As impulsive as he was, Jerius came to the Guild with a plan. He would win over Mirayoung, the only magician Lady Lyvia talked about at length as her closest ally. Then he would get an audience with Cabal, the mysterious ruling entity of five powerful mages merged as one, and garner their support with persuasive words and hard logic; though, he wasn't too sure about the former.

For all he knew, Aderis might have planted his agents deep within the Guild just as he did with Nox. And he needed to caution against them, an ongoing step till he uprooted them. Then he would rally a team and rely on the Guild's influence to reinforce Ceil and bring Ceil's government to his side as well.

Meeting Administrator Fermand Yaleheart, while being a step in the right direction, introduced an unknown element to his plan.

And her last name...

"Let's make haste," Jerius said again.

"Not so fast," Mirayoung suddenly said. "Judging by the day and time, I'm certain Fermand is in a ceremony right now. One of many duties an administrator needs to carry out, for which she never misses. So, we've an hour to kill."

"What?" Jerius snapped. "This concerns the lives of the entire Guild. No, the entire world. She needs to prioritize. We can go over and explain."

"You do not disturb an administrator deep in the Ceremony of Cabal. It's more than a ceremonial act. Certain powers and arrays we have are strengthened and maintained through the ceremony," she said then chose not to continue. "Now...come back in an hour and I will share our course of action. Don't be late."

Unconvinced, Jerius raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not idling as well," Mirayoung said. "You do know the news of Nox's destruction travelled far. Bards sang about it. Revelries and shock passed through villages to hamlets and cities. Our mages, who served as advisors in the courtrooms of many nations, brought back news that kings and lords are worried. Events are cascading from the courtrooms to the houses of worship, to the streets and homes. Then you came so suddenly, triggered a huge alarm and delivered the news of Aderis Killer with the real reason behind the destruction. This is all very overwhelming, so I need an hour to think. To come up with a strategy before we bring this to the administrator, whom we usually don't disturb except for the gravest reasons."

Conceding, Jerius sighed. "Will I be able to stay here and wait?"

"No, I think alone," Mirayoung said. "Go out and explore. The Guild has its charms, young one. I recommend the town square. You can reach there by turning left instead of going straight at the end of the lake."

"You'll let me go out? Am I not a dangerous Amok?"

Mirayoung almost couldn't hold back her laughter. "That little theatrical gesture isn't going to scare any magicians worth their salt. We've our mage legions, guardians, elemental golems, powerful wards... and...you get the point. You're not going to be able to scare anyone, silly. Oh, maybe, just maybe the apprentices from the academy, so give them a wide berth, will you?"

"Are all archmagi this eccentric? Alright, don't reply to me please. I'm stepping out," Jerius rolled his eyes.

As he walked to the door, he heard her reply. "Above all, I trust that Lyvia's disciple and the current Prime Sorcerer of Nox is a sensible man who will act reasonably and not abuse the trust I give. And remember, you may roam based on the rights of the archmagus' guest. Keep that in mind."

"You've my word."

Closing the door behind him, he made a mental note of the time and wandered off, already memorising the route.

Unrealisingly, he reached the town square, laid with illuminated and colourful gravel. It was a beautiful artwork unto itself, surrounded by flowerbeds, parks and relics.

His eyes fell on a group of sorcerers he surmised to be apprentices from the Guild's academy. Led by an equally youthful magician, who no doubt de-aged because of magic, the sorcerers gathered around the lush field of the town square. They absorbed in and discussed vibrantly about the workings of magic from large tomes, books and parchments.

Jerius found a bench near them and sat down, intrigued as this was not a common sight in Nox. All sorcerers worked for the court, and anyone discovered with such a talent would be nurtured under one of the court conjurors. While he was the Prime Sorcerer, he was not experienced enough in courtship, serving his primary duty as Prince Zenvix's retainer, and one of the main defenders of Nox.

As his mind drifted, he wondered how different his childhood would be if he had been born in the Guild instead. Then he checked himself. Lady Lyvia and Nox gave me everything I have. I owed my life to them.

Returning to the moment, Jerius leaned back and observed the apprentices again. He saw now that they had potions, grimoires and amulets littered around them. A few, under more senior apprentices' instructions, started levitating stones and sending sparkles into the air. Soon they were coated in a thin sheen of sweat even though the temperature within the Guild was a perfect one, neither too warm nor too cool. A more heated debate erupted from a trio on summoning grass spirits.

