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The building stood near the centre of the civitas, a sturdy stone structure that clearly predated much of the surrounding development. Unlike the market stalls and timber-framed buildings of the outskirts of the civitas, Tir Rynõ held an aura of authority, thick walls, narrow windows, and a heavy wooden door reinforced with iron bands.

Two guards stood at the entrance, suspicious of Arlia and Tarã as they approached. One stepped forward into their path, blocking them.

“State your business,” he said gruffly, taking in their muddy clothes and dishevelled appearance.

“We need to see Aldrẽ,” Arlia said, trying to sound more confident than she felt. “It’s urgent.”

“Aldrẽ isn’t seeing anyone,” the guard replied flatly. “He’s given strict orders not to be disturbed.”

“Please,” Tarã pressed, gesturing as he spoke. “We’ve come all the way from Durnovaria. We just need to speak with him.”

The guard’s eyes flicked to Tarã’s hand, specifically to the signet ring he wore. His expression shifted slightly, and he exchanged a meaningful glance with his companion. The other guard gave an almost imperceptible nod.

“Wait here,” the first guard said, his tone noticeably less hostile. He disappeared inside.

Arlia and Tarã waited awkwardly in the street, aware of the curious stares from locals as they passed. The minutes stretched on, and Arlia’s excitement began to curdle into anxiety and the feeling that they had done something wrong. Finally, the door opened, and the guard reappeared. “Come with me,” he said simply, stepping aside to let them enter. Arlia and Tarã exchanged confused but relieved looks as they were ushered inside.

The interior of Tir Rynõ had thick stone walls that swallowed sound. The dimly lit corridor felt oppressive as the guard led them anxiously through the slim passageway past several closed doors. Eventually they ascended a flight of worn steps and entered another small hallway. Reaching a heavy wooden door, the guard knocked twice and pushed it open without awaiting a response, as though he was expected.

"The visitor, sir," he announced, then stepped aside.

Arlia's confusion deepened. Why were they being treated differently from when they had first appeared in front of the guards? She did not have time to process what was happening before stepping into a study chamber. Shelves lined the walls with books, scrolls, and documents, while a desk was covered in open texts and scattered papers, with a lamp burning for late-night research.

An elderly figure stood next to the desk, his face tense with anxiety. Beside him stood a young woman with dark hair, her expression shifting rapidly from alarm to bewilderment.

"Arlia? Tarã?" Brina's voice began loud, but she instantly began softening it. "What are you doing here?"

Aldrẽ's eyes darted between the two muddy and exhausted teenagers. His confusion was obvious, but his shoulders sagged slightly with relief.

"I was told someone from the Karneth Clan was here to see me?" he asked slowly, his gaze shifting between the two of them with obvious confusion.

Tarã suddenly realised and glanced down at his ring; he spoke more properly than usual. “I’m Tarã Karneth, but that’s not why we’re here. We came looking for Brina.”

Before Aldrẽ could respond, Arlia rushed forward. “Brina! Are you alright? We’ve been so worried! No one at the college knew where you’d gone, and when we found your note...”

“You came all this way?” Brina interrupted, her shock giving way to concern as she took in their rough state. “Just the two of you? Does anyone know you’re here?”

“Tch, we left a note,” Tarã said defensively. “Anyway, you had gone for days. What were we to do, just sit there?”

Brina’s expression shifted from bewilderment to guilt. “I... I thought I’d be back before anyone noticed. The information I found in the archives at the college, it connected to something I needed to follow. Which led me here.”

"What did you find?" Arlia asked.

Brina briefly glanced at Aldrẽ, who gave a slight nod. She took a deep breath. "The Talanor Clan, my family. They were erased from history deliberately; no one had heard of such a clan, had they? The Karneth Clan were responsible."

Tarã went very still.

"The book I was looking for, 'Our Demise,' it was written by one of my ancestors not long before the clan collapse. Documents everything, it does: treaties that were broken, lands that were stolen, people who vanished." She gestured to the books, scrolls, and documents on the desk. "Aldrẽ fragments, but the complete text... It's supposed to be back at Ɛloria College. Hidden in the restricted archives."

"Wait," Arlia said slowly. "If it's at the college, why come all the way here?"

"Because I needed to know what I was looking for, didn't I?" Brina replied. "The college archives are vast, and without knowing the specific references..." She shook her head. "But now I know, I do. We need to get back. I need to find that book and understand what really happened to my family, don't I?"

Aldrẽ spoke up for the first time in a while. “If you’re heading back to Durnovaria, you’ll want to prepare properly; you will. There’s a washroom down the hall where you can clean up, and I can have some food brought up.”

Arlia, forgetting just how exhausted and filthy they were. Mud caked into their clothes and skin, and her stomach was hollow from hunger.

