I do not own the Dragon Prince.


Callum took a deep breath as he relaxed his aching body. It was only yesterday that he had climbed up the Storm peaks and reached Aaravos's secret sanctuary, but after only one night's sleep, he was already training. He was sitting beneath the Elder tree within the heart of the storm peaks as he listened to his teacher lecture him about the nature of earth magic.

"Earth magic is both the most simple and most complex of the primal sources," Aaravos explained as he shuffled around Callum, his tiny caterpillar legs carrying him as fast as they could manage. "Earth embodies not only the sturdiness of rocks and metal but also encompasses all living things. It is stagnation and growth all in one."

"So how do I connect to it?" Callum asked, curious as to how he was supposed to connect to the earth. He reached into his new void satchel and put his hand into the bag. The bag held numerous items, and all one needed to do to retrieve an item was to reach into the bag, visualize it in your head, and it would appear in your hand. He pulled out the Key of Aaravos and held it up in front of him. "I used this to connect to the ocean pretty much instantly, am I supposed to do that again?"

"No!" Aaravos displayed impressive speed and dexterity as he jumped up and smacked the key out of Callum's hand by tackling it with his caterpillar body. "You cannot rush this! If you connect to a primal source before fully understanding it, then you risk death. The key will allow you to connect to the primal source instantly, but if your body and mind aren't ready for it, then you risk your life."

"I connected to the ocean without any training," Callum muttered as he looked sadly at the Key as it sat in the dirt next to him.

"Yes, and you almost drowned," Aaravos replied. "You got lucky once; I wouldn't count on such luck a second time."

"Fine," Callum grumbled. "So what am I supposed to do?"

"Close your eyes."

Callum obeyed and closed his eyes. "Okay, eyes closed," he said as he allowed himself to relax as he sat cross-legged on the ground.

"Now focus."

"On what?" Callum asked as he wondered what it was he was supposed to be doing; with his eyes closed, all he could focus on was the darkness in front of him. "I can't see anything."

"Focus on everything around you," Aaravos replied. "Focus on the rocks encasing this mountain, the ground beneath your feet, the giant tree whose branches we rest under, the insects, fish, and numerous other creatures living in this sanctuary."

"And this will help me control earth and lift rocks and throw them around with the force of a catapult, right?" Callum had been studying the spells involving Earth magic, and he saw the pure raw power that most of them had.

"Earth magic isn't about lifting rocks," Aaravos replied. "It's about the energy of life that dwells within all living creatures of this world. All beings are of the earth; the minerals and elements of the earth are the building blocks of all matter in this universe. But it's more then just the material; it's also the immaterial, the spark of life that rests within all living things."

"Like the soul?" Callum asked curiously as he pondered his teacher's words in his head.

"Yes, that spark of life that allows us to live, breathe, and binds our souls to our body." Although Callum couldn't see his teacher, he could hear his caterpillar feet scuttling around him as he lectured him on earth magic. "We are all connected; every living creature has its place in this world as part of one glorious existence. Reach out with your other senses and find this connection. Breathe deeply and reach out to the world that surrounds you."

Callum did as best he could; he placed both his hands on the ground as he kept his eyes closed. He breathed deeply and tried to focus and reach out with his other senses. He could hear fish jumping out of the pools of water in the cave, the sound of dripping water, the sounds of small insects flying among the vegetation, the rustling of the leaves above him as the wind blew in through a small hole in the ceiling of the cave, but he didn't feel any type of deep connection.

He said as much to his master, who chuckled at his student's words. "So close yet so far, there is a connection between all the things, focus on them closely and think on how they are connected. All the things in this cave rely on each other to survive; if any single one of these things were to die out, it would affect the entire ecosystem. Think deeply about how all these things are linked together."

Callum did as he was told and let his hands touch the ground; he felt the soil in his hands, rich and full of nutrients and moist from the water that dripped from the ceiling as the snow on the peak of the mountain was melted by the sun and fell through the cracks in the roof of rock above him. The soil and water fed the vegetation that grew in the cave; the water dripping from the ceiling also filled the ponds that allowed the insects to spawn and the fish to reside. The tree that filled the center of the cave fed off all the nutrients and water in the sanctuary but also gave back in the form of fruits that grew from its branches, which the insects feed on, and when the fruits fell, they decomposed and fertilized the soil once more. All of this was protected by the roof of rock overhead that hid this sanctuary from the harsh elements of the outside world that would freeze all life that existed in this haven. Everything was connected in a giant circle of life and death, a wheel that never stopped turning.

"You see it don't you?" His teacher asked as if the elf could sense his student's thoughts. "All things are connected, focus deeper on that connection, and you will be ready to use the key to unlock your connection to the earth."

"When will I be allowed to do that?" Callum asked, eager to connect to the earth and gain the power of another primal source.

"When I say you are ready."

"And when will that be?" Callum knew he was being impatient, but he wanted to learn and harness the power of magic. He had been waiting for years to connect to the primal sources, and it was finally happening.

Aaravos chuckled. "When you understand the balance that exists in nature, the balance that keeps all life in check whether that life be above the earth, beneath it, or even in the ocean. All life relies on balance to exist. Even when you throw off balance, a new balance will take its place."

