It took an hour for Sael to explain everything that had happened in Marrix.

  The three of them had settled into chairs around a low table in Richter's office, a concession to comfort that the Duke had offered after the first five minutes, when it became clear this would be a lengthy discussion. Tea had been brought in at some point. Sael hadn't asked for it, but he appreciated the gesture.

  He'd walked them through it methodically. The flight to Marrix. The mines. The initial attack by Corrupted mages. The troll. Chief Mage Moss and his research team. The tear in reality he'd found three hundred feet underground, pulsing with that sickly purple energy.

  Richter had asked questions. Koleen had taken notes on parchment with a quill that scratched furiously across the page whenever Sael mentioned anything particularly concerning, which was often.

  And through it all—through the entire hour of explaining supernatural tears and Corrupted researchers and the healing work he'd done afterward—neither of them had mentioned the awkward situation of him accidentally-but-not-really eavesdropping on them earlier.

  They'd just... moved on.

  After his "Well, hello there," Richter had blinked once, nodded, and said, "Archmage. You've returned." and Koleen had simply grunted and gestured to the chairs. "Please sit. Tell us what happened."

  That had been it. No questions about how he'd gotten in. No demands for explanation about bypassing centuries-old magical defenses. No awkward conversation about privacy and appropriate arrival methods.

  They'd been gracious enough to not talk about it at all, and for that, Sael was genuinely grateful.

  "So the tear is sealed," Richter said now, setting down his teacup. "And the Corrupted mages in Marrix are dealt with."

  "Yes."

  "What would you recommend we do next?"

  Sael had been thinking about this during the flight back. The answer was straightforward enough, though the implementation would be complicated.

  "Declare it," he said.

  Both men looked at him.

  "Declare the return of Corruption," Sael clarified. "Officially. Publicly. To the Kingdom of Albyon and its allies. Make it known that this isn't an isolated incident. That a tear opened in reality, that Corrupted mages are actively spreading Corruption, that this requires immediate attention."

  Richter's jaw tightened slightly. "That will cause panic."

  "It will," Sael agreed. "But panic is better than ignorance. Right now, people are encountering Corruption and not recognizing it for what it is. They will not understand what they're being offered until it's too late."

  He leaned forward slightly.

  "If they know what to look for, they can refuse it. They can report suspected cases before those individuals corrupt others. They can protect themselves."

  "And if they don't refuse?" Richter asked quietly.

  "Then we have another vector," Sael said. "Another person who can tempt someone else. And so on."

  The silence that followed felt heavy.

  Koleen set his quill down. "As long as Aldric is free, he can corrupt more people. Create a network."

  "He probably already has a network," Sael corrected. "We just don't know how extensive it is."

  Richter stood and walked to the window. His hands clasped behind his back as he looked out over the city.

  "The stories always made it sound like an army," he said quietly. "Corrupted hordes sweeping across battlefields. But it was never that simple, was it?"

  "No," Sael said. "It was individuals. People who made choices. Who accepted what Corruption offered them and then went out and offered it to others."

  Richter turned back to them. "Then we need to move quickly. Before Aldric can expand whatever he's already built."

  "Agreed," Sael said. He decided he'd only work with competent people as of this moment. Such a breeze of fresh air.

  The Duke walked back to the table and sat. "I'll send messengers today. To King Harald in the capital and to the other duchies as well as our allied kingdoms across the continent."

  He paused, thinking. "How far do you think this has spread?"

  "Worldwide," Sael said.

  Koleen's quill stopped mid-stroke.

  "For having lived through it, believe me when I tell you that Corruption doesn't care about geography," Sael continued. "If there's a tear here, there could be tears anywhere. Because if Aldric has been working at this for years—which the evidence suggests he has—then he's had time to establish contacts across multiple continents."

  "Twelve continents," Richter said slowly. "You're talking about coordinating a response across all twelve continents."

  "Yes."

  The Duke sat back in his chair. He looked tired suddenly.

  "That's... ambitious."

  "It's necessary," Sael corrected.

  Koleen was already writing again, his quill moving faster now. "We'll need regional centers. Communication networks that span oceans. Translation services for kingdoms that don't share languages. Protocols that work regardless of local customs or governance structures."

  "The Academy can serve as the central hub," Sael suggested. "You already have connections to magical institutions across the world, I suppose."

  "We do," Koleen agreed. "Though strengthening those connections, establishing formal partnerships, getting everyone to agree on standardized procedures..." He trailed off, muttering something that sounded like a dwarven curse. "This would be easier if I weren't supposed to be retiring in two days."

  "I'm sorry," Richter said.

  "Don't be. Someone has to do it." The headmaster looked up from his notes. "I'll draft a framework tonight. Something scalable. Regional centers in every major continent, each one reporting to us, each one responsible for training local specialists in detection and containment."

  "How long will that take to implement?" Richter asked.

  "Months," Koleen said bluntly. "Maybe a year for full coverage."

  "We don't have a year."

