Chương 65: A Mediocre Spell

Alaric, who had gotten to his feet when they had all arrived at his office, now fell back into his chair, clearly trying hard not to look like he was going to faint. After everything Ryland had just told the Headmaster, he didn't blame the man at all for his reaction.

"An Arcoryx Academ stole one of the most secure and powerful treasures in the academy." The Headmaster was rubbing his temple, frowning severely.

"Only for it to become a Calamity. Which you, Ryland, then disposed of by taking it into the cosmos and chucking it into a black hole?" He looked up at Ryland with very, very flat eyes.

"Yes, Headmaster," Ryland said.

"That is exactly what happened."

"Do you understand for a single moment how unbelievable that sounds?" Alaric asked.

"Well…"

"Don't well me! Because you know what the worst part of that is? It's that it's true. I know perfectly well that you of all people aren't lying. But how do you think I'm going to explain to everyone else who might catch wind of what has happened here?"

"Well, Headmaster, you did say we would be holding an important meeting, yes? Perhaps I could do the explaining?" Alaric looked like Ryland had just asked him to throw himself into a vat of acid.

"Do you remember my insistence that we handle this subtly?" Ryland frowned.

"I suppose this is the opposite of subtle."" Yes. Yes, it is." Alaric groaned into his hands.

"Headmaster," High Academ Tyra said. There was faint bemusement on her face, but she grew serious in a moment.

"I am at least partially culpable for this whole debacle. As such, I take my share of the responsibility for what has happened. If ever you need a corroborating statement or anything of the kind from me, then I'll be happy to assist." Ryland showed his appreciation with a grateful nod.

"It doesn't matter," Alaric said, straightening.

"Not yet at least. First, we must deal with this…" He stood up again, looking down at the Academ kneeling before them all, cradling himself in the foetal position as he gently shook and twisted.

"He's not exactly in the right state of mind to be revealing anything," Alaric said, sounding both sympathetic and disgusted.

"Well, I've managed to do a little bit of digging in the short time we've had since the incident," Tyra said, which impressed Ryland since there had hardly been any time after his return. She must have looked into the matter remotely while he had been gone with the Calamity.

"I'll be happy to share my findings."

"As will I," Ryland said.

"You'll what?" Sint asked, almost suspiciously. The other two were staring at him as well.

"Ah, yes," Ryland said.

"What I meant to say is that I think I know what led to all this. And more importantly, I think I might know who's behind all this too." Everyone in the Headmaster's office, save for the clearly out-of-his-mind Academ, stared at Ryland. Right. They weren't curious about the exact circumstances of what had led Academ Folis to his current state. Rather, it was the last bit of his statement that had hooked everyone's attention.

Naturally, they all wanted to know who—or what —was behind this grave incident that could have gone so, so much worse had Ryland not been present.

"Cease building up the suspense please," Alaric said, a little pleadingly.

"Who could have the power to manipulate events to such a degree as to lead to the birth of a new Calamity inside Arcoryx Academy?" The beseeching tone in Alaric's voice wasn't actually about getting on with the revelation, if Ryland was reading the man correctly. Rather, the Headmaster needed a certain level of reassurance. He needed to understand that there existed an entity beyond even his ability to stop or fight back against.

Because the idea of a Calamity being born within his purview of the academy, when he was supposed to be protecting everything, was unconscionable to Alaric.

"I have strong suspicions that it's the Flourinus Order," Ryland said. The announcement resulted in a variety of reactions from those gathered. Sint's face remained blank, professing that she knew nothing about the term. High Academ Tyra appeared befuddled. Meanwhile Alaric's complexion had turned the consistency of milk. He was possibly recalling his last conversation with Ryland regarding the same matter. It was Academ Folis who had the most dramatic reaction, however.

"Them!" he shouted, pulling himself back onto his knees, glaring at the ceiling like it was offending him.

"Them, them, them. Take this, do that, find this, kill everything. Aaargghhh!" Ryland would have cast another Glyph of Tranquillity to calm the fellow, but it would also affect everyone else in the room, so he refrained. It wasn't a real issue. They already had secure binds to keep him from doing anything aggressive. The Glyphtech handcuffs glowed with a crystalline light, and Folis quickly quieted down.

"Who are they?" Sint asked in the ensuing silence. Tyra shook her head.

"They're not real. A mythical organization who supposedly grew out of the ashes of the Realmbreaker Wars, almost like fairytales told to children to keep them from misbehaving." She frowned at Ryland.

"Surely you aren't insinuating the existence of some shadowy organization that took up the name with the intent to cause mayhem and inspire terror?"

"They are most likely very real," Alaric said. His face had already fallen. Tyra turned her frown to Alaric.

