The halls of Ferwick Imperial Academy echoed with the heel steps of Lady Lara Galahad, who was hurried walking with an opened letter in her hand. She couldn't believe it. Why was she being called to his office? It was her day off, and she was pretty certain she hadn't pulled any pranks lately on her easily annoyed cousin. Her head cocked to the side, dark brown curls falling onto the pale skin of her shoulder.  Lamps lit the way as she traversed her way on the path to the office of the High Defender. Lara fixed her hair tucking it back behind her ears, her nerves increased with every movement of her legs. She touched her caster at her side, a standard wand model, with half capacity still left. She wondered if she should have refilled it, but that thought was drowned out by the overwhelming worry she felt. She felt the dagger at her side, feeling the ornate engravings on it's handle. She pressed on it, the patterns transferring onto her fingers as she did so. There was no reason for her to have it- her cousin wouldn't attack her. It just felt good to have. It was a gift after all. A gift from... huh. She wasn't actually sure who gave it to her. It was like the person was a fleeting shadow in her memory.

The Academy was her least favorite place to be. Not just because her mom and cousin worked in it, but because it was just awful to be in. It was suffocating and made her feel sick. Memories of having attended the school before she had figured herself out and then even then as she felt she couldn't be her anyways haunted her. Even now she felt weird that her former teachers and a few classmates would see her as her. She would have just sneaked in through the secret passage but she had actually been in the training yard admiring the cute knights as they trained. Of course she wouldn't admit that if asked, she did not trust anyone she knew here to not tell the girls she was doing that. Sometimes she wished she was like her adopted brother and had no interest in anyone at all.

She waved at a few people who greeted her, being polite as she hurried out of the hallways that were used by actual people. Her cousin's office was out of the way which was good for the recluse but pretty shitty for anyone else to get to. She made sure to peek her head into her mom's room to say a quick hello before going on. Unfortunately her adopted sister didn't have class at that time so she couldn't embarrass her. She made her way into the governmental hallway, the muffled sounds of papers shuffling and men snoring leaked from the doors. She shuffled faster, no one in her way now to prevent her from going full speed.

The final stretch arrived, the eyes of former High Defenders stared down upon her with their judgmental painted eyes . Lara glanced from left to right as she walked, watching as the portraits became more realistic and their clothing more modern. Tired lines of old men soon gave way to young men and  women alike, slowly signaling the change from a position for retired mages to that only those the best young mages could aspire to reach.  And the latest of them all was waiting in the room behind a door at the end of the hall.

Lara approached the door and with a loud sigh pulled it open, and slid inside. From his desk the face of the twenty seven year old High Defender glared down at some papers on his desk. Lara waited a few seconds to see if her cousin would notice her, not really focusing on her surroundings at all. Annoyed she coughed loudly. Brio started, his black hair shifting wildly as his head jerked up towards the sound he just heard. He stood up and addressed the newcomer:

"Is that you, Lara?" He asked hair covering his eyes.

Lara rolled her eyes, "Yes, Brio. Fix your hair."

"Ah, good. You're late you know. Though I can't blame you this is out of the way isn't it. Though you could have used the back door you know" Brio replied pushing his hair back. "Ah, yes- would you like some tea?"

Lara thought for a moment before nodding. Brio picked up a cup and filled it with tea leaves and water. From a nearby flask a stream of opaque liquid came out and spelled out some runes that Lara couldn't read with his finger which glew and disappeared into a cup of now steaming hot tea. The woman moved forward and took it before sitting down.

"So like, why am I here. What are you too lazy to do yourself this time, Brio?" She asked.

"Oh, right. I do need to explain that for you." Brio stood up and pointed to a map of the continent. "Lara, I assume you know this area?"

Lara squinted to get a better look, "The Briar Dukedom, I think."

"Correct. You are to help Deidre and our other sister travel to the village."

"Why me?"

"Well, Uncle said he wanted people I knew I could trust and you are the closest to that. And a couple of details that are above your clearance level. Cysod stuff. Just guide them around the area, since I trust you to actually be able to do that without getting distracted or starting a fight. Just use all that useless mythology in your head to help them out."

