"So, let me just see if I'm hearing you right, Tiffany. You think you may have found the building prints of the Council's Castle?" I asked her and she nodded to me. That can be a major game changer, not only will it help with us knowing what is what but also how to break in if we need to. "Okay, but why are you skeptical of it?"

She loses her smile. "I...can't exactly read them," she admitted.

"Why?" 

Phil looked at us. "Well given the documents' age, the ink may be faded. Ink does fade over time and in conditions such as this, they aren't exactly well preserved here."

"Or bad handwriting."

Tiffany shakes her head. "The ink is faded but I can still see it. The problem is that...it is written in a language that I cannot read. Maybe an older version of the Viennan Common language perhaps?" she questioned but as soon as she said that I shake my head. I have a suspicion as to why she cannot read the language that Nicholas wrote in.

She picked up a few rolls of parchment, setting them on the work table. We've moved down to Nicholas's workshop, thankful that Tiffany had interrupted the interrogation that was going on only minutes ago. Don't get me wrong, I understand everyone's worry...but I don't need help. Tiffany, Reed, Riley, Phil, Matt, Shiro, Violet, Chimney, Kala, and I are gathered around the massive work table, hoping to get a clearer look at what Tiffany is talking about.

I pick up one of the parchments as the others take one and unroll it as well. I look it over and smile. "Yep, Arcanic Tongue," I pointed out immediately upon seeing the familiar scripture of the Guardian Language written in place of any Viennan Tongue. "Since Nicholas built Laenadur, it makes sense for him to write in the language that he knows."

"Yeah, but he could have written in the common language so others could understand," Reed pointed out.

Riley toss his parchment onto the table, most likely giving up on trying to figure out what he was looking at. "That was probably the point. From what I have gathered so far, Master Nicholas trusted very few and was secretive. Even in the End, at Lady Ianite's place, he had several documents that were written exclusively in the Arcanic Tongue while others were not despite the only other resident being Lady Ianite," Riley points out. I forgot about that. In Nicholas's workshop in the End, he has plenty of things written in the common language, but there were some items written only in the Arcanic Tongue.

"But why write only in this language for building prints? That makes no sense," Violet said. I put the building print in my hands on the table, not bothering with this since this isn't the most important thing at present.

"Wait, is there building prints of the Military District here?" I asked her.

Tiffany nodded. "Yeah, I don't know if there is for sure but I do recognize the buildings."

"Let me see them," I said before she started looking for them in the pile of parchments.

"Why would you need that?"

My eyes looked to the others. "Having building prints of the castle would be great. But having some of the Military District would be even better."

"Still confused," Reed admitted.

I let out a soft breath before I looked at everyone as Tiffany searched. "Besides the Aeari Knights, who is the biggest threat to us?"

"Laenadur's Military," Phil answered.

I motioned to the earth wizard. "Exactly, to remain in control of the people, all leaders need a military force to keep control. Money is important and all but it is the military that ensures that the peace is kept....so imagine what damage we could do if we remove the military altogether..." I saw a mix of reactions from them.

"What are you planning, Seto? What's going on in that sometimes messed up head of yours?"

"Hey..." I mumbled. My head isn't messed-up, I just think on a didn't plane of existence than most people. "Who is in charge of Laenadur's military? Is it the Aeari Knights?"

Shiro shakes his head. "No, like us, the Aeari Knights is a separate unit from Laenadur's military. But they are a threat all the same. The person in charge of the main military force is General Nolan. He's a war veteran, like you, he is quite the tactician and very strong. We worked closely with him many times in the past."

"Would he listen to me?" I ask them and I saw the nods without hesitation. I'm happy to know that at least one person in Laenadur is reasonable. "Good, where is he?"

"The Frontli--"

"He's in Laenadur currently, he was called off the frontlines by the council because they want him to deal with you, Seto," Tiffany answered not looking at any of us. I'm not surprised in the least bit that she already knows this information. I'm pretty sure she has people everywhere. "Ahh, here! This is the main building of the Military District, the general's office is in this building." Tiffany put the building print on the table, using books on the corners to keep it flat. My eyes quickly read over the information, looking over the diagrams to get as much understanding of the layout as I could.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Matt asked.

"Because this is Seto we are talking about, his plans are just...nuts," Phil answered.

I nodded before I looked at Phil and Matt. "I want you two to go talk to James while I'm gonna go break into General Nolan's office," I said and as soon as I said that, Reed laughed driving my attention to him about what is so hilarious.

"No offense, Seto, but I don't see that going well for you. You ain't exactly graceful," he said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I snapped at him for clarification. I wanted to know whether or not I should take offense to his comments. But the others started to agree with Reed and I just stood there, wondering what exactly brought this on.

Shiro shakes his head. "Graceful you are with a sword, yes, but...well you are clumsy at times. Especially with your leg injury and the newly acquired injuries. Also, why are we talking about this now? You just spent three days in captivity with no food or water and were injured because of it. You should be resting. Let us handle this."

