Cypher continued reading the scroll and was surprised by the next few paragraphs. They explained some of the ways in which a few rooms could be used and how they could improve his growth as a Conductor.
All of that was more than enough to satisfy his curiosity about what wonders awaited him, but the scroll continued on and its contents only reignited his curiosity, his parents really had left him behind quite a fortune.
‘You’ll find crafting materials, weapons, armor, books and scrolls of spell diagrams, potions, equipment, training methods, information your father and I have gathered about various topics including the Order of Eternal Night, and all of our currency which should be somewhere around forty million Lumens.’
Cypher’s jaw dropped after reading that and his mind ran wild with the possibilities. Money hadn’t really been a problem for him up till now, and for a while longer he still wouldn’t have a real use for it. That said, forty million Lumens seemed like an incredible amount of money to him, and he didn’t even know where to start when it came to spending it all.
He put that issue aside in his mind, for now, he would just examine everything he could and go from there, and so he continued reading, ‘There are many treasures in this house my son, and all of them are at your disposal, on top of that you needn’t worry about keeping this place safe.
‘The only person who can enter and exit freely is you or those whom you allow to accompany you. This place cannot be sensed or tracked down by anyone under the Relic ranks and only someone at that level has a chance of breaking in.
‘I worry that the Order might attempt to capture you and this place through brute force, but that would require that they launch a direct attack against Seven City which would alert the entire world to their presence. They should be trying to avoid that outcome for the time being. I think. For now, you’re safe and so is this home.
‘You may be wondering why, knowing what I know now that I still chose to leave you with my sister and her husband to face a life of hardship and struggle. Simply put, it was the only way I could ensure that things proceeded the way they were supposed to. Messing with time has dire consequences and for my plan to work, I needed to maintain as much of the timeline as possible.
‘My abilities are powerful to be sure, but they have their limits. My foresight works on decisions already made. I can see possibilities and certain outcomes that have not yet been decided but the accuracy of those predictions is tenuous at best. When I left you my first message I had already decided, without question, to leave you with my sister.
‘It was because of that choice that I was able to proceed and speak with you in those brief moments. I don’t know how much time has passed for you since then, but for me, it was only moments ago. I feel terrible for the life I’ve forced upon you. Forcing my only son to endure such struggles is… a difficult pill to swallow, but I can only hope that through them, you’ve grown to appreciate the importance of freedom. The right to live how you want to, to do what you want to.
‘If the Order is allowed to succeed in their plans then everyone will have their freedom to live their lives stripped from them, assuming they even have lives to live when all is said and done. I got a glimpse into your life with the Galvans as I reviewed your memories, and it pains me greatly that you suffered so much because of my decisions.
‘However, I know that a life like that has tempered your will and made you far stronger than you would have been had you lived a life of peace and absolute comfort. You will need that strength moving forward, I’m sure of it. Still, there’s no excuse for taking those possibilities away from you. It is a sin I can never atone for, but one that I must live with.
‘I once again ask that you forgive your foolish parents and I hope that this small token of our love can start to make up for us not being there for you. Continue to grow strong my son, we shall talk again soon I promise. Farewell for now.’
Cypher rerolled the scroll and set it aside on the desk. He stood up, a new torrent of emotions welling up inside him. Was it really so unforgivable that she had forced him down this path he was now on? Perhaps. But he didn’t quite feel the same way. His life had indeed been hard but it had also had precious moments that he wouldn’t trade for anything.
His time with Molly was chief among them. That woman had brought him a joy and fervor for life that he doubted another home would have been able to provide. She had provided him with compassion and care and it was because of her that he was the young man he was today. Without Molly’s influence, there was no telling what kind of person he’d be.
She didn’t know it now, but Cypher was, in his own way, grateful for the choice his mother had made.
Determined to make the most of this home, and the resources his parents had left behind, he walked around the room, his eyes missing nothing as he examined everything he could see. This room was fairly tame and felt more like a home than the first room of a depository for some of the most valuable items in the country.
Two doorways stood on either side of the living room and behind the fireplace at its center, a spiral staircase wound its way up and around the chimney as well as down into the ground below it. Cypher opted to leave the staircase for last and took the left doorway.
Upon entering it, he found the first of many treasure troves. Glittering suits of armor and weapons lined the walls and covered racks everywhere. The room was so packed there was barely any space for him to walk through. Most of these items were either too big or too small for Cypher to make use of, and the weapons fared no better.
