Rise of the Archon

I considered myself relatively hardened when it came to uncomfortable social situations. I didn't enjoy them by any stretch, but I had learned to 'tread water' so to speak.

Unfortunately, I was very wrong about that belief.

The Graythorns hadn't taken long to return to their prior activities. A servant hurried to get more wine, along with platters of meat, cheeses, and fruit. I accepted a glass more out of polite obligation than anything, and sipped the expensive vintage as the nobles around me spoke.

I had hoped their conversation would at least be interesting, but I found myself disappointed twice over. The Graythorns avoided topics of magic and spellcasting, focused instead on idle gossip. On and on they prattled about scandalous affairs, illegitimate children, financial woes, and unworthy heirs.

After an hour, I was ready to jump out of the nearest window. Instead, I occupied myself by spinning a copper coin in my palm using force magic. It was the smallest bit of spellcraft I could do without drawing undue attention, and was the only thing keeping me sane.

As they carried on their inane conversation, I brainstormed ideas on how to best impress Flynn's father. My Destruction technique had progressed to an extent, but not enough. Maybe if I could find a way to 'transfer' the effect, sending a wave of deleterious mana through an object? I could alter my constructs to create an enchantment that functioned as a conduit, but that brought complications.

If I went that route, I'd need to consider mana conductivity versus durability. Could I apply Alteration to my existing constructs? Most likely, but by how much could I shift the inherent properties of Aether? Likely not much, as my skills in that field were middling at best.

Beyond that, would it be enough? Honing Destruction to its uppermost limit would be impressive, but the Sions were legendary. I needed more than one useful trick.

"—you say, Vayne?" a voice asked, breaking into my thoughts.

I blinked, and the coin dropped into my palm with a soft thud. "Apologies, what did you say?"

Alvin Graythorn, the eldest of the four, shot me a somewhat condescending smile. "I was simply asking your opinion on the state of magical education. I've met several 'trained' mages in the last few years, and it seems to me the standards of the Academy must have grown lackluster in recent times."

The irony was palpable considering his own middling talents as a mage. I suspected I could've defeated him without breaking a sweat, but saying as much invited insult.

So, I erred on the side of caution and replied, "I might agree to an extent, but I suspect that's a personal failing. Not all mages are willing to push themselves or their spellcraft."

"You don't think there are systemic flaws?"

"There are," I responded, nodding. "Some elements are underresearched. Mine, for example."

"Is that why you left?"

"How do you know I left?" I asked.

Alvin's smile widened. "You don't hold yourself as a noble, yet you possess magic. A sponsored common-born mage was the obvious answer to such a mystery."

"Understandable. Yes, I was sponsored, and yes, I did leave my formal education."

"Why?" Estrid Graythorn asked. She was the quietest of the lot, but her voice sounded genuinely curious.

I shrugged. "My element was poorly understood, and I felt I wasn't progressing anymore."

"What elemental affinity do you have?" she pressed.

I held up a hand, conjuring an orb of Aether and responded, "Aether. A decidedly impractical affinity for most mages."

"Most?" Kathryn echoed from my side. It sounded as though she'd put aside her annoyance at our seating arrangement.

I shrugged my shoulder non-commitally and dismissed the orb with a flick of my hand.

Tobias, Alvin's younger brother, leaned forward in his seat. Young and half-drunk thanks to the three full glasses of wine he'd drained in the past hour, he practically bled arrogance.

"Maybe the reason the Academy's declined has to do with the students," he declared. His words slurred a little, and his half-filled glass tipped forward in his hands.

"What do you mean?" Flynn asked, his eyebrow raised and a cocky smile of his own in place.

"Magic's our birthright. Not everyone can learn it, can they?" Tobias replied.

Subtle, that one. I glanced between Tobias' relatives and found that, although they looked embarrassed, none jumped to refute his statement. Whether that was out of genuine agreement or tactful neutrality, I couldn't say. I also didn't care.

I decided not to engage, preferring to let the statement hang. There was no point in proving anything to a drunk noble whose magic I surpassed within my first year of training.