"Balance?" Callum struggled to understand what his teacher was saying. "So if I were to stop water from entering this cave, then the balance would be thrown off…"

"Yes, without water, the tree would die, as would the insects, fish, and most of the vegetation," Aaravos explained. " However, in time, new life would spring up as a new ecosystem would evolve to take its place. It could take a thousand years or perhaps ten thousand years, but life always finds a way to emerge and create a new balanced ecosystem that sustains itself."

"This is a lot of information to soak in…" Callum didn't realize the earth was so complicated. "How long does it take a human to connect enough with the earth arcanum to harness its power?"

"A few years if they take the training seriously," Aaravos answered nonchalantly. "Or in Elarion's case, it took her about three months."

"It took your greatest, most gifted apprentice three months!?" What chance did he have if it took someone like Elarion so long to master a primal source? "Claudia can keep the others distracted for a week at the most!"

"That's why once you spend a few days grasping the basics, we will use the key to speed up the process," Aaravos answered. "So I suggest you focus and start connecting to the earth; I have faith in your abilities, now focus!"

Callum focused on the earth around him and allowed himself to sense the connection that all the living things around him held.

'Hurry up and connect with me, earth…'

He tried to connect all day, only taking breaks to eat and use the bathroom; even as night fell, he was stuck meditating while listening to his teacher lecture him on the various ways that all life was connected as well as explaining the building blocks of life in the form of carbon and other elements that made up all living things. He slept very little, but with each hour, he felt a deeper connection with the environment around him and began to understand how all things in the world were linked, whether they were organic or non-organic matter.

After three days of near nonstop training, Aaravos finally decided he was ready to use the key. He sat beneath the tree as he had for the last few days and held the key in his hands; he gazed at it with a mixture of excitement and fear. His connection to the Ocean primal had been terrifying and awe-inspiring. His teacher claimed the ocean was among the most dangerous sources to connect to, so he felt confident about this, but he didn't want overconfidence to cloud his judgment.

He held the key and gazed at his teacher, asking for permission. His elf/caterpillar teacher nodded his little head.

"You're ready, focus upon the key and connect to the earth around you," Aaravos said. "Remember, anything can happen; experiences can be unique depending on the person's mind and the way they connect to a primal source, but so long as you focus upon your connection to the earth and are focused, no harm will come to you."

Callum nodded and focused upon the key and the lifeforms around him as he closed his eyes. He felt the air grow warm, and his nostrils were hit by numerous smells both sweet and earthy. He opened his eyes and found he was no longer in the cave with his teacher, although he was most certainly still underground.

Instead of a large cave, he was in a massive cavern filled with life. He looked up, and the ceiling was well over a mile above his head, giant stalactites the size of Katolis towers hung above him along with roots of equal measure zigzagging amongst the stalactites. Everything was illuminated by a forest of trees that glowed blue and green, giving off an eerie feeling. The cavern roof also glowed with bioluminescent mushrooms and plant life that grew on every available surface. There were even a few Elder trees in the woods, along with numerous others he had read about in books, such as bleeding willow trees, which had bone white bark and leaves the color of blood.

Callum quickly got over his amazement as he heard the sounds of foliage being disturbed as he turned and saw a large creature emerge from the trees. It looked like a bear with a massive body carried upon four strong legs and paws, making it well over eight feet tall on all fours. Yet it didn't have a bear's face. Instead, its face was like an owl, and its fur looked like an owl's feathers, which were both white, brown, and covered in dark spots. Its eyes were massive and yellow, and it had an enormous serrated beak.

"An owlbear?" Callum asked to no one in particular. He had heard Claudia claim such a creature existed in Xadia but that they were as rare as a Unicorn. He gazed at the beast as it seemed to size him up. He did his best not to appear afraid, hoping the creature would go away. Or perhaps he had to connect with the animal to communicate with the earth. Hey, their big fella, I'm not looking for trouble, so we should-" He was cut off when the owlbear let out a horrible screech that sounded like a combination of a bear's roar and an owl's screech. Callum covered his ears in an attempt to stop his eardrums from bursting. Eventually, the cry ended, and the owlbear charged.

While he had never been the strongest kid around, Callum was extremely fast on his feet, a fact he became thankful for as he sprinted through the trees away from the charging owlbear. The foliage was thick, a point he was grateful for since he could quickly duck under branches and dodge around tree trunks while the owlbear was stuck making turns or having to charge through foliage that snared it and slowed it down.

Callum recalled his teacher mentioning that the Earth primal source was the easiest and safest to tap into. If Aaravos were here right now, he would smack his caterpillar teacher right in his face. "I think I preferred the Leviathans!" Callum screamed as he ran as fast as he could. Eventually, the trees began to clear away as the forest thinned; however, Callum soon came upon an end to his path ended with a deep ravine with a steep several hundred-foot drop into a massive lake.

Would he survive? Was any of this even real? He knew this was a spiritual connection, but everything felt real; then again, everything had felt real when he connected to the Ocean Primal, the Leviathans had most certainly been real, and he had almost died. When had woke up, his lungs had been filled with seawater. If he got mauled by the owlbear, would he wake up covered in bite marks with chunks of him missing?

