Sorcerer… Cyborg???

A wry smile came across Tam's face, and he looked towards the window, looking over the city.

"What do you mean, Son? What has come over the people?" Tam asked, though he clearly understood what Kothar meant.

"They're all flooding towards the capital, I've never seen so many people on the roads before. And I came across people, fighting duels, left and right, challenging random passersby. The most surprising thing was that they all accepted the challenges!" Kothar's voice rose as he recalled the bizarre events that had transpired on his way to Balin.

"Ah. Sometimes I forget how young you are, son. What's happened isn't unique to Ursten, or even the Isle itself. All around Eclat, every single person has been reminded of their own mortality, of the fact that even though they live in great, walled cities, some threats transcend the realms of walls and moats." Tam paused for a moment, and then continued.

"But most people on Eclat, even those who have failed the assessments that allow one to join an Academy, Institute or Army, disregarding all that, almost everyone on Eclat has the potential to form a Mana Core. And so, people all over have been spurred on to learn to fight, to learn how to yield weapons, to learn spells, and to duel others in pursuit of all these things." Tam smiled at Kothar.

"Not everyone is like us, Son, not everyone enjoys battle and warcraft like we do. But after experiencing the invasion of our entire plane, and glimpsing the great forces that decide the fates of entire planes, others also gain a similar mindset. They have become martial due to what they've experienced." Tam's hand was on the hilt of his sword, as he fell into thought.

Kothar thought about what Tam had said, thinking back to how the planets in the Alliance that had experienced rebellions, civil wars and invasions had changed the next time he had visited them. 

[He's right, you know, the highest rate of recruitment for the Alliance Army was from planets that had experienced a major conflict in the past ten years.] Silane piped up, as she noticed Kothar's thoughts about the war torn planets.

"I see father. It makes sense, even I was spurred on by glimpsing those Ascendants. I had heard about them, but seeing them in the flesh was another thing. That level of power, to hold entire planes in one's hands, it is truly mind blowing." Kothar replied, and at the mention of the Ascendants his father's gaze flicked back to him, from where he had been thoughtfully staring out the window.

"True. It is mind blowing, but that you do realize, that becoming an Ascendant, is what truly qualifies one to travel the Myriad Planes. It's what all of us at the Advanced Rank seek to reach. To gain the power that allows one to tear apart space itself, and to extend one's domain over and entire plane." Tam's eyes were bright with ambition as he spoke, and Kothar noticed it, his father rarely looked so fired up.

"That's a long way away for me. But what's this I'm hearing about you recruiting people for an army?" Kothar asked, his father had just returned from a lengthy campaign, surely he wouldn't be going to battle so soon, not after the entire plane had just experienced an invasion. But then again, now would be the best time to start a conflict, since most would be recovering from the aftermath of the invasion.

"You already know about my intent to lead an expedition north. That was the reason that we conquered the Empire, without uniting all of those who live on the Isle, we would have no chance against the beasts of the Fidour Mountains." Tam's eyes were now on the mountains that peeked over the walls that ringed that city.

"This Isle of ours, it's a mere fraction of Eclat, a tiny little village in comparison to the great expanse of the world. Without facing off against more powerful enemies, and experiencing their techniques, how will I push myself to beyond my current ability." Tam's eyes were gleaming, and he gestured passionately to Kothar.

"To forge oneself through battle, is the purest way to improve, fighting across the Fidour Mountains, and then experiencing what the rest of the continent has to offer, that's what I want to experience, that's what'll help me advance beyond. And if I fail, then so be it, I would rather go down fighting than wasting away with no opponents to face." Tam's face was glowing with excitement, and he had stood up from his chair, a wild look in his eyes.

Kothar listened with a sickening feeling in his stomach, he had always known that his father was a talented and powerful General, and that dominated the battlefield.

But to think that his campaign against the Empire was for such a reason, for him to increase his own prowess, as he tried to push himself to the next level, Kothar didn't know what to think.

So many had fallen in the battle with the Empire, and surely, many would fall in the expedition north. Such an enormous undertaking, sacrificing so many, and destroying so many others, all for such a selfish reason.

But what Kothar didn't know was that his father's thirst to become more powerful was due to something that also haunted him, the passing of his mother.

Tam was convinced that once he was more powerful, he could finally reach out to the phantom of his wife that was lingering around him.

He just knew that she was waiting for him to come to her, and would return, living and breathing once again, when he finally had the ability to reach through the veil that separated the living from the dead.

Tam stared into the empty space next to Kothar's chair, smiling at the woman who stood there, caressing Kothar's hair, while his son sat in silence, wracked with thoughts of the terror that was his father.