One of the advisors spoke quietly now, almost with pride. "Runic arts. Sealing techniques. Memory preservation. Spatial magic. Different magic formulas."
I blinked.
"…Magic has formulas?" Now I'm curious....was it for spells or something else?
Blaze sighed. "Everything has formulas. You are just usually the problem inside them."
The king ignored him smoothly. "The scholars of Orynthia preserve records others lost long ago. Wars, bloodlines, ancient pacts, forbidden arts… truths buried by time."
Then his gaze sharpened. "If you seek answers about your sword… about powers that do not fit our world… or about threats yet to come…"
He let the silence sit for a moment. "You will find the closest thing to them there."
That got my full attention. So not just training. Answers.
Elandor folded his arms. "They are arrogant."
The king nodded once. "They are."
"They are difficult."
Again, a nod. "They are."
"They will dislike him."
That one made several advisors shift awkwardly. The king looked at me.
"They almost certainly will."
"Wow," I said. "I feel welcomed already."
Elariel covered a laugh. Aelthirion's expression softened slightly. "Orynthia values order, tradition, and established law. You…" He looked me over once. "…tend to create new problems where none existed."
"That feels unfairly accurate."
"It is entirely accurate." Even Elandor looked amused for half a second.
The king stepped closer. "But that is also why you must go." He gestured toward my sword. "Valaerion did not awaken for comfort."
Then toward me. "And power without guidance becomes danger." Then toward Elandor. "You will not go alone...My brother will oversee your training." The king continued "In Orynthia, you will study advanced mana control, spatial principles, historical truths, and the deeper structure of magic itself."
I slowly raised a hand. "…What if they throw me out?"
"They won't." the king replied.
"How do you know your majesty?"
The king's eyes shifted to Valaerion.
"Because they revere knowledge." Then back to me. "And nothing confuses scholars more than a mystery they cannot solve."
The room went quiet again. That was… annoyingly convincing. I looked down at the black blade resting at my side. A few days ago, it was rusty junk in a market stall.
Now it was apparently changing my entire future. Typical. I sighed. "So when do we leave?" Elandor answered immediately.
"At dawn."
"…Of course at dawn."
That night, the palace felt unusually quiet.
After everything that happened in the throne room, I couldn't really sleep. The words still echoed in my head. Orynthia. Divinarchs. Burden or fortune.
Blaze and Byakuren were already inside my room, both curled up like nothing in the world had changed. Blaze looked like a harmless warm lizard wrapped around the pillow. Byakuren, in his small black cat form, slept near the window, tail gently moving with every slow breath.
But I couldn't stay still. So I left. The halls outside Elariel's quarters were dimly lit, the palace lights softened for the night. I hesitated for a second before knocking lightly.
A pause.
Then the door opened slightly. Elariel stepped out, still wearing her usual light training clothes. Her expression changed the moment she saw me. "…Lucien?"
"I'm leaving tomorrow," I said simply. "So… I thought I should say goodbye properly."
For a moment, she didn't respond. Her eyes lowered slightly, like she was processing it slower than she expected.
Then she gave a small smile. "Right… Orynthia." There was a silence between us that wasn't uncomfortable, just heavy.
She looked away first. "You're really going there," she said.
"I don't exactly have a choice."
"That's not what I meant." Another pause.
Then suddenly, she stepped forward and hugged me. It wasn't hesitant. It was tight.
Almost like she was trying to make sure I was still real.
I froze for a second, not expecting it at all.
"…Elariel?" She didn't answer immediately.
Then her grip tightened slightly. "You're going somewhere dangerous again," she said quietly.
And then her voice cracked a little. "…and you always come back like nothing happened."
That last part wasn't an accusation. It was worry. Real worry. I didn't know what to say, so I just stood there for a moment before slowly raising a hand and patting her head lightly. "I'll come back," I said.
She didn't let go immediately. But eventually, she stepped back, quickly turning her slightly blushing face away like she didn't want me to see it properly. "…You better," she muttered.
I smiled a little. "That sounds like an order."
"It is."
And for the first time tonight, I actually felt calm.
Next morning came faster than I wanted it to.
Blaze and Byakuren were already awake when I left my room, but still half-asleep in their corners like they didn't care about the emotional weight of goodbyes. Or maybe they did, just in their own way.
I went to Elariel's room but I didn't wake her. Not because I didn't want to see her… but because I knew if I did, she wouldn't let me leave...So I just stood there for a second outside her quiet room, watching her sleep through the slightly opened door, while soft light spilled in from her open window.
I turned away before I changed my mind.
The palace was already waking up in pieces–guards shifting posts, servants carrying supplies, the usual morning rhythm that didn't care about farewells or departures. Blaze padded quietly beside me in his small form, eyes half-lidded like he was still deciding whether today was worth being awake for. Byakuren followed without a sound, tail low, observant as always.
No one spoke much as we met Elandor near the outer gate. He was already prepared. Of course he was. "You're early," he said.
"Couldn't sleep," I answered.
He gave a short look at the palace behind us, then nodded once. "Good. Less hesitation means fewer mistakes."
"That's a depressing way to start a trip."
"That's reality."
And just like that, we left Valerión behind.
The road outside the capital slowly shifted from polished stone paths to uneven terrain and forest edges. The air felt different almost immediately—less controlled, more alive. Elandor walked ahead while I stayed slightly off to the side, occasionally glancing around for anything edible or useful along the way.
That's when he suddenly stopped.
"We need supplies," he said.
I blinked. "We literally just left."
"And we still need supplies."
That was the end of it, apparently.
End of chapter.