“Wow!” Rynn found herself in awe as she entered the main gates of Iria. Despite her otherworldly knowledge and experience of many different places and things she always felt this child-like amazement when she entered a new place. And the Republic of Iria was no different. The sun shimmered in the sky, reflecting of the cool blue water that seemed to intersect the streets, with brilliantly colored gondolas moving to and fro, carrying a variety of passengers and goods. The narrow streets seemed to hold many secrets as well, groups of scholars and traders alike speaking in foriegn tongues, all of them engrossed in their talks.

The celestial draconian realized that she had been standing in the center of the gate like a fool, and quietly moved to the side, apologizing profusely as the line that had formed behind her moved into the city. First thing she needed to do was get her bearings. Her silver eyes scanned the entryway for a guard or someone who might speak her tongue who might give her directions.

“Yes, I’d like to visit the mages academy, as well as a library in regards to dragons and celestials both,” she said to the first guard she met. She hesitated for a moment, “And…blood magic?” To her slight surprise, the guard was nice enough to give her direction, though he seemed apprehensive at the mention of blood magic. With a hearty thanks, Rynn made her way into the bustling streets, to her first destination; the Mage Academy. As it took up a large chunk of the eastern part of the city, it was the easiest to find.

Finding the Academy was the easy part. As she wandered around, she couldn’t help but feel completely lost. There were so many buildings, each housing different schools of magic. And not a single one seemed to focus on blood magic. At least, not that Rynn could tell. She briefly thought about asking someone, but she flashed back to the guard.

Jace…is this what you deal with? I really had no idea. And that same blood runs through me. She wondered if it would ever awaken. A part of here wanted to know what she’d be capable of. The other part feared what might happen overall. Would Gideon still love her? Would Kythe still accept her? Rynn furrowed her brow. What preposterous questions. Of course….this isn’t like the Crossroads.

“Excuse me? Do you know where I can find some information on blood magic?” she said suddenly to the first person who walked in front of her. “I’d just like some general information, if possible.”

The number of tomes and scrolls in the Library, yet the information about this accursed art is still so small. Are men so afraid of this school? Why and why do they fall into darkness when it is accessed.

The thoughts raged through the dragon’s mind as he put down the tome he was reading through and cupped his head in his hands. He had been accepted to stay within the halls of the academy due to his knowledge of magic, more specifically in the school of blood magic, yet the academy had far little on it. Its origins and how powerful it was or could be were things that were blanked out of scrolls or deliberately desecrated by those that feared it. ”To understand that which is fear, people need to start accepting it.” he muttered under his breath and let out a loud sigh

He looked over at the pile he was amassing on the table and shook his head. He started to gather the things up and place them back upon the shelves that they once rested. He didn’t want to insult the hospitality that the academy had shown him by leaving a mess every time he had a whim to scour through the library. ”Get some air, clear your mind. Simple as that.” He thanked the library keeper as he left.

His mind still wandered as he walked the halls. He was still curious as to why he could have used blood magic for almost a century and never even felt the tendrils of darkness, yet a human could easily succumb within years of practicing it. He had used his blood and even that of those around him. Was it because of him being a dragon that he was more attuned with the mana of the land? No that couldn’t be it, because he had noticed fae folk also use it in his travels and they too were not affected. The questions and answers that he knew of swirled through his head. He didn’t even realize if he had bumped into someone on his walk.

Cilas’ thought was broke when someone stepped forth and asked if anyone knew anything about blood magic. Even though the practice was no longer as forbidden as it once was, to be talking about it candidly in the open was enough to grab his attention. He turned to face the woman, and a feeling of familiarity caught him off guard. Did he know this woman? No, that wasn’t it..there was something else that he sensed, something he couldn’t place his hands on. Realizing that he had been staring he shook it off.

”My apologies I didn't mean to stare. Just odd for someone to ask about that school out of the blue,” He covered up his true reason with a little white lie, ”But if you did come here to truly ask about the sanguine art, then you happened to run into the best person to do so.” He bowed to her in respect.

”Cilas Evergarde at your service, resident blood mage of the Mage Academy of Iria. Now come let us talk someone with judging eyes. While blood magic isn’t forbidden, the stigma it holds still clings to the hearts of most.”

Her first attempt at asking about the dark art had been a failure. However, she was not so unskilled as to notice that someone had stopped to stare. Whether it be someone who was judging her question, or more, though, remained to be seen. Rynn, however, did not back down. As the person stared at her, she returned the gaze in kind, her eyes locking with his.

Confrontation. It was a skill that came to her naturally. It was also a defense mechanism to escape her own problems, and to meddle in someone else’s. She had only come to realize this recently, but had not had an opportunity to make a change.

“And you are?” she started to go off.

