Corvis Eralith
I was surfing on my wand-cane through the streets of the Royal Capital, my destination Milicas Liane in the Bough of the Movary.
The wind rushed past my face, cool and fresh, carrying with it the scent of blooming flowers and the distant scent of the Grand Nectary's markets.
I was practicing Ars Ariamorph through Wind Surfing, gliding over my own conjured wind currents with my feet planted on the shaft of the cane, and I moved with an unexpected mastery that still surprised me every time I felt it.
This was all thanks to Pseudo-Mana Rotation. Or rather, a more contained application of it, one that I had only recently discovered.
By flooding my nervous system with Trucewater, the Fate deviancy of water mana, I felt like I was in a state of mana augmentation that was very, very powerful.
It was not the raw, physical augmentation that came from pushing mana into muscles and bones, the kind that made you stronger and faster and tougher. This was something else. Something that sharpened the mind, that cleared the thoughts, that made the world seem slower and more precise.
For now, I could only use it very limitedly. The Trucewater spilled from my mana core, flowing through my spine up to my brain, where it washed over my mind and made me feel like I was in a greatly enhanced flow state.
Everything was clearer. Every decision was easier. The chaos of the city—the merchants shouting, the children playing, the carts rumbling over cobblestones—became a pattern I could read, a rhythm I could dance to.
I dodged the elves that walked through the busiest streets of Sprout City with ease.
My control over my wand-cane was exceptional, almost as if it was just another way of walking. As if I had been surfing like this all my life.
I leaned into turns, crouched to avoid low-hanging branches, straightened to catch a gust of wind that carried me an extra block.
The cane beneath my feet was an extension of my body, and my body was an extension of my will, and my will was clear and calm and untroubled.
And I was calm. That was the strangest part. The effect of Trucewater was the same as that of the Truce-Waters themselves—soothing my mind, giving me a sense of peace like nothing else.
It was what I had first theorized when I started augmenting my body when I was two years old. Finding a way to make mana strengthen my mind, not just my flesh.
Until now, I had Berna's bond to give me courage when I needed it, but her gift was courage, not peace of mind. This was a stillness that came from within, a quiet that did not need to be borrowed from anyone else.
Avicenna, I called mentally, as I crouched my knees slightly to avoid a cart of apples that had rolled into my path.
The apples were red and gold, piled high in wooden crates, and the merchant driving the cart was shouting at a child who had wandered too close to the wheels.
I reached out with one hand and plucked an apple from the top of the pile, and with the other, I tossed a silver coin to the merchant—much more than the apple's price. Whatever. I did not care about money.
I was not Finn Warend today, and even Finn Warend did not care about money in a greedy way. He just had an eye for economic opportunities that version of me, exactly as a proper Warend should.
'Yes, Justiciar?' Avicenna replied. His Vaultlamp was safely attached to my belt, the crystal warm against my hip, and his voice resonated in my mind with the clarity of a bell struck in a quiet room. 'To what questions may I give answers to you today?'
Another perk of augmenting my body with Trucewater—my nervous system, as I still had not managed to push that particular deviant of wayer mana to other parts of my body—was that I could speak with Avicenna without speaking aloud.
I wondered why, but I did not care about it right now. The connection was there, and I would use it.
Does the name Hythlodaeus Knight reminisce something? I asked.
'No, Justiciar,' Avicenna promptly replied. 'I never heard the name Hythlodaeus Knight before, nor does it remind me anything.'
I see,and another thing: did the Djinn practice some kind of sport? I asked.
The question had blossomed because of how I was surfing through Zestier. It was a fun activity, very peaceful, even though it was the effects of Trucewater giving me that sensation. But still.
It might be interesting to turn it into a sport for wind mages of some kind. A way to train, to compete, to push the boundaries of what wind magic could do.
'Yes, Justiciar, we did.' Avicenna's voice was warm, thoughtful, the voice of someone reaching back into a memory that had been stored away for a very long time. 'We practiced many agonistic activities, even though I am not sure you would consider them such.'
What do you mean? I asked back, leaning into another turn, my wand-cane tilting beneath me.