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Unfortunately, Tobias had no intentions of letting it rest. He waved the glass in his hand, spilling crimson wine over the lip as he continued, "That's the problem. Only the best and brightest from the right families should learn magic. Too many come from these common folk who can't even read. How are they going to master spellcraft?"

I couldn't help it. A chuckle slipped out, soft and half-caught but unmistakable. Alvin's eyebrow rose, Estrid pursed her lips, and I heard Kathryn let out a faint sigh, all while Flynn's smile narrowed into something more sincere.

At first, I thought Tobias had missed it. Then, slowly, his eyes narrowed.

Mana rose from the noble in what I'd charitably call a 'threat.' The wood-tinged energy, similar to Kathryn's but notably stronger, swirled about his shoulders like a threadbare coat, not formed into an attack yet but clearly being marshalled into a spell.

"Are you laughing at me, peasant?" Tobias asked in a quiet voice.

I raised an eyebrow, but before I could reply, the glass in Tobias's hand practically exploded. Shards flew in all directions, falling to the ground with a sound like a hundred tiny bells. Wine splashed onto the carpet beneath his feet, staining the earth-toned material maroon.

Tobias yelped, pulling his hand back in a clumsy swiping motion. He checked over his palm, running the fingers of his other hand across the skin and searching for cuts. I barely noticed, as my attention was focused on my adopted brother instead.

Flynn was leaning back in his seat with a deliberately relaxed affect. His smile was still there, but had grown sharp as a blade, while his mana danced around him like a rising sun.

"Now, now. Let's mind our manners. That's my brother you're speaking to, Tobias," Flynn said, sipping his own drink before continuing, "Insults won't do."

Tobias paled, sweat dripping down the side of his forehead. Estrid's posture had tensed, Alvin's mana twisted into the beginnings of a spell, and even Kathryn had sat up straighter beside me. I doubted they would come to blows, but if it did...Well, I would bet on Flynn ten times out of ten.

Strangely, I found myself speaking almost before I realized it.

"Brother," I said, pushing as much confidence into my voice as possible. "Please, allow me."

Flynn's eyes darted towards me, his eyebrows raised as his smile vanished. His mana didn't dissipate, but I felt it waver just a hair in what must have been surprise.

After a second, he gave me a tiny nod, and I returned the gesture before focusing on Tobias.

I saw the hatred and haughty arrogance in his eyes, the complete and utter delusional belief that he was superior despite his middling talent and pitiful effects at magic. Drunkenness clouded it, but it hadn't hidden that. But as I looked into his gaze, I knew the truth.

He didn't hate me because he thought he was better than me. He hated me because he knew he wasn't.

If we came to blows, I'd crush him in seconds. Hell, I wasn't sure the four Graythorns combined could best me. But I also knew I had nothing to prove to him. Still, I couldn't let the blatant insult pass without a word.

I smiled at him, thin and cold as I replied, "If you'd like to test my abilities, I'd happily oblige. I'm always thrilled to measure my skills against a true noble."

As I spoke, I allowed a hint of my mana to slip out from behind my shroud. I had stabilized my core and learned to hide my presence enough to pass as a weaker mage at first glance, and saw the moment where Tobias realized my full strength.

His eyes widened, working his jaw as if trying to find the words. Finally, he shook his head and looked away, barking an order to one of the servants standing at the edge of the room.

"Get me another glass!" Tobias shouted, snapping his fingers for emphasis.

The tension in the room lessened just a hair. Postures relaxed, held breaths were exhaled, and half-formed spells dissipated.

Kathryn cleared her throat, taking over the lull in conversation. Her good mood had mostly vanished, but she made a valiant effort as she flashed a radiant smile and said to Flynn, "I almost forgot. The last time you were here, I promised to show you our family gardens, didn't I?"

"Please forgive me, my lady, but I'm afraid I intended to meet with your brother. I'll have to make time another day," Flynn replied as he stood, handing his glass to a servant who had seemed to appear from thin air.

Kathryn deflated, but Flynn's smile grew mischievous as he continued, "However, Vayne would love a tour. He's quite the horticulturist, as I understand."