He seemed innocent enough, but as he spoke, Rynn crossed her arms, refusing to let her guard down. Another defense mechanism. “Cilas, is it? It’s a pleasure,” she said quickly. “Rynn Alzrahi.” She hesitated, though, after stating her name. He was correct about the stigma that followed blood magic. While she had felt emboldened about asking, now that she was face to face with someone who held that knowledge, she felt almost insecure.

Yet, Rynn knew she could not show that. A strong front. Like always.

“Well then, I guess we can talk in a more private manner, if that suits you…” Rynn was eyeing Cilas up. There were a variety of different things about him that were unsettling. Something akin to a familiarity seemed to exude from his aura. If he truly was a blood mage, perhaps it was merely a reminder of her brother. But to be somewhere private with a strange such as this…and knowing the dark habits of blood magic, she wondered if it was truly the best idea to follow.

In the end, she decided that she could hold her own if it came to a fight. If the absolute worst happened, she could shift and fly away. At least, if she could hold sway over her draconic form. Having lost the guiding star from her old world had been a major blow to her confidence, but a friendly mentor had shown her what she was truly capable of even without her star.

“Lead the way, then,” Rynn said finally.

”If that suits me? I could talk about the art wherever, I just don’t think you would like the eyes of the masses to stare at you, and judge you. While blood magic is no longer completely forbidden as it once was in the past, the sanguine art still holds…deep hatred in its roots.” He stated to her his eyes looking at those who stopped and whispered to colleagues and friends alike. He couldn’t hear their words, but he knew all too well what they were saying beneath hushed words. He had seen many a blood mage banished from these halls in the time he stayed here, some even slain for they had fallen too much into the darkness.

She finally agreed to follow him, yet he could easily tell that her defenses were up. He couldn’t help but be irked at that, as he was the only one who had even spoken up to her request, yet in his mind, he understood why she was so defensive. ”Very good, follow me then there is an empty study room nearby that we shall have our discussion in.” He then turned back around from where he came from and headed down the hall. A small hall to the side lead them to the room, which he opened the door to allow her in.

It was a rather medium size room. A large central table surrounded by bookshelves. The open fire at the end giving the room its light and warmth. On the table a pot stood, water already warmed for the teas that surrounded it. The place was perfect for those who need a quiet place to do work, or just to relax.  ”Please make yourself comfortable, rooms like this exist all over the academy. They are one of the better features of this place, I must admit. He was hoping that this would lower her guard some, just to show that he was not one that was afflicted by the darkness of the art.

He went over and tended to the fire, and loaded a few more logs into the fireplace just to keep the atmosphere a bright. ”I must ask, why you are seeking knowledge on something most people tend to stray away from. It is a curiosity I must admit.” His gaze fell upon Rynn one more. ”Now you must be wondering if I am the genuine article, do not fret as I had every intention of proving it.” He unsheathed the dagger that hung from his belt. He placed it upon the open slit of his gloves and quickly drug it across the flesh.

”The pain never gets easier.” The dragon held out his hand and the blood that was one dripping started to rise and gather into a ball above his palm. ”blood weaving, the simplest art but the basis of all of blood magic.” He snapped his fingers with his other hand and the small ball of blood erupted into a bright crimson flame before disappearing.

Rynn followed the man, Cilas, as he lead her down the halls and into a room. He was courteous enough to let her in first, to which she obliged, and walked into the room. The first thing she noted was the smell of burning wood. For some reason, it always put her at ease. Possibly a remnant of her old Crossroads Academy days.

Speaking of the Academy, the entire setup of the room reminded her heavily of the study rooms there. A homey sort of feeling, with amenities at the ready for overworked students to indulge in as they studied for exams, or for in Rynn’s case, goof off with friends and family. This brought a smile to her face, if only for a second, before she realized she hadn’t moved since she had come in.

She did end up walking to the center table, and finally decided to sit down. Without asking, she poured herself some of the water, and picked out a tea that called to her, letting it steep as Cilas spoke, and proved to Rynn that he was indeed a blood mage.

“There are….a few reasons I’m looking at it.” She lifted her hand, which had wreathed itself in flames. As the flames dispersed, they left jet black scales that glistened in the flickering firelight. “The…correct terminology for what I am…is called a Celestial Draconian. The dominant genes of my grandfather and father passed to me, and I appear more draconian that I do celestial, though it is possible that I might have some…celestial properties.” She cleared her throat. “However, curiously enough…” She paused. It was strange talking about this so openly. It almost felt wrong.

“My brother picked up the traits of our mother…a very powerful blood mage. While I showed no signs of these traits, his…well, exploded. It took a long time for him to get control, but he did. But I have my own questions.” She took a sip of her tea.