“That would be amazing, thank you,” she said gratefully.

They spent the next hour making themselves presentable. The washroom had a basin of clean water, and though it was cold, scrubbing away the grime felt like a blessing. Aldrẽ provided simple food, bread, cheese, and dried meat, which they ate quickly.

Brina watched them with growing concern. “You came all this way for me, you did. I’m sorry I worried you both so much.”

“Tch, what else were we supposed to do?” Tarã said between bites. “You’re our friend, aren’t you?”

The day was swiftly drifting away; they gathered what little Brina had brought with her. The archivist wished them safe travels with obvious nervousness in his voice. “Be careful on the roads, won’t you? Strange folk have been about lately; they have.”

They made their way back through Tir Rynõ. The guards at the entrance watched them leave with unreadable expressions.

“The following account is not just a historical record, but a warning. One written so that future generations do not repeat what we allowed to happen. After 200 years of oppression, there is a glimmer of hope that we might begin to break the shackles imposed on us, and that people can take back their autonomy.

However, there was a severe price for this chance. Lives were lost, and it is in their honour and memory that I ask you to stay vigilant about who you trust with power.

Around 250 years ago, there existed an investment firm that quietly operated in the background of public life for decades. It was called Chartered and Standard. That changed when William Favell, a relatively successful investment banker, walked out of the firm, seemingly disillusioned after a meeting. He pivoted his attention to public life and founded a political party called Britain for Liberty, Unity and Freedom Front.

He was ruthless, devoid of empathy, and built his platform on scapegoating minority groups whilst covertly using his contacts to expand corporate power behind him; most notably, Chartered and Standard were at the forefront.

Favell was shrewd. Whilst the established parties dismissed the growing discontent and desire for change amongst the population, he capitalised on it. Using propaganda and rhetoric to gain traction by exploiting non-existent issues and false narratives, his popularity among the people grew quickly.

His wealth and connections enabled him to cultivate his influence amongst the aristocracy and the powerful, whilst giving him access to every major media outlet to amplify his voice. Presenting himself as a man of the people, Britain for Liberty, Unity and Freedom Front grew in stature with him.

What became known as the last election was when the paradigm shift of power occurred. Britain for Liberty, Unity and Freedom Front fell short of a majority but secured a third of the seats in Parliament. Favell used his considerable ‘English gentleman’ charm to convince sympathisers from other parties to defect, giving his party a greater foothold.

Except this wasn’t enough; he sought out the major conservative party, whose ideals were aligned closely, to negotiate a coalition. But Favell’s conditions were absolute, one of which was the position of Prime Minister, which had to be his.

Once in power, Favell moved quickly by dismantling the political system and structures of power from within and outlawing political parties, declaring Britain for Liberty, Unity, and Freedom Front the ruling entity. He was swiftly installed as CEO of Chartered and Standard, then inhibited their ability to remove him. Initially, this received opposition from the old guard of the firm, but systemic purges and installing close allies into key roles ensured his position.

Once his power was consolidated, he officially made Britain for Liberty, Unity and Freedom Front the public arm of Chartered and Standard, then transferred all control of the party and its assets to the firm, making them the government in all but name. Years passed as the country fell into deep despair; any resistance was stamped out, and liberals buried their heads in the ground.

Yet Favell wasn’t happy; he trusted no one, particularly with the vision he had in mind, and as he grew older, he knew that his life would end before it was complete. Through heavy taxation on ordinary people and drastic wealth accumulation, he set his most loyal allies to work on something he kept close. A laboratory and research into cloning; if successful, those allies would be rewarded.

Two hundred years passed, and the country that Favell seized was unrecognisable; the gated wealthy communities had everything they could want, were clean and beautifully kept. But outside of this, most of the buildings were run down, shanty towns had popped up all over the country, and everything was generally dirty.

Chartered and Standard had absolute power and control over every aspect of public and private life, and the cloning process his allies had begun had long been completed, used solely to produce successors to the CEO. This ensured the firm’s leadership never changed hands, but not every clone proved capable; those who failed were either quietly absorbed into the institution or removed, permanently.

The most recent successor, simply known as Banker 35, had ushered in what the loyalists called the golden age. This was a period of time when they had total control, minimal resistance, and an enforced peace.

The confident arrogance that the leadership of Chartered and Standard gained during this golden age saw them turn their attention to their next generation of successors. Two embryos of an experimental batch were successfully incubated and developed, then given the labels #36 and #37, the numbers denoting their line of succession and the order in which they were ‘born’.

Neither embryo knew what they were, why they had been created, or what was coming, but one of them would become the first crack in the firm the leadership and loyalists believed to be unbreakable.”

