Story

## **Season 1**

### **Prologue**

The game starts with the MC at the storage of the Academy, selling a necklace of potency that she stole from the alchemy labs to Vesryn, since his trial is coming soon and he won't be able to manage it by himself.

Alwenn appears just as Vesryn leaves, and informs the MC that the Archmage, Aveus, is looking for her.

The MC goes to meet him and Aveus tells her that she has been summoned to the court as the next Court Mage.

The MC doesn't believe it as she's not even a mage, but Aveus insists that she has been summoned by the Sovereignty and that they don’t have the power to deny them, due to the Writ of Delora. He also informs her that the decision seems to have been highly influenced, which means that someone knows about what happened in Westerford and that they are using it against them.

He explains that there is a conflict between the noblemen of Walinad and the Sovereignty. The MC understands that someone wants her to fail to protect the King, which would get both him and the Magistracy out of the way of a possible aristocratic coup.

Thus, the MC is given a mission: go to the court, win the King's trust and find who's plotting against him, without letting anyone know
about what happened in Westerford.

Aveus then tells Alwenn to come out, as he knows that she had listened to the whole conversation, and asks her to be the Magistracy Envoy and go with the MC, as to help her with her mission and act as messenger between the Magistracy and the Sovereignty.

In the castle’s War Room, Lea tries to convince Raelan to invade Bonecrest as it is strategically placed against Mendamar.

Raelan argues that they have a treaty agreement with Mendamar and thus they wouldn't attack, to which Lea answers that it was his father who had an agreement, and that he doesn't have one anymore.

Raelan still refuses to take over Bonecrest as his uncle, Harridon, still has the claim over that land, and Lea insists that since he's the King, his uncle will have to do what he says.

Raelan refuses once more arguing that he can't afford to
piss off the nobility any more and Lea replies that Bonecrest military could help to put them in their place.

Argandea then appears, informing Raelan that a messenger arrived with news from the Magistracy.

Raelan gets pumped up that they chose his Court Mage, hoping they will be a wise old man.

On their way to Rimeford, the MC forces Alwenn to make a stop at a tavern, in order to rest but also to make an assessment of how the people feel about the King, by cussing him out loud.

After a small discussion with the tavern’s waitress, the MC reaches at the conclusion that the people feel pity for the King, something that is worrisome.

Virion visits Harridon, asking him if the MC truly is going to Rimeford castle, to which he answers positively, arguing that he did what Virion asked of him.

Harridon says that he means no harm to his nephew and that he can't have his blood on his hands, for he raised him. Virion gets impatient and asks him if they should cut off the deal, to which Harridon denies, saying that it needs to be done "for the good of the people".

Virion smiles saying that they will talk again, teasingly calling him "Your Majesty".

Having reached the castle, Alwenn and the MC meet Lea, who
asks them if they are with the Magistracy, to which Alwenn answers positively. Lea then offers to guide them inside.

Upon entering the Throne room, where Raelan (very nervously) and Argandea are waiting, Alwenn presents themselves.

Raelan is startled by the MC being his Court Mage but does his best to remain polite.

After the presentations, the MC and Alwenn go to the room the old Court Mage used to live in, which is the MC's new room.

The MC declares that she has underestimated Logan and that it won't happen again. Alwenn talks about how Raelan has many non-humans in his court, something Logan also had but never so high in rank, and that Raelan is clashing with nobility, since Walinad is a human kingdom.

Alwenn then tries to bring the MC's Surge topic up, asking her if there is truly no way for her to get it back, but the MC just coldly cuts her off. This starts a discussion with Alwenn trying to raise the MC’s morale about her lack of Surge, but failing.

On his side, Raelan talks with Argandea about how the Court Mage should be someone with an intimidating presence and that he doesn't understand the Sovereignty choice. He adds that he is not very intimidating himself, and that it will be troublesome for the Summit.

Lea then appears and Raelan asks her to see who chose his Court Mage and to learn more about her past. As Lea leaves, he asks Argandea to keep an eye on the MC until the Spymaster has the intel, ordering that the MC is forbidden from leaving the court unattended.

On the castle’s forest, the MC searches for ingredients for her potions.

She hears a sound and teasingly calls out Argandea, aware that he’s spying on her.

He comes out and she asks him for fresh Belrin roots, since the old Court Mage only had some dried left. Argandea makes a disapproving stare, asking if she searched the black-market. Upon seeing his disapproval, the MC lists many medicinal uses for Belrin roots, which makes Argandea assume that she was a healer at the Academy. The MC doesn’t deny it, simply saying that she was in the “health business”.

Argandea shows her the river area so that she might find the Belrin roots and offers help to search for them with her.

He finally presents himself to her by his name, which the MC recognizes as royalty. He replies that he's a prince in Asmad, but there he's just Argandea. When asked why he’s serving a human King, he simply states that that’s “a story for another time”.

Meanwhile, Harridon arrives at the castle and meets with his nephew, Raelan, who is joyful to see him.

Harridon then brings up the Court Mage topic, which remembers Raelan to ask him who chose his Court Mage.

Harridon answers that it was the Council, asking if there is any problem, to which Raelan replies that there are already gossips about him being in "a made-up improper relationship" with his Court Mage, due to her being “pretty”.

He then recalls a time two years before, where he had attended to the summit. There had been an Aldwen King, Taeral, who had been seen as not ready for the crown, and so he had left with no allies. Due to that, Taeral had his throne usurped and had been killed by his cousin the next year.

To ease his worries about a possible coup, Harridon answers that Walinad has strong allies both in Dwarven and Ka'gash Kingdoms, to which Raelan replies that they still need Elven allies.

With this, Harridon compares Raelan to his mother, which ends up bringing up a discussion about his father, whom Raelan highly disapproved of. The conversation ends with Harridon affirming that Logan, Raelan’s father, wasn’t a good man, but that he was a good King, as his reign was long and prosperous.

At his castle, Calywen talks with Virion about Walinad’s Court Mage situation, to which Virion answers that everything has been dealt with.

