The next morning, Riku and the others gathered in the smoky common room of the Stonefall inn. The air smelled of stale ale and woodsmoke. It was a stark contrast to the perfect, clean atmosphere of Riku’s private world.
They sat at a rough-hewn wooden table in the corner. They ate a simple breakfast of hard bread and cheese. The mood was one of quiet anticipation.
Finally, Riku set his mug down. He looked at the silver-haired boy sitting opposite him.
"Alright, Caelus," Riku began, his tone all business. "You’re our guide. What’s the plan? Where do we go from here?"
The girls all turned to look at the boy. They awaited his expert guidance.
Caelus blinked. He took a slow, deliberate bite of his bread. He chewed thoughtfully. He swallowed.
"Plan?" he finally asked, his expression one of pure, innocent confusion.
Riku stared at him. "Yes. The plan. You said you knew the cities. The noble houses. Where the powerful people gather. Where should we start?"
"Oh, that," Caelus said with a wave of his hand. "My part of the plan is done. Or at least, almost done."
Sherry’s eye twitched. "Done? What do you mean, done?"
"I was the guide," Caelus said, as if explaining something very simple to a group of toddlers. "My job was to guide you into Eldoria safely, without getting caught. And I did that."
He took another bite of bread. "The rest," he said, his voice muffled by his chewing, "is up to you."
A silence fell over the table.
Lila looked at Riku, her expression baffled. "So... he has no plans for what to do next?"
The group had expected all kinds of discussions with Caelus, like him staying with them for a longer period, and after warming up to them, finally revealing his true intentions. But they had never thought that this would have been his trail of thought all along.
"It would seem so," Riku said with a small sigh. He should have expected this.
He rubbed his temples. The grand adventure to find legendary teachers was, for the moment, just four ladies and a strange boy sitting in a dusty inn with no plan.
"Fine," Riku said, taking charge. "New plan. We’ll head towards the nearest city. We’ll travel slowly. We’ll gather information as we go."
The girls all nodded in agreement. It was a simple plan and a logical one.
"Alright," Riku said, standing up. "Then it is settled. Caelus, thanks a lot for your help. We’ll head out in sometime."
"Wait."
Caelus’s voice cut through the air. His earlier playful, innocent expression was gone. It was replaced by one of deadly seriousness.
"You cannot," he said.
Riku frowned. "Cannot what?"
"You cannot just... go," Caelus said, shaking his head. "If you walk out into Eldoria looking and acting like you do now, you will not last a single day."
Sherry scoffed. "Hmph. What do you mean? We can do just fine."
"You have been in a remote village run by a man who knows me," Caelus countered, his voice sharp. "You have not been in the real Eldoria. The kingdom is not kind to visitors."
He stood up and looked at each of them. "Your clothes are wrong. The way you speak is wrong. You smile too easily. You are too open. Too friendly."
He shook his head again. "In the Korvan Kingdom, that might make you heroes. In Eldoria, it makes you a target. Kindness from others is seen as a trick. It is a weakness to be exploited. People here are indoctrinated to be selfish and look for their own."
He let the weight of his words sink in.
"If you want to survive here," Caelus concluded, his voice a low, serious warning, "you first need to learn how to be one of us."
Caelus looked at the five of them. He saw the confusion and frustration on their faces. He let out a long, weary sigh. It was the sigh of a teacher dealing with a class of very slow students.
"Alright," he said, taking a seat and pulling the map Lila had brought towards him. "Lesson one: Eldoria 101. Pay attention. This might keep you alive." The rightful source is n̷o̷v̷e̷l̷f̷i̷r̷e̷.net
He pointed to the center of the map, to a large, sprawling city icon surrounded by mountains. "This is Keraunos. The capital. The heart of the kingdom. It is where all power resides."
"And at the center of that power is Lord-Regent Volkov," he continued. "But as I said, he is a ghost. A figurehead. The ones who truly rule in his name are the Triumvirate."
