It took several moments for Dallion to get adjusted to the reality around him. The shift from a sea to a forest was greater than usual, not to mention that he needed to get re-used to gravity.

The clerics were in the process of separating the bodies of the dead in two piles: one for the members of the Order and the other for the cultists. When Dallion attempted to go question some more of the items of the cultist’s pile, though he was stopped.

“I’m sorry, initiate,” a war cleric said, with an expression revealing he was anything but sorry. “The archbishop has ordered that you don’t approach the bodies.”

“Me in particular?” Dallion tried not to sound amused.

“Yes, initiate. He referred to you by name.”

That made little sense, since the level of Dallion’s empathy trait allowed him to talk to item guardians miles away. Still, there was no point in antagonizing the Order, so he just nodded and turned around.

Will you do anything if I start asking questions? Dallion asked.

Depends on the questions, dear boy, Nil replied. Now that I know what you think of me, I know that you suspect I could do something to stop it. Just keep in mind that I’m doing this for your own good.

You tend to say that a lot lately.

The echo had behaved in similar fashion back when Dallion had entered the fallen south. Although, back then, he hadn’t done anything violent. To use magic in a fashion to destroy a guardian was untypical. There was definitely something Nil was hiding, but maybe there was a reason to do so.

You win this one, Nil, but there will come a time when I reach level eighty, and when I do you won’t be able to hide things from me.

Dear boy, if you reach level eighty, there’ll be no reason for me to hide anything.

Before leaving the settlement’s remains, Dallion offered to help the surviving clerics. The offer was swiftly rejected, although Dallion could feel it being appreciated by some.

An unnerving quiet surrounded Dallion as he walked through the forest. The fight had scared off everything from insects to top predators. Even the trees were shaken up, not saying a whisper. For a brief moment, it almost felt as if he was a non-awakened again. The moment quickly passed, as the insatiable post-trial hunger hit him like a ton of bricks. While the previous trial had been a mental one, the one he had completed just now had exhausted him to the extreme. Hunter training and experience allowed him to endure, but it wasn’t a pleasant feeling.

From what Dallion remembered, it was roughly a day from his current position to the Academy’s village. If he sprinted, he could get there faster, but that was only going to exhaust him more. The best thing he could do was to go further in and catch something to eat. Unfortunately, as it soon turned out, the lack of animals wasn’t merely caused by the battle. Predators that had tried to attack Dallion so eagerly the last time he was in the area were nowhere to be found. Only small creatures were present—far too small to satiate his hunger unless he caught hundreds of them. In the end, he decided that a dozen were better than nothing.

The birds Dallion caught were green-feathered, roughly the size of pigeons, with more bones than bone. As far as his senses were concerned, that was a blessing, for the taste was vilely bitter. Even cooking them did little to help that. Still, they were food and as any hunter knew, food wasn’t something that one had to like.

Night in the forest wasn’t all that different. A few minor predators had made an appearance, none of them particularly large or tasty. More interestingly, though, it was at this time that the frees started talking again, letting Dallion know that the sudden change had suddenly happened months ago. One day, the majority of the animals just vanished. Dallion was aware that the poison plague had disrupted migration patterns, but this didn’t seem to be the case. The plague plants had never gained a foothold in the west, not to mention that the shift had been too sudden. More and more, it was starting to look like the Academy was involved. Officially, the village that they had taken over was meant to help apprentice mages train. The truth was that they were involved in creature research. What kind, Dallion could only guess, although he speculated that they were more focused on magic creatures. However, as Dallion had seen in the memories of a rogue mage, accidents weren’t uncommon when it came to the Academy and always it was others that paid the price.

Nil, what are the chances that they had been seeking the phoenix?

Minimal, the echo didn’t mince words. High-level mages are just as greedy as nobles. No one would risk having their subordinates find something they want. Not only would it be politically strenuous, but also highly inefficient. Countess Priscord sent you, not her army, to find it. Why would others be different?

Mages are a bit stronger than common soldiers, Nil.

You’d be surprised.

The closer Dallion got to the village, the more things seemed to return to normal. Animal sounds returned, then the animals themselves, all keeping at a respectable distance from him, of course. At one point, a slothbear even had a go at him before rushing off into the forest. The only issue was that none of the creatures were real. Gleam had been quick to point that out, but even if she hadn’t, the trees said the same thing: all the creatures in the area weren’t acting naturally, but only mimicking the behavior of others. One particularly weird thing was that none of them seemed to be aware of a settlement in the area. As far as they were concerned, the forest had always been unbreached, and people were scarce. That was clearly false since the path Dallion was following had clearly been made by human hand.

“I know you’re watching,” Dallion said, suddenly stopping. “I just want to go to Canopa.”

The leaves rustled. In a single moment, all the animal sounds vanished, along with any animals and insects. In their place, a new chorus of voices emerged, voices that only Dallion could hear, coming from miles away.

