After teleporting to the outskirts of Stormveil Castle, Gawain couldn't help but glance back at Melina every few steps. Since the soul-blending ritual, a change had occurred that he wasn't quite sure how to describe: he could now see her following him at all times.
While she had always been by his side, seeing her constantly manifested like this was something he wasn't yet used to. Perhaps, he mused, this was simply the daily reality for a warrior and a maiden in the Lands Between.
However, for some reason, Melina seemed to have developed a slight sense of detachment. She followed him silently, rarely speaking, and a complex look often flickered in her eyes whenever she gazed toward the distant Erdtree.
Upon entering the castle, Gawain made a few inquiries and discovered that Blaidd had moved faster than expected. Likely taking a few shortcuts, the Half-Wolf was already waiting for him. Alexander, meanwhile, was probably still lumbering his way back. Gawain could only hope the jar would receive proper maintenance upon his arrival; the warrior jars of the Lands Between were far too fragile—only the one standing before the Caelid Colosseum truly seemed to have any "oomph" to him.
Pushing open the doors to his quarters, Gawain found Sellen and Irina deep in conversation.
"Back so soon? My apprentice, you have worked hard in this battle," Sellen said with a smile. "Seeing you safe and sound puts your master's heart at ease."
Gawain shook his head with a laugh. Though the struggle had been grueling, the thrill of the fight was worth it. More importantly, the harvest had been bountiful.
"Let's set that aside for now. What are you two doing here?"
Irina produced a massive scroll, unrolling it to reveal several basic architectural blueprints.
"You mentioned earlier that the Sellians would be moving here," she explained. "So, Master Sellen and I have been discussing how to reasonably renovate the castle to accommodate the influx of sorcerers. Beyond the Academy, I believe it's time we established a proper magic division of our own."
"A sound idea. Once I take the Academy, those magic professors currently hiding inside will be useless to me. I hope our own sorcerers can step in and take over their positions."
Gawain looked toward Sellen. She understood his intent immediately, her heart warming at the level of trust he placed in her. She knew her destiny had been irrevocably altered by their chance meeting.
"We've discussed what needs discussing," Sellen said, heading toward the door. As she passed Gawain , she looked him up and down before patting his shoulder with satisfaction. "It seems your aptitude for magic has improved again. Come find me when you have time; I believe I can teach you some of the more advanced Glintstone sorceries now."
"But you're about to have a whole new batch of students. Will you have the time?"
"The night is long, is it not? That is the best time to study Glintstone and explore the Primeval Current."
After seeing his master out, Gawain shrugged and placed a piece of armor on the table. It was so badly mangled that only a faint silhouette of its original form remained.
"I don't think this is salvageable. Are there replacements in the castle? Something a bit more... formal?"
Irina looked at the ruined plate and winced. Even from Stormveil, she had felt the tremors of the battle in Caelid. She could only imagine the sheer violence of the confrontation.
"We have plenty. While you were away, I had the castle tailors prepare several sets of fitted armor, anticipating exactly this. You're going to see the Carian Princess now, aren't you? Master Sellen mentioned it."
"Indeed. With the support of the Carian Royal Family, it will be much easier to control Liurnia. Furthermore, exploring the Eternal City beneath us is now a top priority. Has a crater appeared near Stormveil recently?"
Irina nodded. She had received the report only last night. The area around the impact site had already been quarantined.
"Kenneth Haight sent word. A bottomless pit was carved into the earth not far from Fort Haight. There are reports of gravitational anomalies—it's very strange. Crucible Knights Cardan and Finn happened to be nearby and have secured the perimeter."
Gawain knew that was his entrance to Nokron, the Eternal City. As expected, it was near Fort Haight.
"Good. Any unusual sightings? Creatures crawling out of the hole?"
"A few. Master Sellen called them 'Silver Tears'—artificial lifeforms that seem to have reached the surface following the meteor strike. There's no telling how many are loose now."
"Keep the perimeter tight. I'll go down and see for myself once I return."
