Summer classes are dragging on. Good thing I pre-wrote this two months ago! HA! Take that deadlines!

Now if only I could show that same effort everywhere else in my life...

Upon returning to the academy, Louise, Tobias, Kirche, and Tabitha were quickly escorted to the headmaster's office. There, the old man greeted them with a relieved smile.

"Miss Valliere, it relieves me to no end that you're safe and sound," Osmond said sincerely.

Tobias narrowly refrained from snorting. This was the same man who had wasted time deliberating instead of immediately searching for Louise. While Tobias understood that Siesta wasn't the most reliable source of information, there was no excuse for how long the teens had waited for the faculty to show up. Tabitha had even sent Sylphid to the academy to guide the teachers to their location, and it still took the old farts a good two hours to arrive. Their response was pathetic for teachers, let alone over-powered mages.

"It is good to be back, Headmaster Osmond," said Louise. She involuntarily yawned, raising one hand to her mouth in a vain attempt to stifle it. "Sorry, I find myself rather tired."

"There is no need for apology, Miss Valliere. You have all had a trying night. We can reconvene in the morning."

"No way!" Kirche interjected. She slammed her hands on the Headmaster's desk and leaned over. "We want to hear the juicy details. Why was Miss Longueville secretly Fouquet? What was she here for? How did she get hired—"

Tabitha levitated Kirche away and set the taller girl down next to her. "You're distracting him."

Sure enough, Osmond's eyes were still glued to Kirche's bountiful cleavage. The man coughed and averted his eyes as three of the four teens scrutinized him. Kirche, meanwhile, looked smug by the impression she had left. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to indulge you," the headmaster remarked.

'You clearly don't hesitate to indulge yourself,' Tobias mentally snarled. Yes, Kirche was a shameless flirt, but the old man seemed to have barely any self-control. How did this man manage to become a headmaster at a school of all places?

Oh, right. This world was completely messed up.

"Fouquet was attempting to break into the academy's Vault, where we hold several priceless and dangerous artifacts," Osmond informed them. "More specifically, she was attempting to steal the Wand of Destruction, a weapon of terrifying power. She took on the guise of Miss Longueville to infiltrate the academy and plan her heist. Thankfully, some good came out of the chaos that's been happening around the nearby territory. Since we were updating our security measures, Fouquet was forced to rush her heist before the chance slipped away completely. That was when Miss Valliere appeared to stop her."

Tobias nodded along. Some of this he already knew from Fouquet, but the extra information was very much appreciated.

"Only I didn't stop her," Louise confessed. "I only managed to get myself captured."

"You prevented her from breaking into the Vault," Osmond praised her. "Even triangle class mages have found themselves unable to force Fouquet to abort her heist."

"Take pride in something you did right, Louise!" Kirche declared. "And of course, our glorious rescue deserves equal if not greater praise!"

"You didn't even do anything!" Louise accused her. "Tobias and Tabitha dealt with Fouquet."

Kirche pouted. "I wanted to help, but they told me to take care of you instead," she complained. "Shouldn't your familiar have been the one to carry you in his arms under the light of the moons? The romantic moment was wasted." She gave Louise a sly grin. "Well, I suppose it wasn't a complete waste."

"W-w-what are you implying?!"

"What do you think I'm implying?" Kirche teased, enjoying the satisfaction of Louise's face turning red.

"Quiet," Tabitha interrupted their spat. She addressed the headmaster, "Why did you hire Miss Longueville?"

"Yes, why did you hire her out of the blue?" Kirche asked. "Did you even run a background check on her?"

The headmaster coughed, signaling his discomfort. "W-well, I was in desperate need of a new secretary since the last one quit, and the school year was about to begin. I met her at a rather fine establishment. I was talking, she was listening. I mentioned that I needed a secretary, she volunteered. You know how it is with some employments."

The vagueness of that story was very telling in Tobias's opinion.

"Oh? And what was that 'fine establishment'?" Kirche pressed.

"Nothing of concern right now," Osmond said with yet another cough. "Now then, I'm sure you ladies are all tired and could use some sleep."

"And gentleman," Kirche added, pointing at Tobias.

"Actually, I'd like to speak with this young man for a bit longer," said Osmond.

Tobias showed no response, but Louise stiffened. "Why is that?" she asked defensively.

"There's nothing wrong, I assure you," Osmond placated her. "I merely wish to confirm a few things, and I feel he has some questions for myself as well."

Louise turned Tobias, who nodded, not turning his eyes from Osmond. "If you say so," she said reluctantly. "Tobias, make sure to come straight back to our room when you're done."

Tobias nodded again.

"Bye, Darling!" Kirche said.

Tabitha gave Tobias a farewell nod.

Once the girls were gone, Osmond indicated a nearby chair. "I'm waiting for someone before we begin. Would you like to take a seat?"

"No."

The single word was as cold and sharp as an icicle. Tobias had done a good job concealing his anger from Louise by avoiding speaking, but Osmond had seen through him. The headmaster had enough experience to recognize someone whose anger burned cold. The old man didn't pressure Tobias further, but instead waited patiently as he observed the boy's body language. While Tobias did not give the impression that he was military trained, he could give a soldier a run for their money when it came to posture. He was tense and alert, intimidating and ready to react to anything. His eyes were mostly focused on Osmond's face, but occasionally he scanned across the room, especially the door and windows. Focused, but vigilantly aware, a skillset shared by many people who were experienced in war.