Calywen then tells him that he's distressed, as he has heard rumors that his sister, Faraine, has been gathering followers against him and his reign.

Virion is surprised, as Faraine is a servant of Xiris and a High Priestess, asking Calywen to let him investigate if the rumors are true, but he refuses, ordering him to take care of it once and for all.

In the library, the MC is searching for a book, but ends up finding Raelan sleeping on the table.

She wakes him up, offering to make him a sleeping potion if he has sleep troubles. Raelan refuses, explaining that sleeping potions make it even harder for him to sleep, and the MC suggests some herbs with relaxing effects. Raelan answers that he'll send someone to buy them the next day, asking her to teach him how to brew them later, which she agrees to.

Back in the MC's room, she tells Alwenn that everyone thinks she was a healer at the Academy.

Alwenn then tells her that Lea hasn't stopped trying to investigate the MC's past, and that she doesn't think she can stall her for much longer. Alwenn suggests letting Lea discover that the MC wasn't a healer at the Academy, but a cleaning lady, in order to keep her away from discovering about Westerford.

Later, the MC is trying to make a potion of Touch of Ice, without success. Just as she finishes another attempt, Lea appears.

She affirms that the MC isn’t from around there, as her accent is Northern, and then guesses that she is Gaelan, nailing it.

The Dwarf then orders her to tell Alwenn to give her access to the MC's Academy records, knowing that Alwenn is stalling her.

Just as she’s about to leave, the MC calls her back by asking her to visit her later, so that she can take care of her stiff shoulders, leaving Lea surprised.

Outside the castle, Argandea and Raelan are practicing sword combat.

The MC appears, offering Argandea a bottle of Touch of Ice and explaining that it’s to help him stay cold, due to Ka’gash not being able to handle heat.

She then leaves for the river to gather ingredients.

As she is there, she turns into her Warlock stance, knowing that someone is spying her and commanding them to stop hiding.

She is attacked by red fire but defends herself, showing to have control of both red and blue flames.

Virion then comes out, praising her strength even without Surge, and asks her to meet with him at Hulstead the next day, telling her that they need to talk about Calywen. He warns her that he's planning to release Thar'akith, and that his first target is the High Priestess of Xiris.

Virion claims that she's the only one who can stop Thar'akith due to him being bound to her, and she agrees to meet with him.

### **Chapter 1**

At Hulstead, the MC encounters with Virion as promised, having brought Alwenn along.

While the latter and Virion argue with each other, the MC notices that there’s Sindan grapes in Hulstead’s wine, which she finds weird as Sindan doesn’t trade. Gabriel, Hulstead’s barista, then implicates that they acquire it the illegal way.

Finally turning to Virion, he confesses that he was the one who told Calywen about Thar’akith, “in a moment of weakness”, and now he wants to bind Thar'akith to himself in order to unlock unlimited power.

Virion admits that it was a mistake and then says he has a plan to save Faraine, who is the First Pillar, but he needs a few days to think it over, since the MC can’t appear out of nowhere or Calywen will know he warned her. The MC gets surprised that Calywen knows about her, only to learn that Virion told him about her as well.

He reminds her that they are enemies and that are only helping each other since Thar’akith would mean the end of both their kingdoms and many more, offering a temporary truce until that situation is solved. However, Alwenn doesn’t appreciate it, as she doesn’t trust him.

She insists with the MC that they can talk to the Magistracy, and that they will find a way to keep Thar’akith bound, but she refutes that they are scholars, not warriors, and thus they aren’t of help. The MC then explains that Thar’akith is a child of Xiris and that thus only a Warlock, a servant of Xiris, can bind him.

Alwenn tries to offer to disrupt her surge but the MC refuses, accepting Virion’s truce instead.

In the War room, Lea is telling Raelan that she lost Alwenn and the MC’s trail due to magic.

Raelan tries to appease her by defending them but Lea is unfazed, claiming that a Gaelan mage doesn’t make sense and that she has a bad feeling, leaving the room.

Argandea comes in as she leaves and asks what’s happening, to which Raelan simply questions him about Gael.

Argandea tells him that Gael is a border town between Walinad and Khell, which means that it’s a dangerous place. Not for having conflict with Khell, but for there being many pirates that kidnap Gaelan children and sell them as slaves to the Aldwen elves. Since Khell doesn’t have any rules about slave trading, the pirates only need to cross borders.

When Raelan angrily asks why they aren’t sending them help, Argandea simply answers that they are warriors, and that *they* send *them* help, leaving Raelan mulling over that information.

With Faraine, her temple is being relentlessly attacked by strong fiends.

A priest, Meyrn, informs her that they have to collapse the underground tunnels, to prevent them from entering, which brings a discussion with him trying to get her to safety, and her refusing due to having to protect the Second Pillar that resides on the temple.

She ends the discussion by telling him to protect the tunnels, as she will not leave and Meyrn, somewhat upset, accepts her orders and gets ready to leave.

She calls him back sadly, worried about his safety, to which he simply answers that he’ll be careful, trying to appease her.

On their way back to the castle, the MC talks with Alwenn about the latter being mad at her.

Alwenn answers that she’s not mad as she understands the MC’s reasoning and is just worried about trusting Virion. This brings up a discussion between them with the MC saying that Aldwen and Dineans are all Elves and thus should get along, and with Alwenn refuting that they are completely different despite being all Elves. Alwenn then brings back the Virion topic up, saying that the corruption of Surge plays tricks on the mind, so Warlocks can’t be easily trusted. The MC asks her if she thinks she’s insane too, to which Alwenn just answers that she’s seen her on the battlefield. The MC then tries to appease her by saying that she’ll keep an eye on Virion, but Alwenn just presents jealousy by saying that he’d greatly appreciate that.

They are then interrupted as they meet Lana and Aphra, two Peshka sisters who seem to be lost. The MC recognizes them as Sindan Peshka due to their clothing.

The MC offers them a lift, claiming that they are on their way to Rimeford castle.