Gawain's mind turned to the Mimic Tears. He knew that in the game's cut content, there was a sentient Mimic Tear named Asimi. She was likely the "Lord of Night" potential the Nox had been waiting for. In the original files, after a long questline, it led to an "Absence of Kings" scenario where Asimi became a complete being, only for the player to be forced into a "Father has come to kill you" plotline and turn her into a pile of ash and a spirit ash summon.
Regardless of whether he could find that specific Mimic Tear in this reality, he wanted to check. After all, the Mimic Tear was the "Big Bro"—or was it "Big Sis"?—who had accompanied him through his first playthrough. Gender didn't really seem to matter for a Silver Tear anyway.
"Tell me about the festival," Irina said. "You claimed General Radahn's Great Rune, right? How does it feel?"
"Well... it feels like this."
Gawain gave a slight wave of his hand. A surge of gravity magic enveloped Irina, and she found herself unable to control her body as she tumbled forward into his arms.
"So this is the power to control gravity? What a strange sensation."
"This is nothing compared to what's coming. I encountered something during the fight that might be related to you. It was the same entity that helped me purge the Frenzied Flame from you last time. Otherwise, saving you would have been much harder."
"Is that so? Then you must tell me everything."
The next morning, accompanied by Irina, Gawain changed into a new set of armor. It was based on the heavy plate of the Banished Knights but modified with his personal style. Since he was meeting Ranni as a formal ally, he felt he should look the part.
He wasted no time and found Blaidd, who had been waiting patiently. It was time to head to Caria Manor.
Gawain and Blaidd stood upon the Lake-Facing Cliffs, looking out over the expanse of Liurnia. The Academy of Raya Lucaria sat in the center of the lake, a breathtaking sight no matter how many times one saw it. Yet, the Academy's current state was a tragedy. Once a power that could trade blows with the Golden Order, it was now consumed by internal strife, with the founders of several conspectuses having been exiled.
The conflict between the Carian Royal Family and the various factions of the Academy was a convoluted mess. Gawain had no intention of untangling it delicately; he preferred to cut the Gordian knot, replace the leadership with people he trusted, and restore order as quickly as possible.
His gaze shifted to a dilapidated church nearby. He noticed signs of life around the ruins. If he wasn't mistaken, he would find a certain sorcerer there.
Thops lay inside a makeshift tent he had pitched within the Church of Irith, staring blankly at nothing. He had lost track of how long he had been a refugee. As an ordinary apprentice of the Academy, he had been out in the world conducting research just as the Shattering broke out.
Because the Academy practiced a policy of non-intervention, they had sealed the entire campus behind a barrier before the fires of war reached them. For an "untalented" sorcerer like Thops, this was a death sentence for his career; without an Academy Glintstone Key, he could never return.
Since then, Liurnia had been plagued by major upheavals. After the Queen was abandoned and lost her mind, the stalemate war between the Carians and the Academy began. The Cuckoo Knights—mercenaries loyal to neither side—were always ready to bite the hand that fed them. When the Malenia's army marched south, they had slaughtered their way through, leaving the locals helpless.
For a sorcerer forced to live in the wild, survival was a daily struggle. Thops knew that if he were caught in the crossfire of any faction, he had zero chance of living. He didn't understand the high-level politics; he just wanted to survive until the war ended so he could return to the sanctuary of knowledge.
By a stroke of luck, he had wandered to the Church of Irith. He had traded the last few Runes he'd scavenged from a graveyard to some nomadic merchants for supplies. Seeing his pitiful state, the merchants had suggested he head to Stormveil Castle. They told him that under the rule of the powerful and benevolent new King, he might find a place to stay.
However, the memory of the massive storms he'd seen from a distance made him hesitate. Stormveil's reputation under Godrick had been abysmal. During the Shattering, he had seen the armies of Godefroy passing through; those "Grafted" monstrosities didn't exactly look like the welcoming type.
He wasn't sure if he should trust the merchants, so he had settled in the church for the time being, sighing every time he looked toward the distant Academy.
