Cast Mending - Part 4

One thing Samuel had noticed ever since he had completed the trial he underwent, was that his casting of spells had become even better, he hardly struggled at all any more. So he was extremely excited at learning more spells in the future, all in all he was looking forward to the second year at the college.

With a proud smile he walked all the way to the middle island in the city and lost himself in the trees until he finally found a small hut in a small glade. There were Praetorians hiding hiding in many different places. (The Praetorians are the strongest of the strong among the highest elite soldiers in Rejuan. They guard only the most important key locations in the republic.)

Samuel couldn't help but look at them slightly in awe, most Praetorians were good spellcasters as well as being elite soldiers. But they were quite impressive to look at, he almost lost himself in dreaming when an annoyed college clerk cleared his throat, obviously waiting for him to prove his identity.

The identification check did not take too much time and before long Samuel was ordered to stand on the circle as it activated and brought him up to the house of dimensions. Where he had to pass another clearance check, funnily enough he saw a few other students returning from other portals. He saw some that he wanted to remember but couldn't do so instantly, but he did realize that they were his classmates. Samuel was bad at remembering faces that he had not cared to put in his memory.

But now he decided to at least remember their faces, even if they were in different teams they were still fellow classmates. It was the least he could do, even though he wouldn't have done it before his trial. The trial had allowed him to walk forward and let go of the heavy burdens he was dragging behind him. Every step had been slow and gruesome, feeling like he was dragging the weight of the world on the invisible chains behind him.

But now, the chains had all broken and the sudden weight made his previous heavy steps turn into a full sprint into the horizon. There were still a few chains flying behind him, but they were the chains of promises made and would never be as heavy.

The checkpoint was quickly passed and he walked to his house first to drop off a few things. He had brought several books and other supplies. He would have simply transported them in his pocket dimension, but apperantely the dimension was almost full from his two weapons being stored in there. But he did feel like it could grow with time.

As he finished dropping off his things and tidying up his room a bit after being gone for so long he could hear the door downstairs opening. Seeing as how he was done he quickly walked downstairs to meet whomever it was that had come inside the house. He wasn't too surprised to see that it was Bregane who had come to meet him up.

"Goodmorning Master Bregane!" Samuel greeted his mentor who turned to face him. Bregane almost jerked back in shock, "Who the hell are you and where is Samuel?" Bregane replied in a half serious voice to which Samuel could only laugh. "Thank you master! I thought the shadow walker was horrible at jokes, but it seems I was wrong."

It was with those words that Bregane fully realized it actually was Samuel, his face was so relaxed and had a kind look that Bregane at first had not realized it was actually him, or rather his mind didn't want to accept that the usual spiteful and nasty look (That Samuel himself was unaware off) was completely gone.

"Shieeet!" Bregane whispered to himself as Samuel walked in front of him full of pride and standing just as tall as Bregane, Samuel seemed like a completely changed person. Poor Bregane would never guess that Samuel experienced six weeks of torture and pain. Although most of the painful memories were gone, Samuel held on to the experience that changed him for the better. Well aware that he must have been suffering for a long time, something had changed inside him during that torture.

Because what Bregane saw was a kiddo that had finally grown up into a man. There was no cockiness or spite in his eyes anymore, just confidence and kindness. Samuel had always been the kinder type, but because of his evil looks one could never have guessed it.

Bregane finally laughed and patted his apprentice on both of his shoulders, like the proud master he felt like at that moment. "I am glad you seem to be doing better kid! I haven't had the chance to take much time off, Instead I have had the pleasure of going on missions for many of the past days."

"But I didn't miss how your application papers had been updated, it was one of the first things I was given notice of when I came back. Gillfall huh?" Bregane raised his eyebrows in surprise. He could only speculate.

"It's a long story that I can tell you while we are on our way to the grove!" Samuel suggested and Bregane accepted. During their walk Samuel explained the generic basics of the story of where he had met Faleah and gotten to know her and about their relationship. He left out his origins and his actual bloodline, anything that might be too important to share from what Alsian had told him.

Even though he trusted Bregane, the fewer people that knew the whole story the better for everyones safety. Apperantely even among the higher ups of the school and other powerful people, an extreme rare few knew about Alsian's actual bloodline and past.

Because Samuel came from the same bloodline he followed Alsian's advice, but unbeknownst to him who had told Ulma everything, he had no idea that Ulma had told both Erica and Sonya.

Samuel was apperantely a double noble, the lineage of Concor and now Gillfall. Yet he had been raised as a simple farmer, and in all honesty he had always liked a certain part of the calm life even when he dreamt himself away into a fantasy land where he was a hero.

Now he was a noble and a chosen candidate for the mage college. Among many other things. He followed Bregane all the way to the 'hidden' teleportation circle and together they arrived at the forest city being built, during the year that had passed it had come along nicely. Several parts of it were becoming completed, eventually it would act as a hidden city.

None of the people that worked there seemed to know the exact location as they only ever arrived by teleportation. But it wasn't hard to guess that it was deep inside Kalashago forest. The magical forest that was the second largest forest in the world. Only being beaten by the Fey Jungle on another continent.

Samuel and Bregane seemed to arrive first after the walk to the grove, it brought back some nice memories to see this place again. Alsian shortly arrived after them and greeted the both of them and started preparing some nice tables and a small feast as he took out plenty of food from a pocket dimension that had the shape of a small box.

One could wonder how so much fit in such a small box, but things could easily be taken out or be put inside even if it looked like they wouldn't fit through the opening of the box it was almost as if it got sucked inside when being put towards the front and when taking things out it was almost like the items didn't fully form until outside.

"A small feast to celebrate everyone passing and reuniting here... Alive and well!" Alsian finished the last words. Together Alsian and Bregane wondered how many new things Samuel had to learn and go through and they were having a happy time bantering between eachother when everyone else arrived almost at the same time.

The other three and their mentors had already met up and travelled there together with Trisphyra.