Callum didn't have time to consider his situation anymore as the owlbear leaped out of the forest and towards him. It lunged at him, and he managed to duck under its jump, but its beak latched onto his cloak. Unfortunately, the owlbear hadn't been paying attention to where it had been going, and it fell into the ravine and dragged Callum by his cloak as they both fell towards the lake.

"I knew a cloak was a bad idea!" Callum yelled as his body fell through the air towards the large body of water. "That fashion-obsessed elf has killed me, I-" He was cut off when his body hit the ice-cold water. The water surrounded him, and he felt himself being dragged down by the owlbear as it sank like a stone. Callum quickly drew upon the power of the ocean primal and traced several runes with his hands.

"Incarnatio Oceanus Monstrum!" He called out, using up the air he had stored in his lungs. The water around him bent to his will as he formed a body of water around him. When he did this spell in Evenere so long ago, it had drained him, and he had little control over it. Since then, he had managed to gain far better control over his magical ability.

He created a large Kraken avatar to incase himself; although it was far smaller then the one he had created in Evenere, he didn't want to overstretch himself like he did last time. He quickly used the water around him to grab the owlbear with one of his watery tentacles and lifted himself and the beast out of the water and towards the stony shore of the lake.

He plopped himself down onto the shore, which was full of large rocks, and massive boulders covered in lake moss, lakeweed, along with an enormous tree that seemed to be made out of interlocking roots. He dispelled his avatar but kept a large amount of water encased around his right arm, which ended in a large tentacle that still clutched the owlbear, which was writhing helplessly in its grasp.

Callum moved his watery appendage so that the owlbear was in front of him, close enough for him to get a closer look but far away from its claws and beak. The owlbear wasn't struggling, and it gazed at Callum with bright yellow eyes.

Callum knew he could easily kill the creature; he could freeze it, crush it, or throw it into the lake and let it drown. He was so pissed off that he almost considered doing just that, but he couldn't bring himself to kill an animal just to get back at it.

"You're a magical creature, so you probably understand me on some level," Callum began as he glared at the Owlbear as its massive eyes met his own; they were full of fear. "So let's make one thing clear, I AM NOT FOOD! I'm going to let you go, so get out of here and do whatever it is owlbears do. But if you try and attack me again, I swear I will drag you to my friend Claudia, and she will cut you up into magical reagents. Do we understand each other?"

'Yes.'

Callum jumped back upon hearing the owlbear talk. He didn't think they were smart enough to talk. "You can talk?"

'Yes.' The creature answered. 'You not food. I go.'

"Okay…" He allowed his watery appendage to dissolve, and the second it did, the owlbear bowed its head and backed away from him before sprinting off into the woods.

Callum let out a tired sigh as he gazed at the foliage where the owlbear had run. He didn't know what he was expecting when connecting to the earth, but it hadn't been this.

"You again?" A voice called out seemingly from nowhere.

Callum looked around, but all he saw were the boulders and rocks that made up the stony shore of the beach of the lake. "Who are you?" He demanded as he looked around. "Where are you?"

"I'm here; I am all around you."

Suddenly the ground around him began to shift as the stone started to hover or roll towards the large tree that grew on the lake's shore. The tree was like a combination of green oak and a mangrove. It was interlocking roots mixed together with green foliage. The rocks began to form around it, and soon massive boulders began to roll towards it as they began to form a gigantic pile of rocks.

Soon the pile began to rise and the tree along with it until it became clear what he was looking at. "You're a golem…" Callum found himself muttering, although this wasn't like the Golem he had bought for Ezran. The rocks had formed long powerful four limbs, while its central body was made of massive boulders and small stones wrapped around the tree that seemed to act as the Golems central core. Its head was a gigantic boulder with two glowing greenstones that resembled earth primal tones acted as the creature's eyes. It stood well over thirty feet tall and towered over Callum.

"It's you again...no; you dont look like her…"

Callum did his best to stay calm despite facing such a creature. "Her? Who do you think I am?"

"I thought you might be the last human who visited this place." The creature muttered, its voice deep and intense like rocks grinding against each other. "Your aura is exactly like hers...no; it's been too long, especially with how short a human's lifespan is. When she visited this place, she wrestled the owlbear alpha into submission before coming to see me, while you simply fled. Your eyes are green like the heart of the forest, your hair the color of the earth, and your skin is pale like moonlight, her skin was the color of the earth, and her eyes and hair were as dark as the night sky."

"I'm not that pale…" Callum knew he hadn't gotten much sun between the quarantine in Evenere and the overcast skies of Del bar. He shook those thoughts from his head as he realized what the golem was talking about. "Are you talking about Elarion?"

"Was that her name?" The creature asked as it shooks its massive head, causing pebbles to fly everywhere. "It's been so long, and my memory isn't infinite; she came here seeking knowledge, much like yourself. She wanted to change the nature of man, will you succeed where she failed? I wonder…"

Callum began to think that this Golem was the earth primal's equivalent to the oceans leviathans, which means it was the key to tapping into the earth. "So, are you the one who is supposed to teach me?"

"Teach you?" The golem asked. "Why would I teach you anything? What could an old tree like myself teach a human? Last time a human visited, she taught herself."

"Well, I'm not Elarion, and I need help to connect to the earth." Callum put forward, not understanding why this experience wasn't like his last one. "I need to become a mage; I can only do that if you help me."

