Elders Fergus and Itzel tread very carefully and were cautious with each of their movements. Their very presence started causing Cypher to experience a massive headache, and the light of the lantern flickered each time they moved.
They looked around at first, nodding and murmuring words of praise at his sturdy-looking Athenaeum. They would pause and glance at the small cracks for a moment before moving on to another of the tomes that lined the walls of the small, one-room building.
Elder Itzel raised her hand to several of the cracks and with a whisper, healed the larger ones. Cypher’s headache seemed to diminish a bit then, but their presence still caused him great discomfort.
The two examined several of his memories, including the time he spent learning the lightning bolt spell, the events at Gelrin Cliff, and his trip to the academy as well as the events leading up to Eiden’s departure.
Afterward, they continued to look through other memories not related to the event at all. He was sure they were simply being thorough, but he did not enjoy the experience of reliving each of those events as they watched them.
Eventually, they stopped in front of a black book on the back wall, and each placed a finger on it. Just as with his other memories, the events of the accident replayed themselves in his mind.
Elder Fergus and Elder Itzel closed their eyes and nodded slowly as they watched things unfold, and once the memory had finished, they spoke softly to one another.
Cypher could not make out what they were saying but he hoped it was nothing bad. They then moved to the center bookshelf and began to examine the lightning bolt spell. It took them only an instant to understand it and as they spoke to each other again, looks of confusion broke out upon their faces.
“This is the spell you used right?” asked, Elder Fergus as Cypher leaned against the doorframe of his mind. He nodded in affirmation and the two looked at each other again. Elder Itzel stepped forward then and placed her hands on either side of Cypher’s head.
Instantly a bolt of pain shot through him and he instinctively yelped and jumped back out of her grasp. She flashed an expression as if to warn him not to resist and he stepped towards her and motioned for her to try again.
This time however he was ready as the pain shot through him and words began to fall from his lips against his will.
“Duet, Verse 3, Crackle of Lightning Bolt…” His voice was emotionless and monotone as he spoke the spell, and he felt a slight drain of his mental energy as the crackling book of lightning bolt shone brightly on its shelf.
Between his ethereal hands, the spell manifested itself once again but quickly vanished as she released him. She looked confused, then shocked, and finally, an expression of intrigue crept across her face. She turned to the other elder and he raised an eyebrow.
“This… this is unheard of Fergus. He really did cast in triplicate, this spell is also clearly of the second rank, there is no doubt. However, I still cannot determine how this is possible,” she said as she crossed her arms and scowled at Cypher.
“Perhaps we simply aren’t looking hard enough. If we cannot easily find the solution to this puzzle, then we may have to use more drastic measures,” he replied as a look of worry appeared on Cypher’s face.
“No, we’ve done our best as is. Sadly, there isn’t much else we can learn even if we dismantle his mind. He is hiding nothing from us. I think we’re done here we can return now and show the others what we’ve seen. Perhaps together we can find another way to unravel this mystery.”
Elder Itzel walked out of the Athenaeum after that and Elder Fergus paused for a moment before he followed after her. He stopped to heal one of the larger cracks near the door frame with his mental energy and gave Cypher an approving nod as he patted the doorframe.
Cypher let out a mental sigh and relaxed as he felt the pressure of those two Conductors finally leave his mind, his headache vanishing with them. He had done his best to cooperate but he still wasn’t sure if he was out of the woods just yet.
Opening his eyes, he returned to the real world and saw that the two Elders were already conversing with their peers. He stood and waited silently for a few minutes, unwilling to break the silence in the room.
His mental space had significantly recovered thanks to the two Elders and he was feeling a little better as his mental energy started to slowly recover. Elder Itzel turned to him after the others sat back down and began to speak.
“After our examination of your mind, we have determined that your actions against your fellow student were truly an accident. Given how you’ve segregated that memory it is clear that you feel remorse for your actions. This, of course, we already knew. The matter of your ability to use such a powerful lightning bolt spell, however, is still up for debate.”
She stepped forward then and placed her hands on his shoulders. She hummed softly and a faint white light enveloped his entire body. He rose from the ground a few inches, frozen in place as she held onto his shoulders.