"The Triumvirate?" Riku asked, leaning forward.
"Three people," Caelus explained. "The inner circle who hold the real power."
"Let me guess," Sherry said, her tone dry. "A general, a mage, and a priest."
Caelus gave her a look of genuine surprise. "That’s... actually correct. How did you know?"
"It’s the classic power structure for any stable tyranny," Sherry replied with a shrug.
"Tell us about the general," Riku prompted.
"General Marius," Caelus said, his expression turning serious. "He commands the Tempest Legion. He is a hard, unforgiving man who values strength above all else."
"He sounds like every general I’ve ever heard of," Lila noted.
"He’s different," Caelus said. "He wasn’t born a noble. He was a common foot soldier from a forgotten clan. He rose through the ranks during Volkov’s Unification Wars. They say his loyalty to the Lord-Regent is absolute, almost fanatical. He sees himself as the sole guardian of Volkov’s legacy of strength."
"So he’s a true believer," Riku mused.
"He believes in order. And he believes Volkov is the only true source of it," Caelus corrected.
Sherry leaned forward, her interest piqued. "And the mage? Arch-Mage Lyra?"
"The Whispering Witch of the Spire," Caelus said, a hint of awe in his voice. "She was Volkov’s first and only apprentice. She is, without question, the most powerful storm-mage in the kingdom. But she is a complete recluse. She hasn’t left the top floors of the Storm Spire in years."
"What does she do up there?" Elara asked, her voice a whisper.
Caelus shook his head. "No one knows. Some say she’s conducting research into the heart of storms. Others say she’s trying to achieve immortality. All anyone knows for sure is that her power is what maintains the kingdom’s magical defenses."
Lysaria, who had been listening with a deep, professional interest, now spoke. "And the priest? You said he was the most dangerous."
"High Priest Tiago," Caelus said, his expression turning grim. "He is the head of the Church of Thunder. He controls the faith. And unlike the other two, he was not part of Volkov’s original inner circle. He rose to power after Volkov’s disappearance."
"How?" Lysaria asked.
"Charisma," Caelus replied. "He is a populist. He preaches a radical, aggressive interpretation of the faith. He tells the people that the storm is a cleansing force, that lightning is the ultimate judgment. He teaches that the weak must be culled so the strong may thrive. And the people... they love him for it."
Lysaria looked horrified. "That is a cruel faith."
"It is an effective one," Caelus said. "It is the glue that holds this kingdom together."
Riku was silent for a long moment, processing the information. A general loyal to the past. A reclusive mage obsessed with a secret project. A charismatic priest who controlled the present.
He finally asked the question that had been burning in his mind. "If these three hold all the real power, why do they keep pretending Volkov is in charge? Why not just take over themselves?"
Caelus looked at Riku, and for the first time, he seemed truly impressed. "That," he said, "is the great mystery of Eldoria."
He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Marius and Tiago despise each other. The General sees the High Priest as a dangerous upstart, twisting the faith for his own gain. The High Priest sees the General as a relic, clinging to the old ways. And Lyra? She ignores them both."
"They are rivals," Caelus continued. "They constantly compete for influence, for resources, for the favor of the lesser nobles. But on one thing, and one thing only, they are completely, terrifyingly united."
"Volkov," Riku whispered.
Caelus nodded. "The sanctity of the Lord-Regent. Any threat to Volkov’s name, any question about his existence, is met with the combined, ruthless force of all three. They will tear down their own houses to protect his."
He let the weight of the paradox sink in. "They are his jailers. And they are his most fervent protectors. They rule in his name, and they will kill anyone who questions that rule."
Another silence fell over the group.
"So," Sherry said, breaking the silence and speaking with a dry whisper. "We are walking into a land of arrogant soldiers, scheming nobles, and religious fanatics, all ruled by a ghost."
She gave Riku a look. "This might be our most exciting adventure yet."