  "Then we start small and expand as we go." The headmaster's expression was grim but determined. "Priority regions first. Albyon and the surrounding kingdoms. Then branch out from there."

  Richter nodded. He'd returned to his desk and was pulling out parchment, ink, multiple seals. "I'll have the initial dispatches ready within the hour. Direct and explicit. Corruption has returned. Immediate action required. Instructions for setting up reporting systems and response protocols."

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  "Include a request for representatives," Koleen added. "If kingdoms send delegates to the Academy, we can train them properly. Then they return home and establish their own centers."

  "Good." Richter was already writing, his hand moving in quick efficient strokes. "My fastest riders will take messages to the neighboring duchies. The more distant kingdoms..." He glanced at Koleen.

  "Pegasi," the headmaster confirmed. "We have three on staff. I'll assign them to courier duty immediately."

  "Excellent."

  Sael watched them work. Richter writing dispatch after dispatch, occasionally pausing to revise wording or add details. Koleen scribbling notes and frameworks, organizing a continental—no, worldwide—response system on the fly.

  They were good at this. Much better than his generation had been at coordination.The thought came unbidden again, and again Sael pushed it away.

  "Sir..." Richter looked up from his writing. "You mentioned reviving Pointbreak."

  "Yes."

  "When?"

  "Soon," Sael said. "After we have a better understanding of the scope and after we've located Aldric, or at least narrowed down where he might be."

  "You'll need members."

  "I will."

  "Do you have anyone in mind?"

  "I have some ideas," Sael said. "Nothing definite yet."

  Richter nodded and returned to his writing.

  Koleen was muttering to himself again, crossing out sections of his notes and rewriting them. "Regional centers... communication protocols... training standards... funding—gods, the funding alone..."

  "The crown will provide resources," Richter said without looking up. "Whatever you need. This takes priority over everything else."

  "I'll draft a budget proposal."

  "Don't bother. Just tell me what you need and I'll authorize it."

  Koleen blinked. "That's... unusually generous."

  "It's practical," Richter corrected. "Fighting over coin while Corruption spreads would be idiotic."

  "Fair point."

  They worked in silence for a while. Sael smoked his pipe and watched the afternoon light shift across the office walls. The tea had gone cold, but no one seemed to notice.

  Eventually Richter stood, gathering the stack of sealed dispatches he'd written. "I'll see these sent immediately."

  He walked to the door, opened it, and called out to someone in the corridor. "Steward Marris? I need the courier captain. Priority dispatches to be sent within the half-hour."

  His voice faded as he stepped into the hallway.

  Sael and Koleen sat in silence.

  The headmaster was staring at his notes again, but his eyes weren't moving. He was thinking about something.

  After a moment, he looked up.

  "We're going to need more than just detection and containment," he said quietly.

  "I know."

  "We're going to need people who can fight. Really fight. Against Corrupted individuals who've gained significant power."

  "I know," Sael repeated.

  "That's what Pointbreak was for, wasn't it? During the original wars. The specialists. The ones who handled the worst cases."

  "Yes."

  Richter returned at that moment, he looked slightly out of breath but satisfied.

  "Couriers are assembling," he said. "First group departs in twenty minutes. The Academy's pegasi are standing by for the distant kingdoms."

  "Good," Koleen said.

  The Duke pulled out his chair and sat down heavily. He looked at Sael, and his expression shifted into concern.

  "So," he said. "About Aldric..."

  "I'm considering starting investigations right away," Sael said. He set his pipe down on the table. "Go after him as soon as I have enough of a clue where he might have gone."

  Richter leaned forward slightly.

  "Do you happen to have something that belonged to him?" Sael asked. "Hair, blood, nails. Anything like that."

  The Duke looked at Koleen and the latter cleared his throat.

  "Up until thirty years ago," Koleen said carefully, "all mages were required to give hair samples upon registration. For tracking purposes. In case of incidents."

  "And now?"

  "Laws changed. New regulations were voted in. The practice was... discontinued."

  Sael stared at him.

  "That was very stupid."

  He realized he'd said it out loud when both men looked back at him. The silence stretched...

  Sael decided to bluff. He kept his expression neutral and hoped they would simply let it slide without comment. Sometimes if you just didn't acknowledge the awkward thing you'd said, other people wouldn't either.

  He looked directly at Koleen and the headmaster cleared his throat.

  "...I agree," Koleen said, looking away. "But laws change regardless of whether they make sense. So no, we don't keep samples of mages anymore. Not even in the academies where they work."

  "Most mages are quite paranoid about such things," Richter added, also looking away. "They use spells to prevent leaving traces behind. Hair, skin, blood. Anything that could be used to track them."

  Sael nodded, mostly because he was satisfied with how he dealt with this situation.

  "I figured as much. I took everything I could from his office," he said. "Stopped on the flight back to verify. But I found no trace in any of his possessions."

  He took a sip of the tea, mostly to have something to do with his hands, and remembered it had gone cold. A small [Heat] spell warmed it back up. Hmm. Better.

