House of Amarin

As winter was slowly passing by and spring was already looking around from the corner, Lia was suddenly called into the office of Zorgan, the master of the Tower of Fire. It was not unexpected, as Lia was already waiting for him to call upon her when she used the first fire seed that Lucian gave to her. She purposefully arrived right before the appointed time, knocking on his door exactly when all the clocks showed 12 o'clock around the Academy.

"Come in." Zorgan's voice came from the other side of his heavy door.

As soon as she pushed it open, the hot air rushed past her, making Lia feel that her hair was curling up by itself. Walking in, she quickly got used to it, balancing it with her blue fire under her skin. Her eyes watched the different, standing basins filled with variously colored fires, now having a much better insight into which was which. What she didn't notice was that as she walked past, some of the flames trembled, slightly leaning towards her as she stepped by them.

"..." On the other hand, the Tower Master's eyes noticed the change in his flames as he was fully in synch with them. Their reaction already gave an answer to one of his questions before even asking it.

"Master Zorgan," Lia spoke up, stopping a meter away from him and looking at the tall man with a calm and somewhat distant expression. "You called for me?"

"The competition is nearing. Are you ready?"

"I am." She answered plainly.

"Mhm." He nodded after watching her silently for a few seconds. "I ask because you never visited me for advice."

"I can manage it myself. I have been playing with fire since my birth."

"So I heard." He added, wiping his hand free of the lava in which he was washing them. "Here." He picked up a thin folder and gave it to her. When Lia opened it, she could see handwritten notes and marks of different types of fire spells. It was evident that it was an example of how judges marked others in competitions, left behind by a previous judge. Flipping it through, the explanations of why some spells received low marks and why the judge deemed them useless were short and concise, straight to the point. Lia was sure if those were ever spoken out loudly, it would be borderline insulting to the participant. "Take this as an example of how to grade those who sign up. Only one will be able to win my competition. I included the rules, too; they are on the last page. Take it home and study it well."

"So… I should be this harsh? Are you trying to make me out as a villain or something?" She asked, scoffing a little, closing the document.

"The truth is undeniable." Zorgan replied, his voice remaining at the same level of strength, "People getting hurt by it are kids who are not ready to call themselves mages."

"There is a difference between telling the truth in a way that can help improve others and being a dick about it." Lia countered, putting the document into her bag. "Olivia may have been right in her judgment, but her words are insulting to read."

"..." Zorgan simply raised an eyebrow, surprised that Lia recognized the handwriting. He thought she wouldn't have a clue as the samples he had given her were, in fact, Olivia's previous comments when she was a judge.

"I guessed, and now, watching you, Master Zorgan, I know that my guess was right." Lia continued, flashing a slight smile.

"I never said you should mimic her style." The Tower Master finally opened his mouth, his voice gentle and a bit tired, "But her thoughts were above her level ever since she got into the Academy. She could have been someone who was a great asset to our Realm. Someone who could reach the level of Three Ri and easily become my replacement in this Tower later on."

"Everyone can make their own decision, but they also have to face its consequences."

"And it is ours, the adults' job, to make sure the youngsters, like you, can learn from their mistakes." He answered with a soft sigh.

"There are people who you simply can't help." Lia shook her head, bowing softly, and seeing that there was nothing more, she simply left him there.

The Master of the Tower of Fire looked at the closed door and then at his different flames for a long time. He was about to return to his meditation when a communication talisman burnt up on his table, and a small image of a dark-skinned man appeared on it. He was wearing bronze armor decorated with the image of the sun and endless sand dunes.

"Father." Zorgan cupped his hands, watching the image with deep respect in his eyes.

"Son. Something happened." He said, his voice carrying a bit of unusual nervousness, making Zorgan tense up. "We don't know what, but the order came from high up, supposedly from the House of Ro itself! Our country is being mobilized, and we are to head to a Sub-Realm."

"The whole army?" Zorgan frowned. If his family and its warriors were mobilized, it truly meant something was happening. Their country officially was not subordinate to the House, but it was an open secret that every high-tiered mage was taking orders from them.

"Just the elites. On the surface, we are conducting an exercise between four countries. But all of the elite forces are assigned to a Sub-Realm to go as deep as we can and bring back a detailed report. I wanted to inform you first and ask if you can look into it on your end."

"I can try, Father. But I heard nothing."

"That is good news, at least." The middle-aged warrior sighed, rubbing his shaved head with one of his hands. "Keep working hard. If you are yet to be mobilized, then it is not the end of the world yet… but…."

"But?"

"If I don't come back, you may have to return and take over the Kingdom. I know leaving the Institute would be a great shame on your name, but… I only have you as my heir."

"Worry not, Father… I… I was thinking that I needed to step down anyway. I realized that everything here makes my nerves stretched to their limits. Reminding me of my failure."

"You mean that Olivia girl?"

"Yes…" Zorgan nodded, "I think I loved her, but I only realize it now."

"Son, you did what I would have done. What every loyal mage would have done! You are a good and proud soldier. We put Meriath before any of our needs and lives! But…” He smiled, looking up softly at his son, "I understand. Mhm. If you leave the Institute, you can always come back. Maybe a little hunt for the Undead would let you sort out your thoughts?"

