Chapter 22: The Arrival of the Academies
The Aetherium transformed overnight. Dean Eris mobilized the entire student body, forcing them into their best dress uniforms and assigning every remedial class to tedious, high-visibility tasks. Lance, Opal, and Kian were given the title of the Logistics and Stabilization Trio, which mostly meant they were responsible for checking the power stability of crystal lamps and making sure the banquet hall floors didn't spontaneously shift.
The arrival of the visiting schools was an exercise in power projection. Four grand transport portals opened simultaneously in the newly dried quad, each disgorging students who looked dramatically different from the subdued Aetherium Key Bearers.
The first group was from the Northern Spires Academy, known for their powerful, elemental Mages. Their students wore deep, sapphire blue robes and carried staves crackling with ambient energy.
Lance was checking the stability of the entryway lamps when he was approached by a striking girl named Elara. She had sharp, confident features and a sapphire Matrix that pulsed with a steady, high-frequency power—a true mage of output.
"You must be Silverwoods," Elara stated, bypassing Opal and Kian entirely. Her voice held a note of profound respect. "Elara of the Spires. I heard about the fountain incident. Your Containment Protocol was unprecedented. Our Academy still studies the Master Stabilizer's original texts on structural dampening."
"I was just... stabilizing the overflow," Lance managed, immediately put on edge by her reverence.
"Just stabilizing?" Elara scoffed, her eyes gleaming with the excitement of a true believer. "A Level-4 surge stopped with zero residual displacement? That's the classic Aethelgard maneuver. My ancestor, a master Earth Mage, documented the Silverwoods lineage's work extensively. He believed your family's control over Mote density was the highest form of magic."
She leaned in, lowering her voice. "We think the Aetherium is suppressing the original teachings. The Spires admire true structural mastery, not just raw power. If you need any assistance with the logistics of stability, know that the Spires are your allies."
Elara's immediate respect confirmed Kian's theory: the Silverwoods were admired elsewhere for the exact quality (precision) that the Aetherium despised.
Next came the students of the Southern Collegium, known for their focus on magical mechanics and architecture. They wore practical, gray uniforms and carried toolkits instead of wands.
A boy named Ren, quiet and intensely focused, approached the trio. His gray Matrix was completely silent, reflecting his school's non-showy ethos. He introduced himself with a respectful formality.
"Ren, of the Collegium. I must apologize for our current Headmaster's dismissal of the Aetherium's methods. We, however, regard the Aethelgard foundations as the gold standard for Mote-Flow Governance."
Ren was immediately drawn to Kian, seeing the chaotic efficiency of his external stabilizer. "Your Mote-Drain device, if I may? The salvaged components and calculated energy bleed—it's highly inefficient, but the sheer ingenuity of the bypass is fascinating."
"It's about survival, not efficiency," Kian corrected, a grin spreading across his face. Kian had found a fellow technician.
"The best survival requires precision," Ren countered, turning his focused gaze on Lance. "The Collegium believes your family invented the only True Nullification Algorithm in existence. My ancestor was a master cartographer and personally documented the structural stability of the first Silverwoods containment project. The sheer mathematical elegance of the design is what we strive for."
He offered Lance a small, detailed schematic drawn on a square of thin copper. "If you need schematics or any non-magical, structural assistance, the Collegium stands with the Silverwoods. We respect the architects."
The final school was the most exotic: the Rift Watch Academy, based near the perpetually unstable inter-dimensional boundaries. Their students wore dark, heavily reinforced leather gear, and their Motes were erratic, constantly adjusting to the nearby instability.
A girl named Lyra, with sharp, vigilant eyes and a heavy leather wristguard, joined the group. She didn't offer praise; she offered a warning.
"Lyra, of the Rift Watch," she stated simply. "We monitor the boundaries. Your fountain stabilization was recorded on our sensors as a Localized Boundary Correction. It was precise, but dangerous."
She pointed to the Clock Tower, now sealed. "My ancestors worked closely with the original Master Stabilizers. The Watch knows the Aetherium is a Governor. The legends passed down in our school are clear: the Silverwoods lineage was the ultimate guardian against the Fracture. Their control was the only thing that kept the stability field intact."
Lyra's view was the most severe: her admiration was rooted in fear of what the Silverwoods kept contained.
"The Headmasters of the Council—they want stability for their own gain," Lyra warned. "But your family sought stability for survival. Be careful, Silverwoods. If you expose the structural lie, you risk exposing the contained truth."
Lance suddenly felt the weight of his task triple. He had Kian and Opal, and now three new allies who each saw a different facet of his lineage: Mastery of Density, Mathematical Elegance, and Ultimate Guard.
The Conclave had begun, and the remedial trio was now surrounded by potential collaborators who held the keys to his family's suppressed history.