"You've already connected to the earth." The golem answered. "I feel it within you, just as I felt it within her. You have an open heart and an open mind; the earth rushes to fill both. The only thing you need to understand is the danger of the earth and the importance of balance. A lesson you partially learned when you had that encounter with the owlbear."

"Well, the owlbear started it," Callum muttered. "I tried to be nice, but it was instantly hostile."

"They have evolved to fear elves and humans, your kind in particular." The golem answered. " Nature is neither good nor evil; survival is all that matters to most creatures. Nature is beautiful, tranquil, much like the places where you have no doubt been training yourself to better connect with the earth."

Callum nodded as he thought back to the cave where he had meditated with his teacher. All the insects and creatures lived in perfect balance and harmony with one another.

"However…" The golem began. "Life is not always tranquil. Wolves eat deer, birds eat fish, and owlbears eat everything, including humans and elves. Conflict is a part of life, yet in the end, we all return to the earth and give back everything we took in life."

Callum understood what the golem was talking about; life was conflict, everything was connected in one giant cycle of life and death. "But how do I connect to the earth?" Callum asked as he looked at the golem. "I need to tap into the earth primal, and you're an earth golem; you should know how, right?"

"I'm not an earth golem; I'm merely a tree that has learned to bend the earth to its will. I prefer the term life golem. Also, I told you already…" the golem huffed, causing pebbles to fly everywhere, several of them striking Callum. "You already connected to the earth; just look within yourself."

"Myself?"

"Yes, you've already connected to the earth on some level; I heard you speaking to that owlbear. Only one with a connection to the earth can speak to animals."

"I thought it was just a talking animal…" So it was a connection to the earth that allowed him to do that? Why didn't he feel any different, like when he connected with the ocean? "What else am I supposed to do?"

"Look within." The stone creature replied. "Focus not only on the connections around you but also the connection within one's own soul. You focus so much on what's outside that you do not look within; you are of the earth like all life. Dig deep and find your connection, see what lies beneath."

Callum chose to listen to the Golems advice; he walked away from the lake's shore to a nearby tree and sat beneath it, the Golem in tow. He sat beneath the tree and started to meditate, he focused on the connections all around him, but he also looked within himself.

He saw the forest around him, the trees, grass, and plants flourishing with life. He felt the earth beneath him, filled with death and decay from numerous trees and animals that had died and become one with the earth, fueling new life. He felt the warmth from the plants above him; he felt the cold of the air around him. He felt the peace from the forest's tranquility, but he also felt the violence from the predators that stalked the woods and hunted their prey. Between it, all was a connection, the balance that had been reached.

He opened his eyes and saw that the grass and plants all around him were growing, their vines and leaves rising from the ground. The rocks beneath him shuddered and quaked. He felt strong, stronger then he had ever felt before like he could move mountains. He closed his eyes once more and looked within himself and saw everything; he saw life, death, hot, cold, peace, violence, and balance. He felt himself drifting as if he was falling asleep despite not feeling tired at all.

"Now you understand, you believed yourself to be outside of nature. But you are a part of it; you are a part of this earth's glorious existence. How easy it is to forget this fact, especially for elves and humans who so often hold themselves apart from nature." The golems voice called out. "When you master the primal sources, come to the Worlds End Mountains in Xadia if you wish to see me again, but try not to wake up Rex Igneous."

Suddenly all the strength left him, and he opened his eyes once more and saw he was sitting back in the cave beneath the elder tree, the key of Aaravos clutched firmly in his hands. In front of him, the small form of his teacher sat watching him.

"I knew you could do it," Aaravos stated happily. "I told you it would be easy!"

Callum smiled as he picked up his teacher with his right hand and used all his strength to toss the caterpillar as hard as he could. "That wasn't easy!" He yelled as his teacher skidded across the ground. "I almost got eaten by an owlbear! This was almost as bad as the ocean!"

"Well, I didn't know that!" Aaravos replied as he picked himself up from where he landed. "Most of my disciples said it was easy! One claimed all she had to do was plant a tree and nourish it with her magic, another claimed he had to pass through a glade without harming any plants or animals, and another claimed her trial was rescuing a bunch of animals from a forest fire. I dont even want to know why you had to deal with an owlbear."

"Well, I had to, and it almost ate me." He shuddered as he remembered how vicious it had been.

"Well, pick yourself up because we have sky next." Aaravos stated."Cant be much worse then dealing with an owlbear."


Claudia found covering for Callum in his absence fairly easy; it was well known that Callum was a reclusive alchemist and mage, so all she had to do was say that he was doing experiments in an attempt to improve one of his elixirs and the entire hunting party gave him a wide berth.

So she had spent the last few days relaxing in Callum's room under the guise of assisting him when in truth, she was reading, practicing magic, and generally just enjoying the great indoors. Simultaneously, Soren, Corvus, and the rest of the hunting party went off into the wilds and hunted deer, which gave her the solitude she had wanted this entire time.

