The Arcane Tides

"Do you believe in God, Lyrem?"

"Mm. No, sir."

"Why not?"

Lyrem considered remaining silent but he knew his King would only wait him out. Or worse, punish him for not responding with his true thoughts.

"…the God Yerae is purported to be all powerful and all knowing. All seeing. Kindness and love embodied in a single being. Why then are their famines? Why are there children dying of disease or war? Why does nature itself devastate the world? I would not wish to serve an all powerful God that allows these things to happen while perpetuating their own hypocrisy through faith and subservience."

King Pyasees gave a small smirk, fingers feathering one of his plants.

"What do you think it would be like, being God?"

"...Sir?"

Sighing, the King put his hands behind his back and continued on his way down the long hall. "I have often pondered what it would be like to be God in an effort to better understand the trials we are faced with." He looked at the paintings hung on his wall, each of a different Monarch leading them toward the perfect unified Kingdom they were now. The mantle of responsibility was on his shoulders, as heavy to him as the universe. He paused before the portrait of his father, face stoic and proud.

"I imagine…. Before I created anything, I might be terribly lonely. Impossibly so" He studied his fathers strong jawline, hawk-like eyes and piercing gaze. "When I'd finally decide to create something…I would have to make a choice. Would this thing be made to serve? Or would it choose? Well…in order to give it choice, I must create law. Order. An established code of conduct with me at the head- not out of tyrannical design but because the opposite is to terrible to imagine. So…I create laws. I create beings. I establish free will and for a time…. everything is splendid. Everything is good. Now…my loneliness lies in rule, yet for the sake of my creation I persist."

He looked away from his fathers portrait, to the room at the end of the hall. He continued walking toward it, ignoring his own photo that had already been placed beside his fathers.

"Then comes rebellion. My creation questions why my law is good. Why my way is best. They believe they are as much God as I am and choose to abandon me in favor of their own rule. They drag others with them and in the end, much of my creation leaves my sight and the rest look to me, wondering how I might retaliate. All eyes of my vast universe are on me now and so…I myself have another choice. Do I destroy them, removing the stain of their rebellion but at the same time, putting the rest of the universe on notice that its either my way or oblivion and becoming the very tyrant I sought to deny? Do I let everything else exist in abject terror of my wrath, afraid that someday they too will step out of line and suffer a permanent fate?" He crossed the threshold into the room. There was a large table in the center, around which sat two dozen men and women. He walked slowly along the table, the other side of the giant room made of nothing but glass that cast light across the place they sat. It looked out over a large city, in the distance a grand ocean with an armada of ships, so many they were beyond count all to the horizon.

"Or…do I allow them to live, and demonstrate the consequences of their actions? Do I let them show what the evil of my absence is like, as desired?"

He took his seat in the large chair at the head of the table.

"God is not to blame for the tragedy of life on this great planet of Phiro, Lyrem. When we chose to leave his light, we created in the light of his absence a great black nothing, and we've been trying to fill it with light ever since." he said, adjusting his blood red robe.

He clasped his hands on the table in front of him.

"Oh…it is lonely to rule, Lyrem. Remember that, when you take the crown."

The Kings eyes looked over the others present.

"Tell me about those in the outer continent, the ones I'll come to rule."

_____________

Kael cleared his throat, but sighed as Lirael pondered. She'd listened to his tale, from the moment of the invasion in his futures past, to his death, the stone, Malakar, and now. She had asked questions here and there, and knew that Kael had likely glossed over many important events from the next 30 years but she let it slide. Knowing too much of the future could be a very bad thing, and that wasn't a burden she wished to bear.

"So...what now?" she asked, puffing on her freshly stuffed pipe. She'd refilled it three times throughout his tale, clearly born of the anxiety of it.

Kael scratched the back of his head.

"Well…my intent was to try and convince the King, when I meet him at the opening ceremony of the Grande Academy. If I couldn't convince him, my back up would be to use my wish but…barring that, I would have to find a way to block the Pass." Listening quietly, Lirael hummed. Regardless of whether the magic he'd shown her was something he had learned in the past, the fact that his mana pool was so deep and the ingenious nature of his magical use was more than enough reason for her to have brought him along and agreed to his conditions. Plus, knowing the black dragons stone does indeed turn back time was something to study- perhaps at the tower of mages, in the Freedom Downs. She hadn't intended to go back there anytime soon but…it might be necessary after all. Kael continued.

