Arran could not help but feel relieved when the Matriarch led the group of Elders out of the House of Seals. Among the others, he stood out like a sore thumb, a single initiate surrounded by dozens of Elders.
Or rather, a pretend initiate. In truth, Arran easily had all the skills to become a novice already, along with power that far surpassed that rank. He wasn't sure whether he could rival Masters yet, but if he couldn't, that level of power was already within his reach.
And yet, compared to the Elders surrounding him, he might as well be a fresh initiate. A disheartening thought — especially because some of them would rather see him dead than alive.
Yet he had new allies, too, one of whom gave him a studious look as they left the House of Seals behind.
"Your teacher is a brave woman," the crimson-robed Elder said.
"She is," Arran replied. There was no need to ask whether the man meant the Matriarch or Brightblade. "Though I don't understand why she challenged all three of them."
"Because she's no fool," the Elder said. "Had she challenged them separately, they would have declined the challenge. Shame is easier to bear than death, to most people."
"They could have declined?" Arran frowned. It hadn't yet occurred to him that the three could have simply walked away from the challenge. "Just like that?"
The Elder let out a mirthless chuckle. "Of course. The Valley could hardly force its members to fight each other. Had they refused the challenge, that would have been the end of it."
Arran nodded in understanding. "So this was the only way for her to fight them, Elder…?" He blanched as he realized he didn't even know his supposed ally's name.
"Theron," the Elder said, not the least bit offended that Arran didn't know who he was. "And you're correct. Had she not offered a fight they were confident in winning, they would have simply rejected the challenge and walked away. But now… if she wins, she will do the Valley a great favor."
Arran looked at the man in puzzlement. "A great favor?"
The man hesitated, but only briefly. "There exists a disagreement within the Valley," he said. "Some of us believe that the Valley needs to focus on rebuilding its strength, preserving the peace but without bending the knee. Others, however…"
He paused, his expression turning dark as he glanced at the group of men and women led by the House of Seals Elders. "Others believe that we should preserve the peace at any cost. That we should avoid even the appearance of rebuilding our strength, for fear of provoking our old enemies. And the three Elders your teacher challenged stand at the head of that group."
"The Valley isn't rebuilding its strength?" Arran found this hard to believe. From what he had seen, the number of young mages within the Valley was absolutely staggering. Given time, many of those would eventually grow strong.
"Not the way it should," Elder Theron replied. "We have mages in droves, yet all but a few follow the same path that already brought us defeat once."
"You believe the Valley should learn to counter the Hunters," Arran said, now understanding the Elder's intention. "Focus on creating new techniques and methods that will be more effective against them."
"Exactly!" the man replied, nodding vigorously as he spoke. "We do not seek a new war, but we need to be prepared for one all the same. Only strength can deter our enemies from renewing their aggression."
Arran nodded, more to avoid offending the man than because he agreed. The truth was that he knew too little about the situation to know whether the Elder had the right of it, but this was hardly the proper time to voice his doubts.
"What if she loses?" he asked instead, turning to a matter that mattered far more to him than the Valley's future.
"Even if she loses, at least one or two of them should die—" The Elder stopped talking mid-sentence, realizing that this was not the right answer. He shook his head. "I am confident in her strength. But if she suffers some unforeseen misfortune and loses the duel, I will offer you shelter within the House of Flames. There, you will be safe from our enemies."
"Thank you," Arran said, though he had no intention of taking the Elder's offer. If his worst fear came to pass and Brightblade lost the duel, he would be out of the Valley as soon as he could — and hopefully before any of his enemies realized it.
"But I am confident in her chances," the Elder continued. "And when she wins, your own status in the Valley will change as well. At the very least, my House should get more involved in your training. I think…"
The man continued speaking for some time, evidently already planning to insert himself into Arran's training. Arran, however, only listened with half an ear. Even if he now understood part of Brightblade's plan, his worries had only grown.
She was strong, of course, but whether she was strong enough to defeat three of the Valley's strongest Elders… that was a different matter, and one which Arran wasn't nearly as confident about as he would have liked.
The journey to the dueling grounds took nearly an hour, which various other Elders also used to introduce themselves to Arran. He answered them as politely as he could, though he could not escape the notion that if Brightblade won the duel, his time in the Valley would change a great deal — and not necessarily for the better.
Then, at last, they arrived at the dueling grounds.
At once, Arran was surprised at the sight. Rather than the small field he had expected to see, what lay before him was over a mile of flat grasslands, surrounded by a series of small hills.