She was currently reading a book while sipping a cup of hot brown potion while her feet were getting massaged by Callum's painted doppelganger. The paint golem was perfectly obedient and was capable of following most commands; it was like having a personal maid, even if it was a little disturbing that it was essentially a perfect copy of Callum. Even so, it was wonderful to sit in a warm room with a piping hot drink and just let all the stresses of the world melt away. Her familiar Nagara was napping on a plush cushion next to the fireplace. It was a perfect scene of tranquility.

Suddenly the sound of knocking came from the door to Callum's room. "Prince Callum, Lady Claudia, a group of men from the college of enchanters is here to see you." The voice of a servant called out from the other side of the wooden door.

Claudia let out a tired sigh as she set aside her book and drink. "Prince Callum and I are a bit busy, pushing the boundaries of the natural sciences!" She shouted, hoping it would send the servant away so she could get back to enjoying her book and foot massage.

"Forgive me, but they say they must speak with the prince." The servant replied. "The head of the Del Barian College is here in person. She claims that there is business that needs immediate attention from the prince."

"Crap…" Claudia knew Callum's doppelganger wouldn't be convincing under heavy scrutiny. She also knew that the head of the Del barian branch of the College of Enchanters wasn't someone to dismiss. Although she had never met the woman, her father had told her stories of Uthgerd the Unliving, the head of Del Bar's college of enchanters. She was a woman pushing the boundaries of medicine and longevity magic and was a known practitioner of necromancy and other arts that even her father found dangerous to practice.

Claudia shooed away the painted Callum, who obeyed her instantly; she couldn't risk him being seen by actual mages. They would discover he was a fake the second they started asking him questions since the painted doppelganger couldn't talk. After taking several minutes to straighten out her clothes and calming her nerves with some brown potion, she walked out of the room and followed the servant to the lodge's sitting room where her visitors were waiting for her.

Inside the luxurious sitting room were three people sitting in comfortable armchairs in front of a table. Claudia immediately recognized Uthgerd the Unliving; she was the only woman out of the three. She was dressed in black mage robes with silver embroidery, her skin was pale like milk, and even her hair was bone white. Despite her white hair, her face was youthful; she didn't look a day over twenty despite the fact that Claudia knew the woman was several decades older then her father. Viren once told her that he suspected that she had unlocked the secret to elven longevity, and looking at her now, Claudia believed it.

Yet what drew Claudia's attention most was the massive mage staff leaning against the wall next to Uthgerd. Her father wielded a powerful mage staff that predated the Pentarchy and was extremely powerful, yet the one Uthgerd wielded was equally fearsome. The staff was made of black metal that seemed to drink in the light around the room, and at the staff's tip were two primal stones. An earth primal stone and a moon primal stone. Separately they were powerful, but when used together, they were nearly unstoppable. She wasn't an expert on primal magic, but her father claimed that by using the earth stones ability to manipulate life and the Moon stones ability to tap into the cycle's of death, Uthgerd was able to perform necromancy, bringing the dead to life as mindless husks that served her will. It was how she gained the moniker of the Unliving. The other two people Claudia didn't recognize, but both were older men with grey hair and beards that gave them an air of scholarly wisdom.

"Lady Claudia, right?" Uthgerd asked, her voice soft and kind, which caught Claudia off guard. "I've heard about you from your father; he says you're quite the bright girl."

"Thank you, Lady Uthgerd," Claudia replied as she took a seat from across the three mages. "I've heard a great deal about you from my father as well; he says your skills in life-force manipulation is second to none."

"Indeed, I'm the leading scholar in the field of life-force manipulation; although I had hoped your father would follow in my footsteps, he was briefly apprenticed to me back when he was a teenager." The pale mage replied. "He could have been the head of his own branch of the College. Instead, he had his heart set on serving as court mage in Katolis."

"That's my father for you." Claudia nodded; her father loved Harrow like a brother and was willing to serve as the court mage of Katolis, trading renown and wealth in exchange for influence and the ability to aid Harrow in guiding Katolis towards a brighter future.

"Indeed." Uthgerd cleared her throat. "As much as I would like to reminisce about old times we do have business to attend to, we have urgent news for prince Callum in regards to several inventions he submitted to the College of Enchanters before he departed Evenere."

Claudia remembered Callum mentioning that he submitted several ideas to the College, although that was ages ago, shortly after the plague in Evenere had been cured. "I'm afraid Prince Callum is in the middle of several delicate experiments that require his undivided attention," She lied quickly, not knowing what else to do. "In his stead, he had entrusted me to represent him in all matters, financial and legal."

"Truly?" Uthgerd asked, skepticism evident in her voice.

"Of course," Claudia replied as confidently as she could manage, as she relaxed in her chair and casually took a sip of her potion. She had watched her father at negotiations and meetings of this sort all the time and tried to adopt his serious yet aloof attitude. "Prince Callum entrusted many matters to me; he is so busy with his studies in alchemy, science, and natural philosophy that he finds matters such as these trivial and tiresome. I do my best to shoulder many of his burdens so that he might dedicate his precious time and energy to advancing humanity forward both magically and technologically." Claudia felt her heart pounding as she let the lies fly forth from her mouth, yet she knew that she had to press forward with each one. It reminded her of something her father once told her. 'Claudia, words are like arrows; once they are let loose, they can never be called back.' She hoped that her aim had been true and that she wouldn't regret letting these particular arrows loose.

