Kaladin Shadowheart’s POV.

“Thank you for meeting with me. I know how busy you are,” I said to Bowen.

It was clear the last few weeks had not been kind to Bowen. He looked as if he had aged decades in days. His brown beard was marked with patches of gray, as was his long hair. The soft wrinkles that creased his eyes had grown longer and deeper.

And the heavy atmosphere that he rarely released had grown significantly and oozed from him. Sometimes, it was easy to forget he was a Grandmaster mage. But now it was impossible not to know.

Bowen nodded and said, “Of course. It all started here, after all. It’s only fitting it ends here.”

“Then you already know I won’t be returning to classes?” I asked.

Bowen chuckled and said, “As if you attended classes regularly?”

I returned the chuckle. “That is true…” I said.

Bowen shrugged weakly as he moved his hair from his face. “Even so, I heard Sylvia will remain to take her last handful of business classes?” he said.

“That’s right. She has only a few hours remaining for those tests, so she decided to continue. After all, we can’t borrow JD from you indefinitely,” I said.

“Indeed, I’ll be needing him more than ever,” Bowen said with a faint smile.

Bowen leaned back in his chair and raised a hand as he said, “Also, you have nothing to worry about regarding your housing. We don’t have anyone looking for rooms that require such safety measures now that the twins are graduating. You and your family are more than welcome to stay as long as you need.”

“I appreciate that. We’ll make sure not to overstay our welcome,” I told him.

“You and your family are always welcome here, Kaladin. There is no need to rush toward anything. However, I would like to make a selfish request,” Bowen said.

“Oh? And what is that?” I asked.

“I’d like it if you participated in the graduation at the end of the summer with everyone. Just the ceremony, of course,” Bowen suggested.

I couldn’t help but feel confused as I argued, “But I have nowhere near the requirements to graduate? I suppose I could take some tests, but…”

Bowen chuckled bitterly as he waved my concerns away. “What would be the point? Every test you have taken, including the makeups and advancement placement, you passed with ease despite not taking any of the prerequisites while missing weeks of classes. I’m positive it would be a waste of time for both of us,” he said.

This isn’t quite like him…

Bowen sighed deeply as he explained, “I can see your concern, Kaladin. This is a very atypical situation, and we would seldom consider it. However, the simple fact of the matter is that having your name tied to this school is simply invaluable for the future. It wouldn’t be an understatement to say people would send their children or themselves here for generations if one of the alumni were The Dragonslayer. I believe if there were a time to make a compromise, it would be now. Even if it is ‘honorary,’ I hardly doubt anyone will find you lacking. I’ve already signed off on it as well.”

“I see you’ve thought about this a great deal. I have no reason not to agree then. I owe you and this place a great deal. This is the least I can do,” I said with a shrug.

“Good, thank you for agreeing. Now I just have this you need to sign. Let me—”

Crash.

Bang.

The wooden desk quaked as wood splintered into the air from Bowen’s mana-enhanced fist. My heart darkened not from the sudden outburst, the rage that emanated from him, or even the surprise. It was simply just sad.

While reaching over his desk, Bowen accidentally knocked over an inkwell, spilling it across the papers and staining them black. It was clear it was born from the awkward movements of someone trying to learn to navigate life while missing a limb they had always had. It was a simple mistake, and even someone with two arms would have done it.

To see the usual calm and elegant man grit his teeth as his eyes burned with fatigue and frustration was miserable to say the least. And I felt for him, he was a friend who had helped me many times. But sadly, I could not grieve for him. So I remained silent.

Bowen’s chest rose and fell from underneath his robe as he shut his eyes, exhaled deeply from his nostrils, and said, “I… apologize. That outburst was unbecoming of me…I should know better.”

I shook my head. “I’m not your student anymore, nor the wandering child you met in need of help. We’re friends, Bowen. We’ve shared some harrowing moments together. You don’t need to put up a front with me. I understand,” I said.