On the way, Lana ends up explaining that she’s the daughter of Chief Kannu and the rightful heir to Sindan’s Sovereignty. However, her father had a secret son, a bastard, and Sindan’s traditions favor a son’s claim to the throne over a daughter’s, even if he’s illegitimate, which is dividing the people about who should rule. Lana also explains that Sindan is a small country on the brink of economic collapse, a secluded country with strict traditions, and that if she rules it, they’ll change and become open.

Alwenn then reminds the MC that they can’t influence the King’s decisions in political matters, to which the MC answers that in that case the Peshka sisters will be her personal guests, inviting them to sleep in her chambers.

At the library, Raelan is searching for books with information about Gael, as he never heard about it and their culture, even though he thought he knew everything he needed to know about Walinad.

The MC then appears, surprising him as he’s voicing his thoughts, and tells him that Gaelans aren’t very scholarly, which incentives Raelan to ask her more about her home and herself, as he read that Gael doesn’t send many children born with surge to the Magistracy.

The MC tells him that Gael doesn’t have many children, much less ones born with surge, and that due to it being a small town with difficulties, many of those children can’t afford to leave their families behind to train for the Magistracy.

The topic of Writ of Delora then comes up, and Raelan claims that he has no wish to call upon it, due to finding it unfair for the Magistracy.

The MC ends the conversation by informing Raelan that Lana wants to meet with him, and that he should go to her.

In the throne room, Lana and Raelan talk about politics.

Lana explains that Sindan believes seclusion leads to purity and the preservation of their culture, to which Raelan answers that it also leads to lack of advancement. Lana agrees that is the case of her country.

She then informs him that her father has blind devotion for their traditions but is close to decease and that she wants to bring a change to Sindan’s seclusion, so they can evolve.

She tells him about her bastard brother and how her father wants to give him the throne, since Sindan traditions dictate it, and that it is dividing the people, as both have supporters.

She adds that her brother means no harm to the people but will follow tradition, and Lana is afraid of the consequences their archaic ways will bring in the future.

They are too different to compromise but they can’t afford a civil war, and thus she wants an open trade, which is a non-violent solution. Sindan would greatly benefit from a trading alliance, and so she wants to bring a group of scholars and merchants with her to her home, so that her people realize there’s a lot to be gained by opening up and making alliances.

Raelan worries that if something happens between humans and Peshka during the exchange, it will be the end to any kind of future alliance, saying there are other Peshka countries they are having trouble getting along with, and that it would be a disaster.

However, if it works, the good would outweigh the bad.

On the garden, the MC arrives when Aphra is giving her wine for Argandea to taste, playing a game in which he has to guess the secret ingredients in it, something he seems very good at, not failing a single time.

Aphra explains to the MC that her grandmother left her and her sister her vineyard and they didn’t want to sell it, because they had spent their entire childhood there and it was full of happy memories. Aphra says it’s only a hobby and that she is confident, which makes the MC and Argandea motivate her to sell it, as it’s very good and some people would love to buy Sindan’s wine legally (referring to Gabriel).

Lana then appears and the MC asks her how the meeting with Raelan went.

Lana answers that he’ll consider her proposal and that while he speaks to his advisors and makes the decision, she and Aphra will stay there as his guests, ordering Aphra to go and change rooms, so that they don’t trouble the MC anymore.

After they leave, Argandea tells the MC that she has made Lea very angry by having a secret meeting at Hulstead, and that the Dwarf only cares about the truth, warning the MC that it isn’t a good idea to cross her.

Later, in the War Room, Lea and Raelan are arguing about the alliance, with Raelan trying to convince Lea that it’s a good idea and with her disagreeing. Argandea takes Raelan’s side, as he likes to try dangerous things.

The MC then makes her entrance into the War Room and claims that Lea is wrong.

The latter yells at her, saying that a mage has no place in the War Room and that the Magistracy cannot influence the decision of the Sovereignty, being a crime punishable by death.

Raelan tries to appease her by saying that he was the one who invited her, making Lea argue more with him, telling him that if the Council learns of it she’ll be executed.

Raelan then answers spitefully that she should warn them and kicks her out of the war room.

Lea gets surprised and hurt, leaving the room in fury. Argandea suggests Raelan to use the library next time, as it wouldn’t be so dangerous, but Raelan just puts up a tantrum and says that he’ll do as he wants, leaving Argandea eyerolling as he leaves to follow Lea.

Raelan sighs sadly after both leave and then asks the MC to explain how an alliance with Sindan could benefit them.

They grab a map of Western Aradove and the MC proceeds to show him what she meant.

She explains that Sindan is small, but it’s a bridge country between Aldwen and Dinea. If a fight broke between them, Sindan would be the advantage point they would have against each other, as neither Mendamar nor Bherum would be close enough.
Raelan refutes that Aldwen would have already invaded Sindan if they wanted to attack Dinea, but the MC explains that the Aldwen’s king, Calywen, is weeding the competition one by one.
She informs him that Calywen wants a “one nation for all Elves”, but he wouldn’t dare to attack Dinea while there’s strong countries ready to oppose him, like Walinad.
Raelan answers that Walinad used to be stronger, and the MC agrees, adding that she suspects that Calywen wants to weaken him even more, to make sure he won’t stand on his way.
Raelan then claims that if Aldwen tries to invade Dinea, there will be a war that will last for centuries and they won’t be able to stop it.
The MC then explains that Aldwen is surrounded by Sindan, Walinad and Kaaelind, that are not strong enough to stop him, but are strong enough to stall him, which may make him back down from starting a world war, as he won’t try anything unless he knows he has full advantage on the battlefield, since wars are expensive and Aldwen has limited resources.
Also, if he wanted to choose the sea routes, he would have to pay either Walinad or Sindan great amounts of taxation to use their ports. She also adds that neither of the seas are wide enough for Aldwen’s convoy without alerting nearby kingdoms, and finishes her point by claiming that Aldwen it’s strong with its arcane military, not brute force or navy, which makes Raelan recall that their Mages fight in battles.
The MC corrects him by saying that they are not called Mages, but Warlocks.
Raelan finds it weird that the MC knows so much about military strategy and then tells her that she reminds him of his older brother, saying that he should have been in his place and blaming his father for his death, since he always sent him to dangerous quests.

