The Kelian Empire flourished for thousands of years even after the fall of Flaketh, the first empress. Peasants, even noble lords living on the outskirts of the empire, never truly understood what that statement meant in terms of power.
In truth, not even I, someone who can wield magic and shape the world around me to my whim, understood the power of the empire. Felantir wasn't just massive; it was otherworldly in its size and scale.
The city was 25 miles wide and home to three million people. It was built on a massive hill whose highest point was hundreds of feet above ground level. On the peak of said hill was the imperial castle, an awe-inspiring construct of huge stone towers that pierced the sky. On the plains surrounding the city, towns and villages stretched as far as the eye could see, cultivating the food that fueled Felantir.
The main road was a 150-foot-wide flat pathway made of smooth white stone that cut through hills and uneven terrain, making travel a breeze. For the first time since I was a child, I felt small, as if everything I have done or will do paled in comparison to the legacy of Flaketh. East of the massive imperial castle was an energy furnace made of smooth grey steel, at least five hundred feet tall and 50 feet wide.
As the span of the city reached ground level, the quality of the buildings decreased. A river hundreds of feet wide flowed down from the north, either through luck or massive effort, it branched into two, each branch of the river skirted around the city, then reconnected south, enclosing the entirety of Felantir, enclosed by water. The only way into the city was by five bridges spanning its southern edge. Each was wide enough to hold a dozen carriages abreast.
A full two-thirds of the population lived outside the walls, working the endless expanse of farms.
Hearing my tale told across the many villages and towns I traveled through inflated my ego, making me believe I was larger than I was.
‘How arrogant. Did I truly believe that my display would actually create cracks in the foundation of this empire? At best, I am a nuisance. Lakeshore, Greystone, and Grenwood were nothing in comparison to true imperial power.’
~
I sat in a grass field only a few miles away from the city, making my way through the third meat skewer for the day. The closer I got to the city, the less confident I became. A few minutes earlier, a massive guard transport rolled through. Dozens of knights, all in similar steel plate as Heywood, though without the intimidating black steel, marched in lockstep, their movements controlled and silent as their enchanted armor made no sound as they marched.
That was intimidating enough, but now, as I sat on the side of the road staring up at the sky, I truly understood the vast gap; no, gap was too small a word, the vast cosmos between me and the Magisterium.
Industry was the difference, the vast resources of an entire empire channeled into a single group over thousands of years. It was a power that, in my lifetime, I would never achieve, even with all my determination.
I was, in the end, but one woman with limited time. Shaking my head from those morose thoughts, I finished my skewered meat and took to the road, heading for the city. From what I knew, there was little barrier to entrance, at least for the lower sections.
~
An hour later, I walked under the single largest portcullis I had ever seen; no human hand could either construct or operate such massive gates and bridges without magic.
I followed the endless horde of humanity inside, careful to keep my face obscured but not completely hidden. The lower sections of the city went on seemingly forever, with endless streets twisting and turning. There was enough guard presence that it didn't turn into complete squalor.
Each section of the city was not separated by stone walls, but sheer cliffs. Massive metallic lift systems, no doubt powered by magic, moved people between the sections. Each had massive gears and a system of pulleys to move the steel platforms up and down.
I suppose I could define another system to climb the walls, but this was not Greystone. The city was too massive, and too many guards roamed the streets. And to enter the magisterium would be suicide.
Ranging the city for hours, I considered how to tackle the problem.
‘Climb the walls, then dress as a noble woman? No, I'm a nornerner, I'll stick out. Even if I don't, finding the resources I need would take time. Even if I were successful, how would I escape?’
‘Sneak into the magisterium as a student?’
I laughed at the thought.
‘Don't be an idiot, Myr.’
‘Kill a guard, steal his armor and… no, I don't have the stature for it, and even after an hour of walking I’ve only seen one woman guard and they travel in four-person units.’
In anger, I gave up and decided to find an inn somewhere in the poorer part of the city. Perhaps after a good night’s sleep, inspiration would strike.
~
The next morning after leaving the ramshackle inn, I wandered the street for hours, finding nothing.
No matter the angle I tried to take, the justification I created in my mind to risk everything, seeing the massive size and scale of the city, led me to the inevitable conclusion that I would fail.
This was a first for me, so many times I risked myself and my safety without hesitation, but even with my most daring risks, I could always justify it by reasoning that there was a chance of success.
‘Without that chance of success clear in sight, I am at an impasse. I’ll keep searching for now. But I feel it in my bones that there will be no simple solution.’
It pained me to consider abandoning this venture; however, unlike most people, I wouldn't let anything control me, not even my own desires. I killed my emotions, ambition, pride, anything and everything that could affect my decision-making other than cold, hard reason.
‘Probability of success is infinitesimal. For now, it is best that I study and steadily increase my power until such a time that I can attempt this. I can’t remain in the city; the longer I stay here, the greater the chance of discovery. All other roads lead to failure.’