"Oh, I'm clumsy huh?" I questioned as I ignored the rest of what he said. "I'm not clumsy--"

"Yes, you are, you just don't like to admit that you are," Phil cut me off. "Also, we've all noticed how weaker your magic signature is, you still haven't recovered yet, and with you on a planet with a weaker core than you are used to, it will take time for you to recover your magic fully--"

I shake my head. "Vienna's planetary core cannot fully restore my mana pools. What Vienna provides me is insufficient, your world isn't strong and/or potent enough to completely restore my power. So I'm only ever at half power when I'm here but full power in Estir."

"That's worse than I thought it was," Violet interjected, "you need to rest. Your magic presence is so weak compared to what it normally feels here. You can't tell us that you don't feel weak or exhausted since you look like you are going to fall over with how pale you are."

I knew I shouldn't have opened my mouth, but they are right. I'm exhausted and don't feel like arguing. But we have to get this done quickly. "How close are the frontlines to Laenadur?" I ask Tiffany.

"With how it is now, it will be two and half days till the frontlines reach Laenadur," she predicts. That's worse than I thought it was. I looked at the others, I notice the shocked looks on Phil's and Matt's faces. We need to push the dark mages back, we need to push the frontlines back and away from the city. I could do that but something tells me that the others won't allow me to do that.

I looked to the two athar wizards. "You two need to talk to James, ask him to get involved with the frontlines. It needs to be pushed back, we need more time. The city cannot be flooded with dark mages when we are trying to start a coup."

Phil shakes his head. "Forget the city! We need to recuse the academy! If what Tiffany said is true, then it will be less than a day when the frontlines reach Fyre Academy," he exclaimed out to our horror. I had no idea that the frontlines were so close to the academy. I thought the academy was farther removed from the city, apparently, that isn't the case.

"The barrier can only take so much abuse until it breaks. The academy will become a warzone. The students aren't ready for a warzone, they'll be killed," Matt said.

"You guys need to evacuate the students if this is true," I said.

"And put them where? The council denies any type of action that suggests the closeness of the frontlines to us. The most we could do is make them flee into the forest since Laenadur isn't going to welcome them--"

"General Nolan will help," Tiffany said.

"Rest has to wait, we need to get the students off the Fyre Academy grounds and now. Violet, Chimney, Kala, and I will go talk to the general. The rest of you need to get to the academy and get the evacuation started," I ordered them.

"Seto, are you sure that you will be able--"

"No, no, I agree with you all that I'm not right currently. I'm not in good condition, but that's why I'm taking Violet and Chimney with me...for protection since I don't think using magic in my condition is a good idea," I confessed. I know how worried I run them all, but this is a situation that I cannot ignore. It was only for a while, the Fyre Academy is like a home to me given all the kindness from the students and staff as well as the memories I've made there. I cannot, no, I will not let war hurt those people and trample that campus. I put my attention to Violet and Chimney. "I'm gonna need you guys to step in and protect me more than normal. I hate--"

"Don't," Chimney cut me off with a smile growing across his face, "you saved Rullus, I'll always be there to protect you, Seto." There are no questioning Chimney's skills. His magic weaponry makes him a dangerous threat to both humans and mages alike.

My eyes looked to Violet, but before I could speak, she cuts me off. "Don't you dare act like you're a burden because you're not. It's not your fault that Vienna cannot completely restore your powers. You need as much magic as you can get in order to fix that planet's core, Chim and I can handle the threats. You focus on what you are going to say that will convince Nolan," she said.

I smile before my attention went to Phil and Matt. "Take James with you, I know that he'll want to know the academy is in danger."

Phil nodded. "Don't worry, we'll get James out of his room."

"Alright, good luck. Hopefully, we will meet you all with reinforcements," I said before we disperse to our tasks. Phil and Matt went downstairs to get James while the others went to get prepared to leave for the academy.

Violet, Kala, and Chimney stayed with me as I leaned against the table, a dizzy spell briefly overtaking my senses. Violet grabbed my arm as Kala nudged my leg with her nose in concern. "Seto, are you sure you can do this?" she asked me.

I shook my head. "No, magic exhaustion is certainly close to taking me. But I don't have a choice, come on, the sooner we leave, the better."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With the threat of a dark mage invasion on the Fyre Academy looming over us, the four of us quickly went to the Military District. We cannot allow the students to come to harm, I only hope that General Nolan will listen to us.

The Military District is fairly sized, it is full of training grounds, various buildings, and two stables that are filled with animals like horses and such. We walked with Violet and Kala at both of my sides and Chimney behind me. I pulled my hood up to darken my face as to not alert the soldiers around us. I don't know how much my escape is known to the public, but I know that at least the Academic District knows about it given I escaped into it. Riley gave me a little energy boost before we left, it made me feel better but I don't know how long that is going to last.

