Opening my eyes as the first rays of sun hit my face, I sighed, trying to ignore the stench beginning to rise from the corpses. The smell reminded me of when I was young and had, on occasion, helped the servants dispose of spoiled food.

Pushing up to my feet, I ignored the unpleasant odor before turning and taking one final look around the room. It had been my home for most of the past year, and a pleasant one at that. I had never had a real place of my own, and I felt a glimmer of regret at destroying it.

Squashing the sentimental nonsense beneath my heel, I clenched and unclenched one hand before pointing it across the room, directly at one of the crystals I had left there. Once it was pierced, the effect would be explosive, powerful enough to set off the other five I had left nearby, on the table next to the window.

Powerful enchantments reinforced every bit of the room, doors, walls, and windows included, but that was all the better for my purposes. If the crystals' force and energy had nowhere else to go, it would concentrate inside this room. If the tournament events were any indication, such an explosion would destroy the dormitory and, with it, any evidence of what happened.

Gathering more mana than necessary, I compressed it into an Arcane Beam, carefully preparing the spell. I only had one chance at this, and it needed to be perfect. Releasing the attack, I immediately pulled on my ring, activating its teleportation effect and reappearing in the forest, just above Cortos' sanctum. I had left my bags and travel supplies there, where I had fallen underground months prior.

I heard a muted booming sound above my head, and I looked up to see smoke and glass fly out from where my room was located. The entire wall shimmered, immense volumes of mana briefly filling the air as some inherent enchantments activated. I winced before looking down to Fortuna, who stared up at me with an almost-human expression of amusement.

For someone who seems to dislike attention, you certainly know how to draw it to yourself.

Ignoring him, I kneeled, grabbing my bags and slipping them onto my back before pulling up my hood. Accidents happened, and I felt confident my "death" would be attributed to an argument or experiment gone wrong, but I needed to leave immediately just in case.

Fortuna leaped into one of my bags, curling up inside and yawning before closing his eyes.

Wake me when we are outside of Volaris. I am curious to see how Ferris has changed in the past centuries.

Nodding, I pulled on the ring and teleported again, moving as far from the Academy and into the Upper district as possible. Several stops later, and I made my way towards the main gate atop a horse, with packs of supplies strapped to each side of the mount. I had chosen to head south, towards the Wandering Cities as my first stop on my journeys. Their territory had one of Cortos' sanctum, and I felt confident I could find a way to reach it, even with the tense relationship we had with the Tinkerers.

And if I found useful knowledge in their cities along the way, maybe I could make use of it. The constructs I encountered during the tournaments were only a pale imitation of their technology, and if their cities could fight off even Archmagi, they must have powerful secrets.

In the end, I decided against leaving a letter for Amelia or telling any of the others. If I told her what I planned, she might choose to come with me or try and stop me, neither options in my eyes. More than that, if she believed I was still alive, it would be unfair to her.

Although it stung to acknowledge, we were little more than friends who wanted to be more, and it would be wrong to try and ask for her to wait or harbor feelings for me when I might not return for years. If I returned, maybe I could pursue something then, but telling her about my plans now would be unfair to both of us.

Still, despite the bittersweet feelings caused by leaving behind my home, friends, and Amelia, I felt confident that I was making the right choice. Cortos had chosen the name Archon to mean only he could rule over himself as a way of rebelling against his king, but I felt the title should mean something different.

If Archon represented a ruler, then that is what I would become. But I would rule over my own destiny, making a better one and not following the path laid before me. I would save Ferris and myself, but through my own choices, not through following the doomed fate that I saw.

With that resolve in mind, I pressed my heels into the side of my mount, sending him into a gallop, headed down the southern path from Volaris. And despite the temptation, I did not turn back to look at the city behind me.

Standing in the middle of the room, Alexandria examined the remnants of what was once a room, now little more than a charred husk. The shattered wreckage of furniture was scattered around the room, and the far wall was little more than an irregularly shaped rectangle, leading out to a dizzying drop.

Several adepts were already working to repair the damage, frantic to keep the spatial enchantment from failing. If the distortion broke, the result would be catastrophic as the structure returned to its proper size.

Against one wall were two charred corpses, barely recognizable as human through the extensive burns covering their flesh. She was briefly reminded of a candle left to burn too long. The energy of Aether mana once more sent a shudder down her spine, and she wondered how terrifying he could have become if left to reach his full potential.

"Which apprentices are unaccounted for?" she asked, turning to one of the adepts nearby.

Looking down at a board in his hands, he paused before replying, "There are a few dozen students who have not left for their estates, my lady. We have located most of them, but I have noted the ones still missing."

Holding out her hand, Alexandria skimmed the list, a scowl coming to her face. One of these bodies must be Duke Sion's brat. He had attempted to pouch Vayne in the past, and it seemed he had come here to try again. Tensions between the two must have risen to the point of exchanging blows. The Duke had several children, but Flynn was by far the favorite and heir apparent. Easing his wrath would be a challenge in and of itself.

"Mighty fine mess you've caused while I've been away, eh Alexandria?" a voice said from behind her, interrupting her thoughts.

She glanced at the nearby adepts, commanding, "Leave us." before turning around. Her secretary paused for just a moment too long, and she waved one hand, teleporting him from the room without bothering to turn to him.