A skillset most uncommon for boys barely in their teenaged years.

A few minutes later, the door opened, and a frazzled Mr. Colbert step inside the office. "I apologize for my lateness," he said.

"You're here now, that's what matters," said Osmond. "Now, young Tobias, we have some questions we want to ask of you, but I know you have things you wish to ask of us. So please, ask away. Don't worry, anything you say here will not leave the confines of this room."

Tobias narrowed his eyes, not in anger, but contemplation. "Are you sure this place is secure?" he asked.

"It will be," said Colbert. He raised his staff and chanted, "Soundproof."

Tobias felt a very faint rustling in the air, but nothing aside from that. "You have a spell that blocks out sound?"

"Of course—" Colbert quickly caught that his response sounded condescending and corrected himself. "I mean, wind magic is commonly used to amplify or minimize sound. Soundproof is a line class spell, but I'm capable of casting it with triangle level strength, so you need not worry about someone overhearing us."

"That's good," said Tobias. "Because there's something I've been wondering for a while now."

"Speak," Osmond prompted.

"Who let idiots like you run a school?"

The room fell silent as the two men were stunned by Tobias's sharp criticism.

"I beg your pardon?" Colbert asked after he had a moment to find his voice.

"Do I need to repeat myself?" Tobias asked. "You, Colbert, act like a flimsy, incompetent oaf. Apparently, you're one of the most powerful people in the school, but I wouldn't guess that in a million years with your attitude." The insult stung Colbert deeply, partially because he knew that it wasn't unwarranted.

Tobias turned to Osmond. "And you, you're supposed to be the headmaster of this school. Your students are spoiled brats running around with the self-control of toddlers and the destructive power of small nukes. Your school's security is so pathetic that I can't even call it a joke. You're a useless old lecher who does nothing but sit behind a desk and let everything fall apart around you!"

"Young man," Colbert began sternly. "You should not—"

Osmond raised a hand to silence Colbert. "I agree," he told Tobias plainly. "I've become far too lax in my old age, and the state of this prestigious academy is evidence of my failings."

Colbert was shocked by the headmaster's admission of guilt. "Osmond, the blame falls on teachers such as me," the professor insisted. "We've been slacking in our rounds, and politics have dictated student behaviors more than our enforcement of school policy."

"No," Osmond denied with a shake of his head. "As headmaster, the failings of the faculty are the reflection of my personal failures. The fault lies on me." He then addressed Tobias, "I understand that actions speak louder than words, but I sincerely say that I will strive to improve this academy, especially regarding the safety of our students."

Tobias wasn't saying anything, and Osmond quickly picked up the reason why. "Confused? Understandable. I see you have quite a low opinion of us. Rather, you have a low opinion of people in general. Would you like to share why that is?"

"People are selfish, greedy idiots with more ego than sense, and all of you are living proof," Tobias said succinctly.

Colbert looked like he was having a heart attack, but Osmond didn't flinch. "And yet, you hold respect for a few people. The young maid, Siesta, you seem to have interest in. Your master, Miss Valliere, you follow despite your disagreements with her. You even get along well with Miss Orleans, despite how little you both communicate."

Tobias's glare grew harsher. "You've been spying on me."

Osmond smiled from behind his long white beard. "While our security has gained noticeable flaws over the years, I still do like to keep an eye on any oddities that occur on school grounds. With this many rambunctious young mages running around, we try to keep a level of discretion in our observations."

"And you missed the golem breaking out of the academy?"

"Fouquet has evaded capture from several prominent triangle class mages," Colbert noted. "It was not that we missed his—her golem, but that we couldn't recklessly chase after her."

"Also, Fouquet is famous for stealing valuables, not people," Osmond added. "We were trying to determine how the thief entered, what was stolen, and if anyone else was in the area at the time. With all of the students running around and slowing the process, we were heavily delayed. When a maid said that you informed her of Louise's kidnapping, can you blame us for being skeptic?"

"You should have investigated."

"And we did," said Osmond. "We tried to locate Miss Valliere or any other missing students, only to find Miss Orleans and Miss Zerbst were gone as well. Then we learned that they had left in pursuit of Miss Valliere. By the time we managed to assemble enough teachers to safely retrieve the missing students, we were far behind." Osmond clasped his hands together. "I understand that you were in a hurry, and it is our fault for not being vigilant, but don't you think this would have been resolved sooner if you had spoken with us directly instead of relaying information from person to person?"

"It would have taken too long to convince you to take it seriously."

"Really?" Osmond asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you saying this because we believe we do not care, or because you do not trust anyone except yourself?"

Tobias visibly bristled. "I'm not that arrogant."

"Oh? I must have been mistaken then," said Osmond with exaggerated thoughtfulness. "At my age, I tend to read too much into things at times. Still, you can at least see how clear communication could be helpful in the future, no?"

