Noah stared at Garina’s proffered hand with a blank expression. An offer of apprenticeship from one of Decras’ followers. One of the strongest mages in the world — and a chance to ally with one of his far-too-numerous enemies.

    They had similar goals. Garina wanted to keep her personal affairs hidden from the other Apostles. Even if Noah didn’t know the specifics of who the Apostles were, it was evident how powerful the group was.

    They were on an entirely different level. Garina herself was evidence of that. She was Rank 7, but not all mages of the same rank were built the same. Noah knew that to be true more than almost anyone else.

    Just as another Rank 4 would have been no threat in the slightest to him, he was confident that Garina was leagues in power above any other Rank 7 he’d met. Her strength felt like it eclipsed Sievan’s rank 7 aide, Zath.

    An offer to study under someone like that was a golden goose. Anyone else in the entire Arbalest Empire would have tripped over themselves in their haste to throw themselves at Garina’s feet and accept it.

    “No thank you,” Noah said.

    Garina blinked. Then she blinked again. “What?”

    “That’s a kind offer,” Noah said. “And I appreciate your extended hand of friendship, but I don’t want to apprentice under anyone at the moment. Apprenticeships are too restrictive. It would mean I’ve got to actually study under you, and that means less time for my students. I can’t split my priorities like that.”

    “Do you realize who I am?” Garina asked. There was no arrogance in her voice. It was a genuine question. “I am Garina of the seven. Of every mage you have ever met, the only one who surpasses me is Sievan. I have defended the empire you livein for hundreds of years. There is no other that could give you anywhere near the power that I could. In the span of a mere few days, I could teach you magic that you have never heard of. Magic you could never dream of. And you refuse that... because you have to teach children?”

    “Sounds about right, yes. And I’ll be honest. I rather enjoy discovering things. Part of the magic of magic is learning. Every time someone’s told me some absolute about how Runes work, they’ve been wrong. You never know what someone will find out when they have to stumble through it on their own.”

    A smile passed over Garina’s features.

    “You’re surprisingly insightful. You’re also far from the first person to come to that conclusion. What do you think the entirety of this Empire is?”

    It was Noah’s turn to be surprised. “The Empire? What does that have to do with anything?”

    “Did you really think this was all there was to the world?” Garina asked with a small laugh. “The Arbalest Empire is a testing zone. It’s a science experiment — one to determine what happens when people with no true knowledge of Runes are left to their own devices. Well, that isn’t exactly its full extent, but it’s sufficient for the likes of you.”

    “Hold on. Wait a moment.” Moxie raised her hands. “What are you saying? An experiment? There was a war. The Long Night—”

    “A purge,” Garina said. “One set about by a number of different factions working in rare unison. The Church of Repose. The Apostles. The Obsidian Gate. The Horde of Man. The Endless Path — and more. We all wiped every single trace of Rank 7 and above runes from this section of the world. Razed the Locations of Power to ash and let you start over with a new slate. One without external influence or preconceived notions.”

    “Are you trying to say that everything is just... fake?” Moxie asked, aghast.

    “Fake? No. It’s quite real. It’s just that the situation has been a bit... contrived. There are mages who have been seeking a path to godhood for thousands of years. The Arbalest Empire was just one of the methods they hoped to distill information from.”

    “It was a failure, then,” Silvertide said. He leaned heavily on his staff. “We have not produced a Rank 7 mage.”

    “Oh, you’ve produced quite a number of them,” Garina replied with a shake of her head. “Hundreds, actually. I just remove them from the baby area before they break any important toys. There’s a ban on any Rank 7 from existing within the Arbalest Empire. We won’t allow it to be destroyed by some brat with an ego problem.” R?

    “That’s why you came for Yoru,” Noah breathed. “You’re the janitor.”

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    “You want me come by for tea?”

    “No commitments. No rules or restrictions. Just two people having a chat. You can tell me what I need to know about the Apostles, and I’ll have no obligation to be dragged off and abandon my students.”

    “And you would continue to learn on your own,” Garina mused. “It would preserve your approach to magic and potentially reveal something new. But what do I get out of this? An Apprenticeship aids me as well as you. It gives me someone to do minor tasks and take over my less important duties. For me to simply visit you means you think we are equals.”

    “I’d imagine I can teach you a few things,” Noah said.

    Garina studied him for several long seconds. “Who are you, Vermil? When you strip the layers of lies and deceit away, who are you?”

    “Depends who you ask.”

    “A curious answer. You certainly have my interest, but do you have more than one trick? Teach me something, Vermil. Right now. Tell me something that I do not know. If you can do that and prove I have something to learn from you, then I will accept your offer.”

    This is a huge opportunity. If I could actually get Garina to agree to just give us information, it would speed things up by magnitudes that I can’t even comprehend. I can’t let myself get turned into her servant, but a business relationship with her is invaluable.

    The corner of Noah’s lips twitched up in a smile and he turned his gaze to Lee.

    “Look at her.”

    Garina tilted her head to the side. “I am aware of the demon.”

    “Are you, though? Tell me, Garina. Do you know who made demons?”

    “Decras,” Garina replied slowly. “I am familiar with Sievan and the rest of the race.”

    “And you know of their limitations?”

    “They are beholden to their runes and unable to wrest themselves free of Decras’ influence. The Master rarely speaks of them. Where are you going with this?”

    “Take a closer look at Lee.”

    The Apostle squinted at Lee for several long seconds. Then her head tilted to the side and a confused frown creased her face. “I don’t see where you’re going with this.”

    “Surely you can recognize your masters’ presence.”

    “It’s not...” Garina trailed off. Then her eyes went as wide as saucers. She spun to Noah. “It’s not there. Where is Decras’ influence?”

    Noah just smiled.

    Gotcha.