The wave of light seemed to grow brighter with each passing second as it moved up and down his body. The light was brightest near his Orrium and it would linger there for a second longer than other parts of his body. With a sudden blinding flash of light, the contents of Cypher’s Orrium were projected from his body for all to see.
The illumination stretched up into the ceiling and everyone present saw his interpretation of his center of power. The vast lake of Zight was a deep grey and small ripples would expand slowly from the center as the Elders looked on. A few gasps escaped their lips as they watched the lake of Zight for a few moments.
Cypher felt no pain from the experience but he was amazed to see the depths of their examination. The Elders exchanged looks of curiosity and murmured amongst themselves. He couldn’t make out what they were saying but it didn’t seem as though they were upset. A few took notes while others sent waves of mental energy into the lake to examine it further.
Elder Itzel stepped back after returning him to the ground a few moments later, the projection vanishing as she did so, and another look of confusion spread across her face. She turned and shot the others a glance before returning to her place next to Elder Fergus. All was silent as they debated and spoke in hushed, hurried voices.
The Elders aside from Fergus and Itzel were clearly speaking but no sound came from their mouths, yet it was clear that a conversation was occurring and Cypher lowered his head to the ground and stared at his feet while they debated.
Finally, Elder Itzel spoke, “I have to admit that we are at a loss on how to proceed. Your spell is a rare one, but not so uncommon that it is a cause for concern. Although it is quite advanced. The fact that you learned it at such a young age without the guiding hand of someone more experienced is baffling. It is a feat you should be proud of and speaks volumes about your potential in the years to come.
“The true nature of the problem lies in your Orrium. You have far more Zight than a person your age should be able to contain. Furthermore, your interpretation of your Orrium is quite advanced as well. A lake is somewhat standard but if you were to compare it to others in your age range theirs would more closely resemble a puddle or perhaps a small well.”
“The fact that you have a large lake is… abnormal. Its sheer size and depth are more indicative of someone in the second rank, not a new Conductor just starting out. This, we believe, is the reason why you can cast such powerful magick but more study and observation are required to learn anything else. It is something we will have to look into more as time passes. Not much is known about Null Conductors since your kind is so rare.”
Elder Itzel brought her hand up to her chin and fell into deep thought.
“You have endured our intrusion into your mind, and while we regret having to intrude upon your privacy in such a way, you still must be punished for your actions. As of now, we do not know how to carry out this punishment. The boy was not killed and will make a full recovery. Furthermore, you seem quite troubled by this incident,” Elder Fergus said, picking up where Elder Itzel left off.
“Coupled with the fact that you have such a large reservoir of Zight, as well as being new to the art and lacking the basic level of knowledge, it is only natural that you would lack the finer control one is expected to have over such power. For now, we have decided that you will not attend general classes for the time being.
“As I said, you lack a certain degree of control for one with access to that much Zight. We try to maintain a proper balance here at the Academy and you offset that balance in a way we were not prepared for. Therefore you will train with Alvin for a period of time to better learn how to wield your abilities,” he finished.
“Understand Cypher, that your affinity is extremely rare, and we just don’t know much about Null Conductors. You are an unknown quantity, but one that we truly wish to nurture. As such we do not want to be forced to remove you from this institution. Separation from others until you learn control is all that we can do for now. This of course means that you will miss out on a lot of lessons and you will have to work twice as hard to catch back up. Do keep in mind however that if an incident like this occurs again, we will not hesitate to bring down the full measure of our judgments against you.
“Consider this your one and only warning. Your situation is unique and you are very young and unlearned. Because of that, we are going incredibly easy on you. However, we will not tolerate another situation like this. We have an obligation to raise the next generation of Conductors in a safe environment. Our lives are dangerous enough as it is, we cannot allow students to kill one another while they are still learning their art. Go with caution, and know that this decision was not made lightly.”
Elder Itzel finished her speech, the others nodding their approval, and waved her hand to dismiss him.
With a respectful bow to the council, he turned and made his way back to Alvin outside the room, but only regret and shame at his actions filled his mind.
