House of Amarin

Outside, far away in the Cosmos, there was a storm brewing in the endless nebulas of pure energy. A torrent of clouds was swirling around a tiny point, flashing with purple lightning, sending rumbles echoing far and wide. As the wind was picking up speed, the lightning bolts began to turn darker and darker, nearing the color of red.

"Mhm... Still too far away." A voice lamented, and it was hard to tell if the owner was disappointed or just stating a fact. Her words were followed by the lightning gradually subsiding and the winds slowly dispersing, letting the Cosmos return to its natural calmness as if nothing had happened at all. From within the clouds, a young, petite figure flew out wearing black and purple robes, her silvery hair tied up in a ponytail, and her purple eyes occasionally flashing with electricity.

"Finished training?"

"For this time, yes! How are things back home, LeiLei? Did you miss me~?!" She asked with a happy laugh, hugging him and welcoming her husband, snuggling up to him.

"All fine, and I did miss you! And... It was time you returned, Ren! We have a problem."

"Oh?" She tilted her head to the right as Leinor sounded surprisingly serious. "Is it about one of our Realms?"

"Kinda. It is about the one called Meriath."

"Oh!" Ren clapped, recalling the name at once, "What, did they open up? Tsk, Kyu will be furious to hear she missed it!"

"Kyu is currently away, following her nose and sniffing out some new food. She already forgot to be angry!" He rolled his eyes in answer, making Ren pat his hands.

"Let her be~! She is a grown-up now! She can go and explore the world by herself!"

"Could have fooled me with the growing up part! You know she always rushes back, crying when she finds trouble, and it is us who need to deal with it!"

"She will be fine! What about Yue? Did she go with her?"

"No, she is with Ariana. She took Yue with her when she was dispatched down into Regaste."

"Did another trouble arise within that cursed realm?" Ren groaned, rubbing her temple. The moment they took over that relatively primitive domain, conquering it from the one called Meriath, it proved to be nothing but a hotbed for annoyances. The people living in it refused to bow their heads and rebelled against them repeatedly. Once in a few hundred years, someone emerged from it just to attack the disciples who were keeping a vigil around the realm. No matter how many times they tried placating them, they refused to integrate into their growing galactic alliance of different realms.

"It is a full-on rebellion this time. The whole domain rose up; they cultivated around a hundred people who could travel into the Cosmos! They broke the blockade and killed thirty disciples from the alliance stationed there."

"Tsk... I'll go there immediately!"

"Ah, no, no, I am just saying it so you know where Ariana took Yue to gain some experience. By now, their forces have been beaten back into their realm, and we are conducting a complete invasion. Sect Master Aerthus and the rest of the Council decided that enough was enough; we are wiping them out!"

"Ah, I see, I see... then? What is it?" She asked, her mood already returning to equilibrium, not worrying about it anymore.

"You said it first. Meriath has reopened!"

"Eh... really? I was only joking... haahh... okay, so? How many came out? Is it in connection with the Regaste stuff? We did send those disciples to be imprisoned there... What was their name?"

"Golden Claw."

"Yeah, that's it! Orsi was right; they were all untrustworthy spies and slimy fucks!"

"That is a possibility, but probably it is nothing but a coincidence." Leinor hummed, scratching his chin as they were flying across the Cosmos, "They are all long dead anyway. Even if their ideals lived on... nobody will remember them after they are all scrubbed off from the map!"

"Haaah... should I then go and do the same with Meriath?"

"This is the interesting part! Our sentries reported that something strange had happened... their door was blown open from the inside, yet nobody came out. Even stranger, it was clear that something was happening to them within. I went and looked at it, and right now, the entry is blocked by the energies of the Cosmos. Whatever went down below was huge... by my calculations, it will take a few years, maybe even decades, until everything calms down in the region. Then we will see what emerges from their home!"

"Hmmm... Okay. I'll go, set up some defenses, and leave behind a clone to keep vigil there. If that old bastard is still alive, I will kill him! But first, let's wait... If they managed to reform themselves, then we can make peace! If they are willing, they can join us too, but... there would be hard rules set for them... but still. It would be a good step forward."

"The ever-optimistic, eh?" Leinor smiled, rubbing his wife's head, who chuckled happily. "I am always open to making friends... especially when my enemies don't live long enough! I will welcome them back to the Cosmos; the question is, will it be done with a handshake or with a punch!"

...
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.....

As the world slowly returned to normalcy, as best as it could, the news of the opening of the new Institute of Eight Elements was spreading throughout the continent. The biggest promotion it had was the fact it announced that the new Academy would prepare the next generation to step beyond the Realm Gate and travel the Cosmos. A new generation for a new era, as Lia said, her words echoing from the recordings that were sent through the realm, making many young talents want to join.

