The road was smooth up to a point but after about a mile it became bumpy and a bit uneven, causing the carriage to wobble about slightly. Annoyed by this, Cypher watched out the windows again, eager to memorize the route they were taking in case he ever needed to find his way back. He hoped to take his mind off the constant jostling that rattled both his teeth, and the chainmail of Agnad as the man snored loudly.

The path they took winded through a wooded area with a small stream flowing down a rocky ditch to his left. He assumed they were in Balkeen woods because of both the rich scent of pine and the many browning needles that littered the ground and clung to the windows as his transportation wobbled past low-hung branches.

He knew they must be heading south towards the town of Ralgeff, but beyond that, he had no idea where he was. He once again lamented the fact that he had yet to acquire a proper map of the country. It was another thing he added to his mental list of items to try and get his hands on while at the Academy. Leaving without an idea of where he was or where he was going could only spell ruin.

The only reason he knew they were heading towards Ralgeff was that as he had been loading Eiden’s belongings into the carriages, he had overheard the coachmen talking with the guards. It seemed as though they were to pass through the town of Ralgeff and purchase a few provisions for the journey. From his limited knowledge, he knew that the academy was located in the very middle of the snowy land of Dellorim and was many dozens of kilometers away from the Galvan Mansion.

They could be traveling for days, and Cypher dreaded being cooped up in this small raggedy carriage for that duration with nothing to do. It would be nice to get out of this stuffy carriage for a little while and stretch his legs. Still, he had no concrete information about anything. Cypher furrowed his brow and began thinking about what little he did know about the situation.

Galvan manor was about seventy kilometers south of the city of Riftmoore, which itself was located somewhere in the northeast of the realm and the city they were heading towards now was just beyond it. Therefore Ralgeff, Cypher assumed, must be the halfway mark between the manor and the academy. Cypher had never left the confines of the Galvan property, save for the training mission he had been on a few weeks ago, and his short excursion to Gett. Ralgeff would be the first city he had ever been to and that somewhat excited him.

Although he very much doubted that he would be able to see or explore much of it since they wouldn't be staying for very long. For just a moment after hearing this news, an idea had formed in his head. He had considered slipping away into the city to begin his life anew, free from the constant orders of those who were born luckier than himself but he quickly discarded the idea. Even if he did somehow manage to slip away unnoticed Galvan manor was far too close for comfort.

He knew their influence would be strongest in the cities nearest their estate. It would be child's play for the guards or the townsfolk to turn him back over to them where a beating or worse would be no doubt waiting for him. The academy, however, was much further away and was the safer option for sure.

After about two or three hours Cypher was dozing off, waking with every jolt of the carriage and clink of Agnad’s chainmail as the wheels rolled over bumps and small debris in the road. He had expected their trip to last quite a while so catching a few moments of extra rest couldn't hurt before he was run ragged by Eiden's every whim, at least, for the short while he’d be stuck serving him

However, they soon came to a stop and Cypher sat upright unable to understand why. "We can't be at Ralgeff already could we?" He asked aloud to himself as looked out the windows on both sides. The chill air of the outside and the warmth of the inside of the carriage had caused the windows to fog up a bit so he could barely make out anything beyond blurry trees in the distance.

Frustrated, he opened the roof hatch and climbed up and out to get a better look. At first, he saw nothing. Behind him only stood the evergreen expanse of pine trees and the winding dirt road. As he turned around, however, he grew still and silent as a large metallic structure entered his line of sight.

A large iridescent oval ring loomed high above his head and was covered in strange symbols. At its peak sat a large diamond that pulsed with soft blue light, while at its base the oval ring continued into a platform on the ground. For how far it descended into the earth beyond that Cypher couldn't guess, but it astounded him all the same. On either side of the ring were slanted ribbed pillars that held it in place.

A thin stone slab with more symbols etched into its surface stood about chest high, three feet from the structure. The slab was held in place by a frame constructed of more iridescent metal whose tips were thin and curved upwards like horns.

Loudly clearing his throat, a man standing next to the slab in a navy blue robe held out his hand. On its front was the standard of the kingdom of Dellorim embroidered in a rich silver-colored thread. The robe itself was of fine quality and had apple-sized amethyst gems sewn into each shoulder. He wore a sash around his waist with tassels that had more of the purple gems dangling from the ends, these were much smaller though.

In his right hand was a polished wooden staff. An emerald glimmered softly at its tip and a band of silver wound its way from the socket of the gem setting. It curled around the staff to the base and ended in a sharp point. A simple-looking but well-made sword hung sheathed at his waist and was tucked into the sash.

Cypher at first thought him a guard, but no guard he had ever seen dressed in such a fashion. No, this had to be one of the kingdom’s Conductors. A practitioner of magick. Aside from Jelroy, Galex, and Frederick so many years ago, this was the first Conductor that Cypher had ever seen and the man interested him greatly.

He had envisioned that Conductors were old tired wizards, topped with floppy round-brimmed hats and long silvery beards. None had ever come to Galvan manor who weren’t also of noble blood. Conductors like that, Cypher reasoned, had to conduct themselves in a manner according to their station and reputation, and so he had only his imagination and books to inform him about what others might look like. This man, however, while finely adorned looked nothing like he had expected save for the intricate staff of course.

The lead carriage driver handed the Conductor a small bag of coins which he quickly opened and counted. Next, the driver handed him a scroll and said something Cypher couldn't quite hear.

With a nod of approval, the robed man pocketed the coins and placed his hand on the slab next to him. It lit up with a faint yellow light and several symbols appeared. The Conductor proceeded to tap a few of them in a seemingly random order, and then pressed his fingers into a star-shaped symbol in the middle of the slab.

He turned it clockwise until the tip of the star pointed downwards. At that moment a ripple of light extended out from the Conductor’s hand and the slab let out a single crystal-like peal. With a loud hum, the entire structure lit up. The yellow glow quickly climbed the ring from both sides. The light illuminated each symbol until they met at the top which ignited the diamond in a brilliant display of rainbow colors.

With a loud cracking sound, a fissure appeared in the air at the center of the structure. It was small at first, just a tiny rip in the fabric of the world. As the seconds ticked by, however, it steadily grew until it reached from the diamond at the top of the oval ring, to the platform on the ground.

The moment the crack touched the platform, the fissure expanded as if someone had placed their hands on either side and ripped it open with all their might. It shimmered softly, and like a stone dropped onto the surface of a pond, ripples worked their way outwards towards the edge of the iridescent oval.

“A portal?” thought Cypher, “But to where?”