'Oh, you see, Justiciar.' Avicenna paused, as if gathering himself. 'Like everything in our lives, the folk of calm currents always sought after Insight. That had an agonistic aspect as well. In the Focularsa of old, there was a prize awarded for the greatest Lifework accomplished in the year. One for Aetherology and one for Manatech. It was a prize through and through, a trophy, and many of my kin were very competitive for that.'
Like the Nobel Prize. A Nobel Prize fused with an Olympic medal. I did not say it to Avicenna, but the comparison was clear in my mind.
The Djinn had valued achievement, had celebrated excellence, had pushed each other to be better not through war or conflict but through the quiet competition of creation.
That is very interesting, I said. Have you won one yourself?
'Oh no.' Avicenna's voice was almost sheepish. 'While the Dawn Prize—that was its name—was far from being a reason for conflict, I still found it too competitive.'
It does not seem like a bad thing to me, I retorted, shifting my weight to avoid a puddle left over from the morning rain.
'And it was not, Justiciar. Your observation is correct.' Avicenna's tone was gentle, almost apologetic. 'After all, all Lifeworks were still meant for the betterment of everyone. It is just a personal feeling.'
As Avicenna said that, I felt the Trucewater that was saturating my nervous system begin to drain. Exactly like a jug that had no more water inside, the flow slowed, then stopped, then was gone. The clarity faded. The calm receded. The world became noisy again, chaotic and difficult.
Everything became harder to control. I had to put much more effort into Wind Surfing to keep from falling off my wand-cane. My legs wobbled. The cane beneath my feet felt less like an extension of my body and more like a piece of wood I was precariously balanced on.
I gritted my teeth and pushed through, making it to the end of the block before I stepped down and let the cane rest in my hand.
The only downside of the Trucewater element was that it required a lot of my mana reserves to be used, or rather, to use REmould to shape water mana in usable Trucewater.
I was at the dark stage of the yellow core now, which meant I had access to far more mana than I had ever had before, and my body used that mana more efficiently, both for conjuration and augmentation, which were even more indistinguishable by now.
However, all that mana was not enough to grant me more than thirteen minutes of uninterrupted Trucewater augmentation.
Inner Current, I decided. That is a good name for this new spell.
I stepped down from my wand-cane completely, stopping Wind Surfing as I arrived in front of the building I was heading to in the Movary, one of the Boughs of Zestier's southern Grove.
The house was modest, built around a sturdy fir, its walls white and its windows dark. It looked like a hundred other homes in this neighborhood, unremarkable, forgettable, exactly the kind of place someone might choose if they wanted to keep a secret.
Berna followed soon after, reaching me as I stood at the bottom of the steps. She had taken her time walking the streets of Zestier, avoiding causing any incidents with her size while I had sped through them on my cane.
Her tongue was hanging out, her tail was wagging, and through the bond, I felt her quiet amusement at my breathlessness.
In fact, I felt tired. Like after a long run, as Inner Current's effects disappeared completely. The calm was gone, replaced by the familiar weight of everything I was carrying and the great usage of mana I went through.
I stepped up the stairs that led to the entrance door. It was an average home here in the Grove of the Old Oak, built around a sturdy fir that had probably been growing long before any of us were born. I knocked on the door a couple of times as I waited for an answer.
"Corvis, Berna, here you are!" Tessia came to open the door, her face bright with excitement. She looked left and right down the street that connected this neighborhood, checking for anyone who might be watching. "Enter quickly."
I sighed but did as my sister said. I slipped Avicenna's Vaultlamp back inside my storage ring now that I could not speak with him anymore due to the lack of Inner Current.
I would have to ask him more about the Dawn Prize later. About the Djinn, about their competitions, about the things they had valued.
Coco chirped as she greeted me, hopping from her perch in a high corner of the cozy living room of the house and brushing against my neck. Her feathers were soft, warm, and she pressed herself against my skin with an urgency that spoke of genuine affection.
Inside the living room, there was also Alwyn. He too had been called here by Tessia so we could depart for the Colour Timberland, but I wondered why here of all places.
The headquarters of the Unraveler's Company was designed for departures. It had stables for Highcolts, storage for equipment, a whole system in place for organizing expeditions. This house was just a house.
"Tessia," I started, but my sister stopped me.
"Do you have them?" she asked, her hand extended, her eyes bright.
