Foreboding Beginnings

  Surprisingly, it took an entire month for everything to begin falling apart. After Chalsis fell, Noa and Uphes followed with alarming speed, forcing MATS to reassign several teachers and staff at the Academy to the front lines. They were proceeding with the next step of their plan—preparing for an invasion of all hostile cities across Chloris to uncover not only the vanishing Ancients, but the fugitive tactician.

  That meant a bloodbath was underway, and it was only a matter of time before the Academy would also come under fire.

  As for where the Ancients went, what Ty had to do with it, and how much of it was part of the Headmistress’s plan—Theo wished he had an idea, but playing back their conversations leading up to her departure more times than he could count proved unfruitful and unproductive.

  Classes were even sparser than usual as a result, and some were combined regardless of differences in year. Field study, for example, was held in one massive class now; students had to be compressed into their biggest lecture hall, which in all honesty was not too difficult a task when most fourth and fifth-year students were deployed, and there was an unsurprising number of no-show first-years.

  Despite it all, Theo continued with his routine. He had finished going through the spells in Ty’s Tactician’s tome and any that had been assigned to him by Moriya, who was now playing professor for the two disciplines Theo could keep: casting and tactics. Much to the professor’s dismay, the role of professor to the three remaining second-year tacticians had been utterly thrust into his hands by the Headmistress, who was already too wrapped up in having to teach the first, third, and fourth-years.

  His arm healed quickly and without issue, at which point Moriya had requested they resume private classes. Head Physician Lundkis also cleared Faris within the month with Moriya’s help, yet somehow the caster didn’t look all too thrilled about it. He stopped using his cane, had an easier time maintaining his balance and casting in class, but…there was something missing. Something that had transpired between him and Moriya that they both kept under lock and key.

  Loneliness…shouldn’t he have gotten used to being lonely?

  Sitting at his table, not needing to put in too much effort anymore to pretend like everything was some semblance of normal, Theo flipped to the next page of Ty’s Tactician’s tome. Though he had long ago memorized the spells, the pages and words felt comforting underneath his fingertips, especially on a quiet night like this.

  Unlike other nights, however, the peaceful blanket of night was suddenly punctured by blaring, piercingly loud sirens.

  Feeling the noise rattle him to his core, Class 2-A’s tactician didn’t think twice before closing his book, grabbing his cloak, and racing down the dorm halls to push open the common room door.

  A cloud of fiery lights. Past the dorm buildings, the yard behind that, and the gate. Coming up from below the hill, through the village. Between it all, standing in the entrance of their class dorms, were black-robed professors issuing orders and directing other students.

  “What’s going on?”

  Faris pushed past Theo at the door and froze when he saw the mob of fire slowly approaching the campus.

  “That’s the battle alarm. Is someone attacking?” Sticking her head over Theo’s shoulder, Kor sounded more curious than alarmed for someone who was in her sleepwear.

  “It looks like it,” Theo responded hesitantly, suddenly regretful of not having studied up on any tactician’s protocols. He thought Moriya would be around for them like he had been since Ty left, but the more he thought about it, the more ludicrous it sounded.

  A smack in the head would have been appropriate right about now, he thought to himself ruefully as he spotted Darius, Selene, and Callie running into the common room wide-eyed and asking what was happening.

  “I—I’m not sure,” the tactician admitted, trying to keep a cool head. “But everyone should get back in, and those who aren’t dressed should get ready while I figure out what our orders are.” He could barely hear anything over the sirens as students from other classes gathered outside their buildings.

  “Combat or class?”

  Theo eyed Kor, noticing that the rest were also watching him intently. His gut feeling…it wasn’t good. “Combat.”

  “Got it.”

  Letting out a small sigh of relief when almost all his classmates complied—with the sole exception being Faris, to no one’s surprise—Theo stepped out into the chilly night and closer to the steadily advancing mob of fire.

  “You better get in and change, too.”

  Theo didn’t need to look down to remember that he had an unopened package of tactician’s clothes waiting for him on his desk. “No, not right now,” he mumbled as he stepped onto the grassy center of the dorm courtyard, still searching for Moriya when two cloaked figures ambushed him from both sides.

