---

 

Before she began speaking, she chanted and erected a wind Element Magicka barrier that kept sound inside the room. 

 

The conditions were more straightforward than he anticipated. 

 

First, she wanted him to continue his studies at the Academy regardless of the dangerous scenario that had occurred. 

 

Second, she wanted him to understand that what she tells him is strictly confidential and under no circumstances should it leave this room. Should the information leak, he will be removed from the Academy and persecuted to the fullest extent of her power. 

 

Third, he must keep an open mind.

 

Though confused by the last one, Remi hesitantly accepted all three conditions. 

 

Smiling, Lady Finnel began to speak to Remi about she knew about his pursuers. 

 

She informed him that they were people working under her young sister, Mari, who was the current Queen of the Sol Kin. For her own agenda, she wanted to capture or kill the illegitimate children of her husband, Kallo, the current King of the Sol Kin. 

Wondering what that had to do with him, Remi had a perplexed look on his face. Seeing this, Lady Finnel explained it to him.

"According to my sister, Remi, the current King is your father. This means, technically, my sister would be your step-mother."

Surprise and disbelief was on his face. While he knew his father was a man from the Sol Kin tribe, as his mother explained as such when they were younger, he had no idea it was someone of such significance. He wondered if it could really be true.

 

As if in order to answer his thoughts, Lady Finnel told him what she knew about it. 

 

Mari, shortly after the arranged marriage between the High Grove and the Sol Kin, found that her husband's heart belonged to another woman. As was typical for arranged and political marriages, it was nothing new to be in a loveless relationship. The problem, from her perspective at least, was that her husband was using resources to keep an eye on the woman, who did not live in the Sol Kin territory. 

 

What started as curiosity soon became obsession for Mari, and she used her own resources to follow and track down the spies working for her husband as they made contact with the woman. To her surprise, the report came back stating it was a human commoner living on a farm. The woman was said to have two twin half-elf children she was raising, along with another dark elf child, who were already around the age of 10. The boy had eyes depicting him as Sol Kin, making him extremely likely to be her husband's child. This male child would be the eldest son with a claim to the throne. Mari, who had recently given birth to a son herself, was outraged and demanded the capture or death of the child. 

 

"Little did she realize, however, just how incredibly resourceful you and your sisters were, Remi." 

Lady Finnel said as much, after she finished her lengthy explanation.

Remi, trying to piece together his thoughts, sat dumbfounded. He thought what she said held a lot of weight, and would explain the actions of those people throughout the years very well. To him, this was almost too good an explanation not to be the truth. 

"With all that said, to make sure you make good on your promise to uphold my first condition, I will do everything in my power to protect you and your sisters as students at this Academy."

As she declared her resolve to do so, Remi's emotions were in disarray. He could only voice a single word.

 

"Why?"

 

"Hm? As an educator it is only natural to try and protect the well-being of my pupils. Besides, technically, you would be my step-nephew, right? That makes us family in a way."

 

Grinning as she said that, she laid a hand on his arm on the bed. 

 

Remi's heart twinged for a moment at her mention of family. 

 

Many thoughts ran swiftly through his mind, throwing it into chaos. He wondered how he was going to explain this to his sister and Kari, how he was going to broach the subject with his mother in the future. He wondered if it wouldn't be better to leave this place, to get away from this woman. Now that they know he was here, the assassins would surely come after him again. His wondered if he could possibly trust what this woman was saying. 

 

Most of all, he hated the fact that some woman, his supposed step-mother who he had never met, had thrown his life into disarray. 

 

"Why?!" Remi suddenly cried out, startling the two women in the room. "Why is someone I've never even seen or talked to before so intent on ruining my life? I don't care about my father, or my Elven heritage, or anything like that! Why is she going to such lengths?"

 

As he screamed such a question while looking back and forth between the two women, they held expressionless faces, lacking empathy. Suddenly, Lady Finnel's face softened slightly, and she spoke in an even-toned voice. 