I gave her one of the three new Unraveler tags I had asked to forge at the Unraveler's Company branch in Burim. One for her, one for Alwyn, and one for Prince Corvis.
These tags took like those kf the Dungeon Crawlers were small, rectangular, made of tin, with the bearer's name, party, core level, and base of registration etched into the metal.
Tessia looked at her tag, satisfied, and attached the plate to her necklace. The tin gleamed against the silver chain, and I saw her run her fingers over the letters, tracing the name of her party.
I passed Alwyn his tag. He took it with both hands, as if it was something sacred, and read it immediately. His face lit up.
"The Moonguards!" Alwyn exclaimed, attaching the tag to a bracelet on his right wrist. The bracelet was leather, worn, the kind of thing he had probably had for years, and the tag looked good on it. Like it belonged there.
Moonguard was the name Tessia and Alwyn had come up with for our party.
I had decided not to participate in the decision-making for the name, as I had already named the Dungeon Crawlers. Letting Tessia and Alwyn decide the name for my other party seemed like a fair trade.
As for them, Alwyn would have let Tessia decide the name alone, but my sister had insisted on Alwyn giving his contribution. The end result was The Moonguards.
Moon from Tessia, given her love for the celestial body. Guards from Alwyn, in honor of the Leafguard and the Royal Police, the protectors of Zestier.
"Tessia," I said, still confused, "why did you call us to this house? And who owns it, by the way?"
Tessia crossed her arms, a smug smile playing on her lips.
"I own it!" she exclaimed. "You think you are the only one who spends time with our people? First, when you visit Grandma Rinia at Vaelmora, and now in northern Zestier? Well, I decided to grace the Grove of the Old Oak with my presence! I will have you know that I help around everyone in this Bough, and all the people of Milicas Liane love me!"
Oh. So that was what Mom had meant when she said Tessia was turning Zestier into her personal court. I had thought she was exaggerating, but no. My sister had been quietly building her own network, her own connections, her own base of support among the common people of the capital.
It was a good thing. If Tessia spent time with the people and not only nobles, it would help her growth as a future queen.
"You own it?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Dad paid for it, but it is still mine," Tessia corrected herself with a puff of air. "It is the same as your Unraveler's Company, I remind you. It is House Eralith that owns that building. Not you."
"Good observation," I said, and I meant it.
The whole point of the Unraveler's Company was that Elder Rahdeas needed the legitimacy and prestige of a royal family to truly rival the Adventurer's Guild.
The branch in Zestier being owned directly by the Crown was a far stronger declaration than the Prince of Elenoir being the manager of said branch and co-founder. My name was useful, but the name of House Eralith was better.
I looked at Alwyn, who was patiently waiting for me and Tessia to finish our little sibling bickering. His hands were clasped behind his back, his posture straight, his eyes calm. He had been training with Grandpa for weeks now, and it showed.
There was a quiet confidence in him when being at pur side that had not been there before—before Alwyn Triscan would try to make himself little when he was near both the Prince and Princess.
I looked back at Tessia, who was petting Coco's head, the Asura in disguise settling herself back on my sister's shoulder. Her golden eyes were half-closed, content, and I wondered what she was thinking. What she was planning. What she would reveal to me in the Colour Timberland.
"But why do you want to depart from here?" I asked. "We are Unravelers. We should depart from the headquarters of the Company. Especially since this is our first unraveling."
"I want to keep my status as an Unraveler as secret as possible," Tessia explained, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "So everyone will be surprised by my tales at the next social gathering I attend. Now let's go!"
"I think she wants to be the leader," I murmured to Alwyn as he stood up from the couch he had been sitting on.
"I will try to follow both of your orders, Your Highness," Alwyn declared, and I could not tell if he was joking or serious.
"Berna, you are blocking the door," Tessia said, looking at my Guardian Bear, who, as always, was too big for normal houses. Her massive frame filled the doorway, her tail sweeping back and forth across the threshold.
Berna growled apologetically and started to move backward, awkwardly trying to exit the door without breaking anything. Her paws scraped against the floor, her shoulders bumped against the frame, and she let out a huff of frustration that made me smile.
Once we were all outside, I saw it. In front of the entrance, a beautiful Elenoi Highcolt with moss-colored eyes and its hair styled in elegant braids was waiting for us.
