Kyrus had chosen Narazah as a place they should go for several reasons. The first was the Primordial Sphere they kept there, a resource of magic that fueled the mages in their most challenging activities. Secondly, it was a mysterious place where they wouldn't feel comfortable asking for help, so if they went in there, the city would have to try to push them out on their own.

By nightfall, the magical city that stood atop a crag on the southern shores of Adwar maintained its usual rhythm of life amidst its vibrantly colored streets and magic everywhere. Its buildings were extravagant, worthy of homes where wizards dwelled. That night, hundreds of mages were those who saw large birds fly overhead, one of which carried an orc woman as a rider. The destination of those birds was the Artaham Wizard College there, in Narazah.

The colossal school was walled, which for Kyrus' plan, was perfect. As the enormous birds flew over the gates, Rawani dropped from one of those onto the wall. Next to her, Peck regained her usual form. Rawani fell with a mighty crash that shook that fraction of the wall where several guards, armed with magic shields and enchanted spears, formed ranks in front of her.

"Hold it right there, you green-skinned monster!" exclaimed one of the men.

Rawani laughed at those words, "If I had a piece of copper for every time I heard that..."

Those men, wearing ostentatious armor trimmed with a yellow cloth, formed a tight column in front of her. Rawani held out her hands; in each, heavy metal knuckles appeared. The orc woman closed her fists around the knuckles to accommodate them as she watched the tower behind the guards.

"I'm sure they close the doors from there, ready?"

"Hold it right there!" shouted the guard in front of her again. "You'll have to advance on all of us!"

Rawani smiled defiantly, "So be it."

Peck nimbly moved on the orc woman's massive back in one swift movement and gathered momentum toward were those dozen guards stood. In midair, Peck held her fighting staff, and with a fluid twist between her hands, the ornate tip of that staff impacted against the ground at high speed. The end of the stick possessed the shape of a circular tinderbox, and carved into its wood and metal were displayed symbols of the four elements.

The guards were perplexed to see a girl in front of them, and several, upon seeing her simple but recognizable monk's robes, knew what was before them.

"A Yusham?" he asked at the top of that column.

It all happened in a few seconds, just enough for the guards to notice but too late to react. Then, Peck raised the tip of her staff, and with the fluid twist, a strong gust of wind forced the guards to hold their position as they slid down the wall.

"Guards! Fire!" shouted one of the men during the gale. The wind was so strong, however, that everyone couldn't hear each other.

Peck stopped the gust of wind, but only so that when she turned her cane upon it, the wind became dense and palpable. Then, just like that, and always smiling, Peck threw a dozen guards with her staff, hurling them off the wall into the stables.

She looked out and saw those men piled on the stable's roof as she heard the fright of the animals. So many horses began to flee, which only made it inside the walls; chaos began to occur.

"I hope everyone is all right!" shouted Peck smiling.

Rawani then stepped forward to the tower. Inside, she hurried her pace to the top, where a couple of men who saw her spectacle below were waiting for her with their bows at the ready.

"I don't have time for this," she exclaimed in annoyance, advancing toward them.

"Fire!" one of the men exclaimed hesitantly.

Four arrows flew to where Rawani stood. The huge orc woman slipped into the room with celerity and majesty, evading the projectiles and advancing on those men. In an instant, the guards saw how that huge woman watched them closely with her reptilian eyes. Fear flowed through the bodies of those men, and a couple, down to their pants. She turned her gaze to the door mechanism, and as if those armed people were of no interest to her, she turned to the rake chains and the doors. Then, quick and fierce, she delivered a couple of powerful blows to a chain, denting the safety mechanism. Just like that, the rake fell, and the doors were sealed.

Rawani turned slowly to the dread-filled men and smiled, "Now you are locked in with us..."

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"Students, please return to your dormitories," Xindal exclaimed a couple of times.

The young men watching Xindal and Kyrus pass by were surprised to see him walk by; two non-human wizards walked through the magical institution campy and guileless, completely calm.

"The architecture never changes," Kyrus pointed out, "Artaham's guild never changes the floor plan of the schools."

"That's easier for us, isn't it?"

"Oh, yes, much easier," Kyrus replied, walking across the inner courtyard of that school. There, tropical plants and trees, strange for that far southern part of the world, flourished thanks to that place's big greenhouse.

"Another place we won't have time or opportunity to visit properly," Xindal said with an annoyed sigh.

"This place is nothing compared to other ones," Kyrus said with a smile. "Still, you can't complain about not traveling to many places with me."

"You're unbelievable," Xindal rolled his eyes at his friend's joke.

An elderly man, a master of the institution, appeared holding a staff with a glowing crystal at its top end.

"What does it mean--?"

Kyrus held out his hand and using his will in a silent spell, his eyes glowed and then drew that man who clung to his staff. Thus, Kyrus only noticed the object in that man's hand, and the old man only reached out to him.

"The old man tried to conjure a spell with his staff."

"I-Inmo--"

"What?" said Kyrus as he held it out in front of him. "Immolae?" or perhaps, "Immovtus?" "Do you plan to cook me or just paralyze me?