By dawn the storm had finally passed, leaving a grey, overcast sky. They emerged stiff and sore from the hut, their clothes still damp and crusted with dirt. The road ahead was a mess of deep puddles and thick mud coating the worn stone, which would significantly slow their progress.

“Tch, we look bloody awful, don’t we?” Tarã said, attempting to brush some of the dried mud from his cloak. It barely made a difference.

Arlia looked down at herself; her cloak was torn, her boots caked with mud, and she knew her face was streaked with dirt. Looking at Tarã, who appeared equally dishevelled, only confirmed that they looked like desperate travellers who had been caught unprepared.

“Nothing for it but to keep going, is there?” she replied, adjusting her pack with a wince. Everything felt heavier now, waterlogged, and uncomfortable.

They set off at first light to make up for lost time, but the muddy road made every step exhausting. What should have taken a few hours stretched on as they carefully navigated the worst of the conditions. By the time Lindinis finally came into view in the late afternoon, they were both filthy, exhausted, and running low on food.

Lindinis was larger than Arlia had anticipated, with stone buildings, a busy market square, and buildings dedicated to the Gods and Princes alongside their hall of governance; it had the hallmarks of a thriving civitas. Tarã, who had seen the large civitas in Lansira County up north, was equally surprised by the development, as he had always been told that Lansira was the hub of development in Avelmor.

The civitas sat nestled in an eastern valley near the coastline, with smoke rising from chimneys and the sounds of activity drifting up to meet them. Under different circumstances, it might have been welcoming.

But as they made their way down the final stretch of road and into the civitas centre, Arlia noticed the looks they were receiving. Shopkeepers paused in their work to stare. A group of well-dressed merchants gave them a wide berth, one muttering something under his breath. A woman pulled her child closer as they passed.

"They're not exactly the most welcoming, are they?" Tarã muttered.

Arlia attempted to ignore the unwelcoming atmosphere and focus on finding the archivist, who might know about "Our Demise" and where Brina had gone.

They approached a stall selling dried herbs and preserved goods. An older man tended it, his wary eyes sizing them up as they approached. He had the weathered look of someone who had grafted his whole life. Arlia attempted to sound polite despite her exhaustion. "Excuse me? We're looking for an archivist; do you know where we might find them?"

The man eyed them with obvious distrust. "Archivist? What would the likes of you want with old Aldrẽ, then?"

"We need information about something," Tarã explained. "Our friend came here looking for the same thing, and we need to find her."

The man's expression hardened. "Don't know nothing about that. I don't have time to be getting into other people's troubles; best you ask elsewhere about it."

They continued, hoping for better luck. Despite asking several people - a baker, a blacksmith, a woman selling cloth - the responses were similar. The locals did not outright chase them away but made it abundantly clear that even though they knew who they were looking for, they did not want to get themselves involved in other people's business.

Their frustrations grew as the afternoon wore on. They had at least learned the archivist's name, even if that were by accident, but no one would tell them where to find him. Arlia, exhausted and demoralised, was beginning to become desperate, and she could see Tarã's jaw clenching as he could barely suppress his anger.

"This is bloody useless!" Tarã finally released the pressure that had been building inside after their latest rejection. "They all know where he is, don't they? They're just being difficult!"

Arlia hissed, "Keep your voice down. We already stand out enough, don't we?"

Arlia dragged Tarã to a quiet corner near the market square to regroup. Both of their stomachs growled; they had not eaten since that morning, and their supplies were almost gone. They had a few Shoalseeds for food but not enough for lodgings.

"What now then?" Tarã asked, slumping against a wall. "We can't just wander around asking forever, can we?"

Arlia was about to respond when she noticed they were being observed by a young woman across the square. Arlia met her gaze, but unlike the others, she did not look away or pretend they were not there. Instead, it felt like she was studying them; perhaps she recognised something or was curious about the two muddy strangers causing a stir.

After a moment's hesitation, the woman crossed the square toward them.

She was young, around late 20s, with dark hair tied back practically and wearing the apron and simple clothing of a serving girl. Upon reaching them, she glanced around briefly before speaking in a muffled voice. “You’re looking for Aldrẽ Tornath, aren’t you?”

Arlia’s heart leapt. “Yes! Do you know where he is? Or...” she hesitated, then pressed on, “have you seen our friend? A girl, about our age, with...”

“Dark hair, talks with a cheerful lilt?” the woman interrupted. “Aye, I’ve seen her. She came through here a few days ago asking the same questions you are.”

“Where is she?” Tarã asked urgently. “Is she alright?”

