I stared at Flynn for a few seconds, then turned my attention back to the statue of the Smith.

"I think," I said, "That I'm sick of surprises."

"Then call it another test. What do you notice?"

Anger ran through me, and I pushed it down with some difficulty. Instead of saying anything, I continued to examine the statue.

At first, I didn't notice anything remarkable. It was a beautifully crafted sculpture, the kind of work a master might labor over for months, but otherwise unremarkable. However, as I stood there, I felt a hint of something.

The statue felt dead...but there was a flicker of something deep within, an ember of fire mana that burned unceasing. I closed my eyes and placed a hand against the plinth, pushing my awareness past the stone.

A fire appeared in my mind's eye. It was a bloody crimson, sending thin tongues of scarlet in every direction as it burned. The flame felt like a raging inferno, strong enough to consume anything in its path. Yet despite that, there was also something else within it that I couldn't quite place.

I opened my eyes and was about to stand when I noticed something just under my foot, cutting through the tiles with perfect precision.

My eyes traced the looping curve, and I was on my feet and following it almost without realizing I had moved. Slowly, I followed it around the back of the statue, finding that it formed a perfect ring that encircled the base. When I reached the front again, I noticed a thick line leading away from the statue towards the center of the chamber.

I walked towards the center, ignoring Flynn and Fortunatus, who had jumped off my shoulder and taken up a position near the entrance to the room.

After around twenty feet, I stopped again. The line leading away from the statue intersected another curving mark, forming a ring around the chamber's center. A second, circular carving was just past it, and enclosed within the ring were runes. It reminded me of the array I had made, but...well, comparing the two was like comparing a finger painting to a royal portrait.

My array had used a few dozen runes, each a little smaller than my palm. I had taken pains to carve them with precision, but there had still been flaws and imperfections that detracted from the whole.

This ring used hundreds of individual runes and sigils, even in the small section I could see. What's more, each and every one looked perfect, like someone had distilled the idea into its truest form.

I knelt, holding up my open hand and forming an orb of Aether. The green glow clashed with the gold of Flynn's magic, creating a chaotic mixture of colors, but the added light helped illuminate the symbols.

"These look like healing runes, designed to repair flesh, blood, and bone. But there are other markings here for...rebuilding? No, refinement. But how would you...Ah, I see. So you're not rebuilding the body but telling the body to rebuild itself, using those to create some kind of...what's that word? Ripple? No, must be 'echo'," I muttered under my breath, my eyes darting from place to place as I spoke.

Flynn cleared his throat, breaking into my musings. "You're following along with this?"

"Not at all," I replied, standing and brushing off the front of my pants before continuing, "This place is remarkable, but utterly beyond my understanding. I could spend months here, and still not grasp just this ring. And trust me, I'd love to do just that. But..."

"But?"

"But I think I can take a guess."

Flynn waved a hand and smiled. "Be my guest."

I glanced around the chamber again, setting my eyes on the next closest statue. It was that of a man, tall and lean with a trimmed beard, ponytail, and a warm smile. He wore a layered sash around his hips, but his chest, feet, and arms were bare, save for bracers on his forearms and a few necklaces. His plinth was that of crashing, surging waves, and I could sense within its heart a feeling like that of staring into an endless ocean.

"As near as I can tell, this room is a dedication to the Founders. That statue is the Smith, the first fire mage. That one, the first water mage, also known as the Navigator. Both have a core of mana, and it doesn't take much thought to deduce that the others must be similar."

Flynn remained silent, so I continued, "Now, I wasn't sure what that mana is meant to do until I noticed the circle around each plinth. There is that line here that leads to the ring in the center, which is itself comprised of intricate runes. And the runes there all seem focused on a particular concept: change."

Yet again, the light mage didn't say anything. I stared at him for a time, then sighed. "My best guess is that this chamber is a remarkably complex healing array of some manner, designed to repair, rebuild, and refine. It does so through a combination of multiple, disparate elements of mana, some magical effect intended to capture the current state of your body, and other functions I couldn't possibly deduce."

It was the best I could manage, but there was so much more I couldn't fully grasp. One combination of runes stood for what I thought meant "prime matter," which must be an important term considering it was repeated a half-dozen times. Others referred back to the idea of "rebirth," which seemed disconnected from the rest of the array.

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And that wasn't touching the real mystery, which was an inner circle of runes. It was too far away to make out in any detail, but I had to assume this had an effect all its own.

The only reason I could puzzle out as much as I had was thanks to my experiences, but even that took me only so far. I could scarcely imagine how much I might learn by studying this room, and it was all I could do not to pull out a notebook and start recording everything for later examination.

Flynn's face was hard to read. He seemed to examine me for a time, his eyes narrowed. Then, he smiled and clapped his hands together. "Top marks. I knew I was right about you."

"Pardon?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You managed to piece together a decent amount in, what, ten minutes? Fifteen?"

"I have a vague idea of how one part of this room works and no idea of the underlying mechanics. That's hardly praiseworthy."

"I disagree. This isn't a simple bit of magic. But first, let's bring some honesty into our relationship, shall we?"

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Once, I asked you why you would go so far. Why would you push so much to grow stronger? And for a time, I assumed it was the same thing that drives most of us. Ambition. A hunger for knowledge or power. And I kept assuming that, right up until I saw your attempt at transcending your human limits."

I knew in an instant what he meant. The array I had crafted had been mostly destroyed, but he must have seen enough to piece together what had happened.

Flynn examined me, his smile fading. "I know you don't trust me. Not fully. And I know why. You still think I'm hiding something. The truth is, I am, but not anymore. If I want you to trust me, I need to return that favor."