“Maybe I’m just mad for opening up like this,” she said, “But honestly I’m not sure it matters much. It may not be apparent, but I’m not from this world. The world I came from was…well, it doesn’t exist anymore.” She glanced away. It wasn’t something she really wanted to talk about. “Anyway, in order to control my draconic powers, I ended up…borrowing the power of a star…not unlike the one that created Tar Eisalae, my history is correct. Now that I’m here though…I’m not finding a star that I can bond with. So I have to learn everything from ground up.”

“Ultimately….my questions are this. Why is my brother a blood mage, but I’m not? Was it something to do with the star? Is it something I’m going to have to deal with later? Or will I remain the same as I was before?”

Rynn fell quiet. “I guess that’s actually a lot to ask….”

Cilas walked over to the table that Rynn was sitting at and set himself up with a cup of tea himself, holding it in his hand to steep as he listened to her explain her origins to him. So she is not a true dragon, but a half breed. That explains why I felt something so familiar about her even though I was sure that we had never crossed paths before. Makes me wonder if she has picked up my own ‘scent’. the dragon thought to himself. If she had picked up that he was as well a dragon she showed no sign of it, that much was for sure.

He took a drink of his tea, letting its warmth trickle down his body as he took his time to gather all the information that she brought out before him. He sat down across from the woman and closed his eyes to ponder, of course he was trying to not be rude, as he did wish to help the woman answer her questions but there were just too many things about her origin that he wasn’t familiar with, especially the Celestial being that she said she was.

Out of all the things that she spoke of, one thing did catch his ear the most. It was that her brother was able to control his blood magic in the end. ”So your sibling was able to control and not be corrupted by the power of blood in the end as well was he? Interesting I wonder if it has to do with the fact that you have draconian blood flowing through his veins or the celestial blood that you speak of. He finally spoke up after they had sat in quiet for a bit. ”I would not say you are mad for opening up when people seek knowledge usually the best bet is to give a bit of knowledge themselves. A trade for a trade one could say.”

”Though it may prove to be hard to answer the questions that you have asked. As you have stated yourself you are not from this world, so biological traits that we are used to may not be the same as with your kin, He took another sip from his tea, ”The question I must ask though to you is, have you ever tried to dabble in the art itself? Most do not wake up knowing they can control the pure source of magic. It sometimes can come naturally as with your brother, or it may take years upon years to get the hang of as in my case.” He laughed as he said that, as he was sure that he did not look that old in this form.

”I may look young in this form, and truth be told I am young compared to some of my kin, but I assure you a century has passed since I was born. Also, there might be a slight connection, as you said you are part Dragon yes? So your brother must be as well to not be tainted. As you can tell I have no been corrupted myself, this is because I as well have dragon blood through me, pureblood.” He let out a small smile and went back to drinking his tea.

Rynn thought about each of his responses, trying to go against her normal nature of speaking without thought. She started to open her mouth, and paused. It was a lot of information to take in. Slow and methodical.

“My brother’s control was not so…easy to come by,” Rynn replied finally. It was a complex subject that even she lacked all the detail in. Between the Academy days, the war, and then their separation for so long, the two had not really had a proper moment of reconciliation. Especially not after Gideon had almost died.

No. Not entirely true. Gideon did die. I have to accept that. I lost him, if even for a moment She shook her head. Her mind was going off on its own tangent again, and she had to reel herself back in. Focus on the now and present.

“When we were younger, we attended an academy of sorts. A place to learn to control our powers. From what I understand…” She paused, trying to get her thoughts straight. “My mother and father were worried about Jace. They knew the risks of Blood Magic, and so my mother used a special type of blood magic to seal the majority of his power away. As a result…well,” Rynn looked Cilas in the eye.

“Have you ever… tried to stop something under immense pressure? A spell, or…even something like steam or water. That pressure builds, and builds until it explodes. And that’s what happened. Jace’s power exploded in a way that…got him expelled from the Academy. After that, well, I never really got to see him much until we came here. Once I found him, he was already under control of his magic. But by no means was he a natural…”

“But, you say that the protection you have from the corruption stems from your draconic lineage?” Rynn pondered that for a moment. “As far as I’m aware, my mother is human. Or, at least lacks a celestial or draconic heritage..but as you stated before, we’re from different worlds entirely. However, what little I understand of blood magic seems to point towards the forbidden art being fairly similar in records to that which both my mother and Jace practice.”

Rynn’s silver eyes rested on her cup as her hands wrapped around it for the comforting warmth. “You seem to have this notion that blood magic corrupts, but… what if you’re looking at it from the wrong angle? My mother was scorned for her powers, save for a select few who treasured her for who she was, and not her power…least of all my father, who accepted her as family. But what if she didn’t have that positive influence? Is it the power that corrupts, or is it the fear?”