Chapter 272: The Aspirant

While Callum had already been carried away on a stretcher by several white mages, the rest of his teammates left the coliseum’s arena behind with the thundering applause and cheers of the crowds.

As Stryg limped his way into one of the stadium’s tunnels he couldn’t help but look back and smile proudly. He had done it, they had done it. Despite the odds, they had managed to snag 2nd place right behind Team Murkton. Sure, it wasn’t 1st place, but it wasn’t last place either, and that was enough to help them to stand a chance at winning the tourney.

“Just you wait, soon those crowds will be chanting our names, the champions of this year’s tourney!” Sylvie laughed loftily.

“Why don’t we just focus on getting back to our team’s training room for now,” Freya smiled wryly. “We should really get that shoulder of yours looked at.”

“Pssh, I’ll stop by an infirmary later, all I really want to do right now is take a long hot bath,” Sylvie smiled.

“I think I’ve had enough water for today,” Stryg glanced down at his drenched clothes.

“How did you do it anyway?” Freya asked.

“Hm?” Stryg blinked.

“How did you manage to hold them all off like that? And how did you fall into the water? More importantly, how did you get out?” Freya asked.

“You didn’t see what happened?” Stryg cocked his head to the side.

She looked away sheepishly, “We were focused on running all the way to the last pillar and the finish line... We didn’t really have time to look back.”

“Right… I guess that makes sense,” Stryg nodded to himself. “It all feels a bit of blur now, but I guess it started when I jumped–”

“We’re here,” Sylvie interrupted.

The trio found themselves in front of an iron door in the tunnels below the coliseum’s stands.

“Let’s continue the story inside, my legs are killing me,” Freya said with a wince. “I could really sit down for a bit, even on one of those shitty benches.”

“Agreed,” Sylvie said and opened the door to their training room.

The place was fairly empty as usual, save for a few wooden benches near the walls, and a table at the center of the room. A second door stood at the other end of the room, which led to another tunnel and eventually to the outside world. The second door was usually left open, but it was oddly closed. Even stranger, the closed-door rattled occasionally with the sounds of angry murmurs echoing from the other side.

Gale paced around the training room impatiently, her sword in hand. Ismene sat quietly on a bench, resting on her cane.

The old archmage looked up at the sound of Sylvie’s entrance. Ismene looked past Sylvie’s tall form, her eyes settling on Stryg, “...You’ve finally come, good. We have a lot to speak about.”

“...I see,” Stryg swallowed and withered under her steel gaze.

“Close the door behind you and lock it, Sylvie,” Gale said sternly.

“Wha? Why?” Sylvie furrowed her brow.

“Close the door and lock it, now!” Gale snapped.

“Oh, uh, yeah, sorry,” Sylvie nodded, a bit confused. She closed the door and threw down the iron latch.

“Professor Ismene, I didn’t expect you to be down here yet.” Freya glanced at Gale, “I didn’t expect either of you to be down here yet. Did you not watch the match?”

“Oh, we watched it, child,” Ismene said grimly. “Then we rushed down here as soon as we could. Cornelius should already be at the infirmary grabbing Callum by now.”

“Grabbing Callum?” Sylvie frowned. “He shouldn’t be moved yet, he suffered serious burns. The white mages still need to heal him.”

“Don’t worry about him. We’ll hire our own personal healers and have Callum taken care of once we reach our tavern lodgings,” Ismene said.

“The tavern? Why there?” Stryg asked.

“It’ll be a lot easier to fortify and defend the tavern,” Gale said. “Honestly, Lady Ismene, we shouldn’t linger here. There are thousands of people just a few hundred feet above us. Who is to say they won’t just rush down here and swarm us? Lysaila is already having to deal with enough of them,” Gale pointed to the rattling iron door.

“What’s going on…?” Stryg asked suspiciously.

Ismene clicked her tongue, “That’s what I’d like to know, child.”

A loud knock smacked into the door. “It’s me! Open up!” Loh yelled.

“Freya, open the door,” Gale said. “Stryg, get behind me.”

