Chapter 21: Chapter 6-3: The Howling Winds

"The young scholar took a team of Battlemages and Guardians, as well as a few Wizards and set off to an expedition. They were headed to a rather… unique location." Princess Iris hesitated. "All I know is that the place they went to used to belong to the Ancients and that it was in pristine condition."

Ren drew a sharp breath. "I thought nothing remained of the Ancient civilization." He whispered. Finding anything from those mystical beings in pristine condition was a miracle in and of itself.

"They came back empty handed, according to the records in the royal library."

"What?" Aiden shouted. "How? They must have learned so much about the Ancients and… about magic, our world, everything!"

"They should have." Princess Iris said with a nod. "And I am sure they did. But all of that was concealed by the High Council." She sighed and shook her head. "I know nothing more of the expedition, but I know it has something to do with our current situation." She glared at Ren before continuing with her words.

"The same scholar eventually mastered his own mana and achieved a longer life, much like the Battlemages and Council Members. But five years ago, he was exiled."

Ren nodded hesitantly. He'd heard of that event, but Yu always refused to speak about it.

"No reason was given, and his name was erased from historical records. The decision was made by the High Council and it was the First Battlemage, Yu Kaname, who carried out the order. The same man who accompanied the scholar on his expedition."

Ren flinched. "The First Battlemage?" he whispered. Yu had never told him of this. He'd never talked about the ancients or the expedition. It felt as if a knife was thrust into his chest.

"Indeed." Princess Iris nodded. "The same year, a child was taken in by someone in the inner keep. A child who had an enormous amount of mana and no memory of his past." Her gaze focused on Ren. "A child, whose mana was out of control and powerful enough to kill Prince Cedric."

Ren averted his gaze. "I-"

"It's fine." She interrupted him. "What matters is what Aon told me next." She took a deep breath. "He said, a curse of ignorance and fake security lingers upon Arkon. He said that unless some things change, humanity doesn't have much time left. He said that the High Council was about to make a grave mistake."

Silence followed her words. Ren could feel both of their gazes on him. He took a deep breath, then finally gathered the courage to meet their gazes. "I can't say much." His voice was but a whisper. "I can say this, however; I believe the council has already made that mistake."

"I'm inclined to agree." Aiden suddenly declared. Both Princess Iris and Ren looked at him in surprise. "I knew some of that story you told us, your Highness." He added. "I knew someone who was friends with that scholar."

"Who?" Princess Iris asked. She clenched her fists and stared intently at the young noble.

"About ten years ago, another expedition took place." Aiden calmly explained. "It was led by Daniel Condor. My older brother." He took a deep breath. "Daniel looked up to that scholar, and to his work. He led his own expedition and uncovered some secrets – nothing that's relevant to our current topic – and that feat allowed him to meet the scholar. They became fast friends, so Daniel was heartbroken and furious when the scholar was exiled."

"I've never heard of this," Princess Iris mumbled. Aiden shrugged. "It wasn't anything worthy of note. They did not achieve anything worthy of the history books. Anyways, what matters is that about four years ago, Daniel led another team on another expedition. They were simply surveying the surrounding areas, looking for a certain metal that the High Council requested. Daniel never came back from that expedition. His team all suffered from severe mana dilution. They lost all their training and had to start over."

Ren flinched. "I remember that." He whispered. "A group of researchers and some Guardians that were supposed to escort them were brought to the Inner Keep in very bad conditions. I-" He cleared his throat to get rid of the lump that made it so difficult to speak. "I remember their pain. Their mana was wild, they couldn't control it at all. It was like a whirlwind of different colours and smells. It made me feel sick as well."

"That must be it." Aiden said with a heavy voice. "Daniel was considered dead, but I found some documents and what looked like the remnants of a map mixed with his belongings." He sighed. "My father immediately destroyed them, but from what I remember, a location was marked on the map."

"So, you think the scholar survived exile and your brother met with him?" Princess Iris asked. "It's a bit of a stretch, but I don't think it's impossible."

Aiden nodded. Ren sighed; he was having a hard time putting all the different timelines in order. This was too much information provided in too short of a timeframe. Not to mention his exhaustion because of his meeting with the council which was making it even harder to think straight.

"I'd like to get some fresh air." He softly said, glancing out the window. "Would you mind coming with me?" He glanced at them both.

"Of course not," Princess Iris said with a faint smile. Aiden just nodded and led the way. They walked to the northern courtyard in thoughtful silence.

"I assume Lord Nathan Condor fixed this place after I destroyed it?" Asked Ren as he stepped onto the weathered old stones.

"Yeah. The spell was incredible." Aiden mumbled. "But what I was more surprised about was his demeanour." He sighed. "He looked almost excited when you… uh, got angry."

"You mean when I lost control?" Ren said with a low chuckle. "You don't need to try and protect me from my own actions, Aiden. I'm well aware of my failings."

He stepped closer to the barrier as a faint breeze blew his hair back. He took a deep breath, then froze. He quickly turned back and looked all around them.

"Ren?" Princess Iris asked. "Is something wrong?"

No one was using mana. There were no spells being cast anywhere near them.

"There is wind." He whispered as he once again turned to the barrier. Wide eyed, he repeated what he said. "There is wind coming from the outside!"