"I see. And I still can't trust you any farther than I can throw you."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully, given enough time, we can change that opinion."

"Not likely," Tobias grunted. "Is that all?"

"Just one more thing," said Osmond. "I was wondering if you would like to have a look in the Vault?"

Colbert turned to his employer in shock. "Headmaster, you surely don't mean the vault Fouquet was attempting to break into?"

"What other vault is there?"

"The place where you keep your rare and expensive magic doohickey. You're inviting me in there?" Tobias asked skeptically.

"You, and the others who helped rescue Miss Valliere, as well as the girl herself," said Osmond.

"You're going to allow us, a couple of teenagers crazy enough to fight an international criminal, access into a room where you keep anything that's nationally valuable and/or dangerous."

Despite the incredulous looks Tobias and Colbert were shooting at him, Osmond nodded. "Consider it a part of your reward for defeating Fouquet. This is a sight very few people get to see."

"And this is why your security is crap."

"I think I can trust everyone I'm planning to let in," said Osmond. "Unless you have anything to say on the contrary?" The headmaster raised an eyebrow.

Tobias let out a reluctant sigh. "No," he admitted. "It still sounds like a bad idea, but I guess I'll come along if Louise will be there too."

"Excellent. Then we'll be seeing you tomorrow morning. I hope you're ready for an enlightening experience."

Tobias grunted noncommittedly. "If that's all, I'm going to get sleep before I have to deal with tomorrow's nonsense."

"Have a good night, young man!"

Tobias said nothing response as he left the room, slamming the door with unnecessary force.

"I think that went rather well," Osmond commented.

Colbert let out a breath he felt like he had been holding for a solid minute. "He looked like he was ready to murder you at one point," Colbert said frankly. "Old Osmond, with all due respect, what are you doing?"

"Hm? Whatever do you mean?" Osmond asked innocently.

"I thought we were going to exercise caution around the boy until we figured out his allegiance. You all but gave him free reign to do whatever he wanted. He has no trust in us, no respect for authority, and is clearly not stable. Why in the Founder's name would you invite him into the Vault of all places?"

"Why are you so against the idea?" Osmond asked. "I thought you were sympathetic to the young man."

"I did, and I am," Colbert affirmed. "However, there's a difference between sympathizing with him and leaving him unchecked. He has the Gandalfr runes! If he were to get out of control—"

"Colbert, you weren't a wild child back in your days, were you?" Osmond interrupted.

"A wild child? Certainly not," Colbert denied. "Even before then, I was orderly and dutiful."

"See, that is why you don't understand," said Osmond. "You see only a trauma victim one step away from breaking. Which, in all honesty, I can see too. However, I also see a young man who lets his actions speak from themselves. He's passionate and forthright, even if he's in denial about certain issues."

Colbert shook his head. "I still don't understand."

"Think carefully about what he said," said Osmond. "He lectured us on being incompetent because we didn't take care of Miss Valliere as quickly as he liked. He was uncomfortable about being observed, but was even more questioning of the Academy's security. His priority is clearly Miss Louise's safety over anything else. He distrusts us, but he's willing to work with us if it keeps Miss Valliere safe."

"That is true…" Colbert said thoughtfully. "But he has also made it clear that he has no intention of trusting us for anything."

"Actions speak louder than words," Osmond said whimsically. "I'm sure that when it comes down to it, he'll trust us to a certain degree. One day, I hope he'll trust us enough to explain a few mysteries to me."

"Such as his remarkable rate of recovery?"

"That did cross my mind," Osmond acknowledged. "But about tonight's events, I wonder, what did he do to terrify someone like Fouquet?"

The next day, Osmond and Colbert escorted Tobias, Louise, Kirche, and Tabitha to the Vault. Tobias wasn't sure how secure the Vault was, seeing how easily the Headmaster used a spell to open the door instead of unlocking the padlock with a key. Regardless, it wasn't his problem. If the old man wanted to have all of the country's national treasures stolen, that was his business.

Inside the esteemed Vault was, to put it simply, a mess.

"I know teenagers who keep their room cleaner than this," Tobias snarked.

Objects varying shapes and sizes were placed randomly throughout the room. Some were placed in glass displays; others were in crates of wood or stone. Some were lying about on the floor or on a table, and a few were resting against one of the four walls. There was no sense of organization, with jewels, armor, weapons, and unknown knick-knacks being set with the order of entropy.

Osmond coughed into his fist. "We, ahem, don't have the time to properly sort out the Vault," he confessed. "And since we usually don't allow people access inside, it's not a pressing concern."

"It's less impressive than I thought it would be," said Kirche in disappointment. "Ooh, but this looks promising." She reached out towards a jewel encrusted feather necklace.

"Please do not touch any of the contents of this room with the explicit permission of myself or Headmaster Osmond," Colbert reproached her. "Some of the objects in this room are incredibly volatile."

"And yet you're letting us in," Tobias grumbled under his breath.

"Don't sound ungrateful," Louise whispered to him. "Very few people get to see the contents of the Vault. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"I am overwhelmed with joy and awe."

"Now you're just being sarcastic."