Stryg reluctantly nodded and stepped behind Gale’s taller form. Freya walked across the room and lifted the latch. The door slammed open and Loh stumbled inside, Tauri right behind her. A crowd of armored men, black-robed mages, and over a dozen aristocrats stood outside, elbowing each other, trying to get inside the room. Lysaila stood between them and the door.

“Get one step closer, you pointy eared bastards, and I’ll slice your necks clean off!” Lysaila hissed and brandished her curved sword in wide arcs in front of her.

“Close the door!” Gale yelled.

Freya didn’t hesitate. She slammed the door and locked it.

Loh looked around the room breathlessly. She glanced past Gale and did a double-take. “There you are! Stryg, what the fuck were you thinking!”

Stryg stepped out from behind Gale and shrugged stiffly, “I did what I needed to win.”

“Win…?” Loh mumbled incredulously. “You’ve just undone all the work we’ve done these past 3 years! You fucking idiot!”

Stryg glared at her, but held his tongue.

“Wait, you knew about this, Loh?” Tauri asked, wide-eyed.

“Mm, I’m quite certain she and her grandfather have always known,” Ismene said quietly. “That’s why Riri ‘adopted’ Stryg into House Noir, yes? It’s the real reason why you kept my training with Stryg secret.”

“My gods, tell me you didn’t, Loh,” Tauri said anxiously.

“I… I was trying to protect Stryg,” Loh muttered. “I mean, just look outside! This is only the beginning!”

“Protect HIM? Is that what Riri and you were doing?” Ismene said, disbelief clear in her tone.

“Stryg isn’t ready,” Loh said gravely.

“I’m sorry, are we missing something here?” Freya asked. “Like, what’s going on? What are all those people doing outside our training room?”

“Oh, phew, I thought I was the only one out of the loop,” Sylvie sighed with relief.

“I’m not even sure what’s going on,” Stryg muttered.

Ismene’s eyes widened, “The boy really doesn’t know, does he?”

“We thought it safer if he didn’t…” Loh bit her lip.

“My, my, you Noirs have really outdone yourselves this time, haven’t you?” Ismene said with disgust. “You not only managed to deceive me, but you fooled your own apprentice as well.”

Loh looked away in shame, “It wasn’t like that… I never meant for it to come out like this…”

“Can someone please explain to me what in all the bloody realms is going on!?” Stryg said frustratedly. “Why does it sound like we’re all about to be attacked?”

“Because we most likely will be,” Ismene sighed. “The moment you revealed your full range of magical capabilities to the entirety of Undergrowth you showed them all what you are.”

Stryg shook his head, “I don’t understand, all I did was cast a few extra spells!”

“Master-class spells,” Ismene said. “You showed the world that not only were you a prime mage, but one with talent well beyond his peers, a prodigy.”

“WHAT!?” Freya yelled.

Sylvie slowly turned to Stryg, her eyes wide with wonder, “You’re one of them?”

“One of what? Why are you guys looking at me like that?” Stryg said uneasily.

Ismene clasped her hands together, “Stryg, someone with your potential will most likely become an arch-mage someday.”

“Okay…? Freya and Sylvie will most likely be arch-mages someday too. But no one is looking at them weirdly,” Stryg frowned.

“That’s because we’re not prime mages,” Freya mumbled.

Ismene sighed, “Stryg, they have different names in different Realms, sometimes they don’t even have specific titles. But here, in the Ebon Realm, the prime arch-mages took upon a title for themselves… the Ebon Lords.”

“Wait… You’re saying I’m an Ebon Lord!?” Stryg asked in disbelief.

“An Ebon Aspirant,” Gale corrected. “A being with the potential to one day rise to the title of Ebon Lord. Which explains why my uncle wanted me to keep you safe…”

“The fact of the matter is, there have been no Aspirants ever since Ebon Lord Atreus Thorn passed away.” Ismene looked Stryg straight in the eyes, “You are the first Aspirant in over 200 years.”

“You’re saying there have been no other prime mages in two centuries?” Stryg asked skeptically.

