The fireplace crackled softly.
Its flas rose and fell in steady waves. From ti to ti, small embers drifted upward, glowing faintly before fading into the air.
The warm light filled the room, casting long shadows along the walls.
Nylian, Daniel, and Adam sat before the fire in quiet stillness, the only sound between them the steady crackle of burning wood.
Adam had just finished recounting his journey around the world to the two of them. Of course, he kept certain matters a secret. But both Nylian and Daniel got the basic gist of what he had been up to in the forty-five years that had passed since the Battle of Ravenfell.
"...So the last few years you spent undercover in the Haynam Empire?" Daniel asked in a low voice.
Adam swirled the wine in his glass as he turned to the Lord Marshall. He then silently nodded.
Daniel's eyes narrowed. "What about Marden? Are you aware of his whereabouts?"
Adam's eyes glead with a peculiar light.
"At the ti, Marden Benton, otherwise known as the Blood Lord of the Cult of Bones, constantly traveled between the Haynam Empire and Springdale."
He paused for a mont, then added. "As for his current whereabouts... I'm uncertain."
"I see," Daniel coldly murmured.
Adam changed the subject. He turned to Nylian and said, "Headmaster, have you been in touch with His Majesty lately?"
Nylian inhaled deeply, his gaze glued to the fireplace. As the dancing flas reflected in his eyes, he nodded. "I have," he said.
He turned to Adam and asked, "His Majesty has given full authority to grant you whatever you require of this endeavor."
Nylian paused, his expression turning solemn.
"So tell , Adam... what exactly are you trying to do?"
The raven-haired youth deeply looked at the embers drifting in the fireplace. "The people need to start believing in the Dark King once again," he began.
"I don't say this out of vanity. Well... maybe a little bit. But the Great War is coming. And when it does, the people need sothing to hold onto. An anchor. A figure they believe cannot fall."
His gaze remained on the fire.
"I want to be that figure. I want to be the man whose presence on the battlefield alone strengthens the army's resolve."
He sighed and leaned back in his chair.
"Right now, Ravenfell has soldiers. It has Magi. It has weapons. But it doesn't have belief."
He finally looked at Nylian and Daniel.
"And without belief, armies break. So before the Great War begins, I need to rebuild sothing that was destroyed decades ago..."
Adam's eyes sharpened.
"My legend."
Nylian leaned forward, his hands resting on the armrest of his chair.
"Ravenfell already has such a figure," he said in a calm voice. "His Majesty. The Emperor is the pillar that not just Ravenfell, but the entire continent relies on." Adam listened without interrupting. Then he shook his head.
"I am of humble birth, Headmaster." He smiled faintly. "I have fallen more tis than I can count, and yet... every ti, I rose back up."
The firelight flickered across his face as he continued.
"The Emperor is powerful, no doubt. But he sits on a throne. He stands above the people. They respect him. They admire him. They love him. They obey him."
Adam turned to Nylian.
"But they do not see themselves in him."
Then he laughed.
"Now look at ," he added.
"Who do you think the people are more likely to relate to? ... or His
Majesty?"
Adam had co to understand sothing important about war.
Strength alone did not decide battles.
Morale did.
He had seen it with his own eyes during his ti in Yen-Lu. Armies with equal strength could clash, yet the side that believed - truly believed in victory would endure longer, fight harder, and refuse to break even when the situation turned grim.
Once morale collapsed, even the strongest formation could crumble in
monts.
And that lesson had stayed with him.
Part of him wanted to clear his na in Ulier. The accusations, the dark whispers, the title of Deceitful One, he wanted people to see that he was not the monster the world made him out to be.
But another part of him saw sothing else... an opportunity.
If he could restore the faith people once had in the Dark King of Ravenfell, then that belief could beco a weapon. A symbol the Magi of the city could rally behind when the war on the horizon finally arrived.
It wouldn't just be about redeeming himself and his reputation. It would be about preparing Ravenfell for the storm to co.
"I hear you, Adam, but..." Nylian shook his head. "It would be a monuntal task to change the opinion of the people of this city. You know them. You've lived
among them."
He paused for a mont, then continued, "Magi like Daniel and I could see the discrepancies in the Battle of Ravenfell, but these people... they'd only ever see you as soone who betrayed their trust."
"Then allow to prove it to them through my actions," Adam said in a solemn
voice.
This was the reason why he had so openly entered the Soaring River Secret Plane, and why he had made such a loud statent when challenging the Mana
Core Magi waiting outside.
None of it had been reckless. None of it had been accidental.
It had all been done for this very purpose!
"Just what are you planning?" Daniel asked in a grim voice.
Adam inhaled deeply, then said. "Hold a public hearing. Let explain my side
of the story to the people."
"The citizens will see them as nothing but empty words." Daniel shook his head,
and Nylian silently agreed.
"But it won't just be my words," Adam added, the corners of his lips curling into
a faint smile.
"As I said, I will prove it to them through my actions."
"And just how are you planning to do that?" Nylian asked curiously.
Adam laughed.
He then told them about his plan and the real reason he had made his return to
Ulier so openly.
And needless to say...
When Nylian and Daniel heard it, they were shaken to their very cores.
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