"Now this is a beauty," Osmond exclaimed. He picked up a sword that was hanging from a rack on the wall and drew it from its scabbard. The blade was about standard in length, but slightly on the thicker side. Geometric patterns covered the hilt and sheath. "This sword was made a square class mage, who happened to be a renowned blacksmith. He put his heart and will into crafting this, and now it's a national treasure. Would any of you like to hold it?"

"…You're giving teenagers a national treasure to play with," Tobias deadpanned.

"There's no harm," said Osmond. Colbert's expression said the complete opposite, but it was clear who running the show here. "Besides, the sword has a few unique properties to make it perfectly safe to hold."

"Let me have it then," said Kirche.

Tobias took an instinctive step back as Osmond handed the sword to Kirche. Surprisingly, the girl stumbled as she held it.

"It's heavier than I thought," she commented. She swung it slowly through the air. "Feels poorly balanced too."

"Just admit that you can't wield it," Louise scoffed. "It looks like your strength is wasted carrying those fat sacks all day."

"I can use a sword," Kirche protested. She took a dueling stance and tried to move the sword in a practice swing, but it took all of her effort to keep the blade from wavering. "This one is beautiful, but poorly made, which is probably why its stuck here instead of being put to good use."

"That's not quite the reason," said Osmond as he took it back. He swung it a few times. Despite his age and apparent frailty, he looked to have a much easier time than Kirche. "Rather, this particular sword has a certain degree of sentience. If it dislikes its wielder, it becomes heavy, dull, and unwieldy. If it likes its wielder, it becomes a very formidable weapon capable of impressive feats. However, an ideal wielder for it has not been found in generations, so the royal family decided to place it here until one could be found."

"Sentient weapon?" Tabitha said questioningly.

"Indeed," said Colbert. "While they are extremely rare, there are few weapons we know of that have some capacity for thought. In fact, quite recently, another sword was added to the vault that can not only think, but also speak."

"A talking sword?" Louise asked skeptically. "That sounds impossible. They don't even have mouths."

{I don't need my mouth to speak to you,} Tobias reminded her through thought-speak.

"Stop doing that!" she hissed, glaring at him.

"Where is this talking sword?" Kirche asked.

"Right over here," said Osmond. He had walked to the far end of the wall, where a sword, longer and thicker than the first, was lying propped against the side of the wall. "Curious. He normally would have said something by now."

"Heh-huh what?" A voice came from the sword as the lock on the sheathe rose up and down like a mouth. Even more surprising, it made a sound like it was yawning. "Oh, Old Osmond, it's been a while. Found any good skirts to look under?"

The other occupants of the room stared at Osmond. He coughed loudly. "Ahem, while this sword is capable of speech, he also is a little… crude in his vocabulary."

"A little?" Louise echoed.

"What you mean, 'this sword', I have name you know!" the sword complained. "I'm Derfinger, the greatest and oldest sword in history!"

"I don't know what I was expecting when I thought of a talking sword, but this wasn't it," Tobias commented flatly.

"You got some mouth on you, boy!" Derfinger retorted. "How about we throw these hands and see who comes out on top!"

"You don't even have hands."

"I won't need them to teach you a lesson in manners!"

"…Is this supposed to be a rare national treasure?" Louise asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Colbert said with regret.

"Loud. Annoying," Tabitha commented.

"I think I prefer the other sword," said Kirche. "This one has all the right words, but the rusty body is a real turn off."

"You obviously don't know what I'm made of!" Derflinger protested. "Also, old man, is she legal? Because if so, she's a keeper."

"Can you remove its ability to talk?" Tobias asked seriously.

Colbert shook his head. "Unfortunately, no."

Tobias ran his hand over his face. "Dammit."

"Woah! I can't believe I didn't notice who you were earlier!" Derfinger exclaimed, noticing the runes of Tobias's hand. "You should have told me you were the Gandalfr, partner!"

Tobias stared blankly at the sword, then looked around. "Who's it talking to?" he asked.

"You, partner! Obviously."

"Tobias, why is the sword calling you its partner?" Louise asked.

"Why do you think I know?" Tobias asked. "Wasn't Gandalf an old wizard or something? I'm not a mage."

"You mean you don't even know what you are?" Derflinger asked.

"I'm Louise's pet."

"Familiar!" Louise corrected emphatically.

"So, is she the dom and you the sub? Odd fetish, but I don't judge."

Kirche snorted a laugh. "I've changed my mind; This sword is perfect."

"I don't have a fetish!" Louise protested.

"Can we shut him up before I find a bottomless pit to throw him in?" Tobias requested.

"Certainly," said Osmond, jamming the sword into the sheath. "This usually does the trick, at least for a while."

Tobias looked at Osmond questioningly. "Care to explain what that was all about?" he asked.

"It's a… bit of a complicated story," said Colbert.

Tobias caught on that the professor was eyeing Tabitha and Kirche. "Whatever then, doesn't matter," said Tobias as he wandered away.

The hilt in Osmond's hand rose up as Derflinger resumed talking. "Don't leave me behind, partner! We just got reunited!"

"I've never met you before in my life!" Tobias called back. "In fact, I wish I hadn't met you at all! I've got annoyances to deal with…" he ended in a mutter.