“None with considerable talent,” Ismene said. “We don’t exactly know why or how, but a few years after Hollow Shade’s founding and the Schism, the Ebon Lords began to grow sick. Some people called it a curse, others poison, many believed the Ebon Lords simply killed each other off. But there are a few old enough to remember what really happened to the Ebon Lords.”

Gale nodded grimly, “They became weak, infirm, and eventually they died. All of them. Atreus Thorn lasted longer than the rest, but even The Last Ebon Lord eventually succumbed to death.”

“After Atreus died,” Ismene said, “there were no more Aspirants born to the Great Houses of the Realm, or to anyone else for that matter. The era of the Ebon Lords seemed over.” She glanced at Stryg, “Until you.”

“That’s why people want to attack us?” Stryg frowned. “Is that why there’s a crowd outside? What? Do they want to attack us too?”

“You don’t understand,” Ismene said darkly. “Your existence is more important than you know. Being an Ebon Lord is more than just a title, it’s a legacy. Hollow Shade was not the only thing the Ebon Lords built. Even to this day their title evokes fear and awe from the lowest commoner to the scions of Great Houses. The Ebon Lords left behind a legacy greater than anyone else can claim, and that’s not even mentioning the Chrome Gates.”

“Chrome Gates?” Stryg wrinkled his brow. “Cornelius said something about those before…”

“The Gates were an artificial fine-tuned, albeit much smaller, alternative to mother nature’s Realm Bridges,” Ismene explained. “The Chrome Gates are capable of transporting people to other Gates spread across the other nine Realms.”

“Which only made them more important after the Realm Bridges all fell apart during the Schism,” Gale said.

“Effectively cutting off the Null Realms from each other,” Tauri muttered.

Stryg nodded slowly, “I remember learning about the Bridges in class, but if Chrome Gates exist, then why don’t we just use them to connect with the other Realms?”

“Most of the Chrome Gates were destroyed after The Last Ebon Lord died,” Ismene said. “But even if they hadn’t been, it requires all ten chromatic colors of magic at the skill level of an arch-mage to open a Chrome Gate. And even then all ten colors must be in perfect synchronization, if they aren’t then whoever is inside the Gate would be torn apart by the energies of the Null. In other words, only a single person, a single prime-archmage, is capable of opening a Gate.”

“What?” Stryg eyes widened.

“Child, you have the potential to connect the Ebon Realm back to the rest of the Null Realms,” Ismene said. “Your existence could change everything.”

“How have I not heard about this…” Stryg stumbled back a step.

“Most people know nothing of the Chrome Gates,” Ismene said sympathetically. “Our academy doesn’t like teaching about the fall of their greatest mages. Still, after today’s debacle, I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone in this city knows what an Ebon Aspirant is before sunset.”

“I should have known about this…” Stryg gritted his teeth. He turned to Loh, “I asked you about the Ebon Lords many times, but you always told me it wasn’t important. So I didn’t look into it, because I trusted you.”

“I was trying to keep you safe,” Loh said sternly. “Ismene forgot to mention the part where Hollow Shade was the throne of the Ebon Lords. It was the first time they had all formed an alliance. That city was their throne of power. But people don’t like giving up their power, do they? Now that the Ebon Lords are gone, how do you think the lords and ladies of Hollow Shade will react to a new one being born? At best they’ll try to use you, at worst they’ll assassinate you. My grandfather and I were trying to keep that pressure off of you until you were ready to handle it.”

“And were you two not trying to use him?” Ismene raised her eyebrow.

“I was trying to protect Stryg! From people like Ophelia Thorn!” Loh shouted. “House Thorn’s claim to power is that they are descendants of Atreus. Now that another potential Ebon Lord has appeared, someone with an even stronger claim to Hollow Shade, what do you think Ophelia will do to him!? This is why we kept his powers secret.”

“No,” Stryg glared at Loh. “I’m tired of your lies. All you have ever done is lie to me! You never even cared about me, did you? You only ever cared about what I was!”

