II: Second Seed

[conjuredskies]

In Cyrodiil, the College of Whispers guarded their secrets with theatrical zealousness. Everyone knew it, because the College wanted them to.
Mostly, however, they guarded against their counterparts in the Synod. If you weren’t a Synod mage, and you knew the right promises to make to the right people, it could be remarkably easy to get inside their library. At least once, and with a PINpoint once was all Felix would ever need.

It was some hours after midnight; there were no windows to judge by. He sat amid books and notes, hands smudged black with ink and charcoal, and wondered if he’d come to the right place. Whether he was going to the right place.

Apocrypha.

It was a terrible idea. It was a legendarily bad idea. The very thing aspiring young conjurers read cautionary tales about. Apocrypha of the endless library. Aprocrypha whose siren lures would make you forget yourself. Apocrypha, whose thousand thousand paths ensnared all seekers of knowledge.

And Ixis Naugus wanted to go there.

It was the worst idea.

It was just so terribly opportune.

Stratos had been right. It was time to stop floating blindly along. He wasn’t a child any more- and nor was anyone else who mattered to him. If he wanted to play a genuine part in the coming war… in all the coming wars… he needed…

Skill. Power. Knowledge. Connections.

He needed to be more.

But his brother’s judgment of him still stung. Even when he couched it in kinder words, Strato still thought of him as a failing student. Felix had considered himself an apprentice in name only, but to Tribune Caelus he was just the little boy who wouldn’t do his chores. The younger brother left at home to play with his toys while Stratos went of to become a real war mage…

But how could Stratos judge what he was ready for? Every apprentice said that, yes, but Stratos had no idea of half the things he had done. Felix was sure of that. Even his knowledge of Felix’s Nexus activities seemed flawed and incomplete. He didn’t appreciate Felix’s real talents. He didn’t want to. He’d rather make them both sit through another laborious attempt to teach Felix illusion magic, or how to breathe underwater.

If Felix brought back the secrets of Apocrypha, though… knowledge that would give the Empire some advantage… some weapon with which to strike down the Thalmor - he knew his brother would not, could not turn away from that. And if the right knowledge proved hard to acquire in one excursion, Naugus’s methods would give Felix an open way to return as he pleased.

This posed other problems, however.

He needed to make sure this gate remained closed to all but him. Suppose Naugus proved less amenable to properly sealing the gate? Suppose - this seemed very likely - Naugus fell enthralled to the wonders of Mora’s realm and turned on him? It had always really been a question of when the Mobian sorcerer would betray him, not if. Suppose the denizens of Apocrypha themselves proved too difficult to contain?

And given the reputed dangers of that realm, would his own powers truly keep him safe through repeated visits? He’d made a great deal of progress with his destruction spells - the frost ones, at least, but using them effectively in battle was a step away yet.

A pity he had to go alone. His gaze fell on the pile of notes he’d collected, frown softening into a wistful smile. Jim would love this kind of adventure. Sneaking their way into a new world filled to the brim with illicit knowledge…

But Felix could never, of course. Couldn’t risk him in these kinds of matters.

So it all came round again. He needed power to protect him in Apocrypha so he could find the power to destroy their enemies…

There had to be other powers he could court. He’d gotten along well enough with Harrowheart’s runeblades, hadn’t he? And if he could handle them…

His thoughts wandered. The bobbing orb of light beside him flickered and failed. Felix shook himself and recast it. Rubbed his eyes. He shouldn’t be tired this early. Another couple of hours, and he’d have everything of use from here.

He’d find what he needed. No matter where he had to look.