Such simple lives, he thought.

"What's a beautiful lady like you doing sitting here alone?"

A tall man with a close-cropped beard and blonde hair came to him. He held a grimoire, while his green eyes looked meaningfully at Jerius. "I'm Edeli Wald."

Jerius forced a smile as he looked up. "Nice to meet you, Edeli. I'm a man. You can tell by my outfit. Oh, where are my manners? I'm Jerius. Just Jerius."

Looking in disbelief, Edeli responded with a slow smile. "O-oh, I must apologise. Your appearance can fool even the most discerning eyes."

"Side effects of a ritual," Jerius said. It was hard explaining to most people, and he would forever remember Yurisiviel's gloating when he first told her. But he trusted it would not raise anyone's eyebrow saying it out loud within the Guild.

And indeed it did not.

"What a twist of events," Edeli said. "I'm much curious. But satisfy a different curiosity of mine. I've a photogenic memory and remember most if not all residents. But you're pretty foreign to me. And I'm sure your face is not one I'll easily forget."

"Yes. It's my first time in town on Lady Mirayoung's invitation for a short few days."

"Oh," he said, looking incredulous. "Aeroda. You're close to Lady Aeroda!"

"Aerodo?"

"Aeroda! That's White Rose in the arcane language," he said. "Ah, is this not taught outside the Guild?"

Jerius said, "The discipline outside of the Guild is more grounded and practical. The arcane language has been fully translated to the common Elarian tongue. We can channel magic with common words. There's no reason to learn an ancient tongue to accomplish much of the same."

"It's a beautiful part of the history of magic," Edeli said. "A language to communicate and to channel magic. Within the Guild, we do still learn the arcane language because for those whom we respect we give them a title in that tongue. And in our study of ancient spells, there are some that are not fully translated and we need to channel them."

"But words merely focus our thoughts, which are the ones that truly shape the spells," Jerius said.

"Words shape our thinking more than you think," Edeli said. "Do you know the Eastern Nations do not have words for lying, deceit or any other variant. As a result, they do not have the capacity to lie. On the other hand, the easterners are able to perceive different shades of blue because they have more words to describe them than the common Elarian tongue we speak. As with these examples, without the right words, you will not be able to form the thoughts needed to visualise and actualise the spell. This is why the arcane language is still needed in our studies."

"That's thought-provoking," Jerius said. "So people called her Aeroda?"

"She has many names," Edeli said with a laugh. "Linn...known also as Beautiful Defender. She's a...much-admired archmagus."

Jerius watched him. "I see Lady Mirayoung draws admirers by the droves."

"Yes, Leatria or Ravishing Pair‒pardon the crude literal translation," Edeli continued. "Lady Mirayoung and Lady Lyvia were renowned for their strength and beauty. Do you know Lady Lyvia, by chance?"

"Sorry I haven't heard that name before."

"You resemble her. My eyes must be playing tricks on me. Pardon me, I have not seen her for decades. It's hard to remember right sometimes even with my memory."

Jerius did not reply.

"Which part did you come from?" Edeli asked, genuinely curious.

Seeing no harm in responding to him and all the benefits in gaining another ally within the Guild, Jerius said, mindful that much of his cultural and geographical knowledge centred around western Elaria. "I came from the west."

"Dreadful," Edeli gave a muted sigh, his mind seemingly wandered. "The fall of Nox must have come as a huge shock to your rulers."

"Yes, it was terrible," Jerius said, with a wistful look.

Edeli gave him a fist bump on the shoulder. "You okay? You stiffened a little right there."

"Scary time to know a nation could fall easily," Jerius said, seeding words to push the narrative he had in mind. "Aren't you afraid the same threat will turn its gaze to the Guild? After all, it stands out as the bastion of power and knowledge. Of mankind's seeming invulnerability. What's better to sink the world into chaos than striking at the head?"

"Let them come. We've much to offer by way of hospitality, and even more by way of warfare," Edeli said, hitting his chest with a thud. He reminded Jerius of a younger version of Sir Dylas. "The Guild has never fallen, not once in its three thousand years of history. The oldest, most venerated and most powerful of cities in Elaria."

