Cira reluctantly followed Fitzgeralt to the center of Icarus. She was not too keen on cleaning up her father’s messes at the moment but was curious to see what it would be. Regardless, it was basically her responsibility at this point no matter how irritated with him she was.

  They casually flew over to the lowest island in the center which Cira previously noted as an aether well of sorts. This island was a small, flat, grassy plain with a single structure in the center. Like a gazebo with archways to enter from all sides, but beyond that was only a roiling mass of mana.

  They didn’t seem to want to enter, but a handful of mages sat silently up against the wall, soaking up as much mana as they could. This was indeed a viable method for expanding one’s aura, but Cira found it too boring and slow. As I child she thought of it as secret naptime.

  Fitzgeralt led Cira right past them to the nearest archway.

  “Are you ready? Just follow me.” He walked forward and completely disappeared into the mana well, leaving Cira in shock.

  “What…” Walking into mana wells was something considered fatal. Then again, this isn’t your average mana well. I can tell that much. It was far different than even Breeze Haven’s artificial version. “Here goes nothing…”

  The moment she was enveloped in mana, she promptly found herself in the center of some kind of massive mithril sphere. Countless layers of enchantments covered the walls. Not only was each array more complex than the last, everywhere she looked was an unfamiliar glyph or rune she had never seen before. This Daedalus fellow was no slouch, that much was certain.

  “Big surprise.” Cira spoke with heavy sarcasm, “Another pocket realm. I presume this is Icarus’ heart?”

  “You presume correctly. Now, if I may draw your attention here.” Fitzgeralt took her over to a particular spot in the wall and proceeded to look at Cira as if to gauge her reaction.”

  “I’d recognize that handwriting anywhere!” Cira inspected the nearest array and some sorcerous script adorning it. “But I thought Dad left before you guys obtained Icarus.”

  “He did…” Fitzgeralt replied, “I don’t know when or why, but he must have found Daedalus during construction and struck a deal of some kind. Your father left a number of glyphs that appear completely inaccessible to anyone but himself. I hate to say this, but… I suspect he may have left this for you.”

  It was exactly what Cira expected plus or minus a few details, so she let out a simple sigh, “Figures. At least someone else can share in my irritation this time. Makes me feel a little better, I suppose…”

  “Tell me,” Fitzgeralt spoke, “In your eyes, what does this array do?”

  Cira snorted. She could not stifle this laugh no matter how hard she tried, “It’s written plain as day right here. Icarus’ barrier shall shatter on contact with Breeze Haven.” It was infuriating, but she let her dad have this one. The goal was obviously to educate Cira, or lead or to an opportunity wherein she can do so herself, but the execution was a prank on his old friend. Not only that, but it laid in wait for at least a century to come to fruition.

  “I am glad you find this amusing.” The high arbiter gave her a side eye, “I was beginning to think you and your father left on ill terms.”

  “No, no… I was quite sad for a long time about his passing. Still am, but it’s not until recently that he has upset me.” He seemed curious and looked like a good listener, so Cira let herself continue, venting a little at the chance. She discussed the letter she received and the growing discord in her heart over it, “What kind of sorcerer would I be if I just rolled over and let someone else predict my course? It doesn’t matter if it’s Kazali or my dad, this is my life! No one shall dictate it. In fact, if he intended to, he may as well have left me with that demon. I just—I just don’t get it!”

  The kindly high arbiter listened quietly then steeped in her concerns as the tension in the room thinned. After a moment, he shared his own insights on the matter, “Well, I suspect these skies would be a far darker place if he hadn’t, but that’s aside the point, isn’t it? All of us have only our own two feet to walk on. Now that you have learned how, it is only naturally that the idea of someone plotting your steps in advance should upset you.”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Y-yeah! Who does he think he is? That man was supposed to be my father, not my puppet master. I would give anything to have him back… but he’s gone. The least he could do is let me live my own life for once!”

  His long-lost glyphs illuminated Cira’s troubled face as the words she spoke just made her feel guilty. He had given her everything, his entire legacy. But she wasn’t the sage. She was Cira, lonesome sorcerer of the dead skies.

