After notes were taken and Sepul looked over them he gave the students grades based on how well they understood what they were seeing and how many questions they asked, he wanted them to ask anything they could think of, he had been around a long time and a great deal of why people were sent here was to be able to question their elders.

“I believe this has been a good first class, I will not be sharing who was graded what and neither should you, comparison is the enemy of a learning mind. If you choose to focus either knowingly or not on how much better your peers are then you will only give yourself doubt, if you focus on those lower than you will end up with an ego and that will be reflected in your work ethic. Now, I have gone a few minutes over my allotted time here but as this is the final class of the day for you this shouldn’t be an issue, if this is an issue I will send you where you need to go.”

The children simply wished to reach the dining hall so they could get the first pick of the food.

Harlan was the only one who stayed behind.

“And you? Where do you need to be?”

Harlan didn’t hesitate, he felt reassured around the old archmage, no malice was directed at him.

“Can you tell if there is a spirit around?”

“I can feel your sword, but there is nothing lingering around you. Is there anything else?”

“Is that it? You can just know from there?”

“A spirit is a mind given to mana, a living self sustaining spell that can think in basic terms. I’ve dealt with quite a lot of them and I can see the mana around you is completely normal, it is being drawn to you because of what you are but if there was a spirit inside you or something on your person then the mana would be pulled in like it is with your blade.”

He then pulled out his pocket watch and stared at it for a time, Harlan could see how the little motes of mana in the air brightened and were pulled into it.

“There is a spirit in there?”

“Technically yes and no. It is the closest I have ever gotten to making a ghost but the object only pulls in mana, it has no mind or soul, so it is like a bucket with a hole in the bottom, it sucks it up and it flows out because nothing is holding it in. Your soulsmithing is actually quite close to making a ghost. The difference lies in intention and the presence of a mind."

The archmage clearly had something else he wanted to say, but wasn't sure if he should.

He waited a moment before asking.

“In some time, I would like to invite you over for dinner, we have quite a bit to talk about.”

“How about now then?”

“No, I have things that need to be moved around, my home is also my laboratory. 2 days, then we will talk.”

He didn’t phrase it as a question, simply that Harlan would be there.

Harlan found himself instantly moved to the cafeteria, scaring a few people around him.

He made his way through the line, those two people were nearby and getting closer, he kept his hand near Lugh ready to defend himself.

They sat down across from him and Adina.

“I’ve seen you following me, why?”

“Nothing malicious.” “Don’t accuse my brother and I of anything.”

The boy with white hair pleaded with his eyes for Harlan to forgive his hot tempered sister.

“Apologies, I’ve many enemies and I react poorly to people following me. But that still begs the question of why.”

“I saw how you prepared that potato on the first day and I found it wonderful.” “It was his idea.”

Harlan froze, was that really it? Something so childish?

“Well, thank you?”

“I was wondering what set of spells you used to do that? I’ve an interest in cooking, the way that the same ingredients can make many different dishes.”

Harlan didn’t feel like they were lying, but he was still having a hard time believing it.

“Are you two of house Dyad?”

“Of course.” “How did you know?”

The black haired girl’s temper and paranoia rivaled Harlan’s.”

“I’ve met Alan and Alice Dyad. You two just reminded me of them.”

“So you’ve met our older siblings then.” “Why?”

Harlan felt like this was going to be exhausting.

Yet Harlan was fascinated by how they appeared to his mindsense, they whirled around one another and mixed at times, the only comparison he could make was the Slip Ant’s and their oversoul with the queen, yet both of them were clearly fighting for control, if it was conscious Harlan couldn’t tell however.

“Well, I am glad to explain, but I don’t know your names yet.”

“Claude Dyad, pleasure to meet you.” “Claudia Dyad.”

Harlan explained what happened with the wolf, but left out the gory details or who really made it.

It would’ve been odd if he already knew and that was passed on to their siblings who never even updated him a single time despite their words.

Then he showed the twins how he had done that potato on the first day, the only issue was they weren’t having potatoes tonight so they just had to practice on the air.

With that done there was only one more elephant in the room that clearly they were ignoring.

“Why are you with a Reinoan? If you don’t mind my asking.“A wounded bird at that.”

Harlan took a deep breath to calm down, but he could feel Adina wasn’t happy with the way Claudia said it.

“Harlan saved me from physical harm, my countrymen aren’t kind towards people who are born wrong.”

“Adina is too kind to say it, but Claudia, we are going to have issues if you can’t find a nicer way to talk about her, quickly.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“No, I would just rather not start a friendship on rocky ground and I feel I should draw this line before it festers.”

She seemed offended at the idea, but after some goading from Claude she apologized to Adina and Harlan explained exactly what happened.

They sat in the cafeteria until the night students started arriving for breakfast just speaking to one another, Harlan would’ve tried to further clear the air since he could tell that everyone had more questions that they were stopping themselves from asking, but he hoped that Selen would be at the gym and he wanted to apologize to her for what he did.