Bowen averted his eyes as he nodded weakly. “Yes…I suppose so. So much loss…not enough time to come to grips with it. These have been dark days for us all,” he mumbled.

After a few moments of silence, Bowen looked up at the large clock in his office and said, “We have some time before the children’s schooling introduction. Can you spare me some time? I want to show you something.”

“Sure.”

—

Bowen led me deep into the university’s grounds and to a staff-only section. At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but as we progressed and started to descend into the belly of the school, things began to change.

We passed a handful of well-guarded checkpoints and locked doors until we reached an inner sanctum of sorts. A single teacher sat behind an oddly placed desk, going through papers with a bored look. He immediately jumped up upon seeing Bowen.

“Headmaster I—”

Bowen waved the man down. “It’s fine, Antoli, as you were. Thank you for taking up guard duty. We are just taking a look through the vault,” Bowen said with a professional smile.

Antoli, the teacher, gave an awkward nod as he sat back down. Bowen walked over to a smaller door and placed an amulet into a recess. Runes lit up on the door, and Bowen easily pushed the thick stone slabs open. It was a mechanism I had seen before; it appeared to be the same as the one in Sandervile’s library secret path.

As I walked in behind him, the smell of dust and old books hit me like a wave. The warehouse-type room held hundreds of glass bookshelves stocked to the brim. Crates stacked to the ceiling. Tables with who knows what strewn across them.

Bowen navigated toward the back as if he knew exactly where he was heading. A tarp covered something, and Bowen flicked it off, revealing a single glass housing with an old, ruined book lying on a pedestal. Its pages were torn with age and neglect. Only the outer cover was new. With a key, he undid the thick lock and retrieved the book, giving it a glance before handing it to me.

“This book…no, journal would be more apt, has been a source of knowledge for not only Luminar, but for Brax as well. Many things have been gleaned from its contents. The design for the city’s entire sewer network, with its piping and distribution, was sourced from the referenced designs in this tome,” Bowen explained.

“Where did you find it?” I asked, handling the book with care.

“A merchant apparently bought it from an adventurer, but that is unconfirmed. In truth, we have no idea what its origins are, only that Brax came into possession of it early on in the empire’s founding. And even to this day, we have not been able to decipher the text inside of it. The damage may be extensive, and the scrawling text may be nothing more than scribbles, but the language is unlike any we’ve seen before. No language, present, or past is related to it. Its alphabet…if it even has one, is a mystery,” Bowen said.

“Interesting… and you are hoping that I do?” I asked curiously.

A faint smile appeared across his lips as Bowen shrugged and said, “You also have many mysteries surrounding you. We agreed not to speak about it, so I won’t press you for any information. However, this has been a great source of knowledge and we have gleaned only a fraction of what it has to offer. If you could make sense of even a small portion, there is no telling what we could learn.”

I nodded along and carefully thumbed open to a page with text. The dark ink had long since stained the dusty pages, and I immediately understood why no one could decipher the text. It was nothing short of chaotic nonsense. If one didn’t know better, it looked to be either the drawings of a madman or a bored child.

But that was only if they didn’t know what they were looking at.

“Cyrillic, cursive Cyrillic most likely due to these...letters. Also, Bowen was right, this is clearly more of a journal, only meant for the writer, not some book meant to contain and convey a deep knowledge,” a deep voice resonated from beside me.

Don’t suppose you can read it?

“No. This was already a dead form of writing long before we were created. I can’t make sense of it, only remember seeing it in ancient history data,” Kronos answered.

I see…but if there was anyone that could…

“Yes, it would be her,” Kronos finished.

Well, I already planned on speaking to her soon. She did send that letter the other day.

I closed the book and nodded to myself. Bowen looked at me expectantly, and I answered, “I can’t make sense of it. But I know someone who might. Could I take this to them?”

“We’ve copied what we could, so take what you need,” Bowen said.

“I’ll see what my contact can do. No promises, though.”

—

This is…I must have missed the memo.

