow me to make one thing very clear." He paused, letting the suspense build for the time being, hooking all the students' interest. Several looked like they were on the verge of asking just what exactly he wanted to say.

"You've learned and followed a great deal about the Grand Frame, something you've been using for a while now on Rhel, or so I've learned," Ryland said. He smiled, this time leaning into his enigma.

"I'm here to teach you that there is far more to magic beyond the Grand Frame itself."

"Sacrilegious!" one of the advisors screeched.

"Truly horrendous!" said another with rising volume. The light from the crystal panes from the throne room window made his bald pate shine like it was made of metal instead of skin. A third began pacing around the throne room.

"How was this not investigated prior to this exchange semester?" Kindly Mavar looked on with his face resting on his fist, a bit bored by proceedings. Sometimes, the way his advisors reflected the tiniest flicker of his emotions was quite amusing. On this fine day, it was slightly aggravating, and somewhat boring besides. The process was far too familiar.

His oh so honourable advisors would flap their mouths and utter anything and everything they could think of, right up until Mavar ended the entire "discussion" with a single, simple order. This time, however, things were a smidge different. Someone else was coming in first, so for now, he waited. His patience wasn't tested that day for the doors to his throne room opened before long. The woman went down on one knee as the advisors quickly threw themselves towards the walls, all but hissing at her.

Her dark hair complemented her white, armoured uniform, and more than that, she was happy to exercise the sheer power that Mavar had gifted her. That more than anything was what kept his advisors cowed. His favour. His grace. His judgment. They knew where they stood with regard to how he saw everyone, and so, they dared not act beyond their Mavar-given position.

"Your Eternity," she said, addressing Mavar.

"Your prophecy turned out to be true, as always. The magic of Marionys Ryland interfered with our proceedings, thereby allowing the Hand to get a temporary hold on one of our own." Mavar said nothing in reply. This wasn't unusual. The Hand of Freedom breached the airtight security of Rhel every so often. Mavar couldn't afford to get worked up about every single instance it occurred. But this one was special. This one had Marionys Ryland involved.

"Will you deign to act, Your Eternity?" the Second High Adjutant asked.

"It's alright," Mavar said. His words were deep, resonant, connecting straight to the souls of his followers. They all turned to him with the bright light of fervour burning zealously in their eyes. Such a comforting light.

"I invited him here. This is all part of the plan."

"The plan," the Second High Adjutant said with reverence.

"The prophecy. Your Eternity is wise beyond comprehension."

"Things will proceed as we see fit. There is no need to be concerned." The High Adjutant bowed her head even deeper.

"I am deeply ashamed to admit that I still have found no trace of the Hand's source. A hand must connect to an arm, then to a body, but it has remained disembodied so far. I will not end my search so easily, however."

"Fear not," Mavar said. His words projected confidence. In his domain, under his purview, nothing material would ever occur without his approval. Without him knowing about it first.

"The Hand will unveil its source when it reaches too far. And when it does so, we will be there to take advantage."

"Indeed, Your Eternity! Patience is our greatest ally. Time will take care of everything. As you say so often."

"Indeed. Keep an eye on developments. Ensure things move forward as you see fit. Reduce your security measures regarding our strongest guest. And make sure the Great Pious is kept at bay. We don't want him or his companions exceeding their… hand, after all." The High Adjutant's eyes widened like he had dropped a great truth upon her. His advisors were more or less slack-jawed. Mavar went back to sitting boredly with his face on his fist, staring at nothing and everything at once.