"That makes sense," Uthgerd said with a smile. "I see the boy trusts you the same way King Harrow trusts your father; you do your family proud."

"You're too kind, Lady Uthgerd." Claudia felt relief flood through her body but didn't allow her relief to show. "Now speak freely, while I find your company pleasant, I need to get back to my Prince. He is making progress in a study into primal magic and requires my assistance as soon as possible."

"Of course," Uthgerd gestured to one of her companions, and one of the men opened a bag and set several items on the table. "As I mentioned earlier, we are merely here to give an update on several of Prince Callum's inventions and theories that he submitted to the College."

Claudia looked at the inventions and frowned as she didn't recognize any of the objects on the table, except for one that was a book. Seemingly unaware of the mage's confusion Uthgerd continued as she grabbed the book.

"This book is 'A Herbalist's guide to Xadia,' a book you are no doubt familiar with?"

Claudia nodded; it was one of the most fundamental books in all the Pentarchy for anyone wanting to get into magic as it cataloged many of the magical properties of plants one could find in Xadia.

"This copy was created using the printing press Prince Callum submitted. It took a while to create a working model even with the Prince's detailed schematics, but I believe we finally have the concept down. Already we have members of the Evenere college mass-producing as many books as possible. It has made creating books far cheaper, which should allow numerous people of all social classes to gain access to knowledge far easier then ever before."

"Wonderful, Prince Callum was most hopeful in regards to his printing press." Claudia had no idea what a printing press was, but she decided to fake her knowledge. "How about his other projects?"

Claudia sat back into a comfy chair while nodding as Uthgerd presented numerous other items that College has produced under Callum's instructions, such as a block of solid rock that had been made using a substance called concrete, which was superior to the mortar and rubble masonry that was used in modern castle construction. Another invention was several metal containers made out of tin that was being called cans. They held food that had been boiled and sealed in the cans, which made the food have an extended shelf life without the need for magical refrigeration. Another food item called pemmican, a solid brick of meat, fat, and other ingredients dried and formed into a solid food block. While unappetizing, it had a shelf life that lasted years.

Uthgerd presented the creations one after another, and Claudia did her best to pretend to understand everything. The meeting lasted for well over an hour, and Claudia had to leave the room more than once to use the bathroom and make more of her brown potion. Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity, the meeting began to come to a close.

"So our main issues are creating the machinery and gathering the manpower to mass produce these items." Uthgerd finished as she gestured towards the numerous items on the table. "This is a far larger undertaking then any the College has ever tried before, and at the behest of our marketing department, we are asking for Prince Callum's permission to use his name and image to help market these items, in exchange for a generous payment on top of the money and credit he is already getting for being the creator and patent holder of all the items he has submitted."

"Use his name and image?" Claudia asked, not understanding what she was hearing. "Why do you need his name and image to sell these things to the general public?"

Uthgerd reached into her cloak and produced a very familiar-looking bottle of Callum's curative. "This elixir Callum created is the best selling item the College is currently producing; we can't make enough to meet demand. We already have Swamp lion farms and bloodbug hatcheries being created all over Evenere to produce the ingredients necessary for this elixir. It's creating jobs and opportunities for the general public and improving the quality of life for numerous people of every social class since the elixir is so effective and cheap to produce."

"Yes, I know." Claudia has to resist rolling her eyes as the woman across from her stated the obvious. "It's a quality product sold at a low price; what's your point?"

"My point is that Callum's name is on every bottle of Elixir." She pointed to the label which proudly displayed the words 'Callum's Curative' along with a cartoon rendering of Prince Callum's childish face as he gave the reader a thumbs up. "Callum's name and face are recognized all across the Pentarchy because of this, the name recognition and quality mean anything with the Prince's name will be associated with this elixir."

"So if you put Callum's name and face on these products, you believe they will sell equally well," Claudia concluded, to which Uthgerd nodded. "I see your point, but Callum might be hesitant to allow his face to be put on the product; he is a little shy. The only reason his face is on the elixir is because Queen Fareeda and the College made the decision without his input." She had known Callum since they were little kids; the boy avoided the spotlight and hated being the center of attention. His face being on every product associated with him would embarrass him to no end.

"He should consider it; the Prince has the perfect face for an ad campaign." Uthgerd insisted. "He is cute but also very common looking. We've tested this out with numerous control groups and found that people find Callum's face adorable but also familiar. He is the everyman that everyone of every social class can relate to, a commoner who became a noble. If I could just talk to him, I'm sure I can convince him to lend his face to his products."

Claudia couldn't risk any trying to 'talk' to Callum right now, considering the real Callum was off in the wilderness somewhere, and the Callum she had been stuck with was a living golem made out of paint. "That won't be necessary," Claudia stated, hoping to end this quickly. "As Prince Callums financial advisor and representative, I give consent for you to use his image for his products; I'll also pass on any other information you wish for him to know."

"That would be wonderful." Uthgerd reached into a nearby bag and pulled out a stack of papers. "Here are some basic paperwork, vouchers for the money the college owes Callum, and a few notes for the Prince."

"Thank you…" Claudia knew she would have to look through them all since Callum was busy gallivanting around the wilds on some sort of spiritual quest. Once the prince returned, she would see that she was paid for all this work she was doing, Callum might be her friend, but she didn't work for free. Perhaps she could convince Callum to make her his official financial and business representative.