"Good evening, sir," Xindal said respectfully. "This is the way to the library?"

"Damn you!" the old man shouted, trying to wrestle Kyrus' hand from his staff. "You have profaned this place!"

"I haven't done anything for you to say that yet," Kyrus said with a smirk.

The old man soon gave up between rough struggles when he saw who was in front of him.

"Y-You are... T-The E-Eye of the Storm," he exclaimed hesitantly.

"Well, that's what everyone says," Kyrus said with a cold countenance and teasing words. "They say that that, or they scream in terror."

"Listen, we're just passing through," Xindal insisted as he watched that old man begin hyperventilate. "This is the way to the library?"

The old man, unable to answer, felt the air go out of him indoors. Kyrus and Xindal watched each other, and after the Infernal Mage sighed, he let go of the man's staff.

"I know the way; I see you there," Kyrus said, stepping forward.

Xindal pulled the old man close to a bench and left him to catch his breath.

Kyrus, at a hurried pace, pushed open the large, dark wooden doors ornamented with draconic symbols that led to the library. There, in the middle of the night, barely a few students and few skilled wizards were reading in the place. The sea of bookcases and shelves hid them from their eyes, not their magical senses.

The silence of the place was disturbed by his presence when he exclaimed with echo, "Mages, students, withdraw at once."

The students watched him pass by in disbelief; none of them must have seen an Infernal before; they saw his clothes, skin, and horns, but they all avoided looking Kyrus in his white eyes.

"What are you doing here, demon?" rebuked a wizard to Kyrus.

Kyrus, at the foot of a staircase leading to a small white-columned structure, pointed in that direction. "I seek the Primordial Sphere from this place. I need a good amount of magical essence for a spell."

"You think we'll give it to you just like that?" asked the wizard, a tall young man proudly wearing his school's gold and purple robes.

Kyrus rolled his eyes at him casually, "You can try to fight, but I highly doubt you and a handful of wizards wish to turn to dust in front of your students."

"Kyrus!" exclaimed Xindal, hurrying towards where they stood. "Did you find the orb?"

The dread on the mage's face was evident; he hadn't blamed a mere Infernal mage. Instead, he was in front of THAT Infernal mage.

Kyrus then turned to the mage once more. "Get out, please?"

Hesitantly, the man ran towards his pupils, "Out! Out! Now!"

Xindal watched as the wizards left the compound. "A good way to make friends."

"I guess I'll die alone," Kyrus said in dark humor.

"Oh, don't say that," Xindal replied as he walked with his friend up the stairs of the structure. "That sounds like you want someone to feel sorry for you."

"Can you keep an eye out, so no one interrupts me?" asked Kyrus.

"If all goes well, we have a few minutes to spare," Xindal said along with a nod. "Rawani and Peck must have blocked the main entrance; only the mages here are left."

"They'll be no match for you," Kyrus said with a slight smile. "Don't show off too much to them."

"Oh, never, my good friend," Xindal replied, coming to the top of the structure with Kyrus. "After all, that is your job."

Kyrus let out a hoarse laugh and walked to the center of that small temple inside the library. In the center of that place of yellowish stones, down a small staircase surrounded by seats where wizards and students recharged their magic, stood a metal pedestal on which a sphere filled with purple gems floated. The Primordial Sphere was an object that stored the magical essence of the things around it made of Tassar's stones.

Kyrus watched it and then braced himself; he took off his heavy coat of large buttons and rolled up his steamy shirt's sleeves. He glanced down at his long-clawed fingers, and after stretching his fingers, all he did was carefully rest his hands on the sphere.

The Marked Mage knew that coming into contact with a sphere overloaded with magic was dangerous, but for what he was about to accomplish, it was just what he needed.

His hands attached themselves to the sphere, and then he began to quickly conjure the same spell that The White Flame Trackers used many times to locate Marked Ones and people everywhere in the world. It was simple, and in short words, a Mage only had to place the name and face of the one you were looking for in your head. Kyrus pressed his hands into the sphere and closed his eyes as the steady, electric flow of magic began to flow through his body.

What he was going to do there was something much more arduous than what the Trackers did; instead of taking hours, days, or weeks to search for somebody somewhere in the world, he would do it in a few minutes, thanks to the overload of magic.

The Primordial Sphere began to glow a shade of white through the metallic veins around Tassar's jewels, and then, Kyrus' eyes opened with the same glow. His mind had left his body.

Xindal turned for a moment to observe his friend. He did so carefully, but then he turned again to the opposite direction, looking for possible intruders.

The Infernal Wizard had an immense magical power that allowed him to see hundreds of places at once across the entire continent of Aeton. Hundreds of voices, thousands of faces, and thousands of thoughts crossed his head. The wizard knew where to start and went to Mizuna, its capital, Thornstone. With only a glance and looking for the resonance of the Trickster's Mark, he could find Ronan, who was hiding in an inn. The dozing man with a dagger looked battered and exhausted, like someone who hadn't slept in days. That made Kyrus wish he hadn't interrupted his sleep. But, just knowing where he was, he would talk to him again.