"Hey, girlie," Derflinger whispered to Louise. "Think you can hook me up with your pet-friend-familiar?"

Louise looked at the sword with disgust. "I think I've gotten tired of weapons as crude as their materials."

"Oh, come on, give an old sword a break here!"

"I'll take you!" Kirche offered enthusiastically.

"You're hot, but not what I'm looking for in a partner."

Osmond loudly slammed Derflinger back into his sheath. "Let's resume the tour, shall we?" he suggested pleasantly.

Over at the other side of the room, Tobias was looking around in idle curiosity. Nothing was catching his eye, but he felt almost like he was looking through a garage sale, albeit a very expensive one.

Tobias suddenly froze. His eyes latched on to a very recognizable object resting on a stand in a glass case.

"What's this?" Louise asked, creeping up behind him.

"Dracon beam," Tobias answered on instinct before shutting his jaw with a tight click.

Louise looked at the plaque that was right under the case. "The sign says, 'Wand of Destruction'," she read.

"Doesn't change what it is," Tobias grunted.

"And how would you know what it is?" Louise asked, crossing her arms.

Tobias debated the harm in telling her the truth. He decided that it wasn't a secret worth keeping. "A weapon used by the Yeerks, my old enemies."

Louise's eyes went blank. "By your enemies, do you mean your personal enemies, or the enemies of your home country?"

"Both."

"Oh." Louise didn't know what to say to that. She knew Tobias was no stranger to violence, but she didn't expect someone like him to be a soldier. He looked too young and acted too unprofessional to be military trained. "Wait, if it's from your enemies, how did it end up here? I thought you were from very far away."

"I am," Tobias replied, an edge noticeable in his voice. "There shouldn't be anyone or anything else from the world I left behind. So why is this in a vault with a bunch of relics? The war wasn't nearly long enough for something like this be a relic. Is the timestream flowing at different speeds? That would involve Ellimist, Crayak, or The One. But I don't see any other evidence that they're involved. Did the Yeerks already make it here? No, they would have died out without Kandora rays. Maybe just a splinter group made it here. Then they would have died, but who were their hosts? Are there any survivors?"

"Tobias?" Louise asked cautiously. She didn't understand half of what he was saying, but the look in the boy's eyes was haunted, calculating, and murderous, all in equal measure

The sound of his name snapped Tobias back into reality. "Yes?" he asked in his usual flat tone.

"You were scaring me," is what Louise wanted to say. However, she couldn't bring herself to show weakness. Whatever her familiar was going through, she would handle it resolutely. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing."

"Liar," she called him out without missing a beat. "You never act like… whatever you were doing. Tell me what's wrong."

"It's nothing," Tobias insisted. At Louise glare, he added, "I think. I need to know where this came from to be sure."

"I can provide that explanation!"

Tobias and Louise jumped as Osmond popped up behind them.

"Were you spying on us, old man?" Tobias asked harshly.

"Spying? No. Merely, observing from a reasonable distance," Osmond replied. Kirche, who was standing behind the headmaster, bobbed her head emphatically. Tabitha and Colbert, who were further back, sighed in unison. "Now, you wish to know the story of the Wand of Destruction, eh? Well, it's one I know personally, because I was the one who brought it here."

Taking in a deep breath, Osmond began, "This happened back when I was a recent graduate of the Academy…"

Osmond soared through the sky as fast as he dared. He could the roar of a dragon off in the distance. The nearest established city was a sizeable distance away, and he doubted the local lord of the area would be close enough to stop the threat. Even though Osmond knew he wouldn't be strong enough to beat a dragon, perhaps he could at least buy time for the survivors to flee.

Battering winds tore apart the trees, adding more turmoil to the cacophony. But the sounds that rose above the roars and destruction, were the screams of terrified villagers fleeing for their lives.

As Osmond came within sight of the village, he saw the wind dragon. It was impressively large for its species. If it had been resting on all fours, it would have towered over any of the village's buildings. As it were, the drake was circling around in the sky, ignoring the volley of arrows that dinked against its scaled hide, while mustering winds that swept up people, trees, and buildings.

The young mage nearly froze in panic. This threat was farther beyond his abilities than he expected. No triangle class mage could defeat a rampaging dragon of that caliber. Founder above, it'd take several triangle class mages to handle such a threat without a high risk of casualties. However, as Osmond heard the cries for help of the people below, he steeled his resolve. There was no one else to help, and he couldn't call himself an honorable noble if he abandoned the citizens of Tristan to save his own skin. This was why the Founder had gifted nobles with magic, to handle the problems the common people could not.

Using a spell to amplify his voice, Osmond called out, "Head to the thickest parts of the forest!" There, the thickness of tree limbs would break the winds and slow the debris before it could fall on their unsuspecting heads.

The crowds looked up to Osmond, but his attention was already focused on the dragon. The drake roared and dove towards him, anger clear in its eyes.

"Wind Blade!" Osmond chanted.

The spell was fast, which made it difficult for the dragon evade. It managed to twist its head and neck out of the way, leaving the spell to barely pierce the scales of its chest. Osmond casted the spell in rapid-fire succession, now targeting the dragon's wings to try to limit it to the ground. While he had more powerful spells in his arsenal, he couldn't use the full extent of his magic unless he landed on the ground, which would be a death sentence.