Raelan says that his brother was different from him, brave and smart, and that he didn’t deserve to die at the hands of an insane heretic.

He finishes by thanking the MC for going to the War room as he asked.

Back in her room, at evening, the MC gets screamed at by Alwenn for having risked her life to go to the War Room.

The MC argues that it was needed to give him the right push and Alwenn answers that it wasn’t the MC’s job to do that. The MC claims that Walinad is weaker than ever and asks Alwenn to keep an eye on the traitor, to see if she can find them.

Alwenn then informs her that they have to get rid of Lea, as she is starting to get on her nerves, not taking the baits she has dropped.

She claims to have one last idea, but that it’s risky, and the MC answers that she has to put it in motion fast, since they already know she’s Gaelan.

With Argandea and Raelan, the latter worries about Lea being mad at him for what happened in the War Room.

Argandea asks him what made him invite the Court Mage to the War Room, knowing how dangerous it is, but upon seeing his smile, Argandea understands he has a scheme going on.

Raelan than tells Argandea that there is something off about the MC, as, according to the information he found, Gaelan’s culture prevents them from sending out their children born with Surge to the Magistracy. He adds that he can't get much information, since Gael is next to Khell, making all the information jumbled up by mixing up both cultures.

Argandea wonders if they are training their own mages and Raelan says that no matter what, the MC isn’t who she says he is. When Argandea asks if she’s not Gaelan, Raelan answers that she’s not a Mage.

He claims that their fake Mage is a very good strategist and that she just told him how to gain tactical advantage over Aldwen.

Raelan doesn’t think she wants to kill him, but has to understand what she’s hiding, so he openly opposed Lea to gain the MC’s trust. He believes they are after the same thing but are too uncertain about each other to be honest.

On the kitchen, the cook is yelling at her assistant, Sam, ordering him to start peeling the potatoes.

The MC then appears, as the cook had blackmailed her into helping in the kitchen, since she had borrowed a jar of honey for the Touch of Ice potion and had been the one to bring Sindan’s royalty to the palace, forcing them to have a banquet, ordering the MC to cook a meat pie.

Arriving to her room after cooking, the MC is attacked by Lea, who claims that she knows she’s the Dawnkeep’s Reaper, a mercenary, asking who hired her.

The MC turns into her warlock stance, feeling like she has no choice but to kill Lea now that the Dwarf knows about her. Lea is startled when she understands the connection between the MC and Xiris.

Alwenn comes into the room and interrupts the MC when she’s about to attack Lea, informing that she’s trying to save the former and not the latter, since every time the MC uses magic she’s borrowing her own life source.

Lea warns Alwenn that if she doesn’t get out of the way she’ll be locked up too, and Alwenn just ends up telling her everything.

In the garden, Lea talks to the MC about how she won’t talk about Thar’akith to Raelan, but that the MC needs to tell him about her past, for the longer she hides it, the angrier he will be.

The MC just answers that she has to keep secrets in order to protect the Magistracy as well.

She then adds that every paper about her title was destroyed, since Logan would have been dethroned if anyone found out that he had tried to bargain with a demon and had hired Warlocks from Aldwen’s Magistracy when it backfired. The MC also tells Lea how she had been hired by some nobleman to end a blood feud in Dawnkeep, but that things had went south and she had been arrested by Logan, being offered a deal.

Lea finds it weird that the MC turned into a Warlock, since Walinad doesn’t have an arcane military, but she refuses to give her information on that topic.

She progresses the story by saying that she led the fight against Thar’akith and earned the title of General, calling it “a temporary title for a temporary situation”. She also adds that Warlocks are needed to bind demons, however none of Aldwen’s soldiers wanted to risk their lives, so she did it, losing her Surge instead of dying and that the Magistracy took her in because they pitied her. She finishes by informing Lea that she can use her life source instead of her Surge for magic but that if she casts a strong spell it will kill her on the spot.

Lea then offers to work with her to find the traitor before the Summit, advising her to be careful with Raelan, because he’s lived his whole life around nobility. In her own words “He knows how to keep secrets, and he knows a secret when he sees one.”.

At night, by the river, the MC calls out Virion, knowing he’s there.

Virion informs that he has convinced Calywen that making his sister’s death look like an accident would prevent suspicions against him, in order to stall him, and thus Faraine is resisting his attacks, but that the MC needs to leave for Sindan soon. He adds that the Temple of Xiris is right next to Sindan, making the MC understand that he knew about the Peshka sisters and planned everything so that she had the right excuse to go.

This makes the MC see him as terrifying, and eventually brings up the topic of her lack of Surge, which clearly affects her terribly. Virion, upon seeing her worry, tells her that there’s a way to use magic without Surge and without using her life source, bringing her into his arms and lending her his Surge, allowing her to emit fire from her hand.

He then explains that it’s an old Aldwen teaching in which she can borrow other people’s Surge or their life source to cast magic, but that it is a long ritual and an even longer time of practice until it can be properly used in battle. To top it off, if not done properly, it could kill the host.

When asked why he’s helping her, Virion answers that he needs her, not only for Thar’akith but also for what comes after. The MC tries to press for more information on what exactly comes after, but Virion simply says that they should focus on one problem at a time.

Virion then offers to hug her again, to which the MC replies that she’s not his type, as she believes he isn’t into humans. Virion, however, promptly answers that he’s into all kinds of humans, surprising her.

They talk about how the MC must get to Sindan as soon as she can, and then she leaves for the banquet, worried that Lea might find them.

At the Throne room, as the banquet is going on, Harridon is having a discussion with Raelan, insisting that an alliance with the Peshka is a bad idea, to which Raelan refutes. Lea invades the conversation by agreeing with Harridon and saying that they need Bonecrest to fight against Mendamar, leaving him flustered.

