Symbols appeared on both sides of the room. Dallion’s reaction trait allowed him to take note of the development and take a step back just as a barrier emerged separating him from the two boys in the room. Before Phoil or Raven could react, the barrier turned opaque, then fully transformed into a stone wall.

“You’re not allowed to be here,” a familiar voice scowled.

“Hello, archimage,” Dallion said without bothering to turn around. “Been a while since I heard from you.”

“This isn’t the palace, your grace,” Alien almost spat out the world as he spoke. “You have no right to be here.”

“Oh?” Dallion used all his speed to turn around.

From the point of view of the archmage, one moment Dallion had his back turned to him and the next, he was facing him. The experience was enough to send a shiver down his spine. The man was smart and skilled enough not to allow his muscles to react, but he couldn’t prevent his emotions from emanating.

“I am still a battle mage,” Dallion said. “And a member of the Shimmering Circle. Unless the emperor decided otherwise.”

This was somewhat of a risk. For all he knew, the emperor might as well have stripped the title without letting him know. The increased amount of fear emanating from Alien suggested that Dallion had guessed right.

“Technically,” he admitted with a frown. “It is not proper to question prisoners without approval, your grace. You should know that having been a battle mage and all.”

“I doubt they have any secrets you haven’t pried out of them. I just came to see them as classmates and ask about Grym. I had a recent encounter with him, or haven’t you heard?”

“I know the rumors.”

So, someone indeed had been circulating rumors. More and more, it was starting to look like the Order of the Seven Moons had a hand in this, although there was still a slight chance that it could be some deep play by the emperor.

“Good. Any information you could provide me on the matter?”

“The emperor has given us another priority. If you want, I’ll put you in touch with the battle mage commander. You can bore him with stupid questions all you want.”

Him? “Katka’s no longer in command?”

“As I said, the Shimmering Circle has been given different priorities. I expected you’d be made aware if you were still part of it.” The left corner of his mouth curved up in the start of a smile. “The emperor ordered it himself.”

Yeah, I bet he did.

That was the only reason Alien had made it this far. What he lacked in skills he made up for in ass-kissing. Supposedly he was a good strategist, though Dallion hadn’t seen any such indication. Rather, he was the emperor’s favorite lapdog.

“I have also come to see what’s going on with my personal possessions. I remember asking for them months ago and they are clearly not where they’re supposed to be. I trust nothing has happened to them?”

“Of course not.” This time, the archmage couldn’t help but take a step back. “They are in your old quarters. There simply hasn’t been time for anyone to see to it.”

That was an outright lie. There were dozens of apprentices that went back and forth between the Academy and the imperial palace every week. And even if none of them could grab the items, there were enough spells and bladeres to do it for them.

“It’s a good thing I came, then.” Dallion took a step forward. “I’ll take them off your hands myself.”

Without pause or hesitation, he went through to the prison cell door and closed it behind him. The second door appeared, as expected, allowing him to return to the main corridor.

I must admit, that boy hasn’t changed one bit. Adzorg sighed from Dallion’s domain. In normal circumstances he’d be a terrible choice for archmage, but given the current situation, he could at least keep things together, unlike the previous one.

“You really don’t like your former students,” Dallion said beneath his breath as he made his way out of the mage prison.

You’ve met most of them, dear boy. Do I have a reason to? Those with potential squandered it, those without never managed to acquire anything that would make them adequate. I must have been a pretty bad teacher for anyone other than yourself, all my disciples turned out failures.

“So, I’m your disciple now, am I?”

Give an old man something to be proud of.

It was a short flight to the former battle mage headquarters. The structure had been used mostly as a place for Dallion to live in. Katka had conducted most of her meetings there, and tried to keep an eye on the new generation of candidates' training outside. Despite the time spent there, Dallion never considered it a home. Even back then, he saw it as a temporary accommodation.

By the looks of things, the building had been abandoned for several months. A pair of golems stood next to the only door while two more circled the perimeter of the area. There wasn’t a soul outside or within. More than likely, all battle training had been moved to the Learning Hall where it had become a prominent part of the curriculum.

That explains why no one bothered to fetch my things, Dallion thought.

Stolen story; please report.

Landing at the door, Dallion opened it and walked in. None of the golems tried to stop him.

Didn’t you say that doors were useless for mages? Vihrogon asked.

“I’m a noble now,” he replied.

A noble mage.

“You’re in form today. Is there anything I should know?”

Nothing that you don’t know already. I’m just here to show you my support.

“Support in what?”

In what you’re about to do. I might be your general, but I’m still a companion guardian. I know you better than yourself. Just one piece of advice: don’t leave anything you don’t want to forget.

“You sound like an old man.”

Just a hopeless romantic with no luck in life, the guardian replied.

Dallion’s former room was exactly as he remembered it. All the items he’d taken from Nerosal were in their place, completely intact. Not a speck of dust had fallen on them—mages were lazy by nature, so they drew spell patterns on walls to ensure no dirt would gather.

