Scarlett and the others passed through a moment of absolute darkness before colour snapped back into place in a brief flash of light, and the world resolved into a new scene around them.

“Back here again,” Rosa said casually, stretching beside Scarlett as she tossed her hair over one shoulder and looked around. “Feels a bit different from last time, doesn’t it?”

“That it does,” Scarlett replied, surveying the chamber.

They stood on a circular platform at the chamber’s centre, the Kilnstone they had just travelled through rising from its middle. Beyond the platform stretched an open expanse that dropped away into roiling water and jagged rocks far below. Somewhere in the distance, faint thunder rolled through the air.

This was the base of the Forgotten Tower.

The chamber was lit by floating crystals drifting slowly through the air, casting a steady glow across the space. A strange ambience accompanied it, as if the entire tower were quietly humming with some unseen current.

That was what felt different from before.

There had been a certain presence here last time as well, but it had felt more like a heavy gravity tying the place to something important. A locus prepared for the vast array Yamina had assembled to tear apart Fate’s framework. Now, it was more like they were standing at a crossroads between planes.

A heavy thud echoed. Scarlett glanced back just as Carnwedain set Olgolzkreh’s heart down on the ground, the massive knight silently studying their surroundings with his usual immovable calm.

Scarlett watched him for a moment.

The dark, slitless helm turned slightly, meeting her gaze.

“Have you been here before?” she asked after a while.

He regarded her in silence, then gave a slow nod.

“I see.”

Perhaps that shouldn’t be too surprising.

Allyssa walked to the edge of the platform and leaned forward, peering over the drop. “So has Yamina really been staying here ever since we last met her?”

“Presumably,” Scarlett said, turning towards her. Slate and Nol’viz joined Allyssa, the two of them quietly scrutinising the depths below.

Allyssa glanced back. “What’s she been doing all this time?”

“You would be better served asking her directly,” Scarlett said. “All I know is that she needed to clean up after our last meeting. And that she had other…preparations to complete.”

The ‘hoops’ she needed to jump through in order to have a proper discussion with Scarlett.

“I’m guessing she never told you what those were?” Kat asked.

Scarlett shook her head. “No.”

Her gaze drifted again.

A faint frown touched her brow.

Rosa stepped up beside her, noticing the expression and scanning the chamber with a small smile. “Disappointed we weren’t greeted with a proper reception? Maybe a welcoming procession of half-solemn attendants?”

“No,” Scarlett said.

“Really? Then maybe you expected a grand entrance with banners and trumpets?”

“Once again, no.”

Rosa gasped theatrically. “Don’t tell me. A parade drifting down from the ceiling?”

Scarlett looked at her flatly. Rosa just grinned.

“I was expecting some means of transportation,” Scarlett said. “That is all.”

The Forgotten Tower was big. The chamber where they had previously met Yamina sat much higher up, and if the game was any indication, reaching it on foot would take a considerable amount of time. A walkway did extend from the platform, winding away into the tower’s exterior sections, but Scarlett couldn’t say for certain that she knew the correct path to wherever Yamina currently was.

She wouldn’t mind exploring the Tower. There were several things here that interested her. But speaking with Yamina came first.

Just as she began considering whether she could open a portal herself using the Athame, a glow flared ahead of them. Runes ignited across the ground, and lines of light wove themselves into a circle.

A moment later, a woman wearing deep emerald robes appeared within it. Her dark purple hair had been pulled back into a braid, and a pair of thin spectacles hung from her neck on delicate golden chains.

“Sorry about the wait,” she said in an easy tone. “I was in the middle of stabilising a volatile thaumic suspension that just wouldn’t distil, and I didn’t quite expect you this soon.”

Scarlett watched as the woman brushed glittering residue from one sleeve before placing the glasses on the bridge of her nose.

“We came as soon as I received your message, Yamina,” she said.

“I can see that.” The wizard smiled, her gaze passing over each of them with sharp, measuring interest.

A faint note of amusement crept into her expression as she looked towards Slate and Nol’viz, neither of whom had turned away from studying the depths below. Her eyes then settled on Carnwedain, observing him for several long seconds before returning to Scarlett.

“Do I want to ask?”

“I would be surprised if you did not,” Scarlett said. “Though I assume you are wondering whether I intend to explain.”

“I certainly wouldn’t object if you did.”

Scarlett gestured first towards Nol’viz. “I released her for the time being under certain conditions. She lent her assistance to my group as we dealt with Fynn’s trials.”

She then gestured to Carnwedain.

“He is here as part of the agreement to release Nol’viz. His presence is wholly separate from his position as a member of the Hallowed Cabal.”

“Is that so?” Yamina’s gaze moved between them again. “I think I have an inkling of the direction you may be heading. If you’d like, I might even be able to help.”

Scarlett raised an eyebrow. “Truly?”

“Yes,” Yamina said. “Though that will have to wait. There are other matters I imagine you would prefer to touch on first.”