I sat awkwardly in the chair that was just slightly too small for me as Mila practically buzzed with excitement as the teachers and staff passed around information. The small classroom was packed wall to wall with young students, most of them around five or six, with a handful of them being slightly older. They sat in their seats, and their parents and guardians were next to them.

I just so happened to be the youngest parent in the room, which was no surprise. However, I was also the only man, as Sylvia had insisted I go, since only one parent was allowed. The only other was Bowen, who stood at the front of the class whispering to a woman who would be the director of the new school. And the only people I recognized were Dallin, Mom, and Rosemary.

I shuffled through the papers, ignoring the stares and whispers from the students and parents. Even if they were quiet, I could still hear them clear as day in such a small room.

The school was a pre-education in a sense. It was available for free for children or siblings of students and staff of Forward University, at first, and as the school grew, it would eventually incorporate others from the outside. At its core, it was closer to a day or night care for children while their parents either worked or attended classes. Not to say education wasn’t a focus.

Students would receive a basic education that could eventually lead them to join the academy that feeds into a four-year university. From what I was told, that was the same academy Lauren, Lin, Varnir, and the others attended together before going to Forward University. Of course, that remained to be seen as according to Bowen and the papers, everything was still in its trial phase.

Regardless, the wide range of people coming from various backgrounds was astounding, and very atypical for such a time period. A free education was essentially unheard of, let alone being guaranteed to the children of a current student. Even so, the children of adventurers, craftsmen, or even nobles mingled here and would attend either the morning or afternoon classes. Mila would naturally take part in the morning classes that would run to the early afternoon.

At least Mila seems excited—some of the others…not so much.

Amongst the whispers and excited children were plenty of those crying to their parents. Not everyone shared the feeling of wonder and excitement for something new, it seemed.

Bowen cleared his throat as he addressed the room, “May I have your attention, everyone. My name is Bowen Taurus, Grandmaster mage and Headmaster of Forward University. I’d like to thank you for your time and understanding. This has been a tremendous undertaking for all parties involved, and we have only just begun.”

“For those of you unable to read the pamphlets, please ask for clarification on things while picking up your child’s uniform. The staff will be more than happy to assist you. These uniforms are to be worn while attending classes every day. Please have your student try them on by tonight and be ready to relay any fixes when they come for classes tomorrow. Any mending or resizing needed will be done for free thanks to our tailoring department. A uniform for both warm and cold weather will be supplied, and any replacements will also be free of charge as long as it is in reason,” he continued.

“As the founder of this still-to-be-named school, I would like to remind everyone that we are still going through growing pains here. There is much to learn on both sides, so please bear with us as we figure things out together. Allow me to introduce Director Elise, who is the primary on-site staff member,” he finished.

The half-Elf stood modestly as she bowed to Bowen and launched into the usual speech. I was mostly a recount of what was in the papers, talking about the rules of the school, and what the children would be doing. The expectations for parents to pick their children up on time and bring them to school on time. Essentially, what was to be expected, at least for me.

However, there was a small minority of parents grouped in the corner of the room who did not seem so pleased with things. And judging by their attire, they evidently believed they were above such…mingling.

Well, I suppose you can’t make everyone happy. And since Bowen isn’t accepting money from these people, he isn’t beholden to them. Not that he would care anyway. I was technically a runaway slave mingling with royalty in the same room at one point.

After the director finished her speech, the staff spilled out into the room and began passing out the uniforms. “Mila Shadowheart, Sir?” the woman asked politely.

Even before I confirmed it, she was already handing the bundle over, and I nodded politely as I gave Mila the clothes. “Hold off on opening it. We can try it on when we get home,” I said.

Mila grasped the bundle tightly to her chest, and I made sure to hold onto the shoes for her. Her excitement brought a smile to my face, and I decided to check on the others.

Dallin also seemed equally happy about it. But there was a sort of muted reaction from him. The funeral is still undoubtedly fresh in his mind. Rosemary…was much the same, it seemed.

Sigh…I can only hope things go well. Surely they can get through their first day without a problem.