“Well, I think this has been a wonderful meeting. However, I think it is best that I take my leave here, it is already nearly 8 and I want to workout overnight. Adina, will you be fine to walk to your room? I don’t want anyone to harass you along the way without me there.”

Before she could answer Claudia volunteered, she claimed that she simply wanted to get to know her better since they aren’t at war anymore, but Harlan could tell there was something else.

He let it go anyway, he would trust that it was something not worth worrying about, he hated to think of what he was going to do if it wasn’t.

Harlan made way to the gym and s met up with Selen and Wulrun, she told Wulrun to keep working while she spoke with Harlan away from him.

"I hope you are here for that talk of ours and that you are sorry for almost breaking Delmet’s jaw."

"Yes, I deeply regret what I did and I will strive to be better."

She could see that he meant it so she signed and ruffled his hair.

"I'm not mad, everyone is young and dumb at some point, but I can't have you being a bad influence on Wulrun. I think you and I need the world of glass conversation, normally this is something the Nightwatchers or the parents of a false undead explains to their children.

"The what now?"

"Don't interrupt me, it is very rude."

She wagged her finger while leaning foward in an exaggerated manner to lighten the mood.

"Let me show you first."

They walked over to a series of training dummies, ranging from clay to some kind of slime shaped like a person.

"Punch this one as hard as you can, and I mean as hard as you can, right in the chest."

Harlan did as asked, his fist made contact with the strange gel and it passed through far more easily than he expected, the hard bits made to show ribs barely stopped him.

"Ok?"

"This is what they use to test what a spell would do to a completely normal person who doesn't do strengthening training. Do you see my point now? The world is glass for people like us, everyone like us knows this in some way, you keep yourself contained very well, probably because you grew up with other kids, but if you slip up you could tear a man limb from limb. Normally people aren't given this speech for a while longer because it places a weight on their shoulders to know lives can end so easily, this can send people into a spiral about the fragility of life, some get an ego, some become afraid of themselves. Always remember these words, we are faster, stronger, smarter, but we are not better for it."

"That is a nice speech. I will remember it."

"Harlan, I am serious, you can't do what you wanted to do earlier, a boy breaks another's jaw and it isn't a big deal, a boy who is something other than human does it, and then it sticks. I've had enough trouble when I reveal what I am and all of a sudden people stop looking at me for who I am, just what I am. We need to be better, to be beyond reproach, otherwise people won't accept us."

Harlan didn't know how to respond, he could feel something deep inside her was hurt by his nonchalant attitude.

He stood there and looked into her eyes for longer than she was comfortable with.

"I am sorry, I didn't realize it could make people like you look worse. I-"

"Stop, this is why I don't have this conversation with people who are too young. I know it sounds hypocritical but you can't change yourself too much, you can't doubt everything you do, but you also need to think about everything before you do it, good will is lost far more easily than it is gained. That is what life is. Bullshit hypocrisy, pardon my language."

"Sor- No, thank you."

"That is all I can ask for, keep your chin up, turn the other cheek, maybe someday we can both walk in the light. Now, how about you and Wulrun get some training in?"

Harlan was in higher spirits than he thought he would be after that speech.

—--

Across the ocean, in the parts of the world where tribes of monsters held sway and the kingdoms of man were little more than pockets of resistance against a harsh world, gods fought.

They battled not with words as they normally would, valleys were dug out by searing beams of light, mountains vanished under darkness, feathers the size of a Drakes crashed to the ground.

The only thing stopping the destruction from turning the land for hundreds of miles into an uninhabitable wasteland were the 4 gods and the dragon who formed a shield around the battle.

The gods very rarely took physical form for this reason among others, Aarde very much disliked it when they fought, but there was nothing to be done this time, Cecht had far overstepped the bounds of what the rest of them thought was acceptable.

Even after explaining his reasons his sister couldn't let it go.

In a lake of his own blood that boiled the jungle for half a mile around him Cecht was beaten and broken, The Darkness had eons more combat experience and unlike light magic, dark magic was put in place to destroy.

Though Aarde gave her the right to do it she didn't strike the final blow, a month or two without light magic for the world and the death of his champion would upset the balance of power too much for her liking.

She considered it a violation of her path to make so many choices of living vanish just like that.

"Dear brother, in your loss I have gained, shadows overtake light, many lives will be lost today, some by my shadow, others by the dimming of your light. Remember those who have needlessly fallen for your foolish pride and fear. Please… do not force this once more… I cannot bear to strike down my kin… yet I shall."

Then they left, gods fade into motes of mana, the dragon returning to his slumber in seclusion.

Meanwhile back at the home of Sepul two bottles sat unopened, one for truth, one for calming.

The archmage was penning a letter to his dear friend.

Before he could send it however he broke into a cold sweat and went to sleep with a fever.

The battle of the gods would affect those who had been granted their power and beyond.

Shadows darkened around the world, healing spells cost more, the whole world seemed to dim for that day.

None of this made the Darkness feel better, she may have had her differences but she wished to think of her siblings as friends, she had overlooked evidence of what was happening even against the wishes of her Shadow because it wounded her heart to think she would be betrayed like this.