I blinked, then spared a glance at Kathrynl. Her smile wavered, and she half-turned to me with clear disappointment. However, she wasn't nearly as rude as her cousin and simply nodded before facing me.

"Of course," Kathryn said a little too brightly. "Shall we?"

Training took over, and I rose before holding out a hand to help her up. She took it, her smile becoming a touch more genuine, and together we made our way to the door. Flynn trailed behind us, saying his goodbyes to the remaining Graythorns.

The three of us left the room, and Flynn said a quick goodbye before heading off in a different direction. Kathryn led me through the halls, down past more rooms, before stepping out through an exit to the rear of her family's mansion.

I had taken a look at the gardens through the windows, but found seeing it up close was far more impressive.

The gardens were divided into a multi-tiered affair. Lines of flower boxes and trellises ran in rows, forming intricate pathways across the yard. I could make our crawling vines with strange, glowing thorns, petals of all manners of colors, both natural and otherwise, and more plants that I could imagine memorizing in three lifetimes.

I had barely enough time to take in the whole sight before Kathryn started walking down one path at random. I followed, falling into place beside her.

"These are our family gardens," Kathryn explained as we walked. "It's said that my great-great-grandfather planted the first using samples taken from the wilds far to the east. He cared for them, forming many strange hybrids, and the generations since then have worked to maintain his legacy."

"Impressive," I remarked, pausing beside a flower with petals that shone like liquid silver. "What does that entail?"

"A small fortune in gold and extensive magical guidance. It's customary for the youngest of our family to assist in the endeavor."

Kathryn continued on, but as we walked, an awkward silence fell over us. I tried several times to restart the conversation, but it was abundantly clear she was doing this solely out of obligation.

The wise choice would be to dance around the awkwardness. A true noble could have charmed Kathryn with pretty words or compliments, using clever turns of phrase to diffuse the tension. But I was who I was, and that hadn't changed.

"What's it like being a wood mage?" I asked bluntly.

Kathryn's step caught, but she recovered a second later. "Pardon?"

"You are a wood mage, yes? What's it like? I've never had a chance to ask one."

"I am, yes. How did you know?"

"I was classmates with one back in the Academy. Your mana feels similar," I replied, before adding, "But admittedly, Flynn told me on the way here that your family had quite a few wood mages."

Kathryn nodded at that, but remained quiet still. I decided to press more, if only to break the increasingly awkward silence.

"What's that like? Do you find that you're more sensitive to plant life?"

"I'm...not sure? I never noticed much of a difference."

I bit back a frustrated noise and responded, "Really? I would've assumed your ability to detect such mana would see a change."

"I never had much interest in magic," Kathryn said, pausing near a tree covered in those glowing vines.

"Why not?" I asked, even as I noticed something odd.

I had always associated wood mana with trees. It was the most common form that affinity took, but as I stood there, I realized the energy around me didn't feel so homogenous.

Instead, it was as if the wood mana had split into dozens of forms. Minor variations ran around me, moving with subtle differences that I couldn't pick out in detail but sensed nonetheless.

More interestingly, the mana in general wasn't quite uniform either. Variations in density and stability caused it to twist and move, almost as if by an enchantment. Could the Graythorns have somehow used these plants to create natural changes in mana flow?

The idea was novel, and I set it aside for later while I waited for Kathryn to respond. She was still chewing on my words, but finally began to speak.

"I'm the youngest of my family. It's my duty to follow, not master spellcraft."

I met her eyes and replied, "As was mine. But magic is too great a gift to let go to waste. I'd suspect a wood mage would agree that a fruit left unpicked will rot."

Kathryn laughed at that. "You are a gardener, then?"

"Not at all, but it felt an apt metaphor."

"Maybe," Kathryn nodded a few times before continuing, "You're a very strange young noble, do you know that?"

"As your cousin pointed out, I'm not a noble at all."

We stood there for a time in something approaching a pleasant silence. Finally, I cleared my throat and gestured towards the rest of the garden.

"If it's not too much trouble, could you show me more?"

"Of course," Kathryn's smile was more genuine now as she took my arm in hers. "Right this way."