 

"The world isn't fair, Remi. The strong prey on the weak; the rich spit on the poor; the enlightened individual exploits the unlearned; the meek are forgotten, while the bold dare to oppose. If you want to know why my sister is going to such great lengths, Remi, you need only understand your place in the world. You, as an existence, are a threat to her ambitions, and as such she simply wants to eliminate that threat. Well, I also think there is some loathing at play, but that is a trivial point to her behavior."

 

Remi thought what she was saying made sense. It was cold, rational logic, which Remi could appreciate at the moment. He thought things through in his head for a moment longer, before speaking.

"I see. Thank you for telling me, Lady Finnel."

"Oh please, Remi, it was the least I could do for my sister's outrageous actions," she replied with a slight smile on her face.

"I have another question, if you don't mind."

"Go ahead."

"Did you know? About us, I mean, when we entered the Academy," Remi asked, uncertain whether he could actually trust this woman. Her answer here would help him make a decision. 

Searching his eyes with her own, Lady Finnel stared at him for a moment before sighing.

"Yes. My sister of course informed me of her endeavors years ago and the name Naslund came up several times. To be completely honest, I even informed her of your whereabouts here upon your arrival for the entrance examinations."

Remi closed his eyes as she spoke, berating himself internally for his mistakes. In hindsight, he wondered why he thought traveling to Ostes would help in the least to escape their pursuers. He couldn't help but laugh at his naivety.  

"Oh, don't beat yourself up, Remi. For a child, you have been extremely resourceful in evading capture. Please be at ease knowing that if I had any intention of handing you over to my sister, I would have done so by now."

As he looked at her, Lady Finnel smiled that mischievous smile once again. He wasn't sure what she was thinking, but he knew he couldn't completely trust this woman in front of him.

"So, what now?" he asked, unsure where to go from here. 

"Oh, that is simple. Just stick to my first condition: continue to attend this Academy with your family. As I said, I will do my utmost to provide a secure environment for you all."

Remi, who remained skeptical that she would go to such lengths as to oppose her own sister for someone she just met, glared at her with tired eyes. He knew this wasn't something she would provide for free, and the rumors of how powerful a Magician this woman was frightened him to even try to oppose her, especially in his current state. 

Noticing the meaning of his expression, Lady Finnel grinned wickedly. 

"Aha, I see you are indeed a bright boy. Of course, let me explain my reason for doing such a thing. Ahem."

She cleared her throat before speaking once more.

"Remi, I may call upon you from time to time to help me with some... projects, let's say. As to the nature of said projects, it is none of your concern for now. Consider helping me as payment for providing you a safe haven."

Being in no position to deny her, he nodded.

"I see. Then I have to accept."

"Splendid!" Lady Finnel exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "In that case, it will be a pleasure working with you, nephew."

Saying this, she once again held a mischievous smile. Lady Finnel then stood up and said her goodbyes to Remi, stating they will talk again in the future. Just as she and her assistant turned to leave, Remi had to ask something else on his mind.

"Ah wait a moment, please."

Remi inquired about a substitution for his place in the Class Challenge happening today. Lady Finnel looked to her assistant, Lina, for an explanation.

"Lunar Class made a request this morning, but Chaos Class, the challenger, fought against it. The rules state both sides must agree for substitution in a Magician's Duel, so they will be at a handicap."

The expressionless woman in white explained the situation, which left Remi upset at himself that he couldn't participate.

"Oh don't worry," Lady Finnel said casually. "Even though that child has a particularly nasty side to her, she doesn't seem to be all that bright. I am sure your Dark Elf will do just fine in your absence, Remi."

"That child?" Remi asked, curiously. "Do you mean Aisha?"

"The very same. She has her uses, but thinking isn't one of them. At any rate, I must be off as there is plenty of work for me to do as the Headmistress of this Academy after such a tragic event the other day. You should continue resting, Remi, unless you mean to watch the Challenge?"

"Can I?" he asked.