"Headmaster! Do you have actual evidence of their acts or whereabouts or just their plain existence? Because otherwise, I find it deplorable that we would lay the blame for this heinous crime at the feet of this unknowable, unfathomable Order." At the request for proof, Alaric had the grace to flush slightly.

"I did say most likely. They would not be a shadowy organization if their whereabouts and existence could be determined with absolute certainty. However, Ryland and I harbour suspicions of not just their existence, but their presence as well."

"I can assure you," Ryland said.

"That the Order does exist and is active and remains as powerful as it always has been, if not even more so. I unfortunately have not kept track of them beyond the occasional encounter." The direness of the revelation seemed to make Sint get over her reluctance to draw attention to herself in the meeting.

"Alright," she said.

"But who are they? What do they want? Why are they targeting the academy?" Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"They are worshippers of Calamities," Ryland stated. He didn't expand further. There was no need. That sentence alone was enough to make the expressions on all three of them turn grim.

"That's what the old stories say too," Tyra said.

"Behave, or the Order will turn you into a Calamity." Ryland nodded.

"They are directly responsible for at least half the Calamities that have plagued the Realms, and possibly a lot more indirectly. They believe that Calamities are the natural end-stage of evolution, the apotheosis we are misguidedly and futilely fighting against."

"As you said, they worship the Calamities."

"Indeed, it's true for many of them."

"Many," Alaric said.

"There can't be many with how hidden they are."

"All that is beside the point because it's preposterous to assume storybook villains are involved," Tyra said with a belligerent shake of her head.

"Even if we were to assume their existence is justified, what proof do we have that they're the main culprit behind this?"

"Several things." Ryland began counting off his fingers.

"The sheer scale of their invasive nature that allowed them to infiltrate deep into the academy, likely without any of them ever stepping a single foot within its premises. The fact that they were either already aware of what I was seeking or had managed to discover it after I had arrived at Arcoryx."

"I'm not sure which of those is worse," Sint said.

"Neither am I." Ryland continued counting.

"I encountered something similar to a Vestige, made with a powerful Soul Glyph, within the last Living Mana Incursion. That is what caused the Incursion to grow so powerful." Alaric appeared even glummer at the reminder about the last Incursion.

"Had you not been there, we'd never have discovered this. Because at first, I assumed it was Fate." Tyra's eyes goggled at Ryland." Fate?" Sint sighed long-sufferingly.

"It's a long story, ma'am."

"Oh, is it?" Ryland asked.

"I for one thought it was a rather simple matter. But perhaps my idea of simple requires some… re-evaluation." He decided to focus back on their current dilemma and ticked off one last finger.

"Anyway, for the final point in the Order's favour—our guest here recognizes them." They all looked at the Academ on the floor, who was once again curled up in the foetal position and mumbling incoherently to himself. A brief flash of disgust passed over Tyra's face at the sight. Ryland wondered if they had some sort of history, or if she had been the one who had gotten him appointed to his current position.

"Interrogating him for details is impossible in his current state, and I'm not sure we can actually heal him."

"I am doubtful of it," Ryland said.

"His mind is broken. Reconstructing bodies is almost trivial when compared to repairing minds, and we're all well aware just how intensive and difficult healing bodies physically can be."

"They did this, didn't they?" Alaric said with growing heat.

"The Order. They broke his mind, so he would no longer pose a liability after the incident." Tyra scoffed.

"Well, they didn't do a good enough job of covering all his tracks. As I've said, I managed to track down his whereabouts before this. He was stealing resources from the department and selling it off in the black market in the 99th District. At some point, he got mired in a terrible debt and got desperate to pay it off." She didn't say the rest, but the implications were clear. Folis had descended into a negative spiral that had eventually led him to getting caught up in the Order's plot.

He was living, breathing proof of the dangers of getting oneself mired in illicit activities and the like.

"I haven't discovered anything definitive yet," Tyra said.

"Such as which exact gangs and other entities he interacted with. I just discovered the thefts themselves less than an hour ago. But I can start a proper investigation soon." Alaric looked conflicted.

"As long as it doesn't involve the Enforcers. They will learn of this eventually, but I'd not like to rely on them if at all possible. I'd also like to have a handle on the matter before they get wind of anything."

"Perhaps I could handle the matter," Ryland said. High Academ Tyra and Headmaster Alaric exchanged quick glances, and Tyra soon took a seat.

"You've proven yourself very reliable, Ryland," she said.

"But I am slightly concerned your expectations will lead you to evidence that corroborates your… conjecture. Everyone has biases."

