20.

The town at the foot of the mountain could hardly be classified as a village by Neo Regnum’s standards. Maybe a hamlet, but even that would be generous. Lynn walked through and noted that these Silvians appeared far more rugged than those at the library, many of them sported beards like his own, only less well kempt. They avoided eye contact as he and Constell walked through the street. However, despite their rude treatment of nobles, Constell never seemed to notice or care about their disrespect as he carelessly whistled a foreign tune. They strolled through the street until they reached the last shack on the road. Here, Constell lifted a hand and told Lynn to wait outside. He entered the building only to almost immediately poke his head out again.

“Come on in, we really scored tonight. Got a roof over our heads tonight and a bed to sleep on.”

Lynn entered and instantly had his senses assaulted. It looked like someone attempted to take down a condemned building but forgot to finish half way through. The walls had large holes punched in them and the wooden foundation and ceiling showed signs of waterlogged rot. It reeked of rot, he had to fight the urges to gag as the air itself even tasted foul. The whole building creaked and threatened to fall apart at any moment. Lynn dodged around rusted nails protruding the molding planks of flooring as he carefully navigated over to Constell, who stood next to half a dozen rotted beds.

“We got lucky. Got the whole building to ourselves. Was a bit worried that all the beds would be taken.”

“Why in the all gods’ names would any of these beds be taken? Let alone all of them. It looks as if we might fall straight through at any moment. Sleeping outside again would even be more comfortable. At the very least, it wouldn’t stink.”

“Ah, my naïve friend, Lynn,” Constel said. “What fauna have ya spotted since ya’ve arrived on this island?”

Lynn thought back, attempting to recall any animals he’d spotted. “There haven’t been many. I’ve seen birds and a few squirrels…maybe more, but I can’t remember anything else at the moment.”

“That should be about right. Ya see, Silvian Island has almost the same fauna as Neo Regnum despite the flora being incredibly different; although, it’s far more scarce on the island. Which means we have some less than friendly bears up here on this mountain and, unlike your bears back home, they actively hunt humans as prey. Having less lunch options makes them a wee bit less picky about what they're chomping on. Ya see why sleeping outside might be a bit of an issue for us? Yesterday we were still out of their normal hunting grounds when we slept but now we’ve officially entered bear country,”

Lynn considered what Constell said. “Okay. That makes sense. But why are we staying in this hole? We passed at least half a dozen buildings with four walls on the road. We’re noble, can’t we commandeer one of their homes for a night?”

“I don’t suppose ya noticed the delightful members of this village? They’re less than keen to get to know new people. This whole place is self-sufficient, they separated themselves from the Silvian Library over a century ago.” Constell glanced around as if worried someone would hear and smiled with a glint in his eyes. “If ya ask me, the inbreeding’s made them meaner.”

Nodding Lynn said, “Okay. And this building is a place we can stay where they won’t kick us out?”

“Exactly! Trust me, I’m enjoying this far less than ya. This is a very large piece of rotted garbage. Last time I was here, our guide told me this was the only place in town we could stay. I suggested to my dear brother that he talk to the villagers about getting us better accommodations since they seem to speak his language of grunts, alas he refused. Get this, he had the gall to grunt at me in response. Like I’d know what that means. Anyway, it’s open to all travelers and I’ll say it doesn’t look like it’s improved since I’ve last been here.”

Lynn sighed and dropped himself on an ancient bed which sagged, threatening to collapse inward under his weight. Reaching in his pack, he tore a chunk off a stiff loaf bread. Nibbling on it and staring up at the drooping ceiling, he dozed off.

He woke in the dead of night. Slivers of light broke through the gaps in the woodwork. In a mixture of dismay and relief, Lynn realized he had become nose blind to the reek of the building while he slept. Looking around, he realized Constell no longer sat on the adjacent bed. His pack still sat at the foot of it, but Constell himself appeared to have disappeared, swallowed by the night. Well…either gone into the night or fallen through the floorboards. The second option was hardly farfetched.