Osmond and the wind dragon fought fiercely. The mage put a good fight, but the drake was relentless. With every spell cast, Osmond's flight became slower and more erratic as his focus and Willpower were strained. Eventually, he made a fatal mistake. He tried cast a Wind Blade at the dragon while it was too close. The spell managed to create a tear in the dragon's wing, but that same wing clipped his side with the force of the dragon's momentum. Osmond was able to slow his fall, but still crashed to the ground. He felt a bone snap as he landed on his wand arm.

The mage groaned and pulled himself up to a sitting position. His off hand picked up his fallen wand, determined to make his final stand. Then he noticed a man lying nearby, shaking and clutching a small black rod as if his life depended on it.

"Run!" Osmond ordered the man.

The man looked up at his words, but didn't seem to understand. His face flickered between fear, confusion, pain, and anger. Osmond then noticed that the man looked disheveled and was wearing very strange clothes. He didn't look to be in the right state of mind to care for himself.

The wind dragon roared and dove down at Osmond. The young noble raised the most powerful wind barrier he could muster, but knew that the battle had been already decided. There was no way he was getting out of this fight alive. Nevertheless, if he was going to die, he was going to die fighting with dignity.

The man behind Osmond screamed and pointed his stick and the dragon. As the beast struggled to press through the winds Osmond had conjured, it suddenly howled in pain as a ray of light burned into its shoulder. A quick series of beams burned into its leg, neck, and then one of its wings. All the while the dragon screeched in agony as it lost control and careened into the ground.

"Founder above, what is that?" Osmond asked the man.

Unfortunately, his newfound ally still didn't seem to be all there. The man's expression flickered violently between anger and crazed joy. Osmond reached out a hand towards him, but then the man sprinted towards the dragon, firing rays of light from the rod in his hand.

"Don't get closer to it!" Osmond warned. He tried to rise to his feet, but stumbled. That shield had taken almost everything he had. His vision was swimming, but he still forced himself to rise. "If you have magic that can hurt it from a distance, use the distance!"

Not heeding Osmond's warnings, the man suicidally charged at the dragon. While the beams of light painfully carved hole after hole into the dragon's body, it was still strong enough to fan its wings, summoning a powerful gust of wind that blew the man away. His body crumpled against the trunk of a nearby tree and lay still. The dragon, bleeding through multiple holes in its body, stumbled. It struggled to push itself to its feet, but then staggered, and fell. Its screeches of pain fell into whimpers, and then it went silent.

Osmond forced himself to walk towards the fallen man. Every step was painful and made him want to throw up, fall down, and sleep. However, he could not do such a disservice to the one who had saved his life and the lives of everyone the dragon would have harmed.

When Osmond arrived at the man's body, he found the foreigner was alive, but only barely. A thin trail of grey ooze was leaking from the man's ear, a clear sign he was beyond saving. Despite this, the man smiled.

Slowly, the man turned to Osmond. He was too weak to speak, but expression showed relief and acceptance. Osmond took the man's hand and held it, until the man lost his grip, and he paced away peacefully.

"When I brought the report to the royal family, they were in disbelief," said Osmond. "Which, given the circumstances, was entirely reasonable. However, when they examined the scene of the incident, the evidence was undeniable. The man's body was buried in a private ceremony, and we kept this wand locked away for the safety of everyone."

Tobias's face was stony as he processed the information. "You said he looked disheveled, like he hadn't taken care of himself recently. How long do you think he had been away from civilization?"

"Hmm… well, I'd say he'd been out for a week at least," Osmond said. "Which is strange, since he was only an hour's walk away from the nearest village. However, if he wasn't mentally stable to begin with, his condition could be the result of a mere two or three days."

"So Yeerks can't live here," Tobias said in relief. "That's one problem out of the way."

"I beg your pardon?" Colbert asked. "What is a 'Yeerk'?"

Tobias ignored the inquiry. "How about what was coming out of his ear? Did it resemble slime or some type of wormy slug?"

"Why are you asking that?" Louise hissed. "Be sensitive about the dead."

"I'm trying to figure out how he died," Tobias responded.

"I'd imagine he died from having his spine snapped in half by a dragon and a tree," Osmond remarked drily. "But to answer your question, I'm afraid that I had more important things on my mind in the moment, and I wasn't exactly paying attention when they gave autopsy. Anything else you wish to know?"

"Don't make it weird," Louise warned her familiar.

Tobias refrained from rolling his eyes. "In that case, can I hold it?" he asked, pointing at the encased wand.

Louise jabbed her elbow into Tobias's side.

He winced and looked at her. "What?"

"You can't just ask to hold one of the most dangerous artifacts in Tristan!"

"You said to not make it weird."

"That request is beyond weird!"

"Quite so," Colbert agreed.

Osmond, on the other hand, nodded along. "Go right ahead. We avoided touching it because we didn't want to risk losing a hand, but if you're familiar with it, maybe we can avoid that, eh?"

Tobias showed no emotion at the Headmaster's joke.