"Is this…" he began, uncertain which part of the spacious area would actually hold the duel.
"These are the dueling grounds," Elder Theron said. "The duel will take place across this entire area." Seeing Arran's wide eyes, he chuckled. "This will a duel between Archmages — the magic used will be enough to turn a smaller area to glass."
Arran responded with a slight nod. Now that he gave it some thought, it made sense. While he had not personally witnessed truly strong mages unleashing their full powers, what he had Sensed during the battle between the Sixth Valley's factions was enough to tell him it would be devastating.
As he imagined what the duel might look like, he saw that the Matriarch and the Elders she had brought along herself were all heading to different corners of the vast area.
"Pay attention," Elder Theron said, somewhat unnecessarily. "They are about to start work on the wards that will contain the magic used in the duel. These are among the Valley's most complex and powerful secrets, and even if you won't be able to understand them, just seeing them should benefit you."
It took the Matriarch and her helpers some time to get into position, but once they did, they began their work immediately.
In an instant, Arran could Sense that the entire area was filled with thick streams of Essence, locking together in a pattern nearly as intricate as Master Zhao's seal. He almost immediately recognized that there were more than a few similarities between the two, though he could see many differences as well.
He watched for over an hour, amazed at how perfectly the different mages' efforts combined into a single giant formation. From what he could tell, they needed to work in near-perfect harmony — otherwise, the pattern would unravel in an instant.
"See how the different strands of Essence reinforce each other?" Elder Theron said in a soft voice. "When completed, it will redirect the force of attacks over the entire formation, making it all but impossible to break."
Arran nodded silently, already familiar with the principle. Yet there was something else, as well — something he hadn't encountered before.
"It looks like the formation is supposed to direct energy inward?" he said after some time, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.
"Good eye," the Elder replied, sounding slightly startled. "The formation will absorb the energy of any attacks that don't destroy it, allowing it to grow stronger over time."
Arran had heard of the principle before, but he had never seen it laid out before him in such a grand formation. And now that he could study it, he found himself engrossed in the spectacle, even the imminent duel briefly forgotten.
There was a principle at work here, he knew — a principle related to the absorption of magic. And although he couldn't quite grasp it entirely, understanding was steadily growing in his mind as he watched thick strands of Essence being woven together into a giant pattern.
The sensation came to an end disappointingly quickly. Although he had gained some understanding of how it worked, he realized his knowledge of magic was still insufficient to fully comprehend it.
"No wonder you attract such teachers."
When Arran looked up, he was surprised to see Elder Theron staring at him in what appeared to be astonishment. And he wasn't the only one — even though the Matriarch and her helpers were still working on the formation, the other Elders' attention was focused squarely on Arran. Some looked puzzled, some stunned, and more than a few had looks of envy in their eyes.
Arran frowned, and his frown only deepened when he realized that the sun wasn't where it was supposed to be. It should be close to setting, but instead, it looked as if it had risen just a few hours ago.
With no small amount of shock, Arran realized that it was late in the morning. An entire night had passed while he observed the formation being made, his surroundings completely forgotten as he gained a new understanding.
"You gained an insight, didn't you?" Elder Theron asked, though his tone suggested that he already knew the answer.
"I did," Arran replied. There was no point in denying it — all the Elders present clearly understood what had happened. And although he had gained an insight, it was an incomplete one — not like the true insight he had gained from Master Zhao's seal.
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Yet he knew that the true insight was what had allowed him to recognize this — a small, incomplete glimpse at the nature of reality itself. Now that he knew what to look for, finding it proved easier than he could have imagined.
"It seems you have no small amount of talent," Elder Theron said. "Some of us Elders have struggled for centuries to recognize the power behind this formation, and many still haven't succeeded." The slight smirk on his lips suggested that he was not among those.
"I suppose I got lucky," Arran said, shrugging awkwardly.
"Luck is as much a part of talent as skill," the Elder replied. "Though the most important thing is training." He gave Arran an appraising glance. "We really should look into your training once the duel is over. Your current teachers are skilled, but additional help might still benefit you."
Once more Elder Theron began making plans for Arran's future, and once more Arran found himself nodding along while only barely paying attention.
Midday was approaching rapidly, and already, a stream of mages was flooding onto the hills surrounding the dueling grounds. There were thousands, and although the Elders paid them no attention, Arran realized that their presence meant the duel wasn't far off.
Brightblade hadn't come yet, but he knew she would be there in minutes. Yet while he was certain of her arrival, the question of whether she would leave again filled him with an unease that bordered on panic.