Lynn put his head back on the disgusting bed and closed his eyes. Sleep continued to elude him.

He sighed and pulled a book from his pack. He’d given most of the books he’d collected to Vivian but this one had been small enough to justify slipping in his pack. There weren’t actually any rules established against taking books out of the library. Just sharp consequences for sharing the contents with individuals not permitted access to the higher levels. He flipped through the book grateful it had been his left eye he’d lost, not his right. His left eye had been the inferior one and, with it alone, he would have required spectacles to see. He might not have any depth perception but Lynn could at least read without issue. At least, when the proper lighting presented itself...which the shack did not provide for him.

Sighing, he shut the book. He considered looking for a candle in his bag but opted against it.

Making certain to watch where he stepped, he made his way out of the shack. Outside, Lynn looked up at the cloudless night sky filled with starlight and a bright half-moon. Lynn cracked open his book once again and found himself able to read with the better lighting.

The air felt crisp down his throat as he breathed it in. The taste sent his mind back to the time after his city’s collapse when he’d spent a winter alone in a cabin up in the mountains. That had been where he’d truly learned how to live with his broken body. A servant came up once every two weeks with supplies, but, other than that, he had been completely isolated with only his books to study. Someday he planned to return to that cabin and live there with Elton.

Lynn sat on the porch steps of the broken down house and spent the rest of the brisk night rereading about the culture of the citizens of Mortium. The book seemed to be a copy of the original but even still it must be over a hundred years old. Lynn acknowledged the fact it was likely to be outdated but he had not been able to find any more recent records on the subject of Mortium culture, no matter how thoroughly he scoured the library. No sources presented themselves anywhere.

With maybe the exception of that boy, Rin. Lynn knew he should have approached him with more questions but just the thought of walking up to the ghostly, white haired boy and asking for help made his blood boil. Maybe it might seem arrogant to an onlooker, but he refused to grovel to his family’s killers for answers. No, there were other ways. Rin might have a few insights on the more modern structure of Mortium but Lynn doubted someone as young as Rin had nearly the amount of knowledge that he managed to gather through his recent readings. Outdated or not.

At least an hour passed until Lynn fell asleep with his body slumped forward, face in the book. Eventually Constell’s silhouette woke him as he stood over Lynn, looking uncharacteristically disheveled. Lynn groaned and raised his hand to shield his face from the sun behind Constell.

“I see ya couldn’t sleep in the shack either. But probably not the best plan to collapse outside with only a thin jacket on. Ya’ll catch a cold,” Constell told him.

“Where did you go? I woke up and you weren’t on your bed anymore.”

“Ah, well, ya see.” Constell blushed and avoided his eyes. “Last time I visited here I made a...friend and I wanted to visit my friend. Don’t worry about it. It doesn’t affect ya. I’m ready to move on up the mountain if ya are.”

Lynn got to his foot, his joints creaking with protest after sleeping through the night on a porch. He had a suspicion about what kind of ‘friend’ Constell had been meeting up with, but he was right in that it didn’t affect him.

“I am ready. Let’s go.”

Constell clapped him on the shoulder and led him away with a smile. The mountain loomed over them as they started up an overgrown path towards it. The path twisted and Lynn would have lost sight of it completely if Constell hadn’t known where it went. To his surprise, Lynn didn’t have to call for the first rest. Constell practically begged him to stop as he guzzled down water from a hip flask.

“Damn.” Constell gasped for breath. “I forgot how horrible this hike is. If I had remembered I wouldn’t have suggested it. Owen practically bounded up this mountain when we came. I forgot how much I loathe him with his perfectly physically fit body. I don’t even have him here this time to pull me up the cliffs up ahead. Woe is me, Lynn. Maybe I’ll just lie here until ya decide to give up and go home.”

“There are cliffs up ahead?” Lynn’s heart sank. “Is there a way around them?”