  “Are you so certain that’s not what he’s done? You are dealing with a demon who posseses the power to manipulate predestination.” His words ran contrary to her emotional turmoil, but she said herself that he must have had a good reason for everything. Cira just felt so invalidated for her years of effort after finally clawing her way back to the living world. “Your father must have known he wouldn’t have enough time to free you from Kazali’s grasp completely, but he respected fate and this world’s workings. He did what he could to prepare you in the time he had left, and he was exactly the kind of man who would think that wasn’t enough. But it all depends on you and your actions, Cira. The choices you make. I’m certain he knew that much. Consider this. No one but myself and Daedilus have ever entered this chamber, yet he has found a way to place you here.”

  Cira looked around and was once again amazed at the sheer scale of this pocket realm. It was nothing like Paradise, but she didn’t think she had ever seen so many enchantments or so much mithril in one place. Earth Vein would soil their soil at the sight of it. Not that she asked for it, but simply inspecting a few of them would be enough to absorb more useful information than the entire trilogy of ‘The Immaculate Arts of Housekeeping’.

  Learning is not always a one-way road. Most of the things I know are only know because my father taught them to me. So why did he teach me so many different things? Surely, he possessed more wisdom than most scholars around this place, so he must have known of the nameless second mark’s musings or similar sentiments.

  Yet he wanted me to learn as much as I could and see all there was to see. To gain the wisdom of the world, as it were. He always knew I would learn about that demon Kazali, but perhaps it’s as Emma said. Even the pursuit with clear purpose can be futile if the goal has no value or leaves me with nothing. As far as I’m concerned, that demon is already dead. I’m more than just a vengeful spirit, aren’t I?

  Then what am I? A sorcerer? I will never surpass my father as I am now. Unfortunately, I’m just like Emma or the nameless second mark. Without purpose.

  I continue my father’s work, and I seek to destroy the creature who cursed me, but neither of these fates are my own design. Maybe it’s about time I consider what it is I want to do. Something not found in the sorcerer’s code.

  A troubling wind blew across the Boreal as Fitzgeralt cleared his throat loudly, pulling her back into reality, “So, do you think you can remove this array?”

  “Right… I certainly can. Many of the patterns are familiar to me and similar to Breeze Haven’s locks, it’s just the scale…” She tried to wrap her head around the constellation of glyphs that made up Icarus’ core and gulped at the sheer thought of all that meticulous enchantment. “It seems nearly every array in this place is influenced in some way. This will take time.”

  “I suspected as much… So long as you think you can remove it before you depart from Icarus, I do not mind at which pace you finish work, and I will of course compensate you for your time.”

  It is a lot of work, but… fine, Dad. I’ll play your game this time, but only because I want to steal Daedilus’ secrets. This would be a valuable experience, but she couldn’t think of anytime soon she would need to know how to build an island-sized artifact. Mobile Fortress Fount Salt was only a ruse, after all.

  Perhaps he’s trying to say there’s still much to learn… It’s certainly not the time to go on a cursed warpath.

  Cira decided to spend the rest of the afternoon getting a lay of the land, as it were. Most specifically, she was curious about how the mana well on the outside translated to the pocket realm in here. Her excuse was that she needed to inspect everything as it was practically one huge array. It was not untrue, but Fitzgeralt didn’t mind leaving her to her own devices.

  Curiously enough, the well worked in a very similar way to the pylons she constructed in Paradise, but took advantage of the border between realms to capture the aether altogether in a way she hadn’t been able to manage. Instead of pulling directly from the aether to the spatial realm, it amassed inside this place first. Daedilus essentially used this place as Icarus’ personal aetherial realm. Because it was a phony, its capacity was finite, but due to its construction he maintained full control over it.

  “Fascinating stuff…” Cira shamelessly took down notes, “Tomorrow I should see how the spring interacts with it, but… I really ought to get back to the village.”

  Cira was just about ready for bed and there was a pillow with her name on it—and presumably the author’s name as well.