The Sword and the Scabbard

Chapter 2

Finn stepped into a large chamber; the heavy wooden door creaking shut behind him. The room was dominated by a bench in front of a giant cauldron, upon which an old woman with long grey hair was seated. She wore a pointy hat and a robe of dark and light colors. The cauldron bubbled and steamed behind her, filling the air with the scent of brewing potions. Behind the cauldron, towering shelves laden with books lined the walls.

Finn chuckled as he walked further into the room, his grin almost masking his annoyance. "Hey there, Cauldron!" he said, his voice laced with a mix of amusement and irritation.

The old woman, Cauldron, looked up and greeted him with a raised eyebrow. "Ah, Finn, back so soon? Don't tell me that the Wand of Light gave up on you."

Finn shook his head. "Oh, not at all. On the contrary, I came here myself. We were about to go off on another expedition, except—on the earlier floors, right as we were leaving—I saw something rather intriguing, Cauldron." His voice darkened towards the end.

Cauldron furrowed her eyebrows. "Intriguing? And what was that?" she asked.

Finn put his shoe on her table, glaring at her. "Tell me, Cauldron, why didn't you report anything to me about that boy?" His expression darkened slightly.

Cauldron's eyes widened as she thought, 'No, this is too early—!'

Finn continued, "See, the wands are supposed to be under your jurisdiction, while the swords are supposed to be under mine. Now, I wouldn't mind this nearly as much normally, but considering the circumstances and what the boy is—and don't pretend like you don't know—you witch, you do understand how big this is, or have you finally gone senile?"

Cauldron bit her lip, her eyes narrowing as she looked up at Finn. "Finn, that boy is a student at Rigarden Magic Academy. He's obsessed with becoming a wand and going up the tower to become a Magia Vander, even though he can't use magic. As it stands, the invaders beyond the false sky and the evils of the dungeon have yet to take action against the tower. We shouldn't crush those lofty aspirations of his when we don't have to!" she said, the promise she made with the current Albis Vina coming into her mind.

There was a moment of silence as Finn and Cauldron remained in their places, the air thick with tension. Finn sighed, his expression softening slightly. "For one, I didn't say anything about crushing his dreams. If nothing else, they'll prove to be beyond helpful. As for him not being able to use magic—you and I both know how wrong that is. For one, it's not even magic—you use magecraft, mostly magecraft with loose formulae and underdeveloped theory. Stop calling it magic already. I doubt they even taught anything about proper magecraft in the academy, so don't be quick to assume that the boy can't use it. And lastly, we can't keep being reactionary forever. We need to be ready for their assault, not be caught off guard like we were nearly a year ago when that Heavenly Invader fell because of the crack that formed due to the previous Albis Vina's death."

Cauldron sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. Finn wasn't wrong, but... 'Using that power of his is far too costly for him,' she thought, remembering what had happened to the boy.

"This game of yours won't last long, Cauldron. As of now, I'll be meddling in affairs concerning Will Serfort, our last remaining Hope," Finn said, he had no intentions of listening to Cauldron’s excuses.

Cauldron clutched her fists, her knuckles turning white. "I won't allow you to do that, Finn," she said, her voice trembling with resolve. It was simply far too early for Will Serfort to use his power—that which he had forgotten, like everything else.

Finn stared into her eyes darkly, his gaze unwavering. "Oh? Is that so? In that case, I'll just subjugate you into letting me." He raised his hand, his voice quiet, dark, and calm. "Archer, show yourself."
Archer materialized from his spirit form, his appearance shocking Cauldron. 'How?!' she thought, her eyes widening in disbelief. She had no time to react as a bow materialized in the Archer's arms, its string pulled back. The Archer shot an arrow right at her, at a speed so fast she had no time to cast a spell to counter.