“There are.” 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Yamina’s attention finally shifted to Olgolzkreh’s heart. “By the way, that wouldn’t happen to be an ancient dragon’s heart, would it?”

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Scarlett nodded. “It is.”

“You mentioned Fynn’s trial, so…the Lord of the White?”

“Olgolzkreh’s heart, yes.”

The wizard’s focus lingered on the crystallised mass as she stepped up to it. She rested a hand lightly against the surface, studying the slow rotation of white-blue radiance within—the condensed power gathered and refined by one of this world’s mightiest creatures over millennia.

Then she circled it, pausing when she reached the side where the colour had drained away into mottled greys and pallid whites, warped by the Anomalous One’s power.

Her eyes flicked briefly to Scarlett with a ruminative look before returning to the heart.

“I’m surprised,” she finally said.

“You are?”

She chuckled. “Shouldn’t I be?”

“I almost expected you to have predicted this.”

“I’m afraid I don’t have that many predictions left to spend.” Yamina stepped back from the heart and returned to Scarlett.

“But you do have some left?” Scarlett asked, watching her.

Yamina gave a faint smirk. “A few.” She raised her hands slightly, looking around at the group. “I just realised I never properly welcomed you. My apologies. Welcome back to the Forgotten Tower. Things seem to have changed a bit since last time, but at least most of you are familiar faces.” She gestured behind her. “Come along. I’ll take you to where I’ve been doing most of my work.”

She motioned to the spot where the runes had appeared earlier. The group gathered within the circle as Yamina activated the array again, the runes lighting up before the world shifted.

This next chamber was smaller than the much grander one they’d been in last time. But it was also cosy in a way. It had plain stone walls, with several heavy tables scattered around the room, each crowded with tools, diagrams, fragments of arrays, odd materials and reagents, and obscure constructs. It was all punctuated by chairs placed almost at random around the space, and a single half-made bed near the entrance.

Scarlett’s attention was mostly focused on the various tools, which she recognised thanks to Thainnith’s legacy. A flicker of interest passed through her as she realised several of the instruments were Zuverian designs she could actually make good use of.

“I hope you’ll pardon the mess,” Yamina said as she crossed the room. She pointed to one corner where several cylindrical constructs hung suspended within etched metal frames. “You can place the heart over there if you’d prefer it not getting in the way.”

Carnwedain carried the heart over and set it down in an empty space beside the other constructs. As soon as it touched the ground, the runes beneath it flared to life and began humming softly.

A thin, frost-like mist formed above the heart as the phantom dragon’s will gathered into its sleeping shape, breathing slowly in the air above it.

Yamina paused when she noticed it. “Huh. Now that is curious.”

Her gaze shifted to Scarlett.

“A remnant will of Olgolzkreh,” Scarlett explained. “It stabilises and regulates the power within the heart. So far, however, it has shown no signs of waking.”

Despite several days having passed, the phantom had remained dormant. She wasn’t entirely sure why. Even Slate hadn’t been able to give her a clear answer.

“Fascinating…” Yamina murmured, studying the dragon for a few moments before suddenly turning back to Scarlett. “Would you be interested in expanding it with me?”

“…Expanding it?”

“The heart, that is. Not the remnant will,” Yamina said, a clear note of interest in her voice. “The Rising Isle possesses some of the rarest and most refined arcane materials in the Material Realm, but even we don’t exactly keep ancient dragon hearts lying around for study. The closest comparison might be the core integrated into Dawnlight Palace’s defences, though I doubt that truly compares. I’ve worked with many powerful reagents over the years, but never one that still carries the remnant will of its original owner. I suspect they’d have me stripped of my title as wizard if I passed up the opportunity to examine one properly.”

Scarlett glanced briefly at the sleeping dragon. “My question was not about your interest. What do you mean by ‘expanding’ it?”

Yamina considered her for another moment, then gave a quiet laugh. She adjusted the rim of her glasses as a flicker of light passed through the lenses.

“It’s easy to forget you’re not a wizard yourself, Baroness. The terminology wouldn’t be familiar.” She looked at the heart. “‘Expansion’ is what we call the process of refining and widening a mana source’s internal circuits so they can properly interface with structured arrays and higher-order spellwork. In cases where those circuits aren’t naturally aligned, they must also be stabilised and reshaped. In case you are wondering, Dean Godwin performed a version of that process on the dragon heart already installed in your estate.”

“I see,” Scarlett said. “So it is something that must be done regardless?”

“You would be hard-pressed to use that heart for any meaningful magecraft without doing it. I assume you don’t plan to simply leave it sitting around.”

“You assume correctly.”

“Then expansion should be your first priority. I imagine it will be challenging, given the will of an ancient dragon and whatever method you used to stabilise that other power in the heart.”

“But you believe you could do it?” Scarlett asked.

“Possibly. Either I or an arch wizard.”

