TBATE - The Help of a Certain Being

The Artificer

"So Kuro," Arthur called my name as I waited outside his room with Nico.

"What've you been doing the last year at Xyrus? I heard you made 'some' changes."

I chuckled. "Well, I can't say I haven't necessarily done nothing. You could say I've made the necessary arrangements for your arrival. I can confidently say you'll be more than fired up for the academy."

He perked up as the door opened. "Nice. You know how to actually dress up, huh?"

"Ha ha, very funny," he countered, clearly unamused.

"And what do you mean by that? Did you turn Xyrus into some sort of combat academy now?"

I flicked his forehead as we excused ourselves downstairs.

"Ow." He rubbed the spot I hit as I corrected him.

"I had Xyrus focus more on the developing aspect of blooming mages, you see. I've set up a leaderboard of sorts. Any and all students are entitled to competing for the top spots.

Regarding battle mage students and scholar mage students, you'll find out when you attend."

The three of them gave me intrigued looks as we stopped downstairs.

I turned as I met their interest with a smile. "I'm sure you're all curious, but we have more important things to deal with.

Your jobs are to remain so for the moment until your official admission to the academy. Come now, we need to get going."

___________________________________

"So what's today's occasion? I would assume you guys don't normally get this everyday, right?" Elijah asked curiously.

"Well, today's event is a special announcement straight from Etistin. You didn't hear it from me, but apparently, there's gonna be an official announcement appointing seven elite mages. They'll be officially marked as Dicathen's strongest mages."

Arthur and Nico shot me a glance.

"Let me guess, that includes Regal as well?"

I nodded. "Aside from that, the three races are finally uniting after over five centuries."

"Hmm? Why is that?" Arthur asked.

"Let's just say we've earned ourselves a new enemy." I gave him a knowing look.

'It must be involving the corrupted mana beasts and that bastard who killed Sylvia,' was what he must've been thinking by the look of his sharpened glare.

"But anyway, before that. I'm meeting with my father somewhere. I'm gonna get a move on before I'm late. Wanna tag along, Arthur?" I asked as I separated from the group.

"Uh, sure, why not?" He nodded as he came along with me.

"Sylvie, stay with Elijah and Nico while I go with Kuro, okay?"

The tiny fox nodded as she jumped onto Elijah's head.

___________________________________

"So who is this guy?" Arthur asked as we walked through the streets.

"His name's Gideon. He's Dicathen's finest artificer and quite possibly, one of our nation's greatest allies.

But I'm still debating whether I want to give him the information we have."

He glanced in my direction but didn't pry much further as to what.

We continued our trek until I saw Father waiting at a certain building.