"If you feel up for it, I don't think anyone would stop you. Though, in your condition, I wouldn't advise it. I'd rather you not drop dead before you assist me in my endeavors. Now, let us be off, Lina."

"Yes, Headmistress." Lina said, right before collapsing to her knees, her hands clutching her head as she cried out in pain. Tears began streaking down her face.

As the clipboard she was holding fell to the ground, Lady Finnel moved to her side quickly.

"Lina! Oh, not now of all times!" She said with an expression and tone of voice filled with desperation and anxiety. 

Unsure of what to make of the event, Remi could tell Miss Vargel was in emotional distress accompanied by physical pain. Though he was under no obligation to do so, he wondered if he might be able to assist her suffering. 

"Lady Finnel." 

"What?!" she screamed at him, while searching his eyes. Grasping what he meant to do, she nodded and spoke in a worried tone.

"Please, help her if you can." 

As Remi invoked his personal spell, Vigor, covering his body in a golden aura to help alleviate the pain, he got up from the bed and took clumsy steps toward the crying woman. 

Lady Finnel watched him with cautious yet curious eyes, as Remi reached out and touched his palm to the woman's forehead. Invoking his Restoration Magicka spell, a green and white vibrant light flashed in the room, the origin of which came from Lina's body.

Shortly after the light faded, Lina stopped her cries of pain and blinked a few times. 

"Sarina?" she said in a tired voice, while looking into Lady Finnel's eyes. 

"Yes, I'm here Lina." Lady Finnel declared, as she embraced Lina's head, holding the woman to her chest. 

Breathing a sigh of relief that it worked, Remi stepped back and flopped into the chair behind him. 

"Did it happen again, Sarina?" 

"Yes, Lina, it did, but you're okay now." Lady Finnel said, while caressing the woman's cheek with her hand. Lina gave a tiny smile on her expressionless face and leaned into the hand touching her, lovingly. 

Remi grasped the relationship between the two watching this exchange, but said nothing. 

Lady Finnel then turned her head toward Remi.

"Thank you for helping her. That spell of yours is magnificent."

"It's only natural to help those in need," he said casually, with a shrug. "I couldn't stand by and do nothing while she was suffering. By the way, does that happen often?" 

After hesitating to say anything, Lady Finnel explained it happened infrequently, maybe a few times a month. As a chronic complication from a backlash of a failed Spirit Magicka spell nearly two decades ago, Lina occasionally gets extreme headaches with associated blackouts that usually lasts upward to an hour or more. Thoughts of being able to alleviate the condition with Restoriation Magicka came to their minds, but they were never able to find someone who possessed the capability. 

"To think, your spell worked like a charm. It instantly alleviated the symptoms and brought her back in one piece." Lady Finnel said clinically, while half in thought.

Turning her head toward Remi, Lina thanked him.

"Truly, thank you for helping me." She said, her expressionless face twisting into a tiny smile for a moment. 

Remi just responded casually, saying he was glad to help. 

"Remi, we must be going now but I would like to know more about that Restoration Magicka spell of yours." Lady Finnel declared.

"Certainly, if I can learn about the one from Magister Fena." Remi boldly declared back, offering a trade.

Grinning, Lady Finnel said she would see to it. Once again thanking him and stating they would talk in the future, the two women left the room while Remi sat in quiet contemplation.

Remi knew he had a lot to think about in regards to this situation. Before that, however, he'd like to watch the Class Challenge. 

 

 

 

While slowly making his way to the Eastern Training Grounds, despite the protests from the medical staff, Remi suffered through the pain every step brought him. Even with his Vigor spell, the pain was nearly unbearable, but his sheer will to watch Kari and his class participate in the Challenge allowed him to press onward.

 

After making it halfway to his destination while classes were still in session, Remi could tell the sun was descending within the cloudy sky. The dark clouds to the northwest seemed to spread out wide on the horizon, heralding an impending storm coming their way from beyond the sea.