“And when you said you wished to expand it with me?”

Yamina looked at her. “I meant that we would work together, of course.”

“Together?”

“Yes. I think that would be rather interesting. I’m aware you possess certain knowledge that even the Rising Isle doesn’t.”

Scarlett studied her closely.

Aside from cooperating with Slate and receiving a few lessons in runic basics from Arlene, she had never actually worked alongside a proper magic practitioner while using Thainnith’s legacy to construct arrays. Wizards in particular approached magic through a different framework of theory and discipline that she simply didn’t have. She’d never needed to learn to do things that way, either. And if she was being honest, her interest in the more academic and theoretical sides of magecraft had always been limited.

Still, the idea was…somewhat intriguing.

“Very well,” she said after a moment’s consideration. “Once we return to my estate, we can do as you suggested.”

“Oh, unfortunately, you probably won’t want to wait until then.” Yamina swept a hand lightly around the room. “It would be far easier to perform the procedure here. In fact, if you’re open to it, I’d suggest we do it immediately.”

“Immediately?” Scarlett frowned. “Was there not something else we should discuss first?”

The wizard had promised that the next time they met, they would speak about their shared connection to The Other.

Yamina met her eyes, holding them. She seemed to think as she folded her arms and rested one hand against her chin.

“Are you certain you’d prefer to start with that?”

Scarlett nodded without hesitation. “Yes.”

“I should warn you that it will involve a bit more than a simple conversation,” Yamina said. “Remember the hoops I mentioned?”

“I recall you saying there were only two remaining. And that you expected them to be resolved by now.”

“There were. And I have. In part. But there is still some extra complexity involved.”

“Regardless, I would prefer to begin there,” Scarlett said.

Yamina let out a quiet sigh. “I don’t blame you. It’s just a little unfortunate.” Her gaze drifted back towards Olgolzkreh’s heart with something close to longing. “Looks like I won’t get to examine that properly for a few more days.”

“Days?” Scarlett paused. “How long do you expect this conversation to take?”

Yamina looked back at her. “Realistically? Not too long. But there’s one hoop that you specifically will need to jump through, so the exact duration depends on you. I’ve prepared things so it shouldn’t be too hard, but the general rule of unresearched wizardry—especially when dealing with poorly understood phenomena—is that you expect things to go awry.”

“…That does not inspire confidence.”

“I’d be concerned if it did.”

“So would I,” Rosa cut in, raising a hand. “For the record, I’m concerned anyway. Exactly what sort of hoop are you planning to make our stalwart leader jump through, Miss Senior Wizard Lady?”

Yamina glanced at her with amusement. “‘Miss Senior Wizard Lady’?”

“Scarlett’s calling you by name, which just feels wrong somehow,” Rosa said. “Thought I’d add a bit of extra formality to balance things out.”

Yamina actually nodded, as if that explanation made perfect sense. Then she looked back to Scarlett, silently asking how much she was permitted to share.

“I will explain the full details to them later,” Scarlett said. “For now, I would appreciate at least a general explanation. I assume you do not intend to put me through something dangerous.”

“No,” Yamina replied. “One of the hoops we still need to deal with is that I can’t directly—or even indirectly—explain the subject we want to discuss. So I’ve prepared another method to convey that information to you instead. It should be perfectly safe.”

“…In theory, I presume.”

Yamina smiled. “In theory.” She looked back to Rosa. “Does that satisfy you?”

Rosa studied her for several long seconds before glancing at Scarlett. There was a trace of seriousness behind her usual expression, but Scarlett gave a small, subtle nod.

Seeing that, Rosa turned back to Yamina and spread her hands. “Well, I’m convinced. Who am I to argue with theory and all its authority?”

“I’m not sure I like the sound of ‘theory’ either,” Kat said. “But none of us here are exactly qualified to dispute the expertise of a wizard.”

“In my experience, expertise isn’t required to feel concerned,” Yamina replied, “but I do appreciate whatever faith you’re willing to lend me.”

Her eyes drifted briefly towards a worktable near the corner of the room, where several tools and half-finished arrays lay scattered. Then she reached into her robes and pulled out a gold-banded pocket watch, snapping it open with a soft click.

“Before we begin, though, there’s one small matter of business I should take care of first. Your arrival just reminded me that I’ve forgotten something rather important.”

“What is that?” Scarlett asked.

“Sustenance.” Yamina snapped the watch shut and slipped it back into her robes. “I may have forgotten to eat for a little over two days.”

“Two days?” Allyssa exclaimed. “You’re worse than Scarlett.”

Scarlett shot the girl a look.

Kat glanced around the room. “Do you even have food here? Where have you been getting meals while living in this tower?”

“Why, I cook,” Yamina said. She flicked her hand and summoned a spellbook into it. “I should still have a few ingredients left. Since you’re guests, allow me to prepare something. Do you have any requests?”