Zmerr twitched his feet. "I wear boots for warmth and protection. The skin there is delicate. If you'd like to rub them, I would be grateful." Zmerr smiled.

"Alright" Pyria moved over to Zmerr and began kneading each foot, starting with the sole and working her way down to the heel. "Maybe it would be less delicate if you got used to going without those boots. I remember that my feet were more delicate growing up, but I got used to it as a girl." She began pulling gently on each of his toes. "So, Zmerr, if I may ask, are there others of your kind around here? I don't recall seeing others of your species at the academy."

"I don't think so. I'm only here because, in a way, I was exiled. Most of my kind are too stuck up to do a job like mine and none of them have any magic ability, so if there were others here, it would surprise me." Zmerr thought back to his home and all the people that were there. He missed parts of it. He missed being rich and not bring the only of his kind. He also missed his mentor. But, overall, he didn't miss being there. The others were irrationally cruel to him and his own parents didn't care.

Feleal looked intently at the piece of paper that had been delivered to him moments ago. It had but a few words and a very familiar crest embossed into it the paper simply read “It has resurfaced the green flame has again shown”. There was only one Dragon who knew what these words would mean to him “Cadmus” he whispered under his breath. The crest had a faint magic signature to it, This caused Feleal to think and he had remembered one of the most basic lessons that Cadmus had taught him
“No matter the circumstances young one always be prepared and think clearly there is always no matter how short of a time span a window to plan what you are going to do”
as this lesson resounded in Feleals’ mind he had realized that Cadmus had mastered relocation runes and he knew how to hide them so well the rune would only resonate with the person meant to be contacted and afterwards they had to lend a bit of their own magic to complete the rune and this would grant safe passage to the location specified.
“OK” Feleal said to himself as he poured a drop of magical essence to the symbol causing it to shine a gate on a tree Feleal had simply walked into it and appeared in the study of the Dragon “You called old Friend”

"Where I come from, the two are the same. But lead, I will follow. I can come back here another time."
They left the tower and the human remarked on their relative life spans. Nyame was quiet for a moment, then responded. "Sixty years would be remarkably old for my people."

Bryce let out a little sigh at hearing this. "Well thats good to hear nyame i feel like being a human our lifespans are so short but id like to be friends with you guys until the end"
in the moment it took bryce to finish the sentence he had created a clone that appeared at the exit of the door. "Id like to be friends to the illusion said"

Pyria felt sorry for Zmerr. "I see. Well, I'm sorry that your own homeland or your people were so... so... unenlightened."

"Sixty years is way too short for- wha?" Asthia was surprised to see an illusionary form of Bryce appear. "Oh, this is another one of your spells, isn't it?" Regaining her composure, she turned to Bryce and Nyame. "Yes, we should be friends. I don't know where life will take us during or after our time at this school, so we should enjoy what time we have with each other."

Cadmus woke slowly. He had fallen asleep and was curled up on his cushion when he saw Feleal. "Oh, hello there. I didn't know you'd get here so soon. Normally, I'd commend you for such a timely arrival, but-" the dragon let out a loud, roaring yawn as he stretched. "-it's one in the morning. Anyway, I suppose you are here for classes? You can register for them in the morning, and you'll be assigned a dorm room as well as your schedule. Now, is there anything else you need?"

Zmerr nodded in appreciation. "Well, I ought to be going soon. I have things to clean and meals to cook today." He stood up and bowed respectfully to Pyria. He smiled at her. "I hope we do something like this again soon. I enjoyed myself. I hope you did as well." He turned to leave.

"I did indeed. Let's meet again sometime." Pyria got up and shook Zmerr's hand, and handed him his boots. She turned to clean up the tea set and went to go lie down.

"You got it. Just let me know when you want to do something. I'll be around." Zmerr smiled at Pyria before shaking her hand and leaving.

Zmerr headed home, trying to organize some kind of schedule in his mind. He knew he probably should not have spent so much time with Pyria, but he also knew he shouldn't have shrugged her off either. He knew she had power, being Cadmus' daughter, but that was not at why he'd gone with her. He had few friends and was happy at the possibility of making a new one regardless of her status.

As soon as he came up to the front door, he noticed a piece of paper poking out of the mail slot. Mail? Zmerr never received mail. To his people, he was practically an outcast. He pulled the paper out and almost fell over when he saw who it was from. In beautiful silver script, the top corner read Cadmus. He replied that soon?

Zmerr hurried inside and shut the door. He opened the letter and poured over every detail.

Cadmus had indeed sent a letter. It read:

Zmerr,

Come see me tomorrow, at your earliest convenience. I will be in my sanctum. I wish to properly reward your services. We shall discuss this more in person. Also, if you are interested in courting my daughter, you may, but you must respect her wishes. Much as I know how you met her, I will know how things are going between the two of you. Best not to ask how I know. Magic is a very useful tool.

Signed,

Cadmus.

Zmerr's heart began pounding. There was so much information in those few lines. Zmerr felt beyond honored to be invited to see Cadmus in his sanctum. It was like seeing the king himself. And courting Pyria? Zmerr hadn't really thought about it much, but he did seem to have a different kind of interest in her. He'd gone looking for a friend, but, after walking away and thinking about it, it certainly felt different. She seemed like someone he could relate to.

Zmerr got everything ready for tomorrow's visit so that he could be relaxed when he woke up. He then hung the letter neatly on the door so he wouldn't forget. He changed into his work clothes and headed out for what remained of the stable.

All seemed well at the stable. The horses quietly munched away at the food he'd given them in the morning. He pet them and cleaned them now. Thinking everything over. What would he say to Cadmus tomorrow? He was excited and nervous at the same time. He wasn't paying as much attention as he should have while he was brushing a horse. The animal shifted his weight and knocked the stool that Zmerr was standing over, throwing him into the wall and burying him in the loose hay on the floor. Zmerr sat up stunned for a moment. Then he started laughing. He wasn't really sure why he thought it was funny, but he couldn't stop.

The horse had shifted back and was now eyeing the stable hand uncertainly. Zmerr got up and gently rubbed the horse's nose to reassure that t was safe. "You knocked me over, silly." he chuckled. "It's okay. No harm done."

He quickly finished with the horses and took a moment to assess the damage again.

Cadmus lay in his sanctum, staring down at his scrying pool. It was a large, silver vessel shaped like a wide crescent, filled with water from the eponymous lake. He dipped a claw into it, stirring gently. The face of the water swirled, and he saw his daughter running the registrar again. He also saw Zmerr going about his duties. Always the dutiful one. The silver dragon stood up and stretched. He thought to himself. While he could scry on many people and things, the assailant who had attacked his school was still unknown to him. Whoever he was, he was able to shield himself from scrying and other forms of divination. Well, perhaps not all forms of divination.

When magic was pitted against magic, an arms race of sorts commenced. The ability of a mage to cast a spell was pitted against another mage's ability to block or dispel an enchantment. No spell, hex, enchantment, or curse was unbreakable, any more than a fortress was impossible to capture. The victor in this struggle would be the one who had a better grasp of magic, more magical power, and the faster reaction time. Until Cadmus had a clue on who his enemy was and how to counter him, the enemy had the initiative.