Laeroth

Ian then told her about his recent breakthrough, about entering the First Order of the Eldritch Path and the changes it brought with it. Yeonelyth listened carefully, occasionally jotting down a few notes as he spoke. She didn't interrupt, only asked a few sharp, precise questions at certain points, mostly to clarify the more obscure details.

When they finished reviewing the current progress of the ongoing project, after which their conversation shifted to the information field.

"There's just something that doesn't line up," he said. "The equations are coherent. The logic holds. But it's like… I'm brushing past something. Like there's a missing variable or a structure beneath all this that I can't quite see."

Yeonelyth's eyes lifted in mild surprise. She hadn't expected him to reach this point so soon.

Most spent years studying the information field, and even then, few ever touched that threshold. She herself hadn't approached it this way when she was in his place; her path had been different. But even so, she recognized the signs.

He was close.

"Stay with that," she said quietly. "You're looking in the right direction. Don't rush it. Keep pressing."

Ian nodded. He hadn't expected her to give him an answer. He didn't want her to. If she had, it would've taken away the one thing that made the journey worthwhile: that quiet, personal feeling of discovery. He just wanted to make sure he wasn't chasing ghosts.

Reassured, he got up, thanked her, and headed out.

He walked down the stone paths leading away from the overlook, headed toward his home. As he crossed a quiet archway near the north wing, he caught sight of Reina walking beside her great-grandfather.

Laeroth moved calmly, his eyes skimming the surroundings. Reina was speaking animatedly, gesturing now and then to parts of the campus, clearly giving a tour. Rhys trailed just behind them like a well-behaved shadow.

Ian called out casually, "Reina! Rhys!"

Reina turned first. "Ian," she said, offering a small smile. "Back from your meeting?"

"Yeah," he said, then nodded politely at Laeroth. "Good to see you again, sir."

Laeroth gave a quiet nod in return. "Likewise."

Reina gestured slightly. "We're just walking around. Grandfather wanted to see the campus."

Laeroth glanced around the nearby buildings and trees, his gaze lingering thoughtfully on the architecture and the floating lights that hummed faintly above the walkways. "It's… a good place," he said simply.

Truthfully, it was mediocre at best, at least by his standards. He had seen grander academies, places steeped in elegance and power. But that didn't matter. This planet was where that person had chosen to live. That alone elevated it beyond any measure of luxury. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it one of the Elven ancestral homes now.

Ian nodded. "It grows on you. I hope you have a comfortable stay while you're here."

Reina smiled gently. "Well, grandfather said he's planning to stay here for a long while."

That surprised Ian. From what Reina had told him earlier, her grandfather had come to Idilia only recently, from some distant planet, apparently for a short visit. But hearing this now…

He recovered quickly. "I'm sure you'll like it here," he said. "It's quiet, and the people are respectful."

Laeroth gave a small, unreadable smile. "I will have to trouble you young one to take care of an old man like me."

In truth, his plan had been simple, visit Reina for a short while, do an inspection, check if there was anything dangerous or out of place, and leave. Maybe try to convince Reina to return with him. He knew she probably wouldn't, but it was worth trying.

But everything had changed.

After that earlier encounter… there was no need for any inspection. Whoever or whatever might be plotting anything here, it didn't matter. With that person living here, nothing could happen. This had now become one of the safest locations in the entire Elven civilization.

So he decided to stay.

He wouldn't do anything stupid or deliberate to get close, no sneaking around, no poking into matters that didn't concern him. Everything he did would be seen by that person anyway. The best choice was to stay honest, to simply exist without drawing attention. If, by some chance, he got the opportunity to run a small errand, if that person noticed his sincerity, saw his devotion, and bestowed even the tiniest blessing on him, that alone would be more than enough.

So he would stay. Be a good, respectable elder. 

In the past, he might've marched into the governor's house, taken the main chair, and ordered the governor around, after all, that man was a distant descendant of his. But not now. Now, he would simply live quietly.

Just a kind old man, nothing more.

Ian responded quickly, "It would be an honour to be at your service."

Laeroth gave a small nod. Though he was slightly surprised to see a human in this remote Elven region, it didn't matter. He had many connections among humans, some of whom, like himself, were Sixth Order. This one seemed decent.

He turned to Rhys. "You should be more like little Ian here, see how well-mannered and respectful he is."

Rhys blinked, not quite believing what he'd heard. He didn't say anything, but his shoulders stiffened slightly. What did he do wrong? This so-called grandfather had been all smiles and warmth to everyone, except his own bloodline. Reina was an exception, of course. Still, Rhys felt quietly aggrieved.

He honestly didn't know who this man really was. Reina had simply called him "Fifth Grandfather," nothing more. But the moment his family learned about the visit, everything shifted. One by one, top-ranking members of the family came to pay their respects. The governor himself had shown up late last night, bowing his head and speaking like a junior to a senior. That's when Rhys understood, this man was a big deal.

He just nodded, serious and silent.

Ian noticed and laughed inwardly.

Laeroth was being purposefully strict with his bloodline kin. It frustrated him to think that these people had such a huge opportunity within reach and yet were blind to it. He wasn't harsh out of spite; it was a way to sharpen them. Strip away the arrogance, instill discipline. And maybe, if he left behind a warm, well-mannered family impression on that person, it could mean everything for the Callis line.