"That is a valid concern. But rest assured, I don't intend to jump to conclusions without solid evidence." Ryland extended a hand and cast a spell, his Soul Glyph of Time warping the air with magic sparking around the room. Several Glyphtech devices in the Headmaster's office pinged and glowed in alarm." [Echo of Ages]." Ryland's manasoul fluttered with a shadow of the power he had unleashed against the Incursion and its replica of himself. He didn't fully open the floodgates, but it was enough.

Strands of white and blue magic threaded through the air to alight on Folis. They coalesced all over the prone Academ's body, forming a hollow apparition, a ghostly echo of the man impressed upon time itself.

"With this spell," Ryland said.

"We should be able to trace exactly where Academ Folis has gone, and every step of the way, we can use [Rewind] to see just what he had gotten up to." He glanced apologetically at Alaric.

"Unfortunately, neither the culprit nor the Vestige were present at the vault, so I couldn't use this there." His words seemed to barely register on the Headmaster—or, in fact, on anyone else in the room. They were all instead staring mesmerized at the temporal echo of Academ Folis.

"I've never even seen a spell like that," Tyra murmured. Alaric tore his eyes forcefully away from the ghostly imprint also lying prone on the ground.

"It's a spell the Grand Enforcer uses if she ever has to take a case herself. Although… I am doubtful if it's also Tier… what Tier even is that? [18]?"

"Tier [22]," Ryland said.

"One my more mediocre spells, admittedly."" Mediocre," Sint muttered. Ryland smiled.

"High Academ Tyra and Headmaster Alaric. Are you now satisfied that I will be able to follow our leads effectively and root out this malignant threat before it dares to take any further steps against the academy?" Alaric rubbed his temples before slowly sighing.

"It was never a matter of confidence. Not when it comes to you," he muttered. Then his voice grew louder.

"But if you believe you can handle the matter, then I see no reason to rely on the Enforcers. Unfortunately, I am duty-bound to report the matter to the correct authorities and therefore, some of them will try to be involved." But the Headmaster wasn't going to tacitly support or even endorse their attempts to redress the issue. Ryland heard the implication loud and clear.

"It seems your method far surpasses what would have been my more mundane investigative efforts," Tyra said.

"I appreciate you doing this, Ryland. We're in your debt. Greatly. That said, I would dearly like to remain updated and will of course lend a hand wherever required. It's just that…"

"Just what, High Academ?" Ryland asked. She laughed softly, shoulders shaking.

"Funny you call me that, when I've been so outclassed, I feel as though I hardly deserve the title." Ryland blinked. Well, that certainly hadn't been his intention. He had wished to help, had sought to prove that he could indeed take care of the matter, especially since he felt somewhat responsible for everything that had transpired. It was, after all, his blood that had transformed into a Calamity. And yet, his attempt at reassuring the others had apparently made Tyra self-conscious.

His immediate reply, one where he wanted to tell the High Academ that it wasn't merely magical prowess that had granted her the title, only sounded condescending in his head. Thankfully, Alaric came to the rescue, in a roundabout way.

"I think it's good to get a humbling reminder every now and then for all of us." He was slightly exasperated when he looked up.

"Unless your name is Marionys Ryland, apparently." Ryland chuckled.

"I appreciate your vote of confidence."

"And I would appreciate it if you could all keep this confidential." The Headmaster looked down at Academ Folis.

"I will take care of him. High Academ Jory should be able to start whatever healing process could help." He looked up.

"High Academ Tyra and Sint. On behalf the academy, I thank you for your efforts in the matter." The expression of gratitude was also a dismissal, which the both of them noted. It was also notable that Ryland hadn't been thanked.

"Don't thank me, sir," Sint said as she turned to leave.

"I did nothing besides spectate."

"Nonsense." Tyra placed a comforting arm around Sint's shoulders as she accompanied her apprentice out of the office.

"You were valuable moral support. Thanks again, Ryland."

"Don't mention it, High Academ," Ryland said with a smile.

"Moral support…" Sint murmured, sounding a little like she wished to weep. Once they were gone, Alaric wasted no time moving on to the next topic. Ryland had suspected that he'd have further instructions or questions regarding the incident with the Calamity and the likely involvement of the Order, but instead, the Headmaster brought up a completely different topic.

"Ryland," he said after casting a Glyph of Silence over the prone form of Academ Folis. Apparently, the matter was sensitive for even a crazed Academ to hear.

"Remember the meeting we spoke of?" Ryland nodded.

"Have you scheduled it already?"

"You made a request recently. About your class. And now we've got this little incident we need to go over… I'm thinking we can roll all that into one, and thereby, reduce the impact of the original meeting agenda." Slowly, Ryland nodded again, a small smile stretching across his lips. Alaric was rather shrewd. Although, something told him that, for all the other concerns that might be raised during that meeting, Ryland suspected he wouldn't stop being the main focus.