It wore an intricate harness, the leather tooled with patterns that I recognized as the work of a master craftsman, and it stood patiently, its head lowered, its breath fogging in the morning air.
Tessia moved to its side, caressing its back and producing some grass from her storage ring. She used plant magic to make the grass move as if animated by something, the blades writhing and twisting like living things.
The Highcolt ate the grass calmly, licking Tessia's right hand, and my sister giggled.
"Where did this Highcolt come from?" I asked. "And where did you get that storage ring?"
Tessia refused to receive any sort of equipment from the Company except for the Unraveler's tag, which included the storage ring gifted to all active members of the Company I have founded.
"I might have stolen it from Grandpa..." Tessia said, and I felt a flash of recognition. She had stolen one from Grandpa, just like me, the first time I had worn a storage ring. "As for Hoofy? I have been taking horse riding lessons for weeks!"
"Yes, but who brought him he—" I could not finish my question.
A woman I recognized from the novel appeared from the narrow alley to the side of Tessia's "home," bringing with her a wand-sword and a silver armor that looked like it had been made for Tessia's size.
Aya Grephin! I screamed inwardly. I already knew Tessia had met the other elven Lance, that Aya had been watching over my sister during the balls and other court life events.
But I did not know they had become close. I did not expect that Aya was now standing in front of me, dressed in a simple tunic and leather pants, her black hair pulled back from her face, her expression professional and unreadable.
"Your Highness, you forgot your equipment," Aya said, her voice flat, efficient. She turned to me and bowed, the motion precise, controlled. "Prince Corvis, it is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Aya of Sister House Grephin. I am Her Highness's equitation instructor."
Yeah, sure. Equitation instructor. I sighed in my head, suppressing the urge to roll my eyes. If even Aya would now start lying about being a Lance, denying it despite the clear evidence like Alea did, I could go crazy.
But I held my tongue. There was no point in confronting her here, in front of Tessia and Alwyn, when we were about to leave for a dungeon.
"My equipment, right!" Tessia exclaimed, taking the things Aya had brought her. A wand-sword in a silver sheath, a light armor that gleamed in the morning light, a white cloak lined with fur. "I am going to change immediately!"
As Tessia entered back inside the house, me and Alwyn were left with Aya in Milicas Liane.
Lianes were one of the three types of roads in Zestier—the mid-sized ones. Together with the main roads, the Racines—like Riverwine Racine—and the shortest or narrowest ones, the Promenades—like Honeycomb Promenade in the Queen's Grove.
"So... I did not know the Grephins were experts at riding," I said, keeping my voice casual.
"I am an exception within my House," Aya replied.
Yeah, I thought. A white-core exception.
"And where did you learn it?" I asked, wanting to know about this cover identity of Aya's.
Alea's disguise as a maid was more of a job than a secret identity. She did the work of a maid, remained at the Royal Palace most of the time, and was not faking it. Being a maid was part of her job as a Lance. But I had a hard time imagining Aya being a full-time equitation instructor.
"I took lessons myself from a distinguished Cavalier of Sister House Vernisser," Aya said.
"A Cavalier?!" Alwyn exclaimed, taking a step forward, his eyes bright with excitement. "Who were they? Merlon Vernisser? Leucothoe Vernisser? Who were they?"
Well done, Alwyn. Press her. I thought, smirking inwardly. Cavaliers were the soldiers of the Treeful Phalanx that rode Elenoi Highcolts—Elenoir's cavalry. And Sister House Vernisser, while not being a mainly military House, produced the best. Few Cavaliers, but of high quality.
Before Aya could answer, however, Tessia burst back out of the house.
"I am ready! Let's go!" she exclaimed, rushing to her Highcolt's side.
She was now wearing a silver light armor, an armor typical of Elenoir's generals, commanders, or the King and Queen in case of war.
It was an elegant mixture of agility, defensiveness, and splendor—like many other things about elven nobility.
The core was a polished steel chestplate, smoothly contoured and reflective. It hugged Tessia's torso closely, being built for speed rather than frontline defense.
Beneath it, a layer of scale-like armor added a secondary layer of protection. Her right shoulder was guarded by a single, pronounced pauldron, sculpted with a slightly ornate edge, while the opposite side was left free, allowing for greater mobility.