Raelan then also brings up the alliance with Khell up, informing that he’s not happy with the slave situation, making Harridon despair that he’ll start a war by rebelling against the Khell.

He ends the conversation by saying that the banquet isn’t the best place to discuss that and Raelan agrees, leaving under the excuse of having to talk with Alwenn.

Lea stays to ask a favor to Harridon, which consists of letting her see the official sanction of the Court Mage’s summon. Harridon questions her request, and Lea simply says that in a few days she’ll send someone to pick up the sanction. Harridon doesn’t argue, simply staying worried as she leaves.

Lea then finds Raelan waiting for her, and he thanks her for helping him with his uncle, apologizing for having yelled at her back in the War Room. She says that now she understands why he wanted the alliance so badly, even though she stills thinks that it’s a stupid idea, claiming that she’ll stay by his side no matter what, since he’s like a brother to her.

The MC finally comes in the banquet after talking with Virion, and Alwenn yells at her for having been gone all that time, since Raelan had been looking for her.

Alwenn informs her that Raelan will announce the alliance with Sindan that night, showing concern for how dangerous the Summit is becoming for him, but they are interrupted as said man walks to the MC and asks her to dance, as he wants to talk with her in private without letting anyone know.

As they dance, he tells her that the alliance won’t be official until Princess Lana becomes the Chief of Sindan for certain. He informs her about the exchange with scholars and merchants that Lana had proposed and how he’s worried about its safety, needing the MC, Argandea and Lea to go to Sindan, since he trusts them. However, he makes the MC panic as he claims that he’ll join them as well, since he wants to overseer the exchange and show the Peshka that he truly wants things to work out between them. She tries to convince him to stay, but he’s unfazed, informing her that they’ll leave in a week. In the midst of worry, she calls him by his name involuntarily, making him startled, and she simply corrects herself by calling him “Your Majesty” and withdraws, leaving Raelan smiling.

In the library, Alwenn scolds the MC for having pushed Raelan into joining the alliance, putting him in danger.

She’s also worried that the MC will have to be able to avoid him in order to go save Faraine, neither of them having a clue on how to do such thing.

When Alwenn sees the MC uncomfortable for the former putting all the blame on her, she decides that pointing fingers won’t lead anywhere, and simply suggests searching for a solution.

The MC jokingly says that she loves it when Alwenn is practical, to which Alwenn offhandedly answers that she “wouldn’t know love if it hit her in the face”, startling the MC with her aggressivity.

Alwenn simply tries to drop the subject, but the MC claims that she’s mad at her, to which Alwenn answers that she’s just scared that something will happen to the MC and she’ll have to use her life source. The MC simply approaches her and promises that she’ll be fine, but Alwenn is still worried that Virion might be setting a trap for her, since Sindan is right next to Aldwen.

The MC manages to make her laugh by joking around, and eventually they decide to just find a way to solve everything, ending the discussion.

At Calywen’s castle, Virion tries to appease him by saying that they are making advancements on the temple, and that it will soon be overwhelmed with Xiris’ fiends.

Calywen is pleased, affirming that “Divines never smile upon traitors”, which makes Virion uncomfortable.

Calywen then says that he has heard that Raelan is preparing a trip to Sindan, worried about the unfortunate timing and hoping that it won’t complicate the mission, to which Virion guarantees that he’ll make sure it won’t.

Calywen then claims to have missed Virion, asking him to stay the night with him, which Virion agrees to. Calywen proceeds to claim that Virion is the only one he trusts, asking him to never leave him, which makes Virion appease him by guaranteeing that he won’t.

### **Chapter 2**

At night, in her shared tent with Alwenn, the MC gets a dream/vision about Thar’akith.

He says she lied to him and made Xiris angry, that he will be unbounded and she won’t deny him of his legacy.

The MC wakes up, startling Alwenn into doing so as well. The Dinean asks her what is wrong, and the MC just says that she had a nightmare and tells her to go back to sleep, leaving the tent under the pretext that she has to catch some air. Alwenn doesn’t seem to believe her, but doesn’t say anything, simply sighing as she leaves.

Out of the tent, the MC wonders how could Thar’akith reach her.

Meanwhile, Raelan is talking with Borsin, with the latter trying to rip the former off.

Raelan uses the MC as an excuse to run away from the Dwarf, by saying that he has “urgent magical matters” to discuss with her.

The MC and Raelan talk about why the other is awake that late at night for a bit, until Lea appears warning them that there’s something they should see.

Lea guides them to an ancient temple in debris and informs them that there’s movement inside. Raelan asks if it’s heretics, to which Lea proposes that it might be fiends.

The MC asks Lea to call Alwenn over and asks Raelan to go back to camp and warn the merchants and scholars to prepare, so that they can move out in case of danger.

***Lea***

Raelan first refuses to leave her but she convinces him by saying that he has to let her do her job, as she can’t investigate and protect him at the same time. Raelan agrees, but tells her that if anything happens, she is to come back and not fight, stuttering as he affirms that it’s an order.

***Raelan***

The MC agrees, and he leaves.

After she enters the temple, the MC states that the darkness it’s not dormant there and that must be how Thar’akith could reach her.

She then uses her magic to lit torches with blue fire and, as soon as she does so, fiends’ screeches can be heard.

She walks to the Sanctorium and decides to activate a ward there, in order to weaken Xiris’ influence and protect everyone for some time.

To activate the ward, the MC lights up 5 pillars, each representing a Divine, with fire. As soon as she does so, she is attacked by imps, who are too numerous for her to fight on her own.

Argandea and Alwenn appear on that exact moment, helping her fight them off.

With Harridon, a nobleman orders him to keep Raelan on a short leash, as he brought Dwarves and Ka’gash to the castle and now wants an alliance with the Peshka, which does not please nobility. He warns Harridon that if he doesn’t do anything about it the Council will intervene, and it will not be in his best interest.