The conversation grew informal as Jerius asked about the inner workings of the Guild, which Edeli was fully receptive to share. "If the guest of Lady Aeroda asks, I oblige." While Jerius worked hard at mastering his magic, he also spent nights on studying the logistics, politics and management of a nation. Like a full-fledged court conjuror, he wanted to advise the king on court affairs. He didn't have the chance before Nox fell but he never doubted its revival. And these questions about the Guild's functions would inspire a stronger and firmer foundation on which a resurrected Nox was built.

Mistress Lyvia never mentioned much of the Guild as her permanent departure was tied to certain conditions including a magical contract that bound her from divulging details about the magical city to others. It left Jerius incessantly curious about the Guild she came from, and he took this opportunity with Edeli to shed light on Lyvia's past life within these walls.

He learnt from Edeli that the Guild was self-sustaining, with towers warded with artificial light acting as vertical farms that grow crops and fruits without soil. And that incredible amount of magic and research had gone into the architecture and ecosystem. Food stored in the warded barns could last four times as long. Livestocks grew ten times as fast, and were cared for by special golems. But these methods could not easily be reproduced outside of the Guild's wall because it lacked the same rich arcane that was artificially and delicately infused in the air and ground.

Probing into the management, Jerius deepened his knowledge, learning that most mages were largely self-governing. An administrator attended to the bulk of the work, which was part ceremonial and part operational to ensure the smooth running of the Guild.

There was once a council that advised the administrator and the Cabal, but the latter had disbanded it over opposing views into which Edeli did not delve much. Instead, the council was replaced by the department heads, who oversaw different operations such as medicine, food supply, architecture, prophecy and defence.

Many of these department heads headed the different orders of the Guild. While the departments were charged to keep the respective operations running, the orders were specialisations to advance the knowledge of the various disciplines. And the heads of each of these orders were termed Masters.

Examples of these orders included the Order of the Blacksmith, who crafts enchanted weapons for the Guild and for sales, and the Order of War headed by an archmagus called Holz the Warper, the Master of War. His name was associated with a few infamous war legends and songs. Jerius also remembered hearing about the famed deeds and actions of a certain warrior-mage back at Nox from Sir Dylas during some of the classes Sir Dylas conducted with him and Zenvix, and wondered if they were the same.

He was also shocked to learn about a small Order of Necromancy, since magic around death was frowned upon by most of the Cities. At least on the surface, it was as much a controversy to rank a necromancer among the court conjurors as to knight a killer or a raper.

Much of how the Guild earned its wealth came from offering its services to nations, lords, governors, rich merchants and landowners. All the standing nations, big and small, actively sought the counsel of the Guild even if they had their own mages. Half of the payment to be levied by the Guild, while the other half can be kept by the mage-in-service.

This practice extended so much that the Guild's presence was a constant for some of the most powerful nations' councils. But to prevent court secrets leaking out, these mage-advisors signed pacts sealed by the Crippled Beast, a spirit that governs unbreakable contracts, that they would not divulge to another nation for the next hundred years.

"My most unusual request is helping a lord to find his true love," Edeli laughed. "Guided only by his dream of a mole on her left ear, and the scent of rosemary."

"Old hags use rosemary scent. Are you sure he's not mistaking a crone for his true love," Jerius said, completely lightened up.

"There's a word for that in the arcane language, Loi'as," Edeli replied with half a laugh. "Imagining these ancient sorcerers having a sense of humour."

"Do you have aliases in the arcane language?" Jerius asked. "You talked about the White Rose for Lady Mirayoung. How about yourself? You seem dignified to deserve one."

Edeli said, half-laughing again. "Just one, and it isn't that impressive. Kepae'ak. Or Watchman. Some may translate it as the Doorman."

Jerius blinked. Somehow the strange hard-to-pronounce word came off as familiar to him, perhaps in a slightly different form. He filed it in his head to revisit in the future.

Eyeing his students, Edeli said. "It's a pleasure knowing you, Jerius from the Outside and guest of Lady Aeroda. Do convey my regards to her. I must return my attention to the apprentices, for I'm afraid the town square may risk getting burned down if they're left to their own devices for too long. We're living on borrowed time."

"Farewell, Edeli. I'm sure our paths will cross again."

Jerius looked up unconsciously, hoping to tell the time by the position of the sun but realised the Guild's magical barrier would not allow an accurate reading. He decided to make his way back to Mirayoung's house, not wanting to be late.

He was here for a single purpose, after all.