  “What the—” he exclaimed before the figures hushed him and dragged him back into his dorm with a speechless Faris following.

  Once the cloaked individuals let go of him, and Theo could clearly see that they were students, he felt only a smidgen less upset at being handled like a limp doll. “What was that for?” he cried, watching one of them extinguish the single spell-candle they had left on the kitchen counter and the other lower their hood.

  “Oh,” Faris blurted first.

  “Okay, both of you shut up and listen carefully,” Pia threatened in a low voice, pulling only Theo close while Seth rushed into the back rooms. “We’re getting out of here before you get yourself killed. You lot were never here; you were carrying out Nate’s orders for a separate mission with us up north, where we’re outside MATS influence. Get your class, your exam gear, and we’re heading out back.”

  Instead of complying, it was silent.

  “There’s a back?” piped up Faris in the darkness.

  “I think it’s—” began Theo.

  “Oh, for the love of,” Pia groaned, “It’s by the back wall. Every class has one. Let’s go.”

  * * *

  “Did you remember everything?”

  “I…I think I did.”

  Wading through the branches and shrubs in the forest behind the Academy, Pia muttered mildly comforting words to Kor and Sel near the back. “Not like you’re never returning.”

  “Not like, super sure when, though,” chimed in Seth from the back, where Callie and Sel were both struggling to maintain the speed that the others set.

  Theo, who was at the front with Pia, was focusing on trying to figure out where they were, which path they were going to end up on. They were heading northeast, which meant that they wouldn’t pass by their clearing. If they were going to pretend to be on a mission, were they going to be camping until everything blew over? Aside from the wilderness, the safest place that he could think of at this juncture was within the Royal Boundary, which, if he could do anything other than focus on breathing, not tripping over himself, or covering their tracks every few seconds with a low-level Obscuring spell augmented with a delay, he would realize made the most sense.

  “How…how long is this walk?” an out-of-breath Selene croaked after a few solemn minutes of forest-shuffling.

  “At this rate, two hours,” stated Seth plainly. “Usually when we’re not escorting people, Pia and I take an hour.”

  “Do you…do you want any help, Selene?” inquired Callie, despite having a rough time herself at the back.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  The botanist did not reply, instead continuing to trudge through the dense thicket unaided.

  “W-where are we going again, Pia?” Theo spoke quickly between breathing and casting.

  “You’ll see.”

  “Passing away from Hythe, I can feel it. East.” It was the first time that Darius had said anything since having been rushed out—it had briefly crossed Theo’s mind that the Ancient might have felt responsible for their sudden departure, but he didn’t have the breath to chat with him right now.

  “Yes. East,” whispered the guide, voice quieter for the second half. “Home.”

  Another half hour passed before anyone spoke again.

  “Hey—you—what the—stop that!”

  The party came to a halt.

  “I—I wanted to help. I’m sorry. But you…don’t you feel better?”

  “T-that’s not the point! I don’t need your help, so get it off me!”

  Pia, however, continued walking. “If the kid doesn’t shut up, I’m going to make her.”

  Thankful to stop, Theo took a second to double over and breathe while the rest of his class hopefully dealt with the umpteenth argument between the two.

  “What is it this time, Sel?” sighed Kor.

  “She—she cast something on me!”

  “I was…trying to help. It was…it was just a small Uplift spell. You seemed like you…were struggling. If you don’t want it, I won’t…I won’t do it again.”

  In disbelief that it was this, this out of all things, Theo exhaled loudly. “Okay, first of all, Sel, it’s a Graces-forsaken support spell. That’s her job. She’s trying to help. Stop whining about it. Second—” He nudged Elias, who had been following steadily behind him. “Go help Callie. She sounds like she’s going to collapse.” He took a long, deep breath of cold air. “Okay, let’s keep going.”

  He immediately began casting under his breath again, very aware that he only had thirty small uses in his pocket, but also aware that he was in far too much pain to deal with enemies right now.

  When they finally caught up with Pia, it was because she had stopped. They were out of the forest.

  “Yes, east,” confirmed Darius.