 

Thinking about several things he and the Headmistress discussed, he clenched his teeth both in pain and despair. He needed to discuss everything with his sister and Kari, but was unsure how to broach the subject. He knew they wouldn't talk about such things, so he had no fear of the information spreading, but he wasn't sure if he should tell them in the first place. 

 

While his mind was in disarray, a young-sounding voice came from behind him. 

 

"Oh, if it isn't Naslund. Hello!" 

 

Stopping to turn around, Remi laid his eyes upon the child-like Sabuki Seno, with her black twintails blowing in the wind. 

 

"Ah, hello Miss Seno. What can I do for you?" Remi asked, as he began walking slowly toward his destination once again.

"I just happened to see you on my way back from Student Council business, you know? I see your injuries are as bad as the rumors said." She said as she frowned, then a bright smile appeared on her face. 

 

"I also wanted to say hello to a fellow co-worker!" 

Remi felt confused at her words. 

"Co-worker?" he asked tentatively.

"Mm-hmm, that's right. I heard from Lady Finnel yesterday that you would be joining the Student Council soon as our new First Year member."

Remi froze, wondering what she meant by that.

"Huh?" 

"Yeah, that's about the reaction I suspected." Sabuki said, with a laugh. 

Remi wasn't sure what to make of the words being said. He had no desire to join the Student Council, and Lady Finnel told her yesterday, while he was unconscious, that he would be joining them. He pondered if the Student Council had some tie to Lady Finnel beyond the norm. 

"Uh, Miss Seno, does that mean...?" 

"That's right, you know? You and I are the same. Lady Finnel has her eye on both of us and wants to keep us close." She explained, while making a cute giggle.  "I guess we'll soon be working together. I'm looking forward to it, you know?" 

After saying as such, Sabuki winked at him. Thinking it was just one thing after another, Remi groaned in pain, and began walking again.

Asking her how he was made to join the Student Council, Sabuki explained that a First Year student was taken in as a new member every year at the end of the first month of school. Usually the position goes to the student with the highest average examination scores, but it is a voluntary role. If the student declines the position, the next appropriate student is chosen, and so on until they agree. This system can be bypassed, however, by a direct recommendation from the Headmistress. 

Apparently, Remi wasn't even near the top of the list, but Lady Finnel had recommended him to the Student Council and declared he had accepted the position, pressuring them into making him the new member. He was to begin Council work at the start of the 5th month, much to the chagrin of the other members. 

"I see," Remi said, dejectedly. He realized that woman was steps ahead of him, and he would truly be under her thumb if he remained here. 

"It's not so bad, being part of the Council. It's just some extra work, but you do get some perks, you know?" Sabuki tried to cheer him up, understanding the position he found himself in.

"So how about you, Miss Seno? Does Lady Finnel have something on you and all the Student Council members?" he asked, interested in her answer. He knew it was unfair to ask what, since he didn't offer up his own circumstances, but he was curious. 

Shaking her head, she answered him in a quiet voice. 

"Not the others, just me." 

She sighed, hesitating to talk about it. 

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Remi said, noticing her reluctance. 

"No, it's fine, you know? I went somewhere I shouldn't have gone and saw something I shouldn't have seen. Instead of being expelled, Lady Finnel gave me the option of helping her out with some projects. After seeing what it meant to be expelled, I didn't have a choice." 

Something from her words just now nagged at him. 

"What it meant to be expelled?" he repeated, with a curious tone.

Her eyes widened as she looked at him.

 

"So, you didn't know. Oh, please don't say anything to Lady Finnel," she begged him. "I wasn't supposed to say anything, but I thought since we were in similar positions it may have been for the same reason. Oh, I'm so stupid." 

 

Seeing her frustrated with herself, Remi couldn't help but hold a wry smile, as he understood her feelings. 

 

"Don't worry, I won't mention your slip-up, but it does have me genuinely curious. Could you elaborate?"

 

Shaking her head furiously, Sabuki calmed down then spoke.