Hey, it’s you! a bow item guardian said. Didn’t think you’ll be back. How are you? Did you bring the rest of your guardians with you?

Wow, you really must have spooked the mages, another guardian laughed. They don’t break the spell for just anyone.

Of course they’ll let him in. The old hag likes him.

You think? I didn’t know she liked anyone.

Well, she hates him less than the rest. Besides, he’s a full hunter now.

A full hunter? Haven’t seen one of those in ages. Are you here on a job?

What are you hunting this time?

The voices grew louder and louder, forcing Dallion to close his eyes for a moment. Usually, he could handle a chorus of guardians. These were more overwhelming than the standard variety. Being dryads, all of them had empathy, allowing them to talk to one another without being addressed. Not only that, they were the only instance Dallion knew of in which items of the same guardian type had actively accumulated in one spot.

Give me some space, guys, Dallion managed to say. You’ve grown a lot more since last time.

Yeah. A lot more people are coming and going, so we got a few new members. Is the shield guardian with you?

Yes, he’s here…

Dallion wasn’t sure what was worse, knowing that his companion guardian was probably going to flirt with some of the local items, or the fact that he probably had been responsible for banishing some of them ages ago. He would have asked, if the armadil shield hadn’t become progressively silent. There was a time when an hour wouldn’t pass without the companion guardian chatting about one thing or another. Now, he’d remain silent for weeks unless addressed.

As Dallion was standing on the forest path, a blur appeared in the distance ahead. With one swift action, Dallion drew his harpsisword. The moment he did, the blur stopped, then transformed into a young woman in a simple cyan and brown outfit.

“Lelandra?” Dallion asked. Last time he was here, the young woman had the role of village scribe, which in practical terms meant a combination of guide, spy, and secretary.

“Welcome again, envoy,” the woman said. Anxiety emanated from her so loud that Dallion almost felt pity for her. “We were not aware of your visit.”

You weren’t aware last time, either, Dallion thought.

“I’m no longer an envoy,” he said. “Just a hunter with some questions. Any chance I can get some food and rest at the village?”

“Canopa isn’t open to visitors at this time. I’ll be more than glad to provide you with enough supplies, of course.”

So, that’s how it was. Dallion knew that his meddling with the Academy would have consequences. Although it was virtually on Archduke’s Linatol that he had killed a rogue mage, the Academy tended to be very protective of their own. From what Nil had shared, only mages were supposed to punish mages. Outside actions were tolerated when necessary, but never liked.

“I also want to have a word with Eleria,” he said in a firm tone. “She’s still in charge here, right?”

The scribe’s silence suggested that to be the case. From this point on, the decision was out of her hands. After dealing with nobles and their servants, Dallion had gotten to know a few things regarding how things worked. It was common for subordinates to use their power to keep random people from seeing their superiors, but when the person was noticed, everything was up to the person in charge.

“How long will your visit be?” Lelandra asked.

“Half a day at most, unless I’m given a job.”

The time was long enough to seem intriguing and short enough not to be bothersome.

The woman remained silent for a few more seconds. The levels of anxiety coming from her grew.

“You are most welcome to our village,” the woman said reluctantly. “Please, follow me.”

“Thank you.”

After less than fifty steps on the path, the front gate of the village was suddenly in front of them. The experience was similar to switching between realms. Instinctively, Dallion split into instances, several of which took a few steps back. As expected, they found on the same path only to see the village gone.

“Portal magic?” Dallion asked as he made his way forward.

The scribe didn’t answer.

Still intent on making a fool of yourself? Nil sighed. It only works the first time, you know.

Who’s pretending? Dallion asked.

The settlement had changed considerably since the last time Dallion was here. Rather, it seemed like an entirely new outpost had been built in its place. The walls were far larger, made of stone, the individual houses were gone, replaced by larger structures that held space for more people, and libraries had grown to the size of small forts. The only thing that remained the same was the rural section, although it was no longer simple villagers tending to the fields and animals.

“Metalins,” Dallion whispered, looking at the metal constructs that moved about autonomously, like rogue suits of armor. “I thought that they were only used within the realms.”

“They increase productivity,” the scribe explained, although she too was uncomfortable with their presence. “It only takes a few apprentices to control them.”

“That doesn’t sound too reassuring.” Dallion meant it as a joke, but his comment drained the blood from Lelandra’s face.

Careful, dear boy. Don’t make new enemies until after getting the information.

Didn’t you tell me that those were the Academy’s crown achievement? Dallion asked.

And they were, but there’s also the minor issue that they were based on the Crippled’s skills.

Metalins are Star tech?

Why do you think the Academy sent expeditions to the South? Many of the Academy’s recent discoveries are linked to Star technology. As I said, magic is nothing but the art of finding loopholes. And if one can find loopholes in the laws of nature and the Moons, imagine how easy it would be to find such in the laws of the empire.