The old man coughed, and pointed his wand at the case, removing the enchantment that kept it sealed. He then levitated the glass away, leaving the wand free to be taken from its stand. Colbert instinctively took a step back, with everyone except Osmond quickly following in suit.

Tobias rolled his eyes and lifted the dracon beam from the stand.

The weapon fell from his hand and clattered to the floor, causing everyone aside from Tobias to jump.

"Are you trying to kill us?" Louise screeched.

Tobias glared at the stick. "It won't shoot by being dropped," he said. "That'd be a terrible design flaw."

"That doesn't mean you should test it!"

"Someone likes to live on the wild side," Kirche teased, but even she sounded a bit shaken.

"I wasn't," Tobias denied. "I felt something… off."

"Should we put the Wand back in the case?" Colbert suggested.

Tobias shook his head. "I've got it."

Once again, he reached out his hand to the dracon beam. As he touched it, he felt a tingling. He stiffened but resisted his instinct to remove his hand. The feeling was not painful, but rather, energizing. As Tobias's hands closed around the dracon beam's handle, he felt a rush of information flow into his mind. How to wield the weapon, what the settings were, how to adjust them, and more. Narrowing down the tingly sensation, Tobias looked at the back of his left hand, where the familiar runes were glowing faintly.

"Louise," Tobias said with a calmness he did not feel. "Why do my tattoos glow?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Louise asked. "They're your familiar runes."

"You're the one who put them on."

"The ritual did!"

"And you did the ritual!"

"If I might interject," said Colbert. "The runes engraved on a familiar are a part of the ritual, but the mage does not choose them. Instead, the magic of the ritual itself creates the runes. They normally are purely for branding purposes, but occasionally some familiars gain unique abilities once the contract is established."

"That sounds like a noticeable gap of information from a ritual that's supposed to be very old and important," Tobias remarked. He experimentally pointed the dracon beam at various objects in the room. He felt like he had the muscle memory of how to aim and fire. The knowledge should have felt invasive, but instead it felt natural. He adjusted the weapon, pointed it at his runed hand, and fired.

"NO!" Louise screamed.

"Ow," Tobias said in a flat monotone. "That stung."

The mages looked at Tobias in confusion. There was a faint reddened mark on his hand, but it was almost unnoticeable amidst the glow from the runes.

"I thought it was supposed to be able to cut through a dragon," said Kirche.

"Lied?" Tabitha asked, looking at Osmond suspiciously.

"I assure you; I did not lie!" Osmond insisted. "Maybe it got weaker after sitting here for years?"

"As much as I like watching the old man squirm, he didn't lie about the danger of this weapon," said Tobias, calling everyone's attention back to him.

"Then how come you don't have a hole in your hand?" Louise asked.

"I put the power at the lowest setting," Tobias responded. "That way, if anyone does steal it in the future, it would be useless unless they know how to turn it up to dragon-slaying mode."

"How does that work?" Colbert asked. "We weren't able to detect any magic from it or determine how it managed to pierce through a dragon's scales."

"As if I'd tell you," Tobias retorted.

"Rude," Tabitha rebuked.

"Incredible disrespectful," Louise said in agreement. "Apologize to Mister Colbert, right now."

"No," Tobias refused. He immediately resumed his walk throughout the room. "Any other weapons of mass destruction I need to disarm?" he called out in question.

"Don't walk away from me!" Louise ordered. Her command, as expected, went ignored.

"Not to my knowledge," Osmond responded. "But if you see anything that interests you, let me know!"

"Can I try some of these out?" Kirche asked.

"Well…" Colbert began hesitantly.

"Tobias got to use the Wand of Destruction," Kirche pointed out.

"And thankfully, he disabled it somehow," said Colbert. "I'm afraid there's too many items here that shouldn't be touched casually."

Kirche pouted. "That's no fun."

Tobias continued exploring the Vault, this time intent on finding any other relics from Earth or any other planets. Not only could something as simple as a gun be incredibly dangerous in this world, but they could also provide clues. He knew Louise had summoned him, and his summoning was unheard of, but now he had evidence that other people had been brought to this world. He was a rarity, but he wasn't an isolated incident.

Louise almost bumped into Tobias when the boy jerked to a stop. "What is it now?" she asked irritably.

Tobias didn't answer. Instead, he walked forward, eyeing a small cube lying on a table of oddly shaped jewels. "Osmond!" he called out. "Where did this come from?" He pointed to the cube.

"Use his title!" Louise hissed. "You're being disrespectful."

Tobias continued ignoring her, only looking towards the old man as he shuffled along.

"The little box?" Osmond asked. "It's recent, I can recall that much. Some noble stumbled across it, but no one could figure out what it was. Some tried to transmute it—"

Tobias's eyes bulged.

"—but it oddly didn't respond to magic," Osmond finished. Tobias's eyes relaxed in relief. "It changed hands a few times before ending up here. I think they called it 'The Unchanging Square'." He gave Tobias a knowing look. "I'm assuming you're familiar with it."

Tobias nodded. "It's…" He hesitated, but then decided that it wasn't a huge breach of secrecy. It's not like they could do anything with the information. "We called it a morphing cube," he said. "My dad gave one to us… before he died."