Hopefully, this will be a wake-up call for just how bad things have gotten and show the people that what the council is telling them isn't correct. They are not winning the war, they are losing the war and it is costing too many lives. There is still a chance to turn it in the light mages' favor, but we only have less than two days to do that. Mobilizing a response from Laenadur could take too much time, we need to act fast if we are to save Fyre Academy from becoming the new frontlines.

But as we went through the district, we were catching the attention of the people around us. My eyes look around for a way to get the heat off of us and I note the number of animals around us. I fold my pinky and ring finger down, keeping my arm at my side as I kept my sideward glance to the batch of horses that are currently doing nothing more than just standing there and waiting. "Arca ĉevalop perturbado," I quietly chanted. Almost instantly there is a reaction from the spell that took hold of them. Many of them started to whine and move around, some rearing up as if they are spooked over something. People nearby started to work on controlling their sudden spooked behavior which grabbed the attention of the people around us.

Chimney noticed my hand and grabbed my wrist. "What are you doing? You shouldn't be using magic--"

"These spells require very little magic, they are basic lower-level spells. I wouldn't do them if I didn't think I could handle it. I'll be fine," I told him.

"What did you just do?" Violet asked. I don't answer her as the soldiers struggle to calm the spooked beasts, causing a scene. My gaze shifted over to the obedient dogs, some are sitting while most of them are laying down. But this caused me to hesitate, I didn't want the spell to affect Kala. But we cannot get past that amount of guards to get into the main building to get to the general without some type of distraction.

"Keep walking, don't stop," I told the others. I held my hand up to Kala as my eyes locked onto the group of dogs. "Arca hunda perturbo," I mumbled and while the reaction wasn't immediate, there was a reaction. One of the five dogs flinched, getting up from its downed position before it shook and started barking. The other four joined in, tugging on the leads they are bound to as their owners struggle to control their behavior. "Arca hunda perturbo null," I chanted as I cast the spell on Kala just in case the other spell affected her.

"You just cast three spells in a row, how did you do that? And why did you do that? You know your magic is limited right now," Violet mumbled to me as we quickly made our way into the main building as the guards were distracted by the unsettled dogs and spooked horses.

"It's alright," I told the two as we made our way to the general's office. I release my hold on the animals when I felt lightheaded. I stumbled a step to the left, almost going into Violet but Chimney grabbed me to keep me steady.

"You are pushing yourself too much, man, you need to relax," he told me. I nodded, knowing the two were right. After some turns and walking up the stairs, we finally make it to the general's office. Violet knocks on the door, getting permission to enter from inside, we go in. Chimney shut the door and the general was caught off guard by his sudden guests.

But looking him over, I can tell he is a respected military man, he just radiates that aura of sternness and seriousness. Also, he's big...he isn't fat he just has arms the size of boulders and broad shoulders. Violet pulled on my arm, guiding me to sit in the chair that is by the general's desk.

"You alright there?" he asks me.

I nodded. "I'm fine just recovering from injury," I said before I turn to him. His office is big, decorated with awards on the walls, and cluttered with maps and papers. I also note the swords that are in the far right corner, suggesting that he knows his way with a blade.

His eyes looked to Violet. "Miss Violet Jane, always a pleasure to see you. What can I do for you? I must point out that you are currently listed as wanted by the council much like the rest of the Elites and your other two friends--"

Violet sits down in the other seat as Chimney stays standing by the door, guarding it and just watching the two of us. "My apologies general, you know I never bring misfortune upon you unless I had no choice."

The general stares at Violet and lets out a breath before leaning forward, resting his arms on the desk as his glance turned to me. "Just spit it out already--"

"Okay, fine, I will. The frontlines are predicted to reach Fyre Academy within hours if the situation there doesn't turn in our favor. Instead of being a place of education and growth for the youth, it will turn into a warzone--"

"The frontlines are nowhere near the Fyre Academy of Magic," he stated.

I shake my head at him. "Don't you feed those lies to me, we know better. We know that you are losing the war. Within a few hours, Fyre Academy will be overrun with dark mages and a day or maybe not even that, Laenadur will join the same fate. The time for waiting is over, general, you need to act. It is not too late to turn this around in our favor, you need to do something now," I told him. He stared at us as if he wasn't expecting it. I give him a weak smile. "Do something that only someone in your position has the power to do. The magic community respects and trusts you, they will rally behind you."

Nolan looked away from us, silent for a few seconds before he eventually spoke, "The council is formidable...overthrowing them cannot be done so easily," he admitted. Whoa, that was significantly easily than I thought it would be to convince him. So he is on the same page as us, I suspected that a man like him wouldn't be okay with how things are going with the state of the world. But I did expect a bit of resistance, seems like I didn't need to worry at all.

"We can worry about that later, right now, we have a frontline to push back and an academy to save," I told him.

He turned his head to me. "Not in your current state, you don't look so well, Mister..."

"Seto, call me Seto. And yeah, I'm aware," I said.

"Care for some magical potions? They won't fix the problem, they can only strengthen you for a temporary amount of time. Once that time is up, you'll feel worse but--"

"I'll take them!"