Harridon tries to appease him by saying that Raelan is an idealistic boy and that once he’s faced with reality, he will choose to listen to him, but the nobleman answers that they don’t have time. He informs that Lord Chak Sangha sent his final warning, which means that if they don’t do anything quick, they’ll lose Mendamar, the only human alliance they have on the North.

After pondering for a second, Harridon then assures him that he has a plan in motion, and that the matter will be handled, one way or another.

Out of the temple, Alwenn tells the MC that everything should be fine by the time being, but they should still leave first thing in the morning just in case.

The MC informs her that when they bounded Thar’akith they unleashed Xiris’ fury, worried that even though the temple wasn’t a Xiris one it was still overflowing with darkness.

Alwenn tries to appease her by suggesting that it might have been the heretics, experimenting with spells they couldn’t fully understand, which ended up accidentally releasing the darkness. She then changes the subject, worryingly asking the MC If she’s alright, since she used her life source.

After the MC answers, Alwenn tells her that she’ll inform Raelan of what happened and that he was worried about her. She says that he is different and good, and she hopes his misfortunes won’t change the man he is becoming. The MC states she’s more worried about his fortunes and Alwenn replies that “You never know a man until he’s in possession of power”, to which the MC answers “Or fearsome demons”.

Alwenn gets ready to leave and asks the MC if she’s coming, to which the latter replies that the Dinean can go on ahead and she’ll catch up in a bit. Alwenn shows to be worried about that but ends up not asking anything and just leaves.

The MC thinks aloud that Thar’akith didn’t call her over there for nothing, entering the temple yet again.

Upon arriving at the Sanctorium, the MC states that the darkness there is strong enough to reach Thar’akith. She assumes she’ll regret it, but summons him nonetheless.

He appears and speaks to her backwards, like demons usually do, but then she tells him to stop with the tricks and speak plainly, which he does.

Thar’akith mocks her for activating wards to protect herself and they keep back talking each other for a while, with the MC pointing out that he looks a “little less beastly”, referring to his humanoid form, and Thar’akith informing that he wants her to be prepared for what’s to come, so that she can last longer.

He accuses her of being afraid, as he can see her trembling and feel her fear due to him being bound to her. She makes him disappear, done with him.

Argandea comes in in that exact moment, informing that he has finished scouting the area, and both leave.

Near the camping site, Argandea talks with the MC about how she fought against the fiends, as he never saw a mage fight like that. He says that mages fight like Alwenn, patient, methodical, almost ritualistic and that the MC, on the other hand, looks like she has seen one too many battles and that she has enjoyed every last one of it. Argandea directly tells her that he doesn’t believe she’s a mage and, when she just stares at him, he states that he doesn’t care about what she is and that as long as she doesn’t cross Raelan, they are good.

The MC points out that he seems to care a lot about him, to which he answers that he’s pretty much a brother to him, as he practically raised him. The MC encourages him to tell her more about it.

Argandea starts by asking if she knows how the Asmadi Sovereignty works.
She answers that she knows about the Imperial Concubines and the Royal Harem, and so he tells her that his mother is a low-ranking concubine and that he is the twelfth child of Emperor Lugalbanda.
He explains that during his visit to Asmad, King Logan saw Argandea training in the courtyard and asked the Emperor if he could take him as a royal guard for Arlan, his oldest son. Argandea states that he was only a hindrance at court and that nobody really wanted him, as the King already had 11 others, so they sent him away as a friendly gesture to the alliance.
However, Logan’s council didn’t like a Ka’gash in such an honorable position, so they sent him to Raelan instead. Argandea tells the MC that Raelan was only 3 and kept following him, calling him “*Arwanwe*”.
Raelan appears as Argandea finishes, and the latter leaves to let them talk.

Raelan tells the MC that most of the scholars are prepared, but the merchants are having trouble with everything they are carrying and that they are tired, so they need to find a better camp site soon. The MC informs him they are reaching the Zekhi hills and that there will be a suitable place to rest.

Raelan then informs that Alwenn told him they encountered some fiends in the temple. The MC apologizes for disobeying his orders of not engaging in fighting and Raelan answers that he had a feeling she would, so he sent Argandea. He ends up stating that it’s her job to fight, and he won’t let his emotions cloud his judgment again. The MC teases him for a bit about what he means by emotions, leaving him flustered.

Raelan finishes the conversation by saying that he’s going to see how the preparations are coming along and telling her to get some sleep.

***Raelan***

With Lana, she’s welcomed by Parsa as she arrives to Sindan.

They talk a bit about her father’s condition, which is not getting better, and she asks him to make sure he is as comfortable as possible on his last days.

Parsa then reminds her that he’s also her healer and wants her to tell him if she needs him for anything, as they need their Queen healthy and strong. She informs that she’s fine but knows where to find him if she ever feels unwell.

As soon as Parsa leaves, Aphra states to Lana that he likes her, which earns her a scolding from her sister.

Kanda then appears, welcoming them back and claiming that they have been worried sick for them, asking where they went.

Lana and Kanda argue for a while about how she went to Walinad, with Kanda unhappy with the situation. The conversation ends when Lana states that she has to prepare a banquet for Walinad, to which Kanda screams at her that they don’t have the resources for a banquet and that their people are hungry, making her leave after replying that they’ll keep being hungry if she doesn’t make that alliance.

Kanda spaces out for a second before noticing that Aphra still stands there, and tries to be nice to her, but she just leaves sadly.

Back with Faraine, Meyrn tells her that they have dealt with the fiends, but the darkness is still overflowing. She states that she can feel it too and it’s getting stronger by the minute.

Meyrn asks her to evacuate but she answers that they are trained for enduring that and that if they can’t fight against Xiris darkness in her own temple they won’t be able to protect her balance.

Meyrn then claims that it isn’t Xiris, since the darkness is out of balance and affirms that there’s magic behind it. He states that there’s someone behind those attacks, who’ll greatly benefit from Faraine’s death and the destruction of the pillars.