Laeroth turned to Ian. "Well, little Ian, if you're free, why don't you join us?"

Ian nodded. "It would be an honour."

And with that, he fell in step beside them.

Laeroth asked, "So, what do you study, Ian?"

"I'm in Arcane Engineering. Same as Reina and Rhys."

"Arcane Engineering… good," Laeroth said with a faint nod.

Reina smiled. "Ian's really smart, you know. He's one of the top rising names in the department."

That made Laeroth's eyes shift slightly. Being top in a small place wasn't necessarily impressive to him, but Reina wasn't the type to offer empty praise. If she said so, it carried weight.

"Good," he said. "Where are you from?"

"I'm from Lylva. A small town near Efsagroth."

Laeroth paused mid-step.

Lylva.

He knew that name. Wasn't that the same place where-

His expression flickered before he caught himself, but Ian had already noticed.

"Have you been to Lylva?" Ian asked curiously.

Laeroth resumed walking. "Yeah… I passed through once." His voice was even, casual. But inside, the coincidence caught him off guard. Of all places… for Reina's first friend he met to be from that place too.

But he didn't press. He knew better than to stir things prematurely. "It's a nice place."

Ian smiled. "Yeah, it is."

Laeroth didn't ask anything further. He steered the conversation into safer territory, commenting on the buildings, the layout, the differences from other planets he had visited. Reina cheerfully led the way, giving him a proper tour.

When it was time, Ian excused himself, said his goodbyes, and made his way back to the apartment.

He had learned a lot just from that short walk with Laeroth. The man had clearly traveled far and wide, seen things across planets that Ian could only imagine. One day, maybe, Ian hoped he'd get to do the same; travel from world to world, observe, understand, and see things as they truly were.

By the time he returned, it was already late. The lights in the apartment were warm. Myrra was home, moving around the kitchen, humming quietly as she stirred something on the stove.

Ian came up behind her and slid his arms around her waist, resting his chin lightly on her shoulder.

"You seem happy."

Myrra tapped his arm with the spoon without looking back. "I'm always happy."

She gave a small shrug. "But yeah, it was nice. Everyone's finally back from the break. The academy feels full again." She paused, then added, "You know, almost everyone in my class in has advanced to First Order Mage."

Ian's voice was soft. "You'll get there soon."

"I know," Myrra said calmly. "I'm not in a rush. I started late anyway."

Ian smiled and reached up to ruffle her hair gently. "My good girl."

Myrra gave him a side glance. "Freshen up. Dinner'll be ready soon."

Ian gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and turned to leave.

"Oh, and take Flori too," she added casually. "Bath him."

Flori, who had been comfortably curled up on the couch, perked up immediately. "What? No..."

But before he could finish, Ian was already walking over. He scooped Flori up under one arm without a word.

"This is not fair!" Flori protested, flailing his little arms. "I was clean!"

Ian shut the bathroom door behind them.

The next day, Ian sat alone in the research facility. The lights were dim, sunlight filtering weakly through the high windows. On the desk in front of him lay the old tome Yeonelyth had given him. Notes and scribbled equations were scattered across the surface, half-finished ideas, scratched-out sections, lines rewritten again and again.

He was deep into the problem, trying to unravel the underlying logic behind the interaction field and the vacuum field. He has been here for hours, trying to find how the two shaped and responded to one another.

The structure made sense at first. But there is a problem he is facing.

You start at 0 dimensions. There are contradictions, things that don't align, that can't hold. But then you add a dimension, and those contradictions get addressed. Then you move to 2D, which resolves the contradictions of 1D. Then to 3D, and so on.

Each new dimension seems to exist to fix what the previous one couldn't.

But how far can that go?

10D, 20D, a million dimensions? Just stacking one on top of another endlessly, each one trying to cover the holes of the last?

That doesn't seem right.

There must be something else... something more fundamental that can explain it, but what...

He scanned through all the data once again, ran a simulation loop using very basic assumptions to keep on calculating further and further.

Let's see how far it goes and what it can actually give me.

Ian went back to the living section. In the living room, Myrra and Enira were sitting cross-legged on the floor, a small smooth stone hovering in the air between them, bobbing slightly, like it was caught in a gentle current.

Myrra's brows were drawn in deep focus, her hands outstretched, fingertips trembling faintly. Around the stone, faint dark lines began to form, thin, precise etchings like inked circles, symbols taking shape across its surface one by one.

Enira sat across from her, calm and steady, her voice low. "Let it flow naturally. You're focusing too much on the sharpness... don't be forceful. Ease off a little."

On the nearby sofa, Flori sat perched on the edge of a cushion, small, soft, whiskered, and watching intently. His large eyes blinked once, slowly, like he was offering quiet encouragement.

The symbols kept forming, connecting delicately across the stone's surface, until finally the structure completed, a thin ring of interconnected lines.

But the moment it settled...

fwoosh—

The whole formation blinked out, the lines vanishing like smoke pulled into the air. The stone dropped into Myrra's hands, inert again.

She sighed, shoulders slumping. "Failed again..."