  They were on the main road behind the Academy, going west to Hythe, north into the Valley of the Fairies, or east—toward the Royal Boundary.

  “Royal Boundary?” Theo pressed.

  Pia sheathed her greatsword on her back and took a swig of water from the bottle on her hip. “Mhm.”

  Selene jumped up at the mention, regaining some energy. “Oh! Are we actually?”

  The other twin from the back answered instead. “It’ll guarantee your safety, if anything. Which is our job. Y’all are lucky we’re here.”

  Eyeing Pia lowering her water flask, Theo asked what had been on his mind since leaving school. “So, you mentioned needing to get us out of there before we got killed. What exactly happened?”

  The support two years her senior cracked her knuckles and went on the tips of her toes to look around while answering. “Coordinated attack. South and east main offices, too. Ours was specifically a force from Cephelia. After, you know, what your little tactician did.”

  No one had spoken about Cephelia. No one wanted to hear it. Least of all him.

  Theo turned to Faris.

  Least of all him.

  “Should expect more to be mobilized in the coming days. Students, staff, and professors are gonna have to defend the Academy—it’s a battle they’ve never lost in the past, but Nate wants to be safe and get you guys out. This Circle also still needs you, not to mention…” She sent a wink in Darius’s direction before walking again. “You guys have an Ancient. Hot commodity right now.”

  While everyone followed obediently, hushed whispers slowly began.

  “We…left our friends and everyone behind…so we could be safe?”

  “Would you rather have fought, Callie? You’ve been up for over 24 hours; you’re not thinking right,” sighed Elias, whose arm she was holding onto.

  “That’s…that’s why we’re here, though. To fight.”

  “Apparently they need Theo for something,” replied Faris instead of either of the twins.

  “They mentioned something about a ‘Circle’?” Kor chimed in curiously. “Like, a Circle of people? Graces?”

  “The Circle’s gone,” muttered Selene irately, back to her dour mood.

  “Well, not gone gone,” Seth specified in a casual, singsong fashion.

  “They disbanded last summer. I watched them.”

  “Still need to stay functioning to prevent any ol' person from entering, right?”

  “I—I mean. I guess. But everyone’s gone. Why would you stay? It’s just a waypoint so you can get to the Royal Capital. The magic’s gone.”

  Seth’s patient reply was gentle, full of warmth that Ty must have understood, something that Theo was only beginning to learn. “Magic can come and go, but home will always be home.”

  * * *

  The Royal Boundary outpost, also once known as the base for the Circle of Graces, was thankfully not as desolate as Sel had made it out to be. While no buildings were in sight, Theo could see fourteen white tents surrounding a large empty circle in the center as they walked up the hill leading there, the shelters markedly larger and made of a shiny, pliable material different from the Ancients’ abodes. They came up to about the size of the school’s largest lecture hall, which seated a hundred people, and while that was a great feat in itself, it was not the most interesting aspect. It was the ground: a material of a deep forest green blanketed the entire community, a stark contrast to the bright and lively spring grass surrounding them. What it was made of, he couldn’t quite tell, but he secretly hoped that it was soft after their long trek.

  By the time they arrived, the sun was already peeking over the mountains, and several people were out by the main entrance.

  “Be respectful,” ordered Pia sternly before approaching the gate with her twin, seemingly acquainted with the attendants at the front. One laughed, and the other stepped aside to give the tired kids a heavenly smile.

  I just want to sleep, Theo could only think to himself, impervious to the pleasantries as the class passed through the entrance to face another attendant.

  “Welcome, everyone,” smiled a middle-aged lady to the neat row of kids standing at the edge of the carpet-like flooring, the twins watching from the sidelines.

  “Princess Selene, welcome back,” she continued, bowing deeply and reverently.

  About half the class stiffened while they tilted their heads to the petite royal, who was not only profusely blushing, but trying to make herself disappear behind her hood.

  The lady then straightened up before bowing slightly to the princess’s companion beside her. “Good to see you are well, Lady Korinna.”

  Elias, who had been exchanging furious whispers with the chemist beside him, practically turned to stone under the lady’s exacting gaze. “Noble Elias of Eletia.”