That admission startled the group, especially Louise. She also noticed his use of "we" and "us". It wasn't often that Tobias talked about others in his life. "I'm sorry to hear that," the pinkette said softly.

"It's been years," said Tobias. But the words did not remove the heaviness from his voice. "I…" He shook his head. "Can I keep this?"

"We normally don't let people take things out of the vault—" Colbert began.

"—but we can make an exception here," Osmond finished.

"Headmaster?!" Colbert exclaimed.

"What? No one cares about this trinket; it's more of a curiosity than anything," Osmond said dismissively. "Besides, I'm assuming this also has sentimental value to you?"

"Yes," Tobias admitted in a small voice.

"Consider it yours then," Osmond declared. "Just don't let it get around, okay? We wouldn't want to give the wrong impression."

Tobias nodded mutely. He reached out and grabbed the cube gingerly. As his fingers brushed against it, it began to glow.

"What?" Colbert said dumbly. "But that cube isn't supposed to do anything."

Tobias quickly slipped the cube into the pocket of his trouser. "It wouldn't, except for me," he said.

"I hope it's not another weapon that can slay dragons?" Colbert asked wearily.

Tobias shook his head. "It was made to be more of a toy than anything," he replied.

He wasn't lying. The Escafil device wasn't invented for military use. It was created for the sake of pushing the boundaries of science, with the dangerous potential it had only being recognized later.

Osmond chuckled. "The Wand of Destruction is a dragon-slaying weapon, and the Unchanging Square is a toy. You must come from a strange place to have items like these lying around."

"I guess you could say that."

The rest of the vault tour was subdued. Tobias's attention was mostly fixed on the object in his pocket, which lightly hummed as he rolled it over with his fingers. Louise couldn't decide whether she wanted to be angry at Tobias's multiple counts of disrespect, or sympathetic for his loss. The only energy of the group came from Kirche, who by the end of the tour was disappointed that she hadn't found anything that she was allowed to keep.

After the students were ushered out of the Vault, Osmond and Colbert both released sighs of relief.

"I think that went rather well," Osmond commented.

"I think my heart stopped beating multiple times in the past hour," Colbert gasped. "What part of that went well?"

"He is the Gandalfr."

That point, Colbert had to agree on. "We did manage to confirm that he has the Gandalfr runes," the professor acknowledged. "I wish we could have had him use a sword to see the runes in practical use."

"Even without holding one, a sword did manage to confirm our suspicions."

"Yes, Derflinger," Colbert said reluctantly. "While I wouldn't trust its word directly, we did have visual proof as well. Now, what do we do?"

"The boy is clever. He knows we know something he doesn't know," said Osmond with a clever smile. "Which is why we will wait for him to make the first move. When he is ready trust our knowledge and learn from us, he will approach us."

"And until then, we tell him nothing?"

"Do you think he would listen to a word we said if we tried to speak to him now?"

"A fair point," Colbert conceded. "However, I think leaving him without so much of a hint isn't the best approach. He could be a game changer in Tristan's military power. We don't want him to get a different impression before we can speak to him first."

"A different impression from whom?" Osmond asked. "He's unlikely to listen to Miss Zerbst, Miss Orleans is reserved, and aside from the servants and Miss Valliere, there's no one else he speaks to. With Fouquet out the picture, him getting influenced by a foreign agent is the least of our concern."

"I suppose you're right," said Colbert. "And by the Founder, I pray you are."

Osmond and Tobias are trying to brain pick each other with questionable success. Arguments of moral superiority are always best when neither person is entirely right. Even though I portray Osmond slightly more favorably than canon does (like I end up doing for most of the FoZ cast), he's still a Dumbledore + Master Roshi trope hybrid. His plans are flawed and his perversion is annoying. Tobias is more grounded, but his scope his very limited. Partially because due to circumstances, and partially because he doesn't bother to expand. I personally side with Tobias, but hopefully the initial scene shows that neither of them are imperfect.

Anyone want to tell me why Derflinger was sitting in a random shop instead of in the Vault with all the other rare magic doohickeys? The best thing to do with a ancient talking magic sword is shove it in the vault and brag about it at dinner parties. Yeesh. Also, this makes storytelling much more convenient. I was struggling to figure out how to get Derflinger involved in this story for a while. He's still not partnered with Tobias, but at least he got his debut!

Osmond's tale was fun to write. He's supposed to be a very powerful mage, but we never get to see it in the show. Plus, the scene shows a little more about prior Earth-Halkegenia interactions. I didn't explain every detail since I didn't want to spam exposition. Though, it should suffice for now.

Thank you to everyone who reads and reviews. I know a sizeable amount of people are reading this story with little to no prior Animorph series knowledge, which makes me glad that I was able to reel you into Tobias's perspective with the slow release of information I've provided. As a note, end-of-series Tobias is much Sasuke-er than the other 95% of his existence. He'll mellow out as people chip away at the shell he keeps around himself. And big progress will be made on that next chapter! The WIP title will be "Leave Me Alone" if that hints to Tobias's feelings on the matter.

Your feedback keeps me fueled on this and other stories. Remember, reviews are food for a writer's soul!