Discordant Note: Crescendo | TBATE

Chapter 252: A Promise

Thank you to my beta reader and editor, GlassThreads!

Arthur Leywin

I trundled from the sickroom, leaving Tessia behind as the door closed. Her final words rang in my head like thorn-filled vines.

I'll wait.

Questions and worries about what to do next swirled in my head like those effervescent visions I'd been having of my past life. All the while, Grey watched me from the sidelines.

I groaned, pressing my face into my hands as I fought to keep a lid on my rising fears and uncertainties.

"Arthur," Sylvie thought to me, concerned and uncertain as I failed to keep my dread to myself. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

I stood still in the hallway, the darting particles of ambient mana around me bathing me in their subtle hues. No, Sylv, I replied mournfully, still weighing the veracity of Tess' subtle demands. No, I'm not.

My bond couldn't come to me now. She was busy keeping Taci occupied, and if she returned, so too would the pantheon. So instead of explaining it all, I let my memories of the past few minutes trickle by over our bond.

She listened. She always listened. I could feel her happiness as she sensed how I'd opened up to Tess, grateful that I'd taken that terrifying step. She felt my uncertainty as Tess led me towards Virion's medical wing, then deeper worries as Tess continued to speak. Continued to make sense.

And when she saw Tess' ultimate demand—her ultimate proposition for what would see us through this war and curtail Agrona's plans—her mind slammed to a halt, too.

It's foolish, I argued, staring upward. I could sense Tess back in the room, sitting back near Virion. She didn't appear nearly as rattled and unsettled by our talk as I was. Or not in the same way. It's just another attempt of hers to try and put herself in danger. Just like it was with Goodsky. She's just trying to do the same thing she's always done.

Sylvie didn't respond for a moment. But when she did, her words washed away the anger I'd been wearing like a shield.

"We both know that's not why she's done this," Sylv thought back. "If it was just another attempt to make herself useful or a desire to prove herself, you wouldn't have such internal turmoil."

That's not true, I thought stubbornly. It's...

"I can read your thoughts, Arthur," Sylvie said back somberly. "Tessia isn't the same as when we last saw her. She's willing to sacrifice herself for the good of this continent, whether that be in war or being locked away. It's just that being a Lance..."

My bond's words trailed off, but she didn't need to finish that sentence. Because being a Lance is the best way for Tess to serve this continent.

She'd read my memories. The moment my childhood friend had offered herself to be my Lance, I could feel Grey's teeth sink deeply into the idea.

If Tessia were to become my Lance, it would essentially ensure the loyalty of all of Elenoir. Already, Alduin was willing to bend the knee to my rule, but not out of loyalty. It was out of exhaustion and desperation, and he could be swayed by the other elves. If Tessia were to become my Lance, I would functionally bind the elven kingdom to me—and set a precedent for their subservience to my commands. After all, their princess would obey me. Power would be further centralized around my authoritarian regime.

And Tessia was powerful. At the mid-silver stage, she was one of the most powerful non-Lance mages Dicathen had, if not the most powerful. To keep her locked away in the castle or Zestier effectively wasted a powerful asset. And if she were to become a Lance in the white core, I could imagine her eclipsing even Varay in strength in due time. She would become a powerful military force, able to be sent anywhere across the continent.