Ray working in his room, a pile of hastily scribbled notes fanned on the desk before him. His fingers drummed lightly as he summoned his archetypes, the mental council convening with practiced intensity.

  Courtier: “You need a story that’s plausible. Not just to elicit sympathy, but to stake a claim, urgent enough that the Nexus Gateway is the only option.”

  Conman: “Dramatic. But not so wild it’ll get you locked up before you start. Something academic, real enough to get it considered and approved.”

  Veteran: “Speed and necessity. No fluff. Your mission is time-sensitive, a threat if delayed.”

  Ray exhaled and began weaving the threads aloud.

  “I’m to deliver critical research findings we have discussed to Master Gideon in Luminis, the delay could jeopardize the entire academy's safety.”

  Courtier: “Perfect. Academics trust crises. A warning about a powerful artifact’s decay... nobody can argue that’s trivial.”

  Conman: “And it ensures that the action you plan to take is necessary, a crisis that no one can counter. Throws down the gauntlet before anyone challenges you.”

  Veteran: “You can’t afford excuses or delays. You’re the courier. Your urgency is your authority.”

  Ray rewrote the spiel mentally, trimming careful flourishes to facts and tone: official sounding but urgent, pressed by the very danger that surrounded them.

  Early morning sunlight filtered through his window as he folded the notes back into a neat packet. His heart thumped as he approached the door to Master Elias’s cluttered office. The knock was soft, measured, but inside, a sudden commotion rang out.

  “Who’s there, is the world ending?! Can’t a man have some peace?!”

  Came a sharp voice. Ray stepped inside, braced himself as eyes wild with ink-stained frenzy turned toward him.

  Detective: "He looks like he's been sleeping on a pile of angry badgers. Standard for the type."

  “Ray? What, another visit so soon, You upset the natural order of my work and supper cycle!”

  Master Elias’s three pairs of spectacles wobbled precariously as he threw himself from his chair with uncharacteristic speed. Ray was exasperated,

  “Master Elias, have you already forgotten what we have discussed before? Let me remind you,"

  Ray then lowered his voice, whispering.

  "Remember I brought you urgent news yesterday. I need to consult someone in the capital. Master Gideon would…"

  The moment he slurred the name

  “Gideon?!”

  Elias’s whole body stiffened as if struck by lightning. His eyes doubled in size behind the lenses.

  “The Gideon Ashworth?! You know Master Gideon?”

  He gasped, forgetting his previous grumble.

  Ray nodded, cheeks flushing faintly.

  “Yes, he tutored me before the academy term. His teachings on Old Magic refined my understanding. I need…”

  As Ray was about to continue explaining. A rush of excitement overtook Master Elias, and he nearly knocked over a stack of dusty tomes as he lurched toward Ray.

  “Lucky, immensely lucky! Master Gideon is the preeminent authority on Old Magic at the Lyceum! To have such a connection before even setting foot in formal halls...Why have you not told me this before?!"

  His voice rose in a torrent.

  “Are you planning to visit him?! This is the opportunity! The key! The very Rosetta Stone to link…! I mean…"

  Master Elias coughed, realizing what he was just doing.

  "A student should visit his beloved mentor especially in these trying times!"

  Master Elias declared righteously.

  Ray rolled his eyes, realizing he was talking to someone called a 'fanboy' from his old life. Ray swallowed the surge of relief that made convincing Master Elias so much easier than he’d feared.

  “I intend to journey to Luminis via the Nexus Gateway to deliver critical documents and confer with him. I humbly ask for your help to get permission to use it.”

  Master Elias sank into a chair, rubbing his forehead pretending to be thinking hard and troubled. Twisting and turning exaggeratedly, he tried to sneak a look at Ray making sure that his acting was convincing, then looking up with suddenly bright eyes.

  Conman: "Ouch. That's a 'Crude' performance right there, kid. He's trying to act, and it's physically painful to watch."

  “Permission? You don’t have to ask me twice."