"One other thing," said Uthgerd as she leaned forward and picked up a cup of morning brown potion that Claudia had poured for her guests. "What is this drink? I've never had anything like It before."

Claudia smiled, glad to have a question that she didn't have to lie through her teeth to answer. "Oh, that's my morning brown potion; I created it to help me stay alert and attentive when I study magic." She explained proudly. "It's a mixture of stone fruit and this wonderful little brown bean I discovered on a trip through Xadia that I've been cultivating in my spare time."

"Impressive," Uthgerd said as she finished off the cup of brown potion and stood up from her chair. "We might have to see about selling this at the College; for now, we must take our leave. We have taken enough of your time, good day lady Claudia of Katolis."

"I wish you as well Lady Uthgerd the Unli-of Del bar." Claudia quickly corrected herself, not sure if her guest liked the moniker.

Uthgerd smiled, which put Claudia at ease. "Uthgerd the Unliving is fine, my dear; I rather like the title. After all, it was your father who first called me by it, and it has stuck ever since; your father always did have a wicked sense of humor and a flair for the dramatic."

Claudia couldn't help but giggle. "That sounds like my father." Claudia bid Uthgerd farewell, and soon she was left alone in the sitting room with nothing but a cup of her brown potion, which she quickly downed.

"Callum always manages to put me in stressful situations…"


Harrow sat on his throne as several oddly dressed individuals were led into the throne room as the herald announced the visitors' names and titles. He watched as the group leader, a flamboyantly dressed man with an eye patch and large hat, walked up before the throne and gave a dramatic bow as the herald announced him.

"Welcoming Villads of Evenere, Captain of the Leviathan prince in service to Prince Callum of Katolis." The herald stated before turning to his other companions. "Joining him are his subordinates, Jack and Lizzie Strider, as well as Locke of Duren, curator of magical artifacts."

Harrow briefly turned to the others, seeing that they had numerous large crates and cages with them, no doubt more gifts from Callum. Ever since leaving, Callum had been sending innumerable gifts for everyone at court. "Greetings…'' Harrow began, he hated the formality of the throne room, but as King, he did have to keep up appearances. "I welcome you all to Katolis; those who serve my stepson are always welcome here. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

The well-dressed captain Villads stepped forwards. "Greeting yer Majesty, I be Villads, Captain in service to yer step-son Prince Callum. The Prince be sending me and my crew down here to escort Locke of Duren, he be havin gifts fer the lot of ye."

A well-dressed man stepped forward, who Harrow assumed was Locke of Duren; the man had several of the others behind him bring forth numerous crates and containers.

"Greetings, your Majesty," Locke said grandly as he bowed deeply. "I'm Locke of Duren, your stepson prince Callum bought these gifts from my humble shop in Del Bar and asked that I deliver them unto you as they require a great deal of special attention from a knowledgeable individual to survive transport across the ocean."

"Bring them out then." Harrow knew he should be more gracious, but he was getting tired of the protocol and the gifts Callum kept sending them. However, he was surprised when Locke opened up the first crate and out stepped a small pile of mobile rocks that formed a small child's shape. He could hear members of the court muttering to themselves, and next to him, his youngest son was enraptured by the creature in front of them.

"This little guy is a Golem, which Prince Callum purchased as a familiar for his younger brother, Prince Ezran," Locke stated as he beckoned the golem forward. "Rest assured, he is perfectly tame and will be a stalwart and loyal companion to the prince."

Before Harrow could stop him, Ezran was already running as quickly as his tiny legs could carry him towards his new pet. The boy was absolutely enchanted, and he clutched his pet glow toad bait to his chest as he walked around the golem.

"A new friend, isn't this exciting bait?" Ezran asked the toad he was holding. "I was hoping for a pet dog, but this is even better!"

Suddenly the golem's body began to shift as the rocks began to take on a new form. Suddenly the golem was no longer a humanoid shape but somewhat resembled a dog with four stone paws and a long slender body made of rock complete with a tail made of interlocked stones and pebbles.

"Cool!" Ezran cried out as he hopped on the back of the golem, using it like a horse. "This is the best present ever!"

"Ezran, be careful!" Harrow called out as he got up from his throne. "I dont think it's safe for you to have a golem for a pet…"

"Well, Callum gave it to me so too bad!" Ezran stuck his tongue out at his father. "Come on, golem, let's go exploring." The golem obeyed its new master and ran out of the throne room at speeds Harrow never believed a being made out of rock could manage.

He turned to several of his crownguard. "Follow the prince and make sure he doesn't hurt himself." His soldiers obeyed and raced after the young boy.

Harrow wanted to bury himself in his chair. With Callum gone, Ezran had become a bit of a brat and tended to act out since he no longer had his older brother around. The endless stream of gifts didn't help much either and was starting to cause Ezran to become spoiled. He wanted to take a firmer parental stance, but he couldn't bring himself to do it with Sarai gone.