“Not unless ya want to try bush whacking over to the other side of the mountain, but that’s where all those bears I mentioned before live. Plus, I don’t think there’s actually a real path up to the lake over there. I know that a stream passes through that side of the mountain coming from the lake but I didn’t notice any way down. But if ya want to try we can. Fighting a few man-eating mammals can’t be any harder that this damn hike, right?” Lynn remained silent to the question. “Wait, Lynn. I’m joking. There is no way ya’re getting me to try to climb the other side. This side is horrible but that side is definitely worse.”

“I’m not exactly a mountain climber, Constell. If that side lets us get to the lake without climbing I think it might be worth considering. It might even be safer.”

“Trust me. It’s not safer. I’ve heard horror stories about those bears. One young lady once told me of her older sister who went over there with her betrothed, trying to get some alone time to gather experience pre-wedding. The older sister came back limping and alone, with a nasty gash from her calf to thigh in the shape of three massive claws. Something ripped out a part of her kneecap. Still to this day hasn’t spoken of what happened out there.

“Anyway, ya knew there would be climbing involved, I made certain to specifically mention it when I attempted to persuade ya not to come. But, I do have an inkling of an idea of how to get up the cliffs. It might help you make it up without falling and breaking the rest of your body.”

“What’s your idea?”

Constell grinned. “It’s a secret. Ya’ll find out once we get there.”

“I think you should tell me now so I can fully assess our situation. ”

“Awaken your sense of mystery. Secrets are fun, Lynn. Ya’ll find out once we’re there. And it’s not up for negotiation. We are either going to the stupid cliff or we’re heading back to the library.”

Constell put his water back into his pack and resumed hiking up the switchbacks that made up the trail. Lynn followed and immediately almost slipped on loose slate, but caught himself with his right hand. Unfortunately, the slate still left jagged scrapes in his palm. He grimaced but simply wiped his hand on his pants and continued after Constell. Finally, when they reached the top of the walkable slope, Constell turned to him.

“Okay, I’m going to climb up. Wait here.”

Constell looked uncertain but grabbed a hold of the rock and slowly began ascending the cliff face. Lynn wanted to ask him again what his plan was but found himself too out of breath for the question to be worth the effort.

Constell took a while, pausing every five feet or so to glance down at Lynn. The wall had to be at least forty vertical feet but Constell did manage to pull himself over the edge eventually. His head peaked out from above and he grinned fiercely down at Lynn.

“I made it!” he said.

“I noticed.”

“Here ya go.” Constell dropped a thin string down to Lynn but it blew over in the breeze. “Silts, okay Lynn, I need ya to grab that and tie it to your belt.”

Lynn glanced at the string blown to the side five feet out of reach. “That’s not going to support my weight Constell. And I couldn’t reach it even if I jumped for it…which I won’t be doing mind you.”

“Just do as I say. I’ll bring it over for ya.”

As he spoke the string swung over to where Lynn stood. Hesitantly, confused as to how Constell sent the sting over to him in such a direct path, Lynn tied it to his belt with a sloppy one handed bowline.

“It’s tied on,” he called up.

“Tight?”

Lynn tugged it lightly. “Yes.”

“Okay, let’s test this out. Try to keep a hand on the wall just in case it gives out,” Constell called down to him.

The string then tightened and Lynn watched in amazement as light brown sand curled down the string’s length to his belt. The sand weaved string began lifting him upwards. Following Constell’s instructions, he kept his hand to the stone as he ascended. Twice, the sting jolted, threatening to give out, and his heart jumped into his throat; however, the string, even unstable, managed to keep true all the way to the top. Lynn grasped the patchy grass and ripped it up from the roots as he scrambled up the ledge.

He lay on the dirt ground gasping and staring up at the cloudless, blue sky for several minutes. Constell’s head blocked the sun as he gaily peered over Lynn.

