Corin entered the room, and this time Cearen was already there.
The young man with the white hair was lying relaxed on his bed, one leg casually crossed over the other. He had taken off his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. His blood-red eyes sparkled curiously as he scrutinized Corin.
"Oh? No surprise attacks this time?"
Cearen grinned.
Corin shook his head slightly and tossed his bag onto his bed.
"I thought maybe I shouldn't scare you half to death every night."
"Very considerate of you," Cearen said with mock seriousness. Then he sat up and stretched his arms.
"What's that?" asked Corin.
Cearen followed his gaze and laughed.
"Oh, that? Officially, it's called the seal of the disciplinary committee. I call it the license to cause trouble."
Corin sat down on his bed and eyed Cearen as he relaxed into his own area of the room.
"Disciplinary committee, huh?" muttered Corin, placing his spear, which had retracted back into the plain bracelet, on the table beside him.
Cearen grinned. "Surprised?"
"A little. I rather expected you to be looking for trouble, not solving it."
Cearen laughed softly.
"You're not entirely wrong. But the committee gives me certain freedoms, and let's put it this way, if you don't let yourself be taken advantage of, you can be creative with a few rules."
Corin raised an eyebrow.
"So a kind of privileged goon squad?"
"Please, we're official representatives of the academy! We just make sure the rules are followed."
Cearen leaned back and let the words hang in the air for a moment before adding with a grin,
"Or we find ways to get around them."
Corin shook his head slightly.
"And what exactly do you have to do? Punish people?"
"Not directly. Mostly we're mediators. If two students have a problem that can't be solved by a simple discussion, we make sure it's sorted out properly. And if someone goes too far..."
Cearen paused and flashed his red eyes briefly, his face showing a scary serious expression.
"Well, we make sure the academy stays neutral."
Corin understood what he meant. It was a subtle threat to all those who thought they could get away with anything with their name or background.
"And who decides who gets on the committee?"
"You either need a recommendation, or you have to show you've got what it takes."
Cearen winked.
"I had both. And what about you?"
Cearen asked as he straightened up.
"How was your first day?"
"Enlightening," Corin said curtly.
"More than I expected."
Cearen grinned.
"Well, tomorrow we'll continue. I'm curious to see how long you'll last, Denoir."
Corin snorted, stood up and stretched.
"Longer than you think."
Night was approaching, and while Cearen relaxed into his bed, Corin stayed awake for a while longer. The ravens were in his head again today. More and more questions, and fewer and fewer answers.
------------------------------------------
The Path Studies hall was once again filled to capacity. Corin sat in one of the middle seats, where he had a good view but didn't stand out directly in the front row. The air was filled with muffled murmurs as the students prepared for the lecture. But the noise died down abruptly when Professor Dorne entered the room.
As on the previous day, he moved with a confident calm, his dark cloak billowing slightly behind him. His gray eyes wandered searchingly over those present, and when he seemed satisfied, he began without beating about the bush:
"Last time we talked about the existence of the eleven paths. Today we are going one step further. How do you walk a path? And what distinguishes the individual ranks?"
He let his gaze wander through the rows. A student with a sharply cut face and the robes of a higher noble family raised his hand. Dorne nodded to him.
"There are several ways," the student began in a calm voice. "One can be born in one of the Path Domains or gain access to them through a Path Veil."
He let his words sink in for a moment before he spoke.
"Who can explain to me what a domain is?"
A student with long blonde hair raised her hand. Dorne nodded to her.
"Domains are the power areas of constellations," she explained confidently. "Within a domain, the Blessings of a constellation are accessible, and reinforced. They form around the constellation's area of influence and stand in contrast to free cities like Veyna, which lie outside a domain."
Dorne nodded approvingly.
"Very good. Domains are direct manifestations of the Constellations in our world. They are stable, constant, and have been in the hands of the families that have formed around them for centuries."
He let his gaze continue to wander around the room.
"Well, what about the path veils?"
After a moment's hesitation, another student spoke up. Her chestnut hair fell in light waves over her shoulders.