"That… is not a bad idea." Zorgan flashed a smile, sharing it with his father, somehow feeling much better, even if the news he brought sounded worrying.

…
….
……

One chilly morning, the leaders of the Misfits were standing excitedly at the bottom of their Tower. Their lieutenants were spread out, making sure that nobody, not even their own subordinates, came close now as this was to be one of the secrets of their organization. Opparu was standing in front of the sealed door leading down to the Tower's basement. He managed to craft a supposed key that would open it for good.

"If this works, you can take the first pick." Lia grinned, barely able to contain her excitement.

"Don't mind if I do!" Opparu answered, not turning her offer down but also curious about what Somia's treasure vault could hold inside. Supposedly.

He was holding a circular, stamp-like object with a complex magical circle etched into its bottom half. He let it be surrounded by his mana before raising and 'stamping' the door in the middle. As soon as the two objects met, the entirety of the door was covered in blue strands of mana, snaking around it like veins on a human body, forming a highly complex magic circle.

"Is it working?" Keily asked whisperingly.

"Something IS happening…." Koa answered while Lia was furrowing her brow.

"It seems like… I can feel something from it that I already experienced once with that Silly Fox." She said.

"It is confirming my stamp," Opparu said, focusing. "The other side IS connected to No-Space; that is what you feel. It seems the Headmaster did teach you well."

"He ramped up the intensity of the lessons…." Lia groaned, "I don't know what got into him, but he became much more strict and demanding! He says I have to get to a level to be able to step into No-Space physically by the end of my four years!"

"Hm…" Opparu hummed, falling silent, finding it strange too, but he had not much time to think about it as the door before them started pulsating, and everyone could hear locks turning somewhere deep inside. "Stand back!" He said, also taking steps backward, holding the 'key' in his hand.

Everyone watched, holding their breath before the door showed a crack in the middle of it and slid to the sides, revealing a swirling, violet-colored vortex behind it. It was rotating clockwise… no… the longer they looked, it was swirling counter-clockwise. No. The other way… or… towards both at the same time? No matter how long one looked, they just couldn't tell, and they became dizzier the longer they watched it.

"Um… What now?" Sion asked, shaking his head, trying to not look at it directly.

"Good question," Opparu said. "I expected a room, but… this is new."

"New?" Keily asked, looking away, swaying in place, and grabbing onto Lia's shoulder to regain his footing.

"I never saw something like this," Opparu explained, carefully leaning closer, examining the strange… thing. "What you see swirling is No-Space. But it… disconnected from us by… something. I don't know and… I don't get it."

"Probably made by Somia. Maybe there is something in her book?" Lia asked, making Opparu nod.

"Maybe. I will have to study it." He agreed, picking out a small mana potion. "Let's test it!"

With a motion of his hand, he threw the vial forward that was swallowed by the vortex immediately. They could see it pass through an invisible membrane and fall into the middle of it, down to a pitch-black hole.

"Huh," Opparu exclaimed, feeling nothing, yet he enveloped the potion with his mana. "My connection was severed with it."

"Is that good or bad?" Koa asked, oblivious to how No-Space worked.

"Bad," Opparu answered. "That means we opened the door but did not establish a connection with the inside space. Don't put stuff into it because it will be lost and you won't get it back! Without a connection, you essentially throw things into No-Space. They will be gone forever!"

"The best thing to dispose of evidence in." Sion chuckled, making the others turn towards him. "What?"

"Idiot." Aurora signed, rolling her eyes.

"Here, hold this!" Lia said, picking out a rope from her holding back, tying it to her waist, and giving it into Raufon's hands.

"Sure." He nodded, already guessing why and before anyone could say anything, she strode forward, touching the invisible barrier.

"Boss!" Keily cried out, grabbing onto the rope by reflex, ready to yank her back if she got sucked into it.

"Don't worry!" Lia sighed, now pushing against the barrier with two hands. "We can't get in… It blocks me!"

"Hm…" Opparu hurried forward, also touching it, and it was true. As soon as he touched it, an invisible force rejected his palm, preventing him from making contact with the vortex.

In the next hour, the group was testing everything, throwing multiple things inside; Lia even tried to push Stumpy in, to his horror, crying loudly before managing to scurry away, hiding behind Ceiline. Luckily, the barrier rejected everything that had life in it, even plants. Only inanimate objects could pass through and be gone in No-Space forever.

"Come to me." Pinged Lia's bracelet suddenly, and when she read the message, it was coming straight from Lucian. She furrowed her brows, but she was sure this had to do something with their new finding.

"I need to go." She said, looking at the others. "The Silly Fox just called for me. Seal it back for now! It is useless for us until we break the barrier or learn how to get back what we throw in!"

"I'll work on it." Opparu nodded, pressing his stamp on the barrier that made the doors close up, resealing it. "And produce more keys, one for you each."

"Um." Lia nodded, looking at Lucian's message again, hurrying away, curious as to what was so important to message her… something that he never did before.