I abandoned the cold reason, and my emotions returned. They raged at the missed chance, but I was in control. I wouldn't be forced into any decision, even if I were the one doing the pushing.
I sighed, staring at a rather fine eatery. Stopping suddenly, I turned around and decided to enter, just spotting a figure in a brown cloak darting into a side alley.
‘Strange.’
Walking briskly towards the alley, I avoided the oncoming sea of people to find it devoid of anyone. I made a mental note to pay more attention to my surroundings.
Three Days later.
I was being followed, without question. I changed inns, moved to different parts of the city, and occasionally, the figure in the brown cloak could be spotted only for me to lose them in the crowd moments later.
‘Was it the magisterium?’
It was what I assumed, but it didn't feel correct. I couldn't rush out of the city either; I couldn't risk the magisterium tracking me to an open field or forest where they could use their magic without consequence.
I changed Inns daily, yet I always managed to spot the cloaked figure off in the distance or just turning a corner. Today, however, was different. The figure stood in the middle of the street, staring at me, then turned and walked into an alley.
‘Well, isn't that an invitation?’
My orichalcum was fully charged, and I wouldn't hesitate to use the people around me as human shields if necessary.
I stood at the entrance of the alley, and to the far end was the person in the brown cloak. The hood was pulled too low for me to see their face.
“You’ve been following me for three days, now you choose to face me?” I asked the figure.
“I’ve been following you for a week.” They sounded old, perhaps fifty summers. He walked towards me, crossing the distance. He pulled his hood down to reveal a man with a head of thick grey hair and a cleanly shaven face.
“Have you now? What is your purpose?” I demanded, my heart rate increased, and the fire in my chest was burning. Even the slightest movement of threat, and I would unleash everything.
“I am not from the Magisterium, nor affiliated with the imperial family, Myr.”
“Then who do you serve?”
Placing an index finger on his mouth, he said, “My lord.” He removed the finger. ” Who that is, is not your concern at the moment.”
“Very well, what do you want from me?” I asked.
“I have investigated the extent of your abilities and found you a suitable candidate.”
I gave him a baleful gaze as he kept speaking, “We have a task for you to complete. As a gesture of good faith, my lord offers you this…” He reached into a pocket, pulled out an old book, and tossed it to me. I shamefully dropped my guard and went for the book, catching it with both hands.
That would have been the perfect opportunity to attack me, but clearly that wasn't this man’s intention.
“That is but an appetizer of the possible rewards for agreeing to my lord's proposition. Feel free to peruse the book for a few moments.” He said, wearing a smirk.
I did just that and nearly salivated at the first few pages. Looking back at the man, I stated, “What does your master want?”
He smirked, “There’s a village a few weeks' travel north called Redburrow, small, unassuming, easy to find on a map. That is where you will find your answers.”
I paused, my suspicion rising.
“You assume this is a trap,” He mused.
I smirked, “As much as I assume water is wet.”
He shrugged. “You are free to decline as you wish; either way, the book is yours. Be there before the turn of the new year, should you agree.”
With that, the man literally ran up the wall of the building with agility greater than a man his age should have and disappeared onto the roofs.
‘He wanted me to discover him.’ I stared down at the tattered and unassuming book once again, making my decision.
~
For a long time, I assumed that a source and a load could only support a single binding. I tried many times over, pushing my animus to its limits, yet found no success. Ignorance led me to a false assumption; what I needed was a new kind of binding.
When I was eavesdropping on Surian and Elis, the magus cited several mental exercises to aid in the process of activating the animus.
As I read through the book in the middle of a solitary field on the far outskirts of Felantir, I realised the difference between learning on your own versus having proper instruction.
The book was written by hand; in some parts, the pages bled ink, meaning it was made with haste.
It contained the complete instructions, similar to an Ocularum, on how to create what was called a Dual binding.
The spoken runes were different and far more complex, taking twice as long to say. However, if the books were correct, I could almost double the power of any arcane circuit by binding a source to a load in parallel.
Two sources could be bound to a single load effectively, doubling the maximum throughput of the load if the two sources being bound were equal in power, or a single source and load could be bound together twice, doubling the strength of the circuit.
Of course, this was all limited by efficiency, but for things like my amulet, which drank as much power as I could provide it, a dual binding would be useful for the input.
The binding required an entirely new way of thinking. I had to think and act in parallel, holding and performing two actions when in reality I only perform one.
The book provided several mental exercises to aid in learning, but I found the apple and pear most suitable.
Sitting in front of me were an apple and a pear. The exercise was to grab both at the same time. Not using two hands or grab one, then the other, I had to grab and hold two separate objects in one hand, yet at the same time, neither would be in the same hand.
It was nonsense of the highest order. But no different than when I first activated the animus.
With the animus, I could convince myself of any belief regardless of reality, and I would act on that belief as if it were true.
If I convinced myself I could lift a mountain, then I would tear my muscles and destroy my ligaments in the attempt.
But the book specified that not only did I have to believe I could do it, but I had to actually do it. That was my point of contention.