“How was the trip?” he asked with laughter in his voice.

“I haven’t had to fight an urge to swear at someone this strongly in my entire life,” Lynn said.

“Ya should be thanking me. I got ya up the impossible. And do ya know how difficult that was for me? I almost passed out twice getting ya up here.”

“I noticed,” Lynn grumbled. “This had better be worth it.”

“That depends on your adaptability, I have no control over whether or not ya’ll be able to adapt to using your Mystic ability. And…if I were ya, I wouldn’t hope for too much. It took me over a year to learn how to do what I can. Not exactly an overnight kind of venture.”

“I understand that. But I still need to learn as quickly as possible.”

“Why? Ya won’t be able to go back to Neo Regnum for several years and it’s not like ya’re about to impress anyone here on Silvian Island…unless…are ya trying to impress Vivian by catching up to her? That’s adorable, Lynn!”

Lynn forgot to breathe for a minute as his face turned scarlet. “N-no. You’ve got it completely wrong. I told you before-”

“Don’t worry about it. For such a noble cause I’ll try to speed up your lessons.” Constell winked at Lynn. “I’ll even keep it a secret.”

Lynn opened his mouth to protest but closed it, sighing internally. If it motivated Constell into teaching him Mystics faster it would be worth the misunderstanding.

“Ya know, she really is a beautiful girl. I can’t look down on your taste. And it seems as if she’s clever as-”

“So who was your mentor?” Lynn interrupted.

“Ah, speaking of beauty. My mentor was a gorgeous lady. Every day I spent with her was a day I spent basking in awe. Like the warm sun. There was never a moment with her I didn’t appreciate. Then again, I only did ever have one moment ever with her. But, oh, it was wonderful.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m glad you asked! Eyes sparkling like gemstones. And there have never been fuller lips on any woman I’ve met. Her hair fell onto her shoulders like-”

“Let me rephrase, why did you only spend one moment with her?”

“Oh…well not every mentor is as hands on as me. I only met with her once, on the day we were paired together, from there I was simply sent the occasional book by her servant. Her servant instructed me to ask any questions to him and he would recite them to his master for me.”

“But you said your mentor had you study sand.”

“Tutor, not mentor. My mother hired someone locally to...help motivate my studies.”

They sat there in silence for a while, looking over the island from their vantage point. A few small lines were drawn into the thick forests which Lynn recognized as the paths to the library which appeared like a toy miniature castle. Beyond that, the city beneath the library spilled out in an almost artistic sprawl. Finally, the green sea stretched out into oblivion.

“This is a beautiful island. There’s nothing like this in Neo Regnum,” Lynn said, breaking the silence.

“Do ya miss it there?” Constell asked almost reverently.

“I don’t know. I miss my family. I miss my life before. But I don’t know if I miss the country. The land is rough and cold. Even the southern parts of the country still have harsh winters. And the people. Have you ever had to work with someone extremely passive aggressive?” Lynn asked but didn’t wait for a response. “It’s a bit like that, only everyone and everywhere. The people hate the nobility for their taxations and obvious lavish expenses but still live in fear of the stories of what the Mystics did hundreds of years ago. The nobility lives in a constant state of attempting to one up one another. Everyone is an enemy in their eyes. It’s a struggle for power but all while attempting to be as polite as possible. You’ll only ever hear the kindest compliments until you put an ear to the door and listen to the whispers. Honestly, it’s exhausting.”

“You describe it differently than Rin. He made it sound like a place where celebration is always on hand and the people are always well fed and jolly.”

Lynn sat up, his pensive mood broken by the mention of the Mortium boy’s name. “Why would he know anything about my country? Has he been there? Do you know when he was there?”

“That boy is a mystery to me. Half the time he’s as chipper and witty as a lark and the other half I see him being melancholy like…I don’t know, something really sad. He’s been here for a while, I’ve seen him since was allowed to enter the library two years ago. He told me a little about Neo Regnum but maybe it’s just heaven on earth in comparison with Mortium. I think he spent a little time there before coming here. He doesn’t like to talk about his childhood. It’s like attempting to pry a pearl out of an oyster bare handed.

