Return

Jin

Erinara had taught me more about magic over the course of an hour than I learned in an entire year studying in the kingdom. Even though she herself said that she considered me a potential enemy, she still fulfilled her teacher’s will. Not only that, she actually went beyond it. Ebiron had only instructed her to answer my questions, but Erinara even gave me real time examples of how runes functioned, just to make me understand. It almost felt like her aid was rooted in kindness.

Ebiron returned to the dining hall. He sat down across from me once more.
“Have your questions been sufficiently answered?”, he asked while meeting my gaze.
“I’d say so, yes. Erinara has taught me much”, I faced her, “Thank you.”
“Just don’t give this knowledge to evil people”, she answered.
Evil people?
“On my honor, I shall not.”
“What is it you wish to do now, Jin Eaglecrest?”, Ebiron broke the brief silence.
“I would like to return to the kingdom of crests. It is still my duty to protect them.”
“What if they don’t want your protection anymore?”, Erinara asked.
“That is most unlikely, I am the fated hero of the kingdom who was discovered by the council, and our nations are still at war. But if that were the case, I guess my duty was done.”
“So be it. Erinara, I thank you for your help”, Ebiron stated.
“Of course. Will that be all?”
“Yes, you are dismissed.”
Erinara got up and moved toward the door. She stood still for a moment.
“Goodbye, knight.” After saying that she swiftly disappeared into the hallway.
Ebiron made a quick motion with his left hand, flicking two fingers to the right. The dining room door closed.
“Jin Eaglecrest, before I let you leave my citadel we have some topics yet to talk about.”
I waited.
“It is my understanding that your teacher was Fyor Eaglecrest, correct?”, Ebiron continued.
“Yes. He has been training me over the course of the past year. Do you know him?”
“We met on the battlefield a few times. Even then, he was an honorable man. I can see why he would choose you as his trainee. Are you planning on meeting him?”
Part of me wanted to ask about his relationship to my mentor, but I decided it was better to stay on topic.
“Yes, I plan to discuss everything I’ve learned here with him first and get his opinion.”
“A wise choice.”
Ebiron pulled a round device about the size of a hand from his belt and placed it on the table.
“Take this magical transmitter with you. In case you find yourself in danger, crush it between your hands. It will trigger an emergency beacon visible to the nearest user of shadow teleportation to summon you.”
“Shadow teleportation? So you’ve given me a tool to reach you, is that it? How do I know this isn’t a trap?”, I asked.
“What basis would give you reason to believe this was a trap?”
“Our nations are at war and we just fought earlier?”, I asked him as much as myself, “Even though I was fighting a simulacrum.”
“Just because there was a fight once does not mean that malice lingers. Take the transmitter, if you want to use it or not is up to your discretion. View it as a type of insurance.”
It was true that Ebiron has not shown any hostility to me since I got here.
I reached for the orb and fastened it to my belt.
“Marvelous. Allow me to reinstate that I do not see you as an enemy, even if you don’t share that sentiment. I have nothing further to add. I will escort you to the entrance of my citadel and point you in the right direction for your journey.”

Ebiron stayed true to his word, and even gave me a timeframe how long it would probably take to get back to the kingdom of crests. I was told to expect to arrive at the barracks in a week’s worth of travelling.

Erinara

Two days after Ebiron sent Eaglecrest on his way home, I looked for him in order to talk about everything that transpired.
“Ah, Erinara. What is it you wish to talk about?”, my mentor received me in our joint study.
“I have some questions. Going in chronological order: Why did you bring a named crest here, why did you ask me to help him, our enemy, understand magic, what is the Eaglecrest lineage, and finally why would you let him return to the kingdom of crests after all that? He will either use his newly found knowledge against us, or be executed on sight.”
Ebiron put away the papers that described a new rune schematic he was working on.
“Your first and third questions answer each other. The name Eaglecrest is not part of any royal lineage, it is, or rather was, a unique name to Fyor Eaglecrest. Fyor was one of the heroes of the kingdom back during the active large-scale war between the land of warlocks and kingdom of crests. As for your second question, Jin Eaglecrest talked to you much more freely than to me, and for the final one, forcing him to stay against his will would do us no favor.”

“You mean Fyor held a status equal to yours as an executive of the warlocks?”
“Not quite, but close. There were seven of them in total, while only three executives exist. Four of the heroes entered contracts and very close relations with the royal lineages of Elkcrest, Hawkcrest and Wolfcrest, being included into those lineages. Fyor and two of the other heroes however did not accept this proposal. Seen as they were members of the legendary heroes of the war, the council couldn’t simply make them disappear however, as they were adored by the people. As such, the wartime deeds of the heroes were stated to be done ‘in the name of the royal council’. Fyor was granted the name Eaglecrest, but did not further his relations with the council members.”
“So Jin isn’t part of the royal council’s lineages. But if he was trained by someone who doesn’t agree with their opinions, why would he put so much faith into them?”, I questioned.
“Even if Fyor wanted to, it is highly unlikely that he can freely speak his mind. After all, Jin thinks we are actively at war still. Ultimately, Jin will have to form his opinion by himself.”
“And if he uses the magic knowledge against us?”, I asked.
“Erinara, please. You know just as well as I do that you could not have taught him that much in such a short time. You have explained the basic premises of runes. Does he know how to make glyphs? Or how free casting works?”
“He didn’t ask, so I didn’t explain”, I answered cheekily.
Ebiron sighed: “Then why even worry about the ‘knowledge’ he gained?”
“It’s a matter of principle. He has stated it was his duty to forward all knowledge to the kingdom, that extends to the council of crests. Why would you be so trusting?”
“Let me answer your question with a question. Do you truly believe that Jin Eaglecrest would use what he learned here for evil? To try and decimate the land of warlocks?”
Part of me wanted to say yes, it really did. But I knew that was not correct.
“I do not. I am certain he truly only wants to protect”, I admitted, “but negligence can lead to harm in the end. You are the one who keeps telling me of the corruption within the council. They would like nothing more than to squish us like bugs.”
“You’re right. And if harm threatened to come to us, I will handle my mistake personally, with utmost priority”, Ebiron assured me.