I solidified the belief in my mind and reached forward firmly believing that I would grab both. Of course, I didn't. My hand just shook violently as conflicting actions caused it to spasm. It was impossible, from a physical sense, but as I tried to create the double binding with my campfire and amulet to my gloves, the binding simply failed.
I almost wanted to believe that the book contained false information, but the details were too clear.
‘Alright, I’ll force myself through it, push my belief until I either damage my hands or I pass out.’
Shrugging, I activated the animus again and reached for the apple and pear.
Once more, as I reached forward, my hand shook violently, twitching back and forth between the apple and the pear.
My muscles screamed at me, but still I pushed through the pain. I felt moisture running down my face, then suddenly my animus broke. I pitched to the side and vomited violently. Wiping my face, I realized that blood was running out of my nose.
~
I traveled during the day, spending most of the time contemplating. As the days passed, I failed repeatedly to both pick up the object and create the binding.
‘The book mentioned that I must successfully pick up both. What if I changed my perspective? Instead of reaching for both, I imagined that there were two of me existing at the same time in the same reality. One reached for the pair and another reached for the apple.’
I stared down at the apple and paired once more, considering the idea.
~
I emptied my stomach onto the ground once again, failing to perform the task, though I believed I was getting closer.
‘What if instead there weren't two of me, but two worlds existing in parallel, one where I reached for the apple and another where I reached for the pear. In this reality, I’ll reach for the pair, and the parallel me reaches for the apple.’ I wiped off the vomit, drank some hot water, and I actually managed to pick up the pair, but once again, I didn't feel like I succeeded. No vomit or blood this time, fortunately.
And after performing the binding with that same mental space, it failed.
‘There’s something still missing.’
Three days later
I felt like I was going mad again, similar to when I first activated the animus. Failure after failure after failure.
‘What if instead I’m a single being existing in a single reality? And once I made a decision that branched the reality off into two separate possibilities. What if I didn't make the decision? Would the realities converge on each other or fail to branch off?’
I rubbed my chin as I considered the idea.
“The animus relies on the belief I can change reality; perhaps I shouldn't allow the realities to branch off.”
Smiling, I considered the idea.
I took a deep breath and activated the animus.
‘Remember, don’t let the realities break apart and make no decision.’
I reached forward to pick up either the pear or the apple, firmly believing that I would pick up both, but never deciding which. I believed beyond all logic and reason. It was as if I were watching myself from the third person.
If you place a finger in front of your eyes and focus on something in the distance, you would see two fingers. So color me surprised when, as I reached forward, my hand split into two, with one heading for the apple and another for the pear.
I felt when both hands simultaneously picked up the fruits. Then, while bringing it to my face to examine the fruits, my hands recombined. The pear and the apple looked superimposed on each other. Neither seemed to exist.
Blood ran from my nose. I felt a pain in my head. For some reason, fear beyond anything I could understand gripped me, and I started screaming at the apple-pear. Then I threw them away from me and passed out.
~
I awoke hours later, shivering and cold; my fire died. My head was pounding, and my face was covered in dried blood.
Fear gripped me, and I looked down to where the apple and pear were, only to find the apple missing.
‘It was so strange. Did my mind become so absorbed in the belief that it manufactured the feeling and image of me lifting the pear?’
I drank some hot water to break my fast and tried again.
~
‘Success!’
After days of work, the binding succeeded; it was more than strange. It wasn't like focusing on two bindings; it was as if my mind split in two. The sphere of influence was the same for both, and I couldn't change the size or strength of the bindings individually. The circuits were both linked to each other yet completely independent. The only thing that made it more powerful was the fact that they were both doing the same thing to the same metal.
Even when binding two separate sources, the arcane circles had to be the same. So one couldn't absorb heat while another absorbed potential energy from wood. I also couldn't bind one source to two loads that would make the circuits non-parallel.
The amulet was being charged by both the heat absorption ring and a heat absorption circuit drawn into the dirt. The binding was successful, but I felt no joy; instead, fear gripped me.
I didn't know my animus could manufacture images and feelings if reality failed to meet a strong enough belief. It seemed dangerous to me. For a long time, the animus was but a tool, but what if it were something a bit more than that? What if someone could get trapped by their own delusions, never being able to escape their own animus?
Either way, I should be cautious from now on. Took a deep breath, enjoying the summer air, then I created a dual binding between my energy reservoir and Dragon’s breath.
The limit in efficiency made the flame only 12 feet long with a single binding, but with a dial binding, this was almost doubled. Of course, the energy being used was also doubled. A 20-foot spiraling cone of red and blue fire lit up the night.
‘Still not quite as large as with the stone, but I was getting close. I wonder if there is such a thing as a triple binding.’
I stared at Felanitr in the far distance, ‘Someday, I will return to this city. But not now or even in the near future, I need to plan and prepare. Most importantly, I need more power, power enough to stand against even the might of the entire Magisterium. The only question was, how do I achieve this before I die of old age?’