The awkward silence in the hall was broken by Locke, who continued with the presentation of Callum's gifts. "Next up is a gift for Lady Opeli, Grand Cleric of Katolis," Locke stated as he brought up a small cage and opened up a letter. "The prince sent this letter with the gift. 'Consider this an apology for how we parted back in Evenere. I wasn't sure what type of animal you would like, but I remember Viren saying you were a crazy cat lady, which I assume means you're crazy about cats, so I got this for you.' End letter."

Harrow had to stifle his laughter as Opeli turned a murderous gaze upon Viren, who didn't react at all. "You called me a crazy cat lady?!" Opeli growled.

"Yes," Viren answered nonchalantly. "You own six cats; anyone who owns over two cats is at best a crazy cat lady, and at worst a serial killer."

"Regardless!" Locke stated loudly, trying to get the conversation back on track. "The prince spared no expense and got you this, a lovely Frost Lynx." He unveiled what appeared to be a standard Lynx with fur as white as freshly fallen snow and eyes that glowed bright blue.

Opeli's rage dissipated immediately upon seeing the creature. "It's adorable!" She walked over and picked up the Lynx, which immediately began purring. "And it's so cold! It's like a winter breeze is caressing me."

"The perfect animal for snuggling with on a hot summer day," Locke said with all the charisma of a salesman. "Now for Lord Viren, there is this." Locke produced a small box, which he walked over to Viren, who opened it and found a letter sitting within.

Viren opened the letter and began to read it out loud. "Hmmm 'Dear Lord Viren, since you would most likely use any familiar as a magical reagent, I decided to give you this instead, a voucher that can be redeemed at any College of Enchanters for 500 golden royals worth of merchandise.' huh, that's nice, there's been a bunch of stuff I've wanted to buy."

"And last but certainly not least." Locke brought out what appeared to be a cage covered in a sheet. "Prince Callum mentioned you already own a Xadian songbird as your familiar."

"Yes, his name is Pip," Harrow stated as he thought about his favorite pet. "He was a gift from my late wife."

"Callum believed Pip might be lonely, so he got you this." Locke took the cover off the cage, revealing a Xadian songbird. Pip had lovely black feathers with green highlights. However, this songbird was like a rainbow with numerous greens, pinks, blues, reds, yellows, and every color in the spectrum. "This is a female Xadian songbird, and songbirds sing their best songs when in the company of the opposite sex; this bird will make an excellent companion for your own bird, and they shall make beautiful music together."

Harrow stood up and took the cage from Locke and gazed at the bird; he didn't realize that the species' females were so colorful. "Thank you for delivering my son's gifts." He said sincerely. "Please allow us to host all of you tonight as thanks for delivering these creatures to us."

His guests were ushered out of the hall, and Harrow looked at his new songbird and perhaps a friendly new companion for Pip.

"So….know any good songs?"


Important Authors note

Many people have been saying I should have a crowdfunding page at p a treon, but I've been fairly convinced that it's illegal and a hassle. But recent struggles with life have made me reconsider. So I started one where you can support me for my original work and fanfiction works. If I can make enough money throughout the year to afford next year's Grammarly premium subscription, I'll consider it a success. I will also be offering teasers and previews for backers. So check out my profile to find the link. Dont bother googling my name everything but my profile comes up, I have no idea how to promote myself. I won't hold chapters hostage, but if you want previews, please check it out, or dont I know times are tough. I'm just trying to avoid getting a second job, which will make writing very difficult.

If you still have trouble check out my A03 account, that website actually lets me link stuff unlike this website.

Also, the page is rough, I never made one before, so if you have any suggestions for patrons' bonuses and designing a better crowdfunding page let me know.

I'm also writing my first original story. It's called Deathspeaker Chronicles...the title is still a work in progress. It's a fantasy story that I've wanted to write for a while; I'll post chapters on my crowdfunding page and maybe on Wattpad. Not sure what other sites there are for original works.

Now that I'm done shilling. I must apologize if this chapter was underwhelming. I went through so many versions of Callum connecting to the earth primal; I just couldn't make it exciting. I promise the other primal sources will be much more enjoyable. For some reason, the earth just wasn't inspiring me, I must have written five different versions of him connecting to the earth, and this was the best one.

And before anyone points it out, Amaya's magical familiar will be revealed later. She is at the Breach, not Katolis castle. Doesn't make sense for her to be hanging around the throne room when shes a general and a soldier.

Many people also ask me why I put references in my fanfiction; the truth is they are there for fun. It's fanfiction; It's not like I'm original. Also, watching the reactions to the references lets me know what type of audience I have. Apparently, I have a lot of Warhammer 40k fans in my audience.

People have been sending me nonstop messages asking me questions about Warhammer 40k, so I'll answer some here to avoid having to send out over a dozen messages.

Do I play the tabletop? No, it's an expensive hobby, and I'm poor already.

What's my favorite Chaos God? I like Tzeentch because of all the magic, but if I had to worship a chaos God, it would be Nurgle. Because yes, I would be turned into a horrible abomination, but I wouldn't feel pain, and my mind would be so warped that I would be happy about it.

Am I looking forward to Warhammer Darktide? Hell yes, in fact, I have my steam username and friend code on p a treon, I dont play multiplayer games much, but when Darktide comes out, I'm going to play the hell out of it. If you want to join me, send me a friend request, we can kill the forces of chaos together.

Thank you all for reading; I appreciate all your reviews/comments.