Just as Thops was beginning his daily ritual of regretting his life choices—specifically, why he had gone out to research a "pointless" theory when war was imminent—he heard footsteps. Panic seized him, and he reached for his Academy Glintstone Staff. Though he was no fighter, the staff offered a modicum of psychological comfort.
Then, two tall figures entered. One wore exceptionally fine armor, which was intimidating but somewhat normal. The other, however, was a half-beast carrying a sword of impossible proportions. Thops gave a bitter laugh and lowered his staff. What had he done to deserve this duo coming for him? He might as well accept his fate.
Gawain looked at the terrified Thops. He didn't think he looked that scary, but a glance at Blaidd explained the reaction. In theory, Blaidd was the "Shadow" who had grown up with Ranni. Back when Queen Rennala was sane and ruling the Academy, the sorcerers should have known of his existence. But Thops was just an ordinary student; his knowledge of the upper echelons probably started and ended with Sellen. He wasn't important enough to have seen a Shadow.
Blaidd, realizing his appearance wasn't helping, and seeing Gawain's interest in the sorcerer, stepped out of the church. He didn't want to frighten anyone; he remembered giving Irina a quite a shock when they first met.
Seeing that the strangers had no intent to attack, Thops breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't met many kind people on his journey through Liurnia. Seeing that they had come from the direction of Stormveil, he began to give a little more credit to the rumors he'd heard.
"From your robes, you look like a sorcerer from Liurnia," Gawain began. "I heard the Academy sealed itself off long ago. Why aren't you inside? And why are you so close to Stormveil? Liurnia isn't exactly peaceful these days."
Thops let out a heavy sigh. "It's a long story. To put it simply, I'm just unlucky. I've brought this on myself. My name is Thops. As you can see, I am a sorcerer. I once studied at the renowned Academy of Raya Lucaria. But I was away when the war broke out, and the seal was put in place. Someone of my low standing... I don't have a Glintstone Key. I can't go back."
Gawain removed his helmet to appear more approachable and patted Thops on the shoulder. "That is indeed unfortunate. It must have been a difficult journey from the Academy to here. Since you can't go back, and you are a sorcerer, I recommend you seek a place at Stormveil. I know the castle is recruiting magical talent."
Thops was clearly tempted. Having spent his last Rune, he couldn't keep wandering. Eventually, a wild beast or one of the horrors in the lake would get him. Stormveil was a gamble, but he was hesitant. "But... the magic I know is... trivial. I haven't even earned a stone crown to symbolize my rank. Would they truly want someone like me?"
"Trust in your abilities. Besides, you might run into someone familiar. I hear several sorcerers in similar situations have been recruited—including a certain Master Sercus who was exiled from the Academy."
At the mention of Sellen's name (Sercus), Thops lit up. "Master Sercus is there?! I attended several of her lectures before her exile. She was a wonderful teacher! Even with someone of my limited talent, she was willing to teach. If she is at Stormveil... thank you for telling me. I'll leave at once."
Gawain smiled inwardly. Just as he'd calculated, Sellen—who didn't look down on even "9 Intelligence" students—was highly regarded among the lower-tier sorcerers. In Thops' eyes, she was a saint. It made Gawain wonder how the Academy taught their classes; if Thops and Sellen had a teacher-student bond, did that make Thops his senior apprentice?
Brushing aside the strange thought, he stopped Thops, who was already packing, and handed him an amulet. It bore the same sigil as the banner on Gawain's back.
"Keep this safe. You're in luck; I have a bit of influence in Stormveil. Show this to the guards, and they'll take you where you need to go."
Thops accepted the exquisite amulet with a mix of doubt and hope. Given the man's armor, he didn't seem like the type to lie. He nodded gratefully.
Gawain offered a few more words of encouragement and left the church. He knew Thops would eventually create something world-changing, but he didn't want to pressure him yet. He would let Thops be a scholar focused on theory under his protection—the life the man truly wanted. The political infighting of the Academy shouldn't poison his environment; Gawain would leave the handling of those "professors" to his Sellian "sorcerer-hunters."
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