The shock of Lara who had neglected to look next to her Deidre spoke, her voice soft and calm "Why don't you come along Brio? You lived in that Dukedom, you know. You never get out anymore. Or bathe "

"Lived? More like tolerated my existence in. I would rather view myself as a citizen of this grand city than the backwater hole I crawled out of. I didn't train to this position to have to ever return there."

"Don't you have family or friends there?"

"No. My parents are dead. My brother killed by my hand. And I was like seven so I really doubt I could recognize anyone in Aria anyways." He turned back to Lara. "You know all the myths of the area, right?"

"You know I do."

"Good. You leave in a week. Get all your affairs in order and be by the west gate at sunrise. Sunrise. I repeat sunrise, the time your third member hates to be up at." Brio then dismissed his cousin who went out the back way despite his protests.

"Lazy ass. I bet you're just embarrassed that people who knew you as a snot nosed brat would recognize you if you went." Deidre said.

"Think whatever you may Deidre, I care not as long as you can retrieve the item."

"And what makes you so sure that whatever it is is there?"

"They have said it is there. And they do not lie. Now you are dismissed." Brio drew more runes and watched as the chair that Deidre was reclining in slid out the door that Lara had neglected to close and then slid back in without her. Another rune and the door slammed shut. The sounds of light cursing and metal footsteps echoed from down the hall.

The High Defender turned to the map and stared. Of course it was there. They never lied. It was there- whatever it was. The key to the glory of the empire to continue and grow. The thing which his uncle and others had chatted about with bated breath. He could only imagine what it was, or to what it may lead to. But that was to the future him to find out. He still had stuff to do in the present, his position did not provide him the opportunity to waste thoughts on such things. It was best to keep a cool head, unclouded by doubts or hopes, at all times when so many people relied on him.

He turned to the mirror on his wall, and fixed his hair and straightened the collar on his cyan uniform. His yellow eyes stared back- the odd color complementing his pale skin well. Maybe a bit of sun wouldn't be so bad- Deidre was right about him never going anywhere. His eyes moved towards the door behind his desk which led to a passage to his room. He barely even left this section of the Academy, between studying runes and working as the High Defender- which in times of "peace" like these was mostly paperwork. Food was delivered at set hours and people always came to him. It was perhaps laziness as he had plenty of free time to waste but instead he used it to sleep or read the same passage of runes again trying to figure a way to simplify them. He hadn't even seen his uncle in a year, which was kind of weighing on his consciousness. After all he had raised him after his father and mother had died. Without him Brio would have never learned about his own magical abilities, that of Rune Magic. It was unlikely he'd of moved behind a basic caster without him. 

Brio sat back down and opened up a tome, "Greta Von Gertrude's History of Ancient Runes of Movement and Spacial Transference" a favorite of his. Soon enough he was lost in it once more.

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"It's bullshit. Damn asshole sits in his room all day and expects the rest of us to do all the work." Deidre slammed her fist onto the tavern bar, her once soft and calm voice now gone and reversed. Her messy blonde hair was a mess from her helmet, her straight bangs swept in both directions. Her round black eyes glared as her olive skinned hand grasped the stein she was currently enjoying.

The barkeep, a middle aged woman named Bridget Dalst, shook her head. "Wouldn't you grow to sloth as well if you had his position?"

"Well first off I wouldn't take his position. And second no. I can't stand being cooped up. Almost as much as I can't stand him."

"I thought you two were friends."

"Us? No. We tolerated each other, that's all."

"I certainly remember you going to Lord Galahad's estate quite often. Your father and he mentioned it quite a few times."

"I wasn't going to see him."

"I see. You want another?" Bridget asked pointing at Deidre's empty stein.

"Fill it, I have nothing better to do today."

Bridget took it and filled it back up. "I heard rumor you'll be leaving for a bit? What's all that about. Taking a boy you fancy with you?"

"I don't fancy any boys, Bridget. Just a mission. I am bring along Lara however and-."

"The Rune User?"

"Shush. That's classified info. If I knew what shitty drunkard royal told you that...” She trailed off looking around the room.