"Path veils are fragmented echoes of a domain," she replied. "They are created by relics or other objects that have a connection to the original domain. If you are exposed to them long enough, you can also gain the ability to resonate."
A satisfied smile flitted across Dorne's face.
"That's right. But unlike domains, veils are unstable and unpredictable. Some are permanent, others only appear for a short time. But their principle remains the same, they allow you to resonate with the power of a constellation, even outside its actual domain. However, the effect is significantly less than that of the actual domain."
Corin leaned back slightly. He finally understood. The great noble families who had forged a deep connection to a path over centuries, it was probably due to a relic they held in their possession. A source that allowed their descendants to bind themselves to a particular constellation.
Dorne cleared his throat slightly and continued:
"Think about these concepts. They form the foundation of our world. If you understand them, you will also understand why some families maintain their power over generations and why others disappear."
With that, he concluded the topic and moved on to fundamental aspects of the paths, but for Corin, the most important part of the lecture was already over.
Dorne started the next part of the session with another question
"Why doesn't everyone who has access to the paths enter a path?"
This time, a student in the back row spoke up.
"Because not everyone has the necessary resonance?"
Dorne smiled barely perceptibly.
"That's a good answer. The ability to receive a Blessing depends not only on the place, but also on the person. Some people go their whole lives through veils or live in a domain without ever receiving a Blessing or being able to use the basic Blessings. For a more detailed explanation of the difference, I would like to refer you to the Faculty of Blessing Theory."
With a quick wave of his hand, he made several golden symbols appear in the air, the representations of the eleven paths. They hovered above the class, luminous and mesmerizing.
"Once you receive a Blessing, you enter Rank One. The Path Believer. This is the first step. The difference from normal people is that they believe in a certain constellation without necessarily embodying its values. They gain access to their basic blessings. But only in the vicinity of a veil and a domain.
Professor Dorne let his scrutinizing gaze wander over the crowd before asking the next question:
"What is the difference between a Path Believer and a Path Ambassador?"
The usually active class remained silent. No one spoke up. A few students gave each other embarrassed looks, others avoided making eye contact with the professor. Dorne raised an eyebrow, a sign that he had expected more.
"No one?" he asked with mock astonishment. "Then let me enlighten you."
He took a step forward and crossed his arms behind his back.
"A Path Believer has reached the first stage of a path. His body and mind begin to adapt to the constellation with which he resonates. But this connection is still weak, dependent on proximity to the Domain or a Veil. Within this sphere of influence, a Path Believer can use the basic blessings, but if he steps outside, he loses this advantage."
He paused for a moment to let the meaning of his words sink in.
"A Path Ambassador, on the other hand, has established a deeper connection. The Path has recognized him. His being is beginning to align with the essence of the Path."
Corin listened intently.
"That means three things," Dorne continued.
"First, the basic Blessings are now usable independent of a Domain or Veil, albeit in a diminished form. Second, a Path Ambassador gains access to their own Blessings, unique to them. And thirdly, it is the last moment in which a change of path is possible. After that, the connection becomes too deep, the path irreversible."
Corin's thoughts raced. The words echoed in his head. It was exactly as Viviana had said.
He already had his own Blessings. He could use his powers anywhere. That meant...
He was already rank 2, a Path Ambassador.
It was obvious. The raven stone must have been a veil. It had granted him access to the path, just as Dorne had described. But something was wrong.
He had never been a rank 1. He didn't remember ever being just a Path Believer. No slow growth into the Force, no phase where he could only use the Blessings under certain circumstances. It was as if he had skipped the first rank. His fingers unconsciously clawed at the fabric of his pants.
'Why?'
A feeling of unease crept up inside him, but before he could lose himself deeper in thought, Dorne's voice brought him back to reality.
"Now do you understand why the transition from rank 1 to rank 2 is so significant? This is the moment when you decide whether you truly accept the path you are taking."
Corin blinked and forced himself to focus again. No matter what that meant, now was not the time to worry about it.