For his second step, the situation was more complicated, but with the amount of magic flowing through his body, anything was possible. Kyrus felt the world of Artia spin in his hands with his fingers, and his eyes roamed the entire West Coast of Aeton. Finally, he traveled along the coast of the Union of Mizuna, the Kingdom of Soramel, and the Kingdom of Aether. Somewhere between the last two, the essence of those Marked children was still vital.

Kyrus was surprised to see that unstable magical duality in the middle of the sea. The Marked Mage, far from staying with it, used it as a trail to Fynn. The course continued to the shores of the Kingdom of Betheas. There, Kyrus felt not only the scent of Fynn but the waves of the ocean against the cliffs, the smell of saltpeter, and the smell of blood. At that moment, he sensed that the boy was near, and it was enough for him to pull the threads of the universe with his fingers to get closer to him.

The Infernal Wizard flew over a small fishing village, and in that way, he quickly stumbled upon the one he was looking for.

Kyrus finally knew Fynn.

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It was no wonder that spell was invasive, and the boy's startlement was perfectly understandable. Kyrus had created a small mental palace of the boy's thoughts within Fynn's mind. It was curious how, for a boy who had been shipwrecked, the first thing he saw in his mind was a vast ocean and a starry sky as locations to use.

"Hello, Fynn," Kyrus greeted calmly.

Fynn turned to him, and something about that frightening man stirred familiarity in him.

"Y-You," Fynn said fearfully. "I remember you, but I don't know..."

"You must remember me from a dream, right?" replied Kyrus, watching the boy. "You entered my mind several weeks ago."

The boy was startled and took a step back, feeling his foot sink into the white sands. "Did you come to kill me?"

"No, I don't think so," said Kyrus.

The boy was frightened, so he had to be careful. Just like that, he held out his hand to him.

"I hope Ronan told you about me; my name is Kyrus."

The boy opened his huge hazel eyes and looked incredulous, "Are you Ronan's friend?"

"Oh, how kind of he to call me a friend and not a pedant," Kyrus said with a slight smile. "Ronan told me a thing or two about you and about your friend. He sent me to find out where you were."

"Is R-Ronan still alive?" the boy asked hesitantly but with a big smile. "The last time we saw him..."

"He's fine but very battered," Kyrus pointed out as he took the bold step to approach the boy. "Are you really the boy who came out of the cave?"

Fynn watched him, a bit confused, and took another step back. No wonder a tall, grayish-skinned figure with horns and such a piercing gaze would make him back away.

Kyrus stopped in place and kept his composure. "Do you remember where you are?"

The boy hesitated but nodded, "I think at a place called Vanteji."

Kyrus closed his eyes, his gaze traveling outside the mental palace.

"Perhaps the name is Vantaigy?" asked Kyrus, noting a wooden sign on the outskirts of that town. "It's small, full of fishermen."

"Yes, that's the one!" exclaimed Fynn. "Will you come looking for us?"

Kyrus sighed and looked at the boy, "It would be my pleasure to do so, but right now, I can't leave the place where I am. However, now that I have your location, I can tell Ronan where you are. Are you both safe there?"

Fynn nodded, "We found a boy who is a Marked Mage. We may have a place to sleep, thanks to his family."

"Heh, 'family'?" said Kyrus with a grin. "The kid's an Unmarked, right? It's like being a dog tied to a post..."

Kyrus sighed and shook his head.

"They've been kind," Fynn said. "They fed us, and he's been there for a year and a half."

"As long as they give you two a roof over your heads, food, and don't open their mouths with the White Flame, I guess they'll be all right," Kyrus exclaimed.

The wizard was silent for a few moments, then carefully approached the boy.

"I saw everything you and your friend went through, too; the shipwreck, your pain, the fighting on the ship. I'm so sorry."

The boy lowered his gaze in pain; his lips trembled as he remembered what had happened, "They wanted to kill us. First, they killed people who helped us. Before that, they sent other people to try to assassinate us. It's been like this since I came out of the cave; why do they do it?"

"They are afraid of us," Kyrus said, taking the boy by one of his shoulders. "That's the only reason they think they should kill us. But that will be over soon for you. I want you to stay where you are. I'll let Ronan know you're there, and we'll get you home."

Kyrus smiled broadly, which made Fynn do so as well, with a nod.

"I'm excited to meet you in person," Fynn said. "Ronan said you're an amazing wizard."

Kyrus smiled a bit haughtily, "He probably didn't exaggerate. I want to get to know you, too; you are an enigma to me right now. I promise to help you in any way I can."

A tremor in Kyrus' arm told him that time was running out.

"What's wrong?" asked Fynn.

"I must go," Kyrus said grimly as he felt his body begin to burn. "I'll talk to Ronan, so you mustn't leave far from where you are."

Kyrus stepped back awkwardly, and quickly, he disappeared. A few brief moments later, the entire mental palace disappeared, and Fynn was back in front of the mirror.