  “Y-yes?” he stuttered.

  The attendant chuckled, but moved on to Callie, to whom she bestowed a kind, yet melancholy smile. “Calliope, untitled by will.”

  When Faris was next, it had not yet sunk in that Theo would also be named. “Faris, also untitled by will.” She made a distinct humming noise before delivering the greeting, as if unsure about her facts.

  Huh.

  And then it was his turn. She scrutinized him for what felt far longer than any of the other students before dropping her smile completely, breaking eye contact, and lowering her head by the slightest amount. “Theodore, bearer of Mother’s sins.”

  While Theo was trying to process the words in his head, which was already swimming with fatigue, spells, and his duties as the class’s tactician on their first outing, the lady turned to the last person in the lineup—Darius.

  Instead of speaking his name or his title, the lady made a single step back and prostrated herself to him.

  “Please,” the Ancient frantically protested once he realized what was happening, crouching down to help her get back up. “Please, you must get up. Do not bow to me. I am not worth the respect.”

  “As you wish,” she said unquestioningly before straightening up and gesturing to the tent at the very back. “The twins have made it known that you desire rest. We shall take care of morning blessings for you. Please take off your footwear and hold them as we cross the communal threshold.”

  Still utterly overwhelmed with everything, Theo complied without even thinking about the consequences. In his mind, he was content not to be casting or worrying about every little sound or shadow in the distance. The twins had brought them here, they were Selene’s people, and they played their part in worshiping the Ancients—surely they couldn’t be that bad?

  Unlacing his boots and holding them as he stepped onto the spongy, deep green floor, soft enough to put his Academy bed to shame, he stood still for about two whole minutes in near delirium before feeling pressure on his back and letting himself be pulled along by Kor.

  Like the rest of his classmates, he looked from side to side as they passed the other members of the Circle of Graces. There were about fifteen of them, and all were wearing similarly plain clothes that the attendants had also worn at the front. A dull, grainy, cream color, patternless and neutral. Some women wore one-piece dresses that reached their ankles, some wore tunics and leggings like the men. Almost all were women, most of them young. The oldest individual appeared to be the one that had judged them at the front—what was her name again, and did she even say it?—and his best guess was that she was close to the Headmistress’s age.

  They walked past everyone and everything until they stepped inside a pitch-black tent at the very back of the community, the first traces of the Mother’s light barely illuminating the partitioned inside. Theo could barely make anything else out—how big it was, whether there was anyone else inside.

  “Females to your right, males to the left.” Their guide stepped to the right to guide Kor, Sel, and Callie, while a new individual—where did she even come from?—held open a curtain for him on the left.

  “There you go,” whispered their helper as Elias, Theo, Faris, and Darius stood in the center of one of the dark, cozy rooms. “Please place your footwear on the shelf to your right, and sleep wherever you’d like. Blankets, should you need them, are also on the shelf. If you require assistance, please step outside or call for help.”

  With no further explanation, they took their leave and lowered the curtain after them.

  In a daze, seconds away from falling unconscious, Theo sluggishly put his shoes away before picking up a blanket like his other classmates.

  “This is creepy,” whispered Elias nervously. “How are you all so accepting of what’s happening?”

  Faris’s voice was weary as he dragged himself over to a cot to lie down. “Because we don’t nap during the day like you, so we’re exhausted and sleep-deprived.”

  “But—but it’s these people don’t feel right. How did that lady know all those things? Like Sel being a princess? What was that?”

  “They safe,” grunted Darius, already curling up in the cot closest to the back. “Circle of Graces kind. Different way of life. Is not normal, I understand, for commoners. Easy to distrust. We rest for now. Figure out…tomorrow.”

  “Yes, good…night,” mumbled Theo as he stumbled to the cot closest to the front, still glad that he still had the energy to say at least that.

  Then, dropping his bag and wrapping the unbelievably warm blanket around himself and over his head, Theo sank into his soft bed without a care in the world—not for his classmates’ unease, not for his own, not even when he could see a familiar, faint blue glow coming from under his own coat.

  Sleep mercilessly seized him.