"No matter what the end result, I have to attend the Academy starting this term. Malakars daughter is attending and part of her detachment from humanity starts there. I will cut it out of her history like a cancer and prevent this war from ever taking place."

The ring, now on his finger, was swirling and the ruler within remained silent. Lirael, for her part was almost vibrating at her pupils statement that he would ask for help with his wish- he was already counting on coming in first at the entrance games. Only the winner of that would meet the King and get his wish granted. 

Jumping up from her chair, she shouted loudly- "AS EXPECTED OF MY STUDENT! NOTHING BUT NUMBER ONE WILL DO!", causing will to jump and Kael to grin. Lirael walked over and patted his back.

"Don't worry. When you win, I'll go with you. We'll convince the King together."

He took a deep breath- admittedly, he informed her of that plan in the hope that she would offer to come with him- in his last life, he'd placed in the bottom fifty and didn't even qualify for the war games- he'd known little more than what he'd been taught at Ashwood and his mana capacity was laughable. But now…now his mana was a solid, pulsing powerhouse and he'd been forced to study until he felt like his eyes would bleed and brain would burst. He would come in first, no matter the cost.

Two days later, he stepped out his door in a fine noble outfit sized and purchased for him by his parents. They wore fancy outfits of their own, the house his parents lived in resting comfortably on a small stretch of Liraels property. Built just for them. As he loaded his things, he turned around the back of the carriage to see Li (short for Baeli), his little sister. She was about to turn four and was already walking, talking and giggling up storms he'd thought lost forever. Running toward him with a big grin, she shouted- "KAEL! Ehehee-" before jumping into his arms. His mother was helped into the carriage, her hourglass figure turning heads of any noble without sense…for his fathers eyes blazed after them, making sure they kept about their business. Kael carried Li with him to the step and hopped up inside, Jackson joining Petra in the seat opposite him and his sister. Lirael came in next to them, sitting down and adjusting the pull over robe and handing Kael one of his own.

It was a deep, dark color, like night but when the cloth moved it shimmered like a midnight blue. A small letter, on the back between the shoulderblades- L. It was cursive, and shimmered with gold. Lirael sniffed.

"We must make sure everyone knows who's tutelage you studied under, of course."

Kael simply grinned and pulled it on over his head, shifting Li in his lap as he did so. "I love it, master. Thank you." She just waved him off as Will came up beside them on a horse, heading a few miles down the road. A large outer wall protected it, with a massive gate of its own preventing entry to the invading or the unworthy. The blocks that made up the wall glittered here and there- mana stones. The entire building was infused with a kingdoms worth of the stuff, and spells were inscribed everywhere. Not a single soul had ever set foot on academy grounds that had not been allowed to. It was also said the headmaster enjoy almost a God-like power while there as well, able to kill or even throw people out with just a thought.

Kael knew those rumors to be entirely true, and looked forward to much less time validating them this go around.

The gates shimmered and pulsed for a moment, then swung open as Will held up their decree. They crossed the threshold, a warm feeling crackling over their skin before dissipating. Li wriggled off his lap and onto the seat, sticking her head out the window. Riding up in the distance was a massive palace, with two large spires that stuck up into the sky- the only building larger than it was likely the Auburn Fort, the castle in which the King lived. Even that couldn't be larger by much. Banners rippled in the wind, and on the grounds themselves, hundreds of students gathered. Here and there, bright flashes of lights could be seen from the crowd as the students confidently demonstrated their prowess.

"Woooow!" she exclaimed. Kael pulled her back inside as Lirael adjusted her robe once more.

"Once we get there, I'll take you up to the main counter while Will takes your family to their respective seats. I know I need not say this since you know very well what it will mean if you don't but…you'd better win. I won't have my student coming second to these half-hearted stage magicians."

Kael grinned, and stretched before cracking his knuckles.

"No problem, Master. I've got this."

Li giggled and thrust a finger in the air.

"Yeah, he's got this!"