“Strange, I thought you had already reached third-tier spells?” Baelin polished a beard-clasp. Before him, a pen hovered, signing paperwork scattered across his desk. “You didn't?”

“Only with summoning spells,” Alex said excitedly. “But this! This means I can cast other spells of third-tier now.”

“Oh, then this truly is exciting news,” Baelin said warmly. “I take it you’re here about registering for the fourth level of the library?”

“Yes.” Alex nodded enthusiastically. “I want to start learning planar doorway as soon as possible. I’m thinking that this power—whatever it is—will help me learn and cast it faster. Plus, I’ve seen how useful your teleportation spells are. I want a piece of that for myself.”

“Ah, how brilliant. Even if you didn’t have that power giving you aid, I would have strongly recommended looking into teleportation, at any rate. I’ve suggested as much to Isolde as well.”

“Really?” Alex asked. “She didn’t say anything about that.”

“At present, she’s exploring other spells first—more related to her classes—but she will get there, in time. As for you—” The chancellor rose from behind his desk, hands clasping behind his back. “—I am very glad you began right away. A Proper Wizard sets about conquering the fundamental laws of the universe as soon as they are able.”

“You mean conquering the concepts of space and distance?” Alex stood up as well, trailing the chancellor as the ancient wizard strolled to the window, his hooves clopping on the stone floor.

“Precisely.” Baelin smiled, gazing out over campus and the city beyond. “Look at this view. Magnificent, is it not? So much greenery. The buildings. All of the wonders going on between these walls, not to mention the wonders even beyond that.”

“Yeah,” Alex’s eyes fell on the city, hovering near where the bakery lay. “It’s an amazing place full of amazing things. I’d love to show the Heroes some day. Hells, I wish I could have shown my parents.”

“I understand, and I sometimes wish the same,” the chancellor sighed. “Though mine would have likely melted in superstitious terror. Yours?”

“They would’ve been shocked, I can tell you that. As far as I know, they’d never seen anything like this. You should go to Alric, one day. I think someone like you might say it’s…quaint. If you’re trying to be polite.”

“Oh, I could not judge. My tribe would have seen your town as a wonder of the world, no doubt. I take it that Alric’s on a river?”

“Yep.”

“Indeed, then they might have even tried to take it for themselves. But that segues into a fine point. Alex, why is Generasi located where it is? Why is Alric where it is? Why are these towns and cities where they are?”

“Well, that’s easy…is what I would say if you weren’t obviously baiting me with a deceptively simple question that you could use to teach me some complex lesson after I inevitably get it wrong.”

“Hah! Have I truly grown so obvious?” Baelin watched Alex, delight in his smiling, goat-like eyes.

“Only when you want to be.” The young wizard shrugged. “But I’ll bite: we learned why towns and cities are located where they are back in Alric’s church school. Basically, wherever there’s resources, there’s people. Alric was founded because of the location having a river, and the flat earth made for good farmland. Being so close to Coille forest was a plus too: it’s just a logical place to live.”

He gestured to Generasi. “And this city’s here because of how close the mana vents in the Barrens are, which lets magical technology be built and function far more cheaply. Plus, more wizards are born here. It makes sense for people to cluster around natural resources.”

“Indeed. And, to some extent, you are correct. And now here is the part where I tell you how your answer was not complete,” Baelin said smoothly. “You spoke of natural resources and a settlement’s proximity to them, and that much is true. It makes sense for farms to be built on good soil to grow grain, for a mill to be built on a nearby river in order to grind that grain into bread, and in turn, it makes sense for people to cluster around a food source. But does it? Does it truly make sense for people to move near the river, the mill, and the farm in droves? After all, a clerk, a tavern owner and a glassblower don’t technically need the river for their day to day lives like the miller does. So why do they move near the miller?”

“I know you’re manoeuvring me, but I’ll answer anyway: they move to the miller to be close to food,” Alex suggested. “Otherwise it’s going to be stupidly difficult to get to that food. Imagine having to leave your home for a week’s walk every time you need bread. It’s just more convenient to be near the places you work, and get your food from.”

“And there it is!” Baelin boomed. “Distance. That is the truth of it, Alex. People cluster around natural resources—like children crouched around a fire—because distance would make living elsewhere far more inconvenient, if not actually impossible.”

He chuckled. “And thus people are shackled: one must pay fealty to a lord to live on a plot of land they control because of the resources therein. One must live near their place of work or lose one’s job. Distance is a manacle, my young friend, just as much as time or mortality. But—thankfully—wizardry has had far more successes when it comes to defeating distance.”

The ancient wizard gestured to the city. “Imagine a world where everyone could teleport with a thought. Why would all these individuals live here—crammed into the same expensive place—if they chose not to?” He pointed to a student far below walking across campus. “Do you think she likely comes from the dorms? With teleportation as an option, she could make her home on top of a mountain, within a meadow, on a quaint farm, if she so chose. She could wake in Tarim-Lung at sunrise, and be at her first year Magic Lore class within a dozen heartbeats.”

His eyes drifted to the distance. “Defeat distance thoroughly enough, and you may make your home in any space in this world, on any plane, or even elsewhere. You can build your sanctum in some place as remote, unassailable and beautiful as you like. Trust me, a world where distance is not a concern would be a vastly different one.”