  "I'll have to look in his private chambers."

  "That might not help," Koleen said.

  Sael looked up.

  "Aldric spent more time in his office than his own home," the headmaster continued. "He never married. Never had children. Said magic required his full dedication, and domestic life would distract from his research." Koleen's expression was unreadable. "He could spend weeks without going home. Sometimes longer."

  "Then I'll go to his office again," Sael said, as he stood up. "See if I can find anything I missed."

  Richter and Koleen watched him gather his things.

  "Thank you for the tea," he added, which felt absurd given the conversation they'd just had, but seemed like the polite thing to say.

  He walked to the door and they followed him from the duke's castle.

  The walk wasn't far; the academy sat close enough that a special passage connected the two directly. Sael had never used it before, since it was a fairly new addition. He found himself noticing more of the academy than he had during his brief initial visit.

  Students filled the halls. They clustered in groups, talking, laughing. Some carried books. Others had their noses buried in what looked like spell diagrams. A few practiced minor cantrips, making small lights dance between their fingers.

  They all noticed when the three of them passed.

  Conversations stuttered to a halt. Students straightened, then bowed deeply.

  "Your Grace," they murmured. "Headmaster."

  The duke nodded to them and Koleen smiled warmly as he returned their greetings by name when he could. A few students glanced at Sael with obvious curiosity. He smiled and nodded back, which seemed to startle them more than anything.

  "Young Orion," Sael said as they walked. "May I ask about him?"

  Koleen blinked. "Who?"

  "The boy who was with young Ilsa."

  "Oh." Recognition dawned on the headmaster's face. "That boy." He gave Sael an apologetic look. "Forgive me. I see so many students. I get lost easily. What about him?"

  "He mentioned he'd been expelled from Astra Academy. May I ask why?"

  The headmaster's expression shifted to something more carefully neutral. They passed another group of students, who bowed and scattered.

  "Well," Koleen said slowly, "there had been a few problems recently that led to that unfortunate situation."

  He paused, seeming to gather his thoughts.

  "The boy has been stuck at first year for the second year consecutively. His mana core is quite... incomplete."

  Sael felt relief wash through him. "I'd figured as much."

  He'd been worried it might be something else. Bullying other students, perhaps. Malicious behavior. Being unruly. It hadn't seemed like the boy at all, but Sael supposed he could read people the wrong way. Better to ask about him from people who actually knew him.

  "But why expel him for that?" Sael asked.

  "Well, having a deficient mana core makes spellcasting extremely difficult..." there was a pause, "and—"

  "He has a good head on his shoulders," Sael said. "The mana core problem could be easily solved."

  He realized belatedly that Koleen had still been talking. The headmaster had stopped mid-sentence, mouth still half-open.

  Sael winced internally. "I'm sorry. I thought you were finished. Please, continue."

  Koleen blinked, then smiled. "No, no. Please, you continue."

  "I just meant that with a staff could easily solve that problem."

  "A staff," Koleen repeated, and the carefully polite expression shifted into something more complicated.

  "Yes."

  The headmaster looked at the duke, clearly unsure how to respond to that. The duke's expression remained unreadable.

  "Both the material required and the people who knew how to make staffs dissapeared centuries ago," Koleen said carefully. "It's an art that was lost. The staffs that still remain are all assigned to a mage already, and it's extremely costly to acquire one. In Orion's case, that would have been... difficult to arrange."

  They resumed walking. More students passed, bowing. Sael returned their greetings absently.

  "Plus," Koleen continued, "the academy has a system. When you fall below a certain grade threshold, expulsion is automatic. That's all that happened with young Orion."

  "Hmm. I suppose he was bad at spellcasting only?"

  "If I remember correctly, yes." Koleen nodded. "Expulsions are quite frequent at the academy, unfortunately. That's one of the main causes. We have standards to maintain, and we can't afford to keep students who can't meet the minimum requirements for advancement. It's not personal, you understand. Simply the way things work."

  They turned down another corridor. The walls here were lined with portraits of previous headmasters, all looking stern and accomplished.

  A group of older students passed, their conversations dying the moment they spotted the trio. They bowed even lower than the younger ones had.

  "Headmaster. Your Grace. Sir."

  Sael smiled at them. They looked stunned.

  "Why are you interested in Orion," the duke asked once the students had passed, "if I may ask?"

  "I wanted to know what sort of person the boy was," Sael said. "And the reason he'd been expelled. Before I made him an offer."

  The duke's stride faltered for half a step. "An offer? What offer?"

  "Well." Sael glanced at a particularly young student who was staring at them with wide eyes. He gave the child a small wave. The student squeaked and hid behind a pillar. "I thought the boy had potential. It would be a shame not to cultivate such potential because of a birth-related problem. Mana core issues are usually birth-related, after all."

  They reached a staircase. Koleen led them up.

  "I spent enough time with him to know he's brilliant," Sael continued. "So I wanted to take him in as my apprentice."