Standing in the doorway to the room was a man, nearly seven feet tall and slim and covered in thick brown and black robes. His skin was deeply tanned, and his bare forearms were marked with dozens of tiny silver scars, shaped into intricate runic markings. Despite being in his mid-thirties, his hair was still deep black, without a hint of white.

"Elden. I am surprised you have returned so suddenly," she remarked, giving him a respectful nod.

"I finished up my task faster than expected, so I figured I would swing by and see if I couldn't catch the end of the tournament. After all, I wanted to see our potential Archmagus. I heard that he might have gotten stronger than either of us. Shame he went and blew himself up." he remarked, walking into the room before casually throwing himself down as if flopping onto a couch. Before he could hit the ground, a dozen plates of stone appeared, floating in mid-air and catching him without the slightest tremor.

Alexandria grit her teeth, not for the first time infuriated by her fellow Archmagus. Elden was nearly unbearable, with an overbearing arrogance and casual demeanor towards everything matched only by his supreme might in battle.

"Yes, it appears that the boy was not as intelligent as I had hoped. What a waste. Judging by his talents, he could have become something special."

"I would've loved to get in a match against another Archmagus actually suited to battle. By the Founders, if it hasn't been years since I've had a good challenge." Elden remarked, shaking his head with a disappointed look on his face.

She knew from experience there was little, if anything, that Elden truly valued. Much like the legendary Torros, Elden had no time or interest in titles, gold, or land. However, unlike the vaunted Archmagus of old, he was an entirely selfish man who pursued battle only to test his skills and improve them.

"More importantly, his skills would have been crucial for the conflict ahead. Has King Lyos shared any news with you?"

Waving a hand, Elden replied, "Artus has given bits and pieces of visions, but nothing concrete."

The damned seer was impossible to predict or understand, his sanity fragile at best. The human mind was not meant to retain a permanent link to the Astral Plane, and Artus was growing more unstable by the day. Still, it was only due to his talents and a few scattered reports from Awakenings over the past few decades that they even knew of the oncoming threat.

"I do have something you might find interesting. Lyos has decided to make some alterations to his plans. Apparently, the tournament results proved interesting, and he has decided to expand his original strategy."

"How so?" she asked, folding her arms and staring down at Elden. Despite her withering glare, he did not respond at first, reaching into his cloak and retrieving a flask before taking a long drink.

"Sorry, I was a bit parched. As I was saying, Lyos noticed that there were several dozen powerful young apprentices, and he decided to help cultivate their talents. His plan is to snatch them up, pump them full of our best resources, and put them through the most intense training we can cook up. Now that we lost a potential Archmagus, I would bet anything that he will be even more determined to make that happen."

"Interesting, but hardly my concern. In a time of crisis, drastic measures might need to be taken."

"Keep that pragmatic spin on it in mind. Your daughter is on the list of candidates he wants to be brought in."

Any observer would think she had been told that it would rain the first day of summer, judging by her mildly disappointed look. Internally, Alexandria briefly toyed with the idea of razing the palace to the ground and throwing the king from the nearest mountaintop.

"Kidnapping and forcing teenagers into service is a mistake. It will only breed contempt and rebellion in their hearts and minds. Hell, this boy is the perfect example of why such tactics backfire. If we had let him train and develop without restriction, he might still be alive. By restraining his potential, we only encouraged subterfuge and dangerous experimentation."

Snorting, Elden responded, "Yes, and leaving him to his own devices worked well, I take it? If I recall correctly, you were supposed to keep an eye on him and use your famed mental magics to keep him in check and out of trouble. Yet under your watch, our best defensive measure was lost. Some might say your family is once more working against the crown."

The implication was all but blatant, and Alexandria clenched one hand into a fist as her mana rose from her body. Elden noted the motion, and the edge of his mouth turned upward as the ground beneath her feet rumbled, just barely perceptible in her rage.

"I might have lost my chance at fighting that boy, but it seems I might have another challenge right in front of me," he commented, a glint in his eyes.

Staring at one another, their mana clashed and melded, struggling for supremacy against one another. For an adept or even a master, their energy would be visible but without real physical effect. However, with two Archmagi, their power caused cracks to run along the walls and floor, threatening to rip the room apart.

Finally, Alexandria sighed, slowly relaxing and letting her mana recede back into its core. A battle against him was unlikely to go her way and would do nothing but prove the accusation still levied against her family. She had not dragged them back up from the abyss just to lose them because of her temper. Besides, she still had enough power and influence to keep her daughter safe, though it would be difficult.

"Fine. I will...acquiesce to King Lyos' decree," she stated, turning his eyes down to the floor.

"Excellent! Well, if it is all the same to you, I will leave you to your devices. You have a school to repair and families to contact, and I have a feast waiting for me at home. Have fun, Lexie." he said, standing from his earthen chair and turning before walking from the room. As he strode, she heard him whistling an upbeat tune, taunting her almost as much as his informal, flippant nickname.

Taking a moment to collect herself and slip back on a mask of calm professionalism, Alexandria reached out and telepathically contacted the adepts she had dismissed. They still needed to complete their repairs, and the sooner they finished, the better. With just a single, lingering glance at the boy's body, she turned, walking from the room and heading down the hallways towards her son's office.

She could not say for sure how things had gotten out of her control so suddenly, but something told her he was at the bottom of it. And she would have her answers, no matter what it took.