He nodded to Alex. “And your decision to begin to conquer the concept of distance is one that I enthusiastically approve of. It might come in handy sooner than you might think.”

“Oh? What do you mean?”

The archwizard’s look turned grim. “I had an enlightening conversation with Zonon-In this morning. In the upcoming week, your class will be spending some time in the Hells once again. The…task, though, might be significantly more challenging this time, and—to fully disclose my thoughts—I had to contemplate whether or not you would all be ready for this next challenge.”

Alex paused. “Where in the hells are we going this time? …also, that wasn’t a swear, I meant that literally.”

“Tenebrama. It is a domain that lays permanently beneath a pall of darkness. No natural light exists within the realm, and many of its denizens see in the dark as comfortably as you take breath. Others simply do not have eyes, relying on other senses. Most relevant is that the plane is a plain. A flat, dry expanse that continues far beyond the size of any mortal plain. Nothing but black sand, darkness and utter cold for a distance of thousands upon thousands of miles. Light and warmth are fleeting friends, while distance will be an enemy.”

“A week?” Alex balked. “I won’t be able to learn that spell in a week.”

“Indeed, hence the poor timing,” Baelin said. “The trouble is, I think some of the other challenges that Zonon-In’s quests might afford your group would either be too easy, would not provide you with any learning opportunities, or be so utterly challenging, that only a wizard who has lived twice or three times your lifetimes could manage them.”

“Oooooh…well, that’s…that’s great,” Alex said, thinking back on his mistakes the first time they entered the hells. “Well, maybe a future challenge will be a bit more, uh….reasonable?”

Baelin sighed. “That is the other issue, which brings both good news and bad news. The trouble is…she is running out of rivals that she wishes to see dethroned. In short, she has indicated to me that—sooner, rather than later—she will reveal who holds the information that we seek.”

His gaze pierced Alex. “Expect to embark on your mission for the Traveller’s information well before the semester’s end.”

“What?” the Thameish wizard exclaimed. “So soon?”

“Sooner than I would have liked,” Baelin said grimly. “In truth, I would have liked for you to have engaged in several more training missions in the hells before we tackle our grand prize…but I suspect—from what Zonon-In has indicated—that our window of opportunity for the best chance of success might be somewhat fleeting.”

“Right, no pressure, as usual, then,” Alex mumbled.

“Fear not, I will be with you every step of the way, as much as I can. And soon, that wretch, Ezaliel will know the taste of permanent oblivion. In the meantime, research the enemy. You’ll need to prepare something for the darkness—”

“Actually, I’m glad you mentioned that,” Alex said ruefully. “The spell I broke through with? It was actually Mass Darksight.”

“Hah! Well, that is most fitting.” Baelin nodded. “Then I would recommend meeting with your friends. Do something that warms the spirit, for this mission will chill you all to the very core.”

“Yeah,” Alex said. “I’ll take your advice on that.”

“Oh, and how is Claygon doing?” the chancellor inquired. “I notice he is not at your side today. Is he…well, I suppose he cannot be ill, but is he…indisposed? I had heard he had begun speaking, at last. I had hoped to share words with him.”

“He’s actually at home now, helping Selina prepare for our official housewarming party. I’m inviting the cabal over. You’re invited to come along too, if you want.”

“Ah, how kind of you, my boy,” the chancellor beamed. “The trouble is that I will be a tad preoccupied today, and so I must rudely deny your invitation.”

“Oh jeez, I understand,” Alex said, though he was a little disappointed not to be able to host the chancellor. There was a sort of…grandfatherly way about the ancient wizard that the young man had attached to.

Well, ‘grandfatherly’ filtered through thousands of years of barbarism, madness, magic, obsession with power, and towering strength by all measures.

Still, much of that was probably why he liked to spend time with the ancient goat-man.

‘I’ve got to have him over from time to time,’ he thought.

“Honestly, with the amount of paperwork you have, I can see why you wouldn’t have time,” Alex said.

“Oh, it’s not paperwork today…it’s more of a…social engagement that has many other benefits for both myself and for you. It’s an engagement where I’ve finally managed to wrangle all the participants together.”

“Oh?” Alex cocked his head. Then his eyes grew wide. “Wait now. Are you meeting up with your cabal?”

“Oh yes, you are quite correct,” Baelin chuckled. “And it has been too long. You see, we have all conquered the fundamental barrier of ‘distance’. We live very remotely from each other, but we can all come together whenever we wish. Time, however, has proven—as I said—more stubborn. We have tried, but none of us has managed to conjure time from the ether as of yet. One of us is working on it, though. But, unfortunately, we are all quite busy.”

He sighed wistfully. “I run a school, another of us is something of an architect for a very exclusive body of clients, another runs an empire and wrangles his family, yet another ah…has exotic amusements, shall we say. And finally, one is always available, but has accomplished this through unorthodox means.”

“They sound like a pretty amazing bunch,” Alex said in awe. “Wish I could meet them.”

“Keep being a proper wizard and you might one day.” Baelin glanced at the position of the sun. “Speaking of time, I am afraid mine has run out. Enjoy your housewarming gathering. I have my own meeting to attend.”