However, this only makes Faraine more resolute in not leaving, affirming that she won’t let any demons be summoned. Meyrn calls her out to reason by claiming that they have won that time but are not ready for a second wave, and thus they need to evacuate and sacrifice the pillar to save her, making Faraine finally give up into his advice.

At a hill, the MC explains Raelan that it gives them an advantage and it’s close to the river. They also state that they are about to cross the desert, and thus everyone has to be well-rested.

Raelan then proceeds to ask the MC for advice. He informs her that he has been exchanging letters with their ambassador in Khell and there seems to be a conflict of interest between their nations. Although officially the Khell do not approve of human trafficking, not actively seeking preventative measures to stop the trade doesn’t leave Raelan happy.

The MC points out that she’s not a diplomat and thus can’t help, to which Raelan answers that she’s Gaelan and her people have been fighting against pirates for generations and the Khell never did anything to stop it. The MC states that neither did Walinad and that the pirates don’t just sell human children to Aldwen, but also sell Walinad weapons, forbidden scrolls, advancements and technology from other kingdoms.

They argue for a bit over the morality of the situation, until the MC ends up unconsciously calling him by his name, when saying that he has to have faith on his abilities. Raelan calls her out on it, not offended, and when she apologizes, he claims that it’s fine and all of his advisors do it. The MC answers she’s not his advisor and it wouldn’t be appropriate to which he replies that she gives pretty good advice.

The MC then claims that she has to help Lea scout the area to see if there are any magic-related dangers lurking around, leaving.

With Lea and the MC, the former informs her that she already checked the river side and it’s clear. She also states that there’s a cave she hasn’t scouted yet down south-east, to which the MC answers that she’ll take care of it.

Lea shows to be worried that the MC can’t use magic and claims that with Raelan around one can never be too sure of safety, as many people want him dead, in and out of Walinad, such as nobles, politicians and rivals.

The MC wonders why, since Walinad is a minor human kingdom and there’s only so much Raelan can do, to which Lea claims that Walinad is very important on that moment, as Dineans and Ka’gash want to move the Summit there, because reaching Meacia means either using Aldwen seas or Mendamar and it’s too long and costly for them. If Raelan keeps up with his work it might be possible on the future to do so and he would use the noble’s money and lands to build the Summit Hall, displeasing nobility. Also, they are bribed by Mendamar and Aldwen, including Lord Harridon.

The MC and Lea then argue for a bit about whether Harridon may be behind the choosing of the Court Mage, with Lea guaranteeing that he loves Raelan and would never hurt him. Besides, she had already asked for the sanction of her summon and he looks innocent.

The MC doesn’t believe it and Lea simply tells her to stop pursuing it, as it would kill Raelan to know his own uncle was plotting against him. Lea then claims that if Harridon is behind it she’ll make him pay, without letting Raelan know, stating sadly that “Accidents happen every day”. The MC asks Lea to let her deal with it, since her hands are bloody enough, and he owes her a retirement. Lea states that they didn’t even find him guilty and are already planning his murder.

The MC then claims she’s going to check the cave, leaving.

At the cave, the MC encounters Virion, who had been waiting for her as she had suggested.

He guides her to the inside of the cave, and she asks if Faraine is still safe, as they are slower than she thought due to the merchants. She’s worried they won’t reach the temple in time, but Virion tells her they decided to leave the temple, sacrificing the second pillar, and are on their way to where they are.

Virion and the MC then argue about how Virion has to attack their camp, which the MC refuses due to it going to damage the alliance.

When, seeing no other option, the MC orders him to attack only her, as he’ll need her blood on his hands, and suggests that Virion tells Calywen that he almost had her and Faraine ran away while they were fighting.

They then argue for a bit more, Virion not wanting to do so, as no one has to get hurt if he just attacks the camp, and the MC insisting on him attacking her because she wants to do the right thing.

Virion claims that she has sacrificed herself over meaningless reasons many times before and that it’s not about the cause, she just doesn’t care about her life. The MC tries to finish the conversation by threatening him to do as she says or the truce will be over, to which Virion accuses her of being falling in love with Raelan and thus doing all of that.

***Raelan***

The MC simply answers that she’s not him and that he doesn’t know what it’s like to try to do the right thing. She motions to leave but Virion asks her to stay, asking why the rush in leaving him. Some flirting happens and then the MC leaves.

***Virion***

Back at the camping site, at night, Raelan and Argandea are playing cards, with the former winning.

Raelan tells Argandea has a tell and the latter gets mad he’s losing, accusing him of cheating, stating that he’s good at everything. Raelan just answers “except at losing”.

Alwenn welcomes the MC as she arrives, informing her that merchants and scholars are settled down, and asking for news of Faraine. The MC tells her they’ll talk once everyone is asleep, leaving Alwenn worried with how that sounds.

**If Chosen Lea**
The MC approaches Lea and informs her that there were no fiend or heretic movements in or out of the cave, to which the Dwarf answers that she knows, since she checked it out, and she wanted to see how long it would take the MC to scout a small area.
When seeing that she finds her long absence weird, the MC claims that she was picking ingredients to prepare a calming tea for Raelan, surprising Lea by calling him by his name.
Lea states she’s keeping an eye on her, since the Magistracy will always have their own motivations, to which the MC answers that her motivation is to keep everyone alive. Lea replies that hers is keeping Raelan alive and the MC states she’s very loyal, to which the Dwarf claims that it’s love, as he’s like a brother to her.
When the MC incentivizes her to tell the story, Lea refuses to bond with her.
The MC gets ready to leave to make the tea, asking Lea if she wants some, to which the latter answers that only if the MC drinks it first. The MC claims that she won’t add poison in that case, leaving.
**If Chosen Argandea**
When approaching him, Argandea asks the MC what is his tell for when he bluffs, and for her to not tell Raelan he asked. The MC claims she has never seen him lie, asking him to do so for her to find out, and he does so by stating that she’s the ugliest woman he has ever seen.
She informs him that his tell is his left eye, as it twitched, and asks if he wants her to give him Raelan’s tell, to which Argandea jokingly asks her to marry him.
**If Chosen Raelan**
The MC approaches Raelan and addresses him as “His Majesty”, him calling her out on it.
She informs him she picked some herbs on her way back and will prepare him a calming tea and Raelan asks to see how she prepares it. The MC accepts claiming that it’s not complex, as she only roasts the herbs before adding them in the boiled water and Raelan jokes that’s good, as he wouldn’t want to add “making tea” to the list of things he fails at.
The MC calls him out on the fact that he’s impressive playing cards, to which Raelan answers that it’s one of the few things not on the list. She jokes that it’s an evidence of hidden brilliance and he just answers that it’s profoundly hidden, making her laugh, which leaves him pleased. The MC points out that it’s another thing to keep out of his list and Raelan claims that it’s his favorite one.
The MC finishes the conversation by offering to start making the tea.