“Stryg, what are you talking about?” Loh frowned. “I am your master, I have always been on your side!”

“LIES!” Stryg screamed, “I know what happened on Widow’s Crag! I know you abandoned us!”

“What?” Freya’s eyes widened.

Loh’s face paled, “Stryg… I…”

“You let all those people die! Their blood is on your hands!” Stryg roared. Tears of rage and grief ran down his cheeks. “I trusted you, more than anyone… And you made me believe that Clypeus’ death… was my fault.”

“I-I never… I never wanted to lie to you,” Loh fell to her knees, tears in her eyes. She clenched her trembling hands and bowed her head, “I wanted to tell you so badly, but I was scared… I was a coward… I failed you, I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t want your damn apologies!” Stryg screamed. “I don’t want anything to do with you!” He pulled off his silver bracelet and threw it at her feet.

Loh stared in pain at the bracelet as if it was a dagger sinking into her chest. “I-I… I…”

Tauri stepped forward, “Widow’s Crag wasn’t like that, Stryg. I pushed Loh to try and kill Marek! We thought you and the other students were safe! We would never have left you had we known you were still in danger! If you want someone to blame, then blame me! Loh never meant for any of you to get hurt, she was only trying to avenge her brother!”

“By killing Marek?” Stryg laughed bitterly. “Just more lies. She doesn’t want to avenge her brother, she’s the one who killed Aizel.”

“W-what? What are you talking about?” Tauri frowned.

Loh’s head shot up, horror etched across her face. “Stryg, wait–!”

“Vayu told me everything!” Stryg yelled. “Loh let Aizel die on purpose, she could have saved him, but she didn’t! She wanted him dead and she had Vayu help her cover it up!”

“N-no, that’s not…” Tauri stumbled. She turned to Loh and saw the fear in her best friend’s eyes. Tauri shuddered, “Oh my gods… it’s true? No… it can’t be… But, the engagement. You didn’t want Aizel to marry me… so you…?”

“No, it wasn’t like that,” Loh raised her hands, panicked.

Tauri slowly backed away, “You killed Aizel… How didn’t I realize it? You hated him. And every time I tried to talk to you about what happened, you always pushed the topic aside… But Lord Noir found out, didn’t he? That’s why you left your House… Your grandfather couldn’t stand the sight of you… You’re a monster…”

“Please, I can explain,” Loh muttered weakly.

“Tauri,” Ismene said softly. “This is not the time nor place. Drop the dagger.”

Loh froze in confusion. Tauri trembled with anger, but she pulled her hand away from behind her back and dropped a small dagger hidden in her sleeve.

“...You were going to kill me?” Loh asked, terrified.

“I swore a vow that I would kill Aizel’s murderers,” Tauri snarled, her eyes red with tears. “A Katag never breaks their vows.”

“I thought of killing myself more times than you can imagine…” Loh whispered sadly.

“Then you really are a coward,” Tauri said coldly. “You should have finished the job years ago.”

The light in Loh’s eyes disappeared. She slowly bent down, picked up the dagger, and handed it to Tauri.

Tauri narrowed her eyes, “What are you…?”

Loh smiled bitterly and opened her arms wide, “...I won’t stop you.”

“But I will,” Ismene said in a quiet, deadly voice. “I will say this once, Tauri. You lay a finger on Elohnoir and I will end you and your family if it’s the last thing I do.”

Tauri glared at Ismene, but said nothing. She dropped the dagger and walked out of the room without another word.

Loh lowered her arms and shivered with relief. “You didn’t have to stop her…” she whispered.

“No… I should have stopped your family from hurting you when you were still just an innocent child… I’m not making that same mistake again,” Ismene said quietly.

Loh tried to nod, but she broke down in tears and hid her face behind her pale hair.

Stryg stared at Loh. He didn’t know what to say. He hated her for what she did and yet as he looked at her, he felt pain for her. He didn’t understand. How could he utterly hate someone yet also feel like this? He despised the feeling.

Ismene glanced around the faces in the room and sighed, “This is going to be a long night.”