  Master Elias then pointed a finger as if counting.

  "On one condition, if you’re going, I am accompanying you!”

  Ray blinked, realizing the man’s anxious eagerness to be part of the excursion.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “You intend to come?”

  Ray said, a little amused, partly relieved.

  “Of course!”

  Elias exclaimed, wagging a finger.

  “I’ll be your guide, your advocate, your voice of reason among the inevitable academic madness. We’ll make scholars quake with our discoveries!”

  Ray’s tension dissolved into a quiet grin.

  “So much for my grand, complicated persuasion plan,”

  He murmured, amusement tinting his words.

  “Turns out the hardest part was just coming to you.”

  Master Elias ignored Ray's words he was already lost in thought he beamed, absolute enthusiasm crackling in his every word.

  “A scholar’s fervor is easily ignited by the right cause. Now, let’s get you ready for the grand performance of crossing one Academy gate and entering another. The Nexus Gateway awaits!”

  Ray trek back to his quarters, his small frame casting long shadows in the afternoon light. The weight of his plans settled heavily on his shoulders, despite the unexpected ease of securing Master Elias's help.

  Veteran: "The old professor's enthusiasm might be genuine, but it makes our cover story more believable. A respected scholar accompanying his prodigy student to consult with another esteemed colleague? Perfect camouflage."

  Scholar: "Though his... theatrical tendencies might require careful management."

  Inside his room, Ray found Rina methodically organizing his study materials. She looked up, her observant eyes immediately catching the subtle tension in his posture.

  "Another journey, young master?"

  She asked quietly, her hands pausing mid-task.

  Ray nodded, settling into his favorite chair.

  "A safer one this time, Rina. Just academic business at the Lyceum with Master Elias. No mysterious forests or ancient ruins involved, plus I will also be seeing our old friend Master Gideon."

  He watched her shoulders relax slightly, though concern still lingered in her gaze.

  "Master Elias will be with you the entire time?"

  "Yes,"

  Ray assured her, feeling a twinge of guilt at the partial truth.

  "We'll be using the Nexus Gateway, perfectly safe and ridiculously expensive. Master Elias is covering the costs, the paperwork should take a few days,"

  Ray continued, his voice carefully measured.

  "Would you help me prepare, I'll need formal academic robes, the ones with the silver trim would be appropriate for the Lyceum."

  Rina nodded, already moving toward his wardrobe with practiced efficiency.

  "Of course, young master, I'll have everything ready well in advance."

  As she worked, Ray closed his eyes, mentally reviewing his plans. The trip to the Lyceum was necessary, but it was just one piece of a larger, more complex puzzle.

  A couple of days passed, and anticipation thrummed in Ray’s chest like a taut string ready to snap. Master Elias had finally sent word: their request to use the Nexus Gateway had been approved. With the morning sun casting warm light through his window, Ray busied himself with final preparations, arranging his few belongings into a neat pack.

  "I can’t believe you’re really leaving,"

  Rina said softly, her voice tinged with both pride and concern as she entered the room.

  Ray turned, offering her a reassuring smile.

  "It’s just for a while. I’ll be back before you know it."

  Rina nodded but didn’t quite meet his gaze. She stepped forward and hugged him tightly, her small frame pressing against him with unexpected force.

  "Be careful out there,"

  She whispered, pulling away with a slight tremble in her voice. With a final wave, Ray slipped out of Cormorant Hall, his heart racing with excitement and apprehension. He made his way to the designated meeting spot where he would meet Master Elias. As he approached the old scholar's office, Ray felt a strange mix of nostalgia and amusement wash over him at the thought of their impending adventure. Master Elias was already outside, struggling under the weight of several bulging satchels stuffed full of papers.

  "Ah! Ray Croft my lad!"

  Elias exclaimed upon seeing him.

  "Just in time, help me with these!"

