The bells and whistles of the laboratory gear whizzed and whirred as Cyrus manipulated them carefully, attempting to extrapolate more of the world around him to aid his magical prowess…not.
"There is not much I can do without the necessary raw materials as well as some personnel to help, thus it seems this is the next best thing for me" thought Cyrus as he sat in the midst of the large dueling room alone. Wall to wall was naught but the gray stone of the walls, with line patterns of magical lighting alighting everything below it in a soft light with few shadows left in between. To the sides of the dueling arena were the stands for spectating, the same which created the shadows that had allowed Cyrus his victory against Minerva just a few days prior.
"There are two paths I can pursue…the first being an attempt to locate the realm within my mind or perhaps soul and the second would be to play with the new power I gained from the battle with then night dwellers. I lean towards the latter but there is a chance that my obsession is subtly guiding my thoughts. I have been easily taken control of several times at this point so much so that I would be a fool to not take measures against it…the first should be done then. The more ability to interfere the other half has when not in direct control the better the safety net if something were to go awry" thought Cyrus as he checked that the door to the dueling arena was indeed locked, then with his paranoia in check he entered the meditative state once more.
Time blended together, seconds turned into minutes and minutes into hours while at the same time not having any meaning in the first place for with each breathe he took more of the world around him faded into nothingness…until eventually even the rhythmic and steady sounds of his breathing was no more.
Cyrus' eyes opened once again, having completed an entire cycle of the meditative technique which according to the manual should take anywhere from 4 to 6 hours.
"Last time it happened spontaneously when the technique was undergone. I know that meditation is the key to starting the process, but the rest of it was pure luck and chance thus it will remain so until I puzzle out a way to reach that state once more" thought Cyrus, slightly frustrated at his failure.
Recalling each and every detail that he could of the first time he had entered the world within, he concluded that the exact method of reaching such a state was not in his current capability to do so. Something was missing…some key detail that he was blind to for one reason or another.
"Rather than aimlessly waste time let me try a change of pace…" thought Cyrus as he produced two of the letters that he had stored earlier. First he took out the one Fauve had addressed to him, reading its contents carefully
"Dear Brat,
It seems you have gotten yourself in quite the pickle. I do not know whether to congratulate you on becoming a target for disposal so soon or to chastise your reckless behavior…regardless since I am technically your guardian and being as great as I am I got both the Tower and the Venators Guild to officially back you. The guild is doing it more so out of courtesy, so unless you sign up and climb the ranks there will be little real backing there other than perhaps using you as a political tool for their own gain…hahah. The Tower, however, will now start to seriously consider you as one of theirs which has both its merits and demerits…but seeing as you touched upon something that should not have been touched upon I had little choice but to bring you further into the spotlight with this move. Do try not to get yourself in even more trouble…it's just an academy, right? How bloody difficult can it be!
Sincerely,
The Literal Greatest Venator To Have Ever Lived "
Cyrus could practically hear the casual mocking and boisterous tone that Fauve spoke with, talking lightly of having technically dropped Cyrus in the midst of a small power struggle between three factions in the Empire with him still completely ignorant of so much.
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he opened up the second letter that was addressed to the local Eye of Babel or a representative of it.
"Seeing how the headmaster opened this letter, it seems he meets the criteria of being a representative of the Eye" thought Cyrus as he read the letter.
"To the Southern Eye of Babel,
Enclosed is my qualifications for the rank of 'Grandmaster': a personal spell of mine proving both my competence as well as my willingness to share my knowledge with all mages in the Empire, as well as the identity of my personal student as by the requirement of passing on my knowledge to the next generation.
With regards,
Grandmaster of the South."
"No doubt this is Cato's handiwork, so he is officially a Grandmaster now or will be soon. It seems I was picked up by quite a talented individual, yet, this move by Fauve no doubt puts me in the center of things. As well as going by the fact that Cato's name was never mentioned, it seems there is still an active force that would perhaps work against anything related to his name in the Empire. My other half's idea of using the underground for information surrounding the noble class seems to be a bit more useful now, but we require more information on the War of Nobilis more than ever before. We need an in…but where?" thought Cyrus as he contemplated further.
"There are nobles in the ranks of the professors, perhaps I should do intelligence gathering in my spare time. Everyone can talk if the price is right…or the threat dire enough" mused Cyrus with a dark glint in his eye, as he put the letters away once again.
"Although my other half may not like that…I suppose he is technically the boss after all since my thoughts tend to be easily overtaken by obsession. If I cannot trust myself then I should forgo the thought of being in control" thought Cyrus before he straightened his back as inspiration suddenly struck him.
"I was not the one in control when we entered the world within, how silly of me to overlook such a detail. Perhaps I am getting in the way of entering now whereas before I was dragged in forcibly by chance when my counterpart entered…that constant pull I feel, the urges and the thirst that raises its head every now and then…it must be more than just a character flaw. No, it has to be more especially after what the night dwellers said. Yes, the night dwellers…did they not enter my inner world? In that case, I know what exactly must be done" thought Cyrus as he began to tap into the flow of power he had gained from the night dweller.
It was as if he was giving into his instincts, letting go the hold he puts on himself at all times, or like an addict indulging in their vice. As he did so, all the while feeling the tugs of madness begin to remove his self-control bit by bit, he took off his mask and allowed his other half to take the reins.
"As insane as ever" thought the now unmasked Cyrus with a sigh, as he followed suit with the plan his dark companion had concocted.
Slowly entering the meditative state once more, feeling each and every detail that his senses normally delivered to him fade away with each breathe he took. Eventually he sunk completely into his mind, no, even deeper than that and reached an all too familiar place.