Going to the center of the room, Dallion made a full three-sixty turn. Vihrogon was right—even without talking, every item brought back a memory. Looking at them, Dallion mentally replayed the journey that had brought him here. His first set of clothes, his first musical instrument… the ring chord he had earned after Gloria won a dancing challenge at Performer’s Plaza, his Icepicker emblem, the mandolin he used while working for Hannah, his first pair of holster boots…

It hadn’t been a decade since Dallion had awakened in this world, but in terms of true time, millennia had passed. Looking at his once treasured possessions was like looking at an old family album.

Sit a bit, Vihrogon said. After coming all this way, you can spend a few minutes reminiscing.

“What good would that do?” Dallion asked, but followed the guardian’s advice.

For once, his past memories seemed more valuable than he thought they would be. He’d forgotten how much he’d forgotten. There was a popular saying in this world that the only people who looked to the past were those who had no future. Dallion could see the meaning behind the phrase, but he also didn’t agree with it. There was nothing wrong in looking back once in a while. Some things only the past contained: innocence, enthusiasm, simplicity. When Dallion first awakened in his village, he had barely anything at all, but the world was endless, everything was fascinating, and nearly every action brought joy. Now, he was among the twenty strongest awakened in the world. He had so much wealth that it wasn’t an issue, yet a lot of the early joy had faded away. Even so, there was one source that remained unextinguished.

Dallion stood up and went to a lone shelf in the corner of the room. There was one single item on it—a large stone. Thanks to his magic vision, he could see the clusters of magic threads inside.

Stone orchid, he thought.

When he had gotten the item, it had been nothing but an interesting stone that had grabbed his attention. It was only thanks to his music skill that he’d noticed how special it was. A remnant of a former age, it needed magic and emotion to grow and blossom. To Dallion, it was a lot more special, though. Years ago, he should have doubled his efforts and gotten it to grow to the point he could give it to the one he loved. Now, he had no intention of letting the opportunity slip between his fingers.

Magic. He picked it up with both hands.

The magic threads within him emerged from his skin, nourishing the core of the stone.

“Music.” He added, filling his voice with all the emotions he felt towards Euryale.

The strands flowed into the orchid like water. The combination of the two made the object’s own magic threads grow, bursting in strength.

“Spark.” A white glow covered Dallion’s body and the object he was holding. The nature of the glow quickly severed the ends of Dallion’s magic threads, yet the stone orchid reacted to it in an entirely different fashion.

For a split second, the stone that capped the magic thread core lost its hardness. Layers as thin as a sheet of paper peeled off, forming the petals of a flower. It didn’t look like an orchid, at least not one that Dallion had seen, but it had an aethereal beauty about it.

For several seconds, layers kept on forming one after the other until the glow slowly faded away. Once it did, the item regained its former hardness, though the magic within its core was hundreds of times more vibrant than it had been.

Gently, Dallion slid his fingers along the stone flower’s surface.

Don’t worry, it won’t break, Vihrogon said. Stone orchids are durable things. They wouldn’t have been used for pain absorption if they weren’t.

“Is that how it usually happens?” Dallion asked. Half of him still couldn’t believe he had succeeded.

I haven’t seen that many to know. Why are you worried? It opened. That’s what counts.

“I feel like I cheated. I was supposed to tend it for years, not simply fill it with magic.”

Dal, if you didn’t have the will to go back to it and pour everything you had kept inside of you for so long, it wouldn’t have blossomed. There’s no cheating here. The only thing important is to follow through. There was a slight pause. You plan to go through with it, right?

To formally complete what he intended, Dallion had to give the bloomed orchid to Euryale. From there, it would literally be in her hands.

“You said you know me better than I know myself.” Dallion cast a five-circle spell with his left hand. One by one, the other items in the room floated into the air. “What do you think?”

A purple aether sphere formed around the stone orchid, after which it joined the rest of Dallion’s belongings. As all of them grouped in the middle of the room, Dallion carefully looked about in case he had forgotten something in the wardrobe or the few furniture drawers. Other than a few gold coins—which he didn’t need nor remember ever placing there—there was nothing of significance.

“Time to come home.” Dallion put on his Vermillion ring and transported the objects into his realm.

That very much depends on which home you’re referring to, dear boy, Adzorg said. There is a way to go directly to your gorgon without passing through your house in the capital.

“There is? I’m not aware of that.”

As I said, let an old archmage have some fun.

A spell circle formed on the floor beneath Dallion’s feet. Every few seconds, another layer of symbols would form, causing it to grow. Soon enough, it encompassed twelve circles and continued growing.

“I don’t know this spell,” Dallion admitted.

For the better. It’s one of those that require sacrificing a few magic levels for it to work.

“What? You’re—”

There’s no point in getting upset over it now, Adzorg interrupted. It’s already done. Think of it as my wedding present. Moons know there’s nothing else I could offer.

Filling the entire floor, the spell circle transformed into a portal. A split second later, Dallion was no longer in the building.