“Anyway, let’s get moving again. We want to get up to the lake before nightfall. We still have plenty of hiking.” Constell stood and patted his immaculate clothing as if to knock off any stray dirt that wasn’t actually there.

Lynn stood as well but action caused a dizziness which almost made him lose his balance and fall. Constell grabbed his arm, steadying him, and gave him an ear to ear grin.

“Thanks,” Lynn muttered.

He steadied himself and followed the other young man up the slope. After they passed the tree line, only a few bushes grew and they were clumped together. Scrawny weeds still peeked out of the dirt for them to trample on though as they continued their way up.

As callused as his blackened left stump might have become over years of using his fake leg, he still knew without a doubt it would be heavily bruised the next morning. Every five minutes he called after Constell and begged for respite. After several hours of their stop and go pace, they finally summited the mountain. Lynn fell to the ground. The chill air around him froze his sweat drenched shirt to his chest and, as he ran his hand through his hair, he found it resembled icicles more than the black mop which usually resided atop his head. He sighed and shivered. He hadn’t been this cold since his time living in the mountains.

“We’re al-almost there,” Constell said through chattering teeth. “J-just over that ridge.”

Finally, Lynn took the last few steps to the peak. From there it plateaued and a massive frozen lake stretched out in the center of the flattened area. Lynn gaped at it for a long moment.

“This island is volcanic? I couldn’t tell from the geology. None of the soil seems volcanic but I suppose the vegetation is thick which could be a result of the fertile dirt,” Lynn said more to himself than Constell.

“Wr-rong. This bottomless frozen lake is n-not the peak of a volcano.”

“What? It’s fairly obvious this island was created from a volcanic eruption. It’s out in the middle of the ocean, its soil is rich with minerals, and there’s a humongous hole in the top of the highest mountain. There’s not room for debate on the subject. There’s simply too much evidence to argue.”

“Ex-except ya’re wrong,” Constell stated as smugly as possible while stuttering. After watching Lynn’s perplexed expression for a minute he continued, “Let’s g-g-go inside and I’ll explain. There’s a cabin just over th-there.”

Lynn sighed and followed Constell to a modest wooden cabin on the bank of the lake. They entered and Lynn found it only contained a single room but in it were several beds with thick blankets, a fireplace, and a closet filled with fur coats. In all, it was significantly better living than where they had stayed in the village the previous night. Lynn took a coat graciously and sat on one of the beds. He stared Constell down as he waited for him to explain.

After a moment Constell, who remained standing in front of Lynn’s bed, grinned, cleared his throat, and spoke. “Ya see, I haven’t actually shown you the most essential part to any of the Mystic Arts. It’s all impossible without…this!” Constell flung his hand out from within his white cloak and presented a vial of white liquid to Lynn on an open palm.

“Savirelet?” Lynn asked, recognizing the liquid from the test weeks ago.

“Precociously! This right here is the key to being a Mystic. It’s also why we keep the Silvian Library on this island.”

“Can you elaborate?”

“Alright, you see, let’s begin with Savirelet. Savirelet is an element which is completely useless to any normal person. As far as the scholars have been able to tell, only a Mystic, or a potential Mystic, can do anything at all with Savirelet. But in the hands of a Mystic, Savirelet is everything. We are completely useless without it. Remember that sand rope I used to pull ya up earlier?” Using his other hand he tossed an empty vial onto the ground from within his cloak. “I spent Savirelet to make that possible.”

Lynn nodded as he began to understand the concept. “So we convert Savirelet into something else. That’s why during the test the vials became filled with something new like electricity or ice.”