"Here are some great news! You will love this!" Albert laughed, walking into Lia's office with a stack of papers so high it almost reached the ceiling... yet he balanced it perfectly.

"You are joking!" She cried out, watching it, going pale as if she just saw an Undead returning from beyond the grave.

"No! We have way too many applicants!" He exclaimed happily, putting it down beside her table with a groan, "Your little campaign became way too attractive! Everyone knows your name anyway!"

"They do?" Lia asked, twitching her mouth as her death was not that well known amongst the masses. Most believed she had saved the city of the Berisons and had been recuperating since then, participating in the final battle with the leaders of Meriath.

"Duh!" Albert grinned, sitting down in one of the chairs, "Just think about it! They know that you saved the city of the Berisons. Then, they think you were also part of the final battle."

"Well, that part is true!" She pouted, but of course, for many, it was a battle of the core of the Six Houses and the Undead leaders. If a few people knew about what really happened, then even fewer knew about Reyra going missing before it all.

"You know how it is! The further you go from the event, the less people will understand it! Anyway, they also know that you are the youngest to combine two elements, right after Erias and your Mother! That alone is enough to accept you as being named as the new Headmaster!"

"Still... I don't think the previous Academy had this many people signing up!"

"There was no signing up in the past; they were chosen."

"Ah..." Lia stopped rocking with her chair, blinking her eyes rapidly before almost bursting into tears, "I forgoooooot! I was so focused on getting everything back in order that I totally forgot about that! Hajna! Why didn't you warn me?!"

"Lucian said that it is a good idea to open up the Institution a little." She answered promptly, appearing next to her table, looking like the perfect office lady, wearing her hair in a tight bun. "We already worked out the fees, as only the best will get to be admitted for free."

"You... worked it out?" Lia asked, feeling relief washing over her whole being.

"Yes. He didn't mention it because you were already swarmed with work, so we dealt with it instead."

"I also knew about it!" Albert raised a hand as if it was something to be proud of, prompting Lia to look at him with a pout, feeling she was left out of it... now, it was annoying her for a different reason. "Cici was helping with procuring the resources and setting up the multiple branches throughout the continent!"

"What branches?" Lia flinched, looking from one to the other. "Is it why the Silly Fox is nowhere to be seen for the past two months?"

"Yes." Hajna nodded, "We placed down multiple branch offices, 97 to be exact, present all over Meriath. With a standardized test, they are screening people who want to join! They mark them as people who are accepted on the spot, getting full scholarships! Of course, it is only limited to 400 people per term, so they are truly the best talents without a doubt. Then, there are those who will have to pay to attend the Institute. In our current state, we need everything we can get to keep functioning without problems."

"So these are..." She shrugged, looking at the stack of papers Albert walked in with.

"Are the people who passed the tests! More than 1000 individuals between the ages of 12 and 18! But... for now, we don't think we can handle that much, so we need to bring it down to 700... Maximum! But as soon as we are back on our feet, we can expand it!" Albert explained in excitement because he would also play a role in Lia's Academy, being one of her personal assistants.

"..."

"There is only one thing to do." Hajna continued, ignoring Lia, who was watching the stack with a dazed look in her eyes. "You will have to conduct the final screening. As the Headmaster and the one who knows how to combine opposing elements it is up to you! We made sure we have a very detailed description of all the chosen individuals to make it easier for you!"

"How many were there initially?" Lia asked after a minute of silence, her tone becoming eerily serene; she pulled off the first from the top of the pile and started to read it.

"A lot. Lucian announced some really harsh criteriums from the get-go, so instead of getting a million applicants, we only had to screen half of that. Then-"

"No, okay... I get it." Lia raised a hand, silencing Hajna as she began going through the first one's bio. She didn't say anything at first while getting through it, then grabbed the second. Then the third... right down until the twentieth document. "This won't do. I need to test them in person."

"Hm?" Albert perked up, almost falling asleep while waiting, rubbing his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"We will need to borrow some ships and bring them all in! I will devise a test where I will examine them all in person! Notify them through official means, and we will finance their trip here and back if they are not accepted!"

"Understood." Hajna bowed and disappeared, already arranging it, communicating through multiple of her silver discs scattered all over the continent.

"How are you going to test them all?" Albert asked curiously while Lia yawned and stretched, standing up from her chair and walking to the panoramic window. Watching the many lamps in the newly built city was like looking at a valley filled with fireflies. It was surreal yet beautiful, twinkling under the dark skies.

"The construction of the new main training arena was completed two days ago. Erias came by and helped me add the finishing touches. I already know what I will do to push it to its limits... You will see! But make sure to tell everyone who comes... be ready. It will be hard!"