"Hun, there is no one else in the tavern. It's far too early." She glanced at Deidre's half empty stein. "Are you sure you don't have work to do?"

"Took the day off, I don't like subjecting my unit to the bad moods that asshole brings out of me."

"Language. Well, anyway don't drink too much- last time you did that I was getting bloodstains out of the ceiling for a month."

"I'll drink as long as you give them to me."

Bridget shook her head. "Great, then you'll pay for them right? Can't take credit right now, sorry."

Deidre's eyes widened as she coughed some of her drink out. "I'll just have one more and be on my way."

"That's a good girl."

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The professor watched as her students, save for one focused on using their wands to carefully burn designs in their wood. That one had always done theirs last night and since she wasn't able to practice publicly. At this point she was reading "A History of Magic: Pre-Colonization" which the teacher had suggested to her. After all, a Rune User needed a foundation in history no matter what her nephew claimed to the contrary.

Leannan Sioga sometimes wondered if the Magic Minister's idea to leave her in class was a smart one. The students were growing jealous over her lack of need to do class work. Even as adults they still couldn't escape their the jealous twinge from watching a twenty year old walk in and do nothing after they themselves worked and studied for years to get here. Didn't bother her too much though. She still did the work, and more than they did. None of the seventeen to twenty five year olds around her had to learn dead languages to be able to slice and blast stuff. None of them had to have knowledge of biology, physic, and so on to properly use the liquid in their casters.

It was kind of bullshit that their entire schooling usually just consisted of learning to control the flow of magic unless they were open to taking electives. Of course as a military school it made sense- but still. Sometimes she wished her Patron had sent her to a school out of the city where her reading the book in her hand didn't attract the gazes of her peers.

The bell soon rang and Leannan waited for the crowd to disperse before making her way up to Professor Galahad.

"Great lesson, must have been real hard for you mom."

"Not as hard as you had it, Leannan." 

"Ha ha, very funny mother. I heard you had something to tell me?"

"Yes, you, Lara, and Lady Deidre are going on a mission in a week."

"Oh, is Brio acting on those myths uncle is discussing then? Whatever they seek, I assume they all believe lies thereabout."

"Apparently so. My husband has authorized the mission so he believes in the chance at the very least."

"Very well, I guess I'll accompany the big dork and the Bloody Knight."

"Please don't call Deidre that. It embarrasses the poor girl. Baron Kaga is such a cruel person for using it in propaganda."

"Ah but embarrassing her is exactly the reason to use it, mom." Leannan smiled as she walked out the door.

Professor Galahad shook her head. She would have to chastise favorite adopted pupil about poking a sleeping dragon like that later, for now... She glanced at the pieces of wood still on the desks. She would need to begin grading her class's work before the school day ended.

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A figure flitted across the stones in front of the school. Lara waved them over and asked them to tell her father she was cooking for herself. They tried to argue that as a Speaker of Cysgod that wasn't actually their job but Lara was persuasive. She made her way back home, using a carriage payed with the prestige of her name to arrive in about an hour. She greeted the maids as she went to the kitchen, opening the icebox and pulling out a chicken. She flicked a match against the counter and lit the oven by tossing it in. She sliced some vegetables with a practiced hand and grabbed on of her pre-made spice mixtures and added a healthy helping of it onto the tray the chicken and veggies were rested on. She closed it and rested her head on the counter as she sat on a stool and waited for her meal to finish cooking.

One week and she would be off to the Dukedom. She had often wondered what her cousins home area was like. Brio wasn't much of a talker when it came to his past and the other one was a quiet short. In fact she only remembers someone mentioning it was famous for the theater- though who had told her that she had forgotten. It was probably the other one- the actor like the two's mother. She frowned. She regularly communicated with her but it was always hard to remember her when not in front of a letter. Weird. Deidre was probably a good choice to come as well. Not for protection, but to see the city girl act around normal people. Lara had actually left the capital once or twice, while the woods outside were the furthest Deidre had ventured.  Leannan would enjoy it with her as well.

She opened the oven and tore into the food, devouring it with a speed that rivaled a wild beast. Satisfied she made her way up to her room and fell onto the bed and into the dreams of what she was expecting to come.