The MC prepares the tea, teaching Raelan how to do it.

He drinks and likes it but states he doesn’t feel very calm yet. The MC informs him that Elven rantipoles can be tricky and tells him to wait some minutes until it makes effect.

Raelan then claims that he was unfairly judgmental of her when the MC first came to the court, as he thought her appearance would undermine her capabilities as the Court Mage.

He declares that she is a valuable member of his court and he values her.

However, the Elven Rantipoles make effect on that moment and he falls to the ground.

***Raelan***

The MC states she’ll call Argandea and he thanks her. Nevertheless, the effect makes him somewhat drunk and he ends up calling her a toad, to which the MC responds by smacking him.

Lea appears to see Raelan drunk on the ground and the MC simply assures her that he’ll live.

On their tent, after everyone’s asleep, Alwenn screams at the MC for going to let Virion attack her, stating that until a month ago she would have killed him on the spot, let alone trust him with her life and that it could be his plan all along.

The MC answers that he could have killed her before if he wanted to, leaving Alwenn even madder, to which the MC asks if she’d rather damage the alliance. Alwenn replies that she would, since broken alliances can be mended but nothing can be done if the MC dies.

The MC affirms that Virion will be careful and not kill her, since he can’t risk going against Calywen without their help. Alwenn sadly states that it’s like Westerford all over again, making the MC tense up and answer that they are doing that so Westerford won’t repeat itself. Alwenn apologizes, as the MC lost friends in the war.

Alwenn then asks to go with her but the MC answers that she has to stay and make sure nobody follows her to the woods when the time comes. When seeing her sad, the MC tells her that she will let Alwenn read her “The eleven rules of Lumera”.

She claims that Alwenn was the only one who visited her while she was recovering in the clinic, and that despite making fun of her she was grateful, even if she kept reading her the most boring mage novel she’d ever heard. Alwenn corrects her by stating that it’s a biography and not a novel, to which the MC replies that she’ll take the boring book if she can enjoy her company.

In the morning, Argandea tells Raelan they are ready to move out, to which the latter answers that they have to make sure they have enough food and water to go through the desert.

The MC arrives near them and her and Argandea discuss for a bit about how she got Raelan drunk the night before.

The MC then turns to Raelan asking how he is. He answers he slept well thanks to her and she points out they might have to use a less potent tea next time as Eleven Rantipoles are a bit too strong for him.

***Raelan***

Lea then comes running in, informing that a group of priests (Faraine and her people) are coming their way and that they are injured.

She claims that they have to move out, as whatever they are running from is coming right at them, to which Raelan orders her to tell Argandea to rile the soldiers up and that they can’t abandon the injured. Lea tries to convince him otherwise by informing that they are armed, not regular priests, which means the enemy must be dangerous but Raelan just orders that if they are armed, they’ll join forces. Lea eyerolls at his goodwill and leaves to do as told.

The MC tells Raelan that Alwenn can heal the wounded, as she has exceptional healing skills and he answers that they can both tend to the wounded while he tells the merchants and scholars to find a safe place to hide in.

The MC asks him to let her go to the woods set some wards quickly, since they might be fighting fiends and it’s better to cleanse the darkness as much as they can, to which Raelan replies that it’s a good idea, telling her to be careful.

Once in the woods, the MC calls Virion out, who’s clearly not happy with her plan.

He claims that it’s going to hurt and gets ready to attack her but keeps on hesitating, as she incentivizes him to do it. However, in the end, he gives up, refusing to hurt her and claims that it’s a stupid plan, since if she gets injured, she’ll be useless to him.

She mocks that she thought he liked to fight her, to which he answers that it’s no fun when she doesn’t respond. She suggests fake fighting back and he just tells her to go claiming that he’ll deal with Calywen, so the MC should bring Faraine to safety.

The MC gets sad, worried about what Calywen will do to him and asks him to keep her updated, as she has a feeling that won’t stop Calywen from trying to summon Thar’akith. Virion points out that they are already a pillar down and he may not be able to stop Calywen if he goes after the third one, which is in Khell, so the MC should start preparing to go there.

The MC then informs him that there was a fallen temple on their way there and the darkness wasn’t dormant there, so Thar’akith could reach her, and that he changed forms to something more human-like. She claims that she thinks he’s trying to seduce someone, which is not the first time he tried, making Virion understands that Calywen is his victim.

The MC suggests Calywen might have a source of darkness somewhere and Virion guarantees he’ll break it.

At his palace, Calywen is with Thar’akith, who addresses him as Champion.

He claims nothing can hurt Calywen under his watch, to which the latter answers that everyone is against him, even his people.

Thar’akith affirms he’s a messenger who has Xiris behind him and shouldn’t care about them, as Xiris has great plans for him, but first he has to destroy the pillars.

Calywen informs that Virion is working on it, which makes Thar’akith displeased, telling him to not trust Warlocks, as they were the ones that imprisoned him despite being servants of Xiris.

Calywen affirms that Virion would never betray him, since he made him the man he is and that he will always be nothing without him.

Thar’akith just smiles, saying that they will see if that’s true.