He took note of several Chainblades, a few Maces, a corner filled with War Hammers, and various other weapons that didn’t suit him. What really caught his eye though, was an entire row of multicolored sabers. Some were chipped and broken but two stood out to him almost immediately.
One was pitch black and seemed to radiate some kind of corrosive black mist. The effects of that mist seemed to be contained for now, and the only signs of corrosion were on the rack where it rested. Luckily, spells surrounding it seemed to keep the destruction the saber could cause at bay by instantly repairing any damage the smoke created.
The other saber was tamer in terms of its mere presence, but it was quite obviously equally as dangerous. It radiated an aura of sharp piercing lightning that was clearly realms beyond Cypher’s ability to reproduce and carried with it the feeling of pure destruction.
Something else was off about these two sabers, they seemed not to belong here. It was as if they were some otherworldly existences and didn’t quite mesh with the laws and properties of this world. As such, Cypher decided right then and there to never attempt to use them for any reason and just leave them where they were.
Something like that was much too dangerous to play around with and he knew better than to tempt fate and ignore his own instincts.
Cypher soon moved onto another doorway which led into a hall lined with many other doors. Each one was labeled with a sign that indicated what lay inside. One read, “Illusory Zightbeast training hall,” while others mentioned things like, “High-density Zight chamber,” or “Environmental Simulator,” and Cypher was amazed to see such a various assortment of useful rooms.
He moved on and took note of a room filled with potions and a mixing table covered in glass beakers and grinding stones. A side door within that room led to a massive greenhouse filled with various plants, all of which seemed to be preserved by spells and held in a state of stasis.
Cypher continued on once again and passed several more doors of interest but one took him by surprise and only had his name written on the plaque. Curious, he opened the door and walked inside.
The room was decorated much like his bedroom back at the Academy and the bed looked quite comfortable. But the thing that he took notice of first and foremost was the strange hovering orb that sat in the middle of the room.
A note was attached to it and Cypher took it and read it carefully, ‘Cypher, as you must know by now our family name is Ceraunus. You are the last heir to our name and must carry it on by any means necessary. Ceraunus wasn’t always our family name, however. Ceraunus is derived from the name of a Zightbeast our ancestors exclusively used to raise before the Arkwar.
‘They were trustworthy companions, vicious warriors, and amazing steeds. At their peak, they were much faster than horses or other land-based Zightbeasts. They were intelligent too and could grow in conjunction with members of our family. Sadly, the entire species was nearly wiped out and this is perhaps the only remaining survivor.
‘Like you, it’s just a pup. But I know that one day it will grow to become as powerful as you. Both of you have such amazing potential. Train it well and keep it by your side and it’ll never let you down. It is called a Ceraunus and has many abilities that you might find useful. I leave it to you to decide the fate of this little one. If you touch the orb, the Ceraunus inside will awaken and imprint upon you.
‘After that, it’ll be up to you to take care of it, so choose wisely before you do so. I don’t want to prattle on, that’s never been my style, so if you want to know more about it head to the library in the right wing of this house. You’ll find everything you need to know there. Make me proud my son. Signed with all my love, Fenix Ceraunus.’
Cypher was stunned into silence. For the first time, his father had spoken to him and while it had only been in the form of a letter, it still meant the world to him. He tucked the sheet of paper into his pocket before staring up at the hovering orb.
Cypher thought carefully about what to do next, but it seemed like this Ceraunus was a gift from his father and he couldn’t just throw something like that away. He carefully reached out his hand and laid it upon the Orb.
With a bright flash of light, the orb shattered, and from inside a small black dog-like creature hovered slowly to the ground. It was curled up in a ball and was sleeping peacefully, but after a moment it opened its eyes and looked up at Cypher with a curious gaze.
As Cypher stared down into its dichromatic eyes, one green, the other yellow, a sharp pain radiated throughout his Athenaeum and he doubled over clutching at his skull. The feeling lasted for only a second but as he stood back up, Cypher could feel a strong connection to the Ceraunus looking up at him.
A small statue of the creature had manifested inside his Athenaeum near the bookcase that held his lightning bolt spell and Cypher marveled at how precisely it mirrored the image of the small creature staring up at him.