Draped over it all was a flowing white cloak lined with soft fur at the edges—a cloak reminiscent of Dad's own when he attended the more ceremonial meetings.
The emblem of House Eralith was placed on the pauldron, our family's symbol gleaming against the polished steel. And finally, at her hip rested her wand-sword.
"Aren't you taking this too seriously?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. "We are not going to war."
"This armor is a gift from Lady Auddyr," Tessia said, swinging herself onto Hoofy's back with practiced ease. "I have to wear it."
She looked like a princess out of a storybook. Like the Lunar Goddess herself, come down from the moon to walk among mortals. And I realized, with a start, that she had planned this. Every detail. Every piece of armor. Every braid in her Highcolt's mane.
"You want to reach the Colour Timberland by Highcolt?" I asked, moving to sit behind Tessia on Hoofy's back. Alwyn climbed up behind me, his weight light, his hands gripping the back of the saddle. We were still children, so the Elenoi Highcolt, despite being less bulky than a Darvish one, could still carry the three of us.
"Of course," Tessia said, glancing back at me. "You are going to tell me the road, right?"
"I will," I said.
Coco landed on Tessia's pauldron, her golden eyes fixed on me. She knew. She knew that she would need to reveal her true self to me at the Colour Timberland. We had agreed on that. The Asura in disguise had been waiting for this moment for years, and now it was finally here.
Berna padded by our side, slightly behind, so her head was perfectly parallel to me. Her green eyes were fixed on the road ahead, her ears pricked forward, her body tense with readiness.
"This is strange..." Alwyn murmured, looking at Berna and at the three of us on the back of an Elenoi Highcolt that, just like the Princess riding it, was equipped like it was going to war.
Aya's black eyes followed us as we started to leave Milicas Liane. Her expression was unreadable, but I felt the weight of her attention, the same weight I had felt from Alea a thousand times.
My thumb graced the storage ring on my index finger. Inside, I had my wand-cane, the remaining Aethra, Avicenna's Vaultlamp, Finn's equipment, a bow, rations, and other supplies. Everything I needed for what was coming.
"Alwyn," I called. "What have you brought?"
Alwyn smiled widely as he raised his hand. "A Courtblade, a Branchberd, a Thorncurve, a Mirrshield, and Elder Virion's own Briarspire!"
As Alwyn said that, Tessia lost control of the reins. Hoofy shrugged himself, annoyed, and she fumbled to regain her grip. She turned and stared at Alwyn, her eyes wide.
"Grandpa gave you his rapier?!" she exclaimed.
"I swore I would protect you and His Highness, Princess," Alwyn explained, his voice steady, certain. "To ensure I would not break my promise, Elder Virion gifted it to me."
"I am the one who will protect Corvis," Tessia pouted, crossing her arms over her armored chest.
"Do you realize I am the dark yellow core between us, right?" I could not help but point out. "With a bond."
And what a bond. A Guardian Bear forged by gods, who also happened to be a quadra-elemental mana beast. But my words did not seem to make Tessia or Alwyn buckle.
"Nonsense! I am your sister. I will protect you!" Tessia declared, her voice ringing with conviction.
"I can finally fulfill my oath, Your Highness," Alwyn said, and there was something in his voice that made me pause. Something old. Something deep. Something that had been waiting for this moment for a very long time. "I will protect you at all costs."
Yeah, right. Alwyn and his vow, made when we were what? Four? Five? I sighed in my head. He had never forgotten it. He had never let it go. And now, with Grandpa's rapier at his hip and a core that had finally broken into orange, he was ready to make good on his promise.
I looked at Berna. Through our bond and the growl she made, I immediately understood that she was saying the same thing as Alwyn and Tessia: that she would protect me.
I was the one supposed to protect this world. I did not need protection myself. I whined inwardly, as Hoofy's trotting accompanied my thoughts.
The Highcolt's hooves struck the cobblestones in a steady rhythm, a heartbeat that carried us away from Zestier and toward whatever was waiting for us in the Colour Timberland.
But as I looked at Tessia's determined face, at Alwyn's steady hands, at Berna's massive form padding beside us, I could not help but feel something warm in my chest.
Something that might have been gratitude. Or love. Or the simple, quiet joy of not being alone.