 

"No, I better not, you know? The only thing I can say is... Actually, better yet, I have a question for you, Naslund."

 

"Go ahead, Miss Seno." Remi said, interested to hear the query. 

 

"Why do you think the dormitory has rooms for 400 students, when we accept 126 every year?" she asked, with a serious expression on her face.

 

Remi pondered for a moment, as he never considered the circumstances. Truly, with only 400 rooms and not always equal distribution of males and females, sometimes males or females had to live in the opposite dormitory building, but he had not given any thought as to the lack of rooms for more than 100 students who should be in the Academy. 

 

"Ponder that, Naslund," she said with a small smile on her face. "I better go since classes will be over shortly, you know? I hope you get better soon, and look forward to working with you in the future."

 

Sabuki waved as she took off at a jog toward the Classroom Building, leaving Remi with his restless thoughts.

 

He thought that there was far too much information dropped on him within the last couple of hours, and he needed time to sort it all out. 

 

Between the fact that he was pursued even in this closed Academy and the one pursuing him was his supposed step-mother, some woman he never met—who married a father he never met—all for the sake of some paranoid delusion, he just couldn't fathom the reasoning; it was beyond him to understand. 

 

Also, having to now be under watch by Lady Finnel, who has some projects he needs to assist her with in the future, left him feeling uncertain about his future at this Academy. After the talk he just had with Sabuki, Remi felt as though there is something strange going on at the Academy, more so than just strict curriculum and rules. He wasn't sure if the change was directly because Lady Finnel and her administration, or if perhaps it stemmed from something beyond that. 

 

Shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts, Remi made the judgment to inform his family properly and make a collective decision from there.

 

Soon enough, Remi arrived at the Eastern Training Grounds, where students from both Chaos and Lunar class were arriving prior to the appointed time. 

 

After greeting those who came to speak to him, Remi was scolded by both Kari and Rem for being out of bed. He told them he had to be here to cheer them on at the very least, which made Kari and the other participants of the Challenge grin and renewed their resolve. 

 

He needed to speak to his sister and Kari and break all this information down. They could be trusted, but he also wondered if he shouldn't burden them with all this, since they seemed to genuinely be enjoying their school life. This last week, except for the more recent incident, has been really pleasurable and fun for the three of them. Between meeting new people and learning a lot of things even with review lectures, he thought he'd like to continue his life here, but he wasn't sure if it'd be safe.

 

While mulling over all his concerns, he continued to walk with determined steps when Remi felt as if there were an ominous pressure looming over him. Glancing to the northwest sky, he watched as the ominous storm clouds slowly crept toward the Academy.

 

Within 20 minutes of his arrival, the first Class Challenge of the year began. 

 

 

 

 

 

"Wow, I didn't think you'd ace their entire team, Miss Vinton!" a voice exclaimed in surprise from among the crowd. 

 

 

The Class Challenge ended in a spectacularly short amount of time. 

 

Silvia Vinton, the tall, fit woman with long, thick braided black and blue dyed hair, smiled widely at the praise, her large brown eyes shining with satisfaction. She was the first to duel in the Class Challenge from Lunar Class' roster and the only one who volunteered besides Remi. In the end, the 20 year old Silvia made short work of all of her younger opponents with her dizzying display of martial prowess mixed with Element Magicka concurrent chanting. One by one, the roster from Chaos Class was crushed by this woman. The only close call was her match against Aisha of the Northern Forest, who used the same style of combat and Magicka techniques. In the end, the fight came down to experience, which Silvia had in spades versus Aisha's practical training. 

 

 

Blushing from the attention she garnered, Silvia ate her dinner at the cafeteria with the rest of the Lunar Class. They were all there in celebration of the victory over Chaos Class. Everyone was there except one person: Remi Naslund. He had excused himself after congratulating her while giving her his honest praise, saying he had to get back to the infirmary to rest. Borrowing the shoulders of his sister and that Dark Elf woman, Kari, he left shortly after the Challenge was over and the two women returned to the cafeteria thereafter. 