The man turned, gesturing towards a statue at the far end of the room. "The Radiant. The first light mage, my ancestor, and, if the family stories are true, the unofficial leader of the Founders. She was the eldest of the seven, a healer, and respected in her time for her wisdom. Our legends claim she provided the knowledge that made the first Awakening possible."

"Do you believe that?" I asked, unable to help myself.

"Yes, actually, because of what she did next. You see, the first Awakenings were flawed in some way. They not only opened the cores of the participants, but also altered the mana within them. Changed it in a way they didn't fully understand that made them far more powerful than they should have been."

I turned back towards the statue of the Smith, and imagined again that strange, blood-red flame. "I see...I had often wondered if the stories were overblown. It seems I was wrong to doubt them."

Flynn chuckled. "Hold onto that thought. As I said, their Awakenings were flawed. They were powerful, yes, but too powerful. Their bodies proved improper vessels for their mana, unable to house the strength they had obtained. Soon, they realized that for all of their might, their lives would be cut short."

I empathized, but what he said still hadn't explained much. "That's a problem plenty of mages had faced."

"None to this extent. Now, the Founders didn't sit idle. They conquered land, trained students, and built cities, but their greatest achievements came towards the end of their lives. Each of them poured their power, their will, and their knowledge into a great work. A legacy. These would last beyond them, standing as a monument to their existence. You've seen at least two of these, by my estimation."

"The Everforge?" I guessed, and Flynn nodded.

I wasn't sure of the second, and Flynn seemed to guess as much, eventually saying, "The Invictus is the other. We lie and claim it's repaired by talented mages, but the truth is that it's persisted for a thousand years now, ever since the Carver created it of pure earth mana."

"That's..." I trailed off, my mind struggling to comprehend that possibility.

A permanent mana construct that has remained stable for centuries was beyond challenging. It should've been impossible. As far as I knew, there wasn't a single mage alive who had come even close.

After a second, I shook my head. "I fail to see how these connect."

"Patience. I'm getting there. The Radiant saw her fellows with their great works and sought to leave behind her own legacy. What she sought was not some monument, however. Instead, she wished to advance magic itself. She believed the Awakening wasn't flawed. No, we were the imperfect ones. And this? This was her solution."

"She created this?"

"Yes...and no. The Radiant, with the help of the other six, carved out this chamber, crafted these statues, and sealed within each a fragment of the Founders' mana. Her intention was to use it on the seven of them, granting them peerless forms and allowing them more time. But soon, she realized this was a great work beyond that of any mage. For all their talents, the Founders lacked the sophisticated understanding that only centuries of study could bridge. So, instead, she tasked her descendants with completing her undertaking."

Flynn glanced over to the statue, then turned back to me. "For years, we've labored. We bartered, begged, and stole knowledge from other families. We experimented and studied. We refined and rebuilt, building upon the works of generations past. Now, finally, after centuries, we have completed her great work."

He swept his arm out, his eyes boring into me with an intensity that startled me. "This is our legacy. This is where we will take the unshaped clay of mundane flesh and bone, and transform it into a perfect vessel for magic. First came the Awakening. Now comes the Rebirth."

Goosebumps broke out across my flesh. This place wasn't just some temple or ritual room of the great Sion clan. It was an artifact on par with the Everforge, the sort of thing that entire houses would go to war over. And Flynn was trusting me with this secret?

I had to know.

"Why are you telling me all of this? This isn't some meaningless secret. Surely you're aware I'm one setback away from being exiled from your family," I said with a frown.

"Two things. First, because as I said, I can't expect trust without extending some of my own. You're my brother now, and adopted or not. And second, because you won't be. Kicked out, I mean. I'll make sure of that," Flynn said, his confident smile returning.

I felt a flush of warmth spread through me at that. The cynical part of me whispered that it was manipulation, but to what end? Flynn didn't need me, so why bother?

"Thank you," I said, smiling with more sincerity than I had in a long time.

Flynn nodded, then waved a hand. "The truth is, this place isn't quite ready. At least, not yet. It needs mana from both one of the Founders and an external source to act as a kind of 'catalyst' if that makes sense. Ideally, the mage using the array provides that energy."

I was practically bouncing on my feet. "Easy enough. How much—"

"Besides that," Flynn continued, "The array uses the natural movements of mana to strengthen the effect even further. There's a certain ebb and flow that we can measure, and this chamber can't be used to its fullest potential unless the conditions are just right."

"How long?" I asked, seeing the point right away.

"My father estimates between six and eight months based on past trends."

Six to eight months, after which we could use this chamber to do...whatever it was that it did. The idea of "Rebirth" was still a little nebulous, but it clearly had to have a significant impact.

"Not long," I remarked, earning a nod from Flynn.

"No, which is why we need to prepare. As I said, each statue needs external mana to connect to the power held within. Four are ready, but the last three still need some preparation. Two of those are easy enough, but the third is going to be tricky."

I followed his eyes to the statue just to the side of the Radiant. The figure there was short and androgenous, utterly covered in layers of cloth. Thick robes sat beneath a sweeping, hooded cloak that fell to cover their legs and feet. The plinth looked strange, covered in depictions of...clouds, maybe?

It took me a few seconds to puzzle it out. "The darkness Founder."

"The Enshrouder," Flynn confirmed with a nod. "The First Shadow, and the first illusionist. Ironic in a way that we'd come to associate it with light."

I didn't know what to say to that, so I replied, "So, we need to store darkness mana. Is that all?"

"No, but that's the immediate concern. As for the rest...well, let's set up camp in here, and we can discuss that."

Flynn made a show of yawning, but before he could turn, I cleared my throat.

"Before that, I have a favor to return," I said. Flynn's eyebrow rose, and I continued, "You entrusted me with your secrets. It seems only right that I do the same."

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