“Exactly, if you weren’t able to do that, you would have absolutely zero potential as a Mystic. Some nobles can, some can’t. I’ve heard it depends a lot on your lineage but it’s not an exact science. But, whenever any of us want to do anything involving our abilities, we are entirely reliant on Savirelet.”

“What about Vivian? She didn’t have any Savirelet when I saw her use her abilities.”

“Ah, now that’s a different case entirely. She’s a Natural. So there are different levels of innate ability when it comes to being a Mystic. Specs of Savirelet literally run through her veins. Ya, for example, based on the test with the vial, are on perhaps the lowest spectrum I’ve ever seen. Ya barely even crusted the Savirelet with frost after wearing it. It would take a great deal of both Savirelet and practice to do next to anything useful. Vivian, on the other hand, is an entire different league. She’s beyond being talented, she’s more powerful than any ten people on the island, even if they had a wardrobe full of Savirelet on hand. But, give her Savureket and she’s essentially unstoppable.”

“What if she had children? They wouldn’t be Naturals?”

“No. It’s very likely they would be powerful Mystics but not Naturals. Naturals are required to go through the Rite of Rebirth to receive their powers. It’s so incredibly rare and only happens in Neo Regnum. When someone dies in your home country, there is an ever so small sliver of a chance they’ll be revived a few days later as a Natural and able to use the element that killed them as Mystic Arts. For example, let’s say ya’re dawdling under a massive icicle and it happens to break and impale ya in the eye. Ya would have the slight potential to come back as a Natural who uses ice Mystic Arts. If ya drowned, water. Died of altitude poisoning, air. Buried alive, dirt.”

“Okay, so Vivian must have died in a fire then.”

“A reasonable assumption.”

“Very interesting...but how does this tie into this island not being volcanic?”

“Ah!” Constell waved his arms dramatically. “It has everything to do with this island! Ya see, underneath our feet lies the largest vein of Savirelet in the known world. This entire area used to be a massive mining operation run by the Regnum government hundreds of years ago.”

“It can’t have been successful though,” Lynn interrupted. “The Silt Sea prevents access to the island constantly. There’s only passage once every two years.”

“Ah! But ya see everything was different then!” Constell declared, taking the interruption in stride. “This island wasn’t an island. It was part of Regnum itself. And that brings us to the heart of your original question. This right here was where the end of Silvis’ quest occurred. Before he finally faced off against the Queen and freed Lysenda’s love from a thousand years of captivity, Silvis became separated from his companions and found himself facing the traitor. They were on top of this mountain when they clashed in fire and earth. The traitor used his Artes to bore a massive fissure in the ground down to where the vein ran. He used the vein of Savirelet to fight Silvis. Silvis, though, also drew on it and, being a Natural, utilized it to its maximum potential. The two of them fought for days on end, slowly using up the Savirelet in the vein until they collapsed from exhaustion. When they woke up, they were far out at sea. Their fight had been so catastrophic that it had caused the entire world to shift under their feet, breaking the land they fought on into an island.”

“After the fight, Lysenda found them next to the fissure. An uneasy darkness oozed from within it. Even before helping Silvis recover, she took a step forward and sealed the hole with unmeltable ice. It’s said that she had to leave behind a piece of herself within the very essence of the ice to make it possible but, ever since, the ice has remained. It doesn’t matter how hot or humid it becomes on the island, this ice will always remain frozen solid. There’s no possible way to melt it, with the exception perhaps of an unknown Mystic Art.

“Anyway, I thought this would be the perfect location for ya to learn how to use your Arts. This ice is exactly what ya need. Tomorrow we’ll buckle down and get ya started.” Constell yawned. “But, for now, I think I need to cover myself in these wonderfully warm fur blankets. I’m still so damn cold. I forgot how much I hate it up here.”

Without waiting for a response from Lynn, Constell flopped onto the nearest unoccupied bed, closed his eyes, and did not respond to any of Lynn’s further questions. After a few minutes Lynn sighed and followed his tutor’s example.