 

 

While some of the students were sad Remi couldn't be at the celebration, others were relieved. The rumors of him being a murderer, despite the deaths of those assailants being justified self defense, were spreading quickly amongst the student body of the Academy. His reputation for being a violent person was already well-known based upon the opening ceremony event results, so the "Fiery Forest Disaster", as the students were naming it, was the icing on top of the cake of gossip surrounding the young man. Some students believed there were no assailants and he set fire to the forest out of spite or to get attention, which was, of course, preposterous. 

 

 

Silvia didn't think much of the various rumors, as she chose to believe her friend and benefactor over anyone else, and her friend sang his praises daily. For a young woman who was often soft spoken and of few words, Silvia thought it amusing how her friend could talk on and on if the topic was Remi Naslund.

 

Smiling wryly at the musing, she turned her focus to the celebration at hand and enjoyed the evening. 

 

Soon after the celebration was over, Silvia returned to her dorm room and flopped onto the bed, arms stretched out, her body exhausted. Smiling once more at the memories of the afternoon and throughout the evening, she closed her eyes and began falling asleep.

 

Knock, knock. 

 

Jolting awake at the sound of rapping on the door, Silvia sprang out of bed and gazed through the glass peephole in her door. Smiling at who had come to visit, she grabbed the silver orb nearby and unlocked the door.

 

"Welcome, Mistress. What brings you here this evening?"

 

After Silvia politely bowed in greeting her benefactor, she ushered the young woman inside and closed the door while locking it. 

 

"Please, have a seat anywhere you'd like. I can make some tea quickly, Mistress, if you desire some."

 

The young woman shook her head.

 

"No it's okay, Silvy, I don't need anything. Besides, didn't I tell you you didn't have to be my maid while we're at the Academy?" 

 

Frowning, Silvia didn't know how to respond to the question. It was a certainty that her mistress told her to stop her duties for the duration of their stay at the Academy, but it was something Silvia enjoyed doing. 

 

"You did, Mistress, but it is something I choose to do of my own volition, so long as we're in private. Unless it causes you discomfort?" 

 

Silvia asked, hoping she wasn't causing her mistress undue hardship. 

 

"No, it's fine Silvy, don't worry about it."

 

The young woman gave her a small smile, which made her heart leap with joy. Silvia, for years, had not seen this young woman smile on their long journey. It all changed upon their arrival to the Academy, where she reconnected with that man. 

 

"So, Mistress, what can I help you with?"

 

"I just came to congratulate you. I heard you won your Class Challenge single-handedly. Good job, Silvy."

 

The young woman smiled once again, and embraced Silvia who wore a stunned expression. The normally deadpan and aloof young girl was beginning to open up once more, as if the last several years of strife was being washed away. It brought tears to Silvia's eyes as she returned the hug in earnest.

 

"Ah, Silvy, you're squeezing me too hard!" 

 

Loosening her grip, Silvia released the young woman from her grasp slowly.

 

"Thank you, Mistress! I did my best as you advised, and was able to overcome this obstacle for my class. Even that man you admire was impressed by my performance and told me as much."

 

Reporting to the young woman happily, Silvia couldn't help but boast of her accomplishment. Seeing the smile fade from the young woman's face, Silvia thought she said something wrong.

 

"Mistress?" she asked with uncertainty. Not seeing her respond, she got more nervous. "Kat?"

 

"Oh, my, it's nothing, Silvy," she replied, shaking her head. "I was just thinking once more how terrible it was that Remi nearly died. The opponents he faced must have been serious trouble, but Rem and Lady Kari won't tell me anything. They don't trust me and I just want to help." 

 

The young woman frowned, while closing her eyes in thought. It hurt Silvia's heart to see and hear her in distress. Thinking of a potential solution, she voiced it to her mistress whose eyes lit up at the prospect.

 

After discussing it with Silvia, the young woman came up with the plan to visit and talk with Remi often while he was stuck in the infirmary. 