  Ray rushed over to assist him. The satchels were heavy and awkwardly shaped, overflowing with scrolls and manuscripts that threatened to spill onto the ground.

  "What in the heavens, do you need all this for?"

  Ray asked as he adjusted his grip on one particularly unwieldy bag. Elias beamed as they set off together toward the Nexus Gateway.

  "Papers I need Master Gideon's autogra…!

  Master Elias answered absentmindedly before stopping abruptly to fake a cough and adjusted the lapels of his robes.

  "These are Research materials, you never know when inspiration will strike! We might even uncover some long-lost secrets!"

  Master Elias declared with dignity! Ray rolled his eyes but couldn’t help but chuckle at Master Elias's enthusiasm as they made their way through Solhaven academy's streets. The academy loomed ahead like an ancient fortress of knowledge, its spires piercing the sky while students bustled about like busy ants. When they finally reached the Nexus Gateway, Ray’s breath caught in his throat at its sheer magnitude. The structure was a colossal arrangement of glimmering runes and intricate mechanisms that pulsed with mana, a marvel of arcane engineering that drew power from the deep ley lines beneath Solhaven Academy itself. He stood in awe for a moment before turning to Master Elias.

  "This is incredible. Isn’t it? It’s not just magic, it’s institutional magic at its finest!"

  Master Elias nodded vigorously, excitement lighting up his face.

  "Now come along!"

  As Master Elias puffed out his chest with a measure of self-importance he rarely displayed, Ray noticed something new glinting on the collar of his usually ink-stained robes. It was a silver pin, identical in design to the ones he’d seen before, but this one held five brilliant stars etched within its circle. It was the first time he had ever seen the eccentric professor wear it.

  Scholar: "Fifth Circle. An 'Artisan Mage.' A specialist with deep mastery in a chosen field, His official authority is far greater than his chaotic demeanor would suggest."

  Courtier: "He never wears it. Why now? Is it because we are no longer in his comfortable nest? We are approaching a formal checkpoint, He is asserting his status for the gatekeepers. A necessary political move."

  As they approached the entrance to the Gateway chamber, however, their journey hit an unexpected snag. A stern-looking attendant scrutinized them with narrowed eyes.

  "You can’t go through,"

  He declared flatly after checking a list on his clipboard. Ray felt his heart drop as he exchanged worried glances with Master Elias.

  "But we have permission!"

  Master Elias exclaimed dramatically, flailing one arm like a flag signaling distress. The attendant raised an eyebrow skeptically.

  "And how am I supposed to verify that?"

  Master Elias leaned in closer, his voice dropping conspiratorially.

  "Surely you can see I’m carrying enough paper here to drown an army! I have already filed the necessary paperwork for the use of the Nexus Gateway! Now, do your job and check the records again!"

  The attendant stared blankly at him while Ray struggled not to laugh at how flustered Elias appeared under pressure. After several moments of tense silence punctuated only by Master Elias's increasingly desperate explanations about 'the importance of academic collaboration,' another attendant finally approached from behind them. With barely concealed annoyance, he examined their documents and then nodded slowly as recognition crossed his face, at least someone recognized Master Elias’s name!

  "Ah yes,"

  He said curtly.

  "Pardon him sir, he is new. You are cleared."

  The first attendant grumbled but stepped aside grudgingly as they were allowed entry into the chamber containing the Nexus Gateway.

  Master Elias used his medallion and tapped into a device staggering 2000 Marks was deducted from his account. Ray’s eyes widened as he watched he saw an equivalent of a month's worth of his stipend vanish in Master Elias account in an instant, but seeing how gleeful Master Elias was over paying for their passage kept him from voicing any complaints.

  With everything settled, they stepped toward the Nexus Gateway together, surrounded by intricate designs and runes glowing softly around them and placed their hands on its cool surface as beams of light began to converge around them. The air thickened with mana; whirling currents sparked between runes illuminated by vibrant colors pulsing faster until everything around them began to fade into blinding white light also engulfed them entirely.