 

"You're right, Silvy! I'll do it." she exclaimed with vigor, which filled Silvia's heart with joy once more. 

 

Shortly after, the young woman took her leave for the evening to get some rest. Wearing a bright smile, Silvia got ready for sleep properly. After getting into her bed, she closed her eyes and whispered to herself,

 

"Good luck, my Lady Felspeth." 

 

 

In a dark, cavernous tunnel, two individuals were walking hand-in-hand.

 

 

With only a small Magicka Lamp to light their path, they walked carefully so as to not step into any of the several pitfalls laid throughout the expanse. 

 

Winding this way and that, the tunnel progressed further into the mountain nearby Aristes Magical Academy. 

 

"Sarina."

 

The voice of the woman was soft, holding a degree of hesitance, as if she had something on her mind. Sarina Finnel, who held the woman's hand, answered back. 

 

"Mm? What is it, Lina?" 

 

"Do you think it was okay to lie to that boy yesterday?" 

 

Lina Vargel was feeling uneasiness well up inside her at the thought of making enemies of that young man. 

 

"You mean Mister Naslund? It's a calculated risk, Lina. What he doesn't know won't hurt him, and what doesn't hurt him will make him stronger, which is good for me. No, good for us."

 

Sarina replied while squeezing Lina's hand, who in answer squeezed back. Lina was unsure of what to make of the situation after being told of the boy's desire to help her that morning. She knew she did not know the young man very well, and only received bits of information about his situation from Sarina, but she felt as if the boy was not deserving of treatment he was getting from Sarina or her sister. 

 

"Besides," Sarina said. "I only told him a single lie. He will be of great help if he becomes cooperative to our endeavors, that much I am sure of."

 

Hearing her lover's confidence should have brought Lina peace of mind, but anxiety still swelled within her. The power that boy exuded at his young age frightened her, despite his good nature. If that man were to turn on Sarina or herself, she wouldn't be able to do anything; especially since her body can no longer manipulate aetherik due to her blunder decades ago. Beyond that, she did not dislike the boy after meeting him the other day. 

 

Thinking such things, Lina and Sarina took their time as they progressed through the tunnel, since they were in no hurry. Soon enough, though, they reached their destination. 

 

 

In front of them, placed perfectly between either side of the tunnel walls, was a large black mithril door. The door, like the tunnel itself, was roughly 3 meters tall and 5 meters wide. Next to the door on either side of it were two plated panels, with a hole in each the size of a fist. 

 

Sarina and Lina each took out from their pockets a fist sized orb of silver, then placed one in each hole in the panels. 

 

Shortly thereafter, an audible click was heard, followed by many more in quick succession. After several seconds of waiting, the door slowly slide aside, into a hole in the cavern wall.

 

They retrieved their orbs and the door slowly started sliding back into place. As it did so, the two walked through past it and entered into a vast hall chamber of carved marble and granite. The room was illuminated magnificently by various large Magicka Lamps spread throughout the walls as well as the ceiling. Several stone tables held magical devices and stacks of books and papers, loosely arrayed as if for referencing. 

 

On the far west end of the chamber held numerous small rooms, each with several spaced mithril bars as if to keep whatever was inside imprisoned. Inside a few of the rooms, the two individuals could see young men and women sleeping on the beds provided them.

 

On the northern end of the chamber were two huge rooms carved out of the mountain. In these, several trainees consisting of young men and women were lined up and being given instruction by men in military garb. Those trainees who didn't listen or failed to carry out orders were harshly rebuked and punished with whips and Magicka. 

 

One of the instructors, who was taking a break nearby, noticed the two individuals arrival and walked over to greet them. 

 

"Ah, Lady Finnel and Lady Vargel, welcome back."

 

A middle aged man with a serious and hardened face, muscular physique and dressed in green and black military garb stood before them. He had rust-colored eyes, fair skin and long pointed ears with short cropped brown hair. This man was Elias, a combat instructor from House Silverspire.