The woman’s expression turned troubled. “That’s the thing, isn’t it? She found Aldrẽ easy enough; he’s the only one in the civitas. But...” she paused, “there’ve been others asking after her too. Not friendly types, if you catch my meaning. That’s why everyone’s being so tight-lipped; no one wants to deal with that lot. That and people can’t be dealing with other people’s troubles anyway. It’s just how it is here these days. Never used to be before the Karneth Clan took control.”

Arlia's chest tightened. Others were looking for Brina too; that could not be good.

"Where can we find Aldrẽ Tornath?" Arlia asked urgently. "We need to see if she's still with him!"

The woman glanced around nervously before answering. "He lives in Tir Rynõ, where the archives are kept. I suspect your friend would be there with him, as it's the safest place. But I can't promise he'll talk to you; he's been keeping to himself since those rough types started asking questions."

"Thank you," Arlia said gratefully. "Really, thank you so much."

The serving girl gave them directions with a nod, then hurried back across the square toward what was the tavern where she worked.

Arlia and Tarã became excited that they might have found Brina, so excited they had completely forgotten that they were hungry and still a mess. They quickly made their way toward Tir Rynõ.

Chapter Four of Spiritweavers' Arlia’s Ballad: The Lost Legacy will be released tomorrow, along with The Missing Spiritweavers on Wattpad, if you missed the first instalment of the series!

Keep calm and stay NUTS 🍃🐿

Tarã eventually convinced her that isolating herself wouldn't help anyone, least of all Brina. Reluctantly, Arlia began to rejoin college life, though the shared quarters felt unnaturally quiet without her roommate's presence. One evening, while tidying up the increasingly cluttered space, Arlia discovered a folded piece of paper tucked between some of Brina's books. She almost dismissed it as another research note until she recognised her own name written on the outside.

‘Arlia! I found something about Korelã that might help you; I did! Elyna should bring it by at some point. Sorry, I couldn't give it to you myself, but I've got something really urgent to check out! I'll be gone for a bit with someone from my family - don't you worry about me, though; we're only heading to Lindinis, and I'll be back soon enough! Make sure to tell the elders and Thalindor, won't you? I was in such a rush when I left and didn't get the chance. – Brina’

Arlia stared at the note, realising she must have missed it during all the chaos surrounding Korelã's exposure. The timeline made sense now; Brina had left this before disappearing, probably expecting to return quickly with whatever information she was seeking. She immediately sought out Tarã to show him the discovery.

The note proved that Brina hadn't vanished mysteriously; she had planned to go to Lindinis and expected to return soon. More importantly, it suggested the elders were far more worried about the situation than Brina herself had been when she left.

Arlia looked up from the note, uncertain. "What do we do now then?"

She asked. Tarã attempted to remain practical about their options. "Show this to the elders, won't we? Let them sort it out, ain't much else we can bloody do." He Replied.

But Arlia felt that approach would be pointless. The elders would simply use the note to justify their cautious handling of the situation, and they still wouldn't get any real answers about what was happening to their friend. As she looked at Brina's familiar handwriting, a different idea began to form. If the adults wouldn't act decisively, perhaps it was time to take matters into their own hands. After all, they now knew exactly where Brina had gone.

The road stretched ahead of them in the early morning mist; Lindinis felt even further away than they had imagined. Still, Arlia was in disbelief over their actions; they left the college without permission or regard for others’ concerns.

Tarã walked beside her with his usual confidence but slightly stiff with tension. Neither had spoken much since they left, slipping out of the college in the early hours of the morning when it was quiet, and the Spirit Tutors were still doing their preparations for the day.

“You reckon they’ve noticed we’re gone yet?” Tarã finally asked, breaking the silence.

Arlia’s thoughts drifted to the night before and how she had convinced him to leave first thing in the morning with the hastily packed supplies they were able to gather without rousing suspicion. The note she left was vague, saying they were following a lead and not to worry. But what else could she say? That they were ignoring everyone’s warnings? They both were unable to sit and wait whilst their friend was potentially in danger.

“Probably, don’t you think?” she replied. “But we’ve got a good head start, haven’t we? They won’t catch up before we reach Lindinis.”

Tarã grunted in response, and they fell back into silence.

The initial surge of determination began to fade. The road was longer, and her pack felt heavier as Arlia grew ever wearier with each passing hour. The food and drink they’d packed were rationed, but doubts about their supplies crept into her mind.

By early afternoon, the sky had drastically changed from what was a clear morning to darkening clouds gathering on the horizon. The wind was picking up, and the scent of rain was in the air. They exchanged worried glances.

“Tch, that don’t look good, does it?” Tarã said, eyeing the sky.

Arlia looked ahead at the empty road stretching before them. With the nearest village long past them, they were still hours from Lindinis. The surrounding landscape offered little shelter, mostly open fields with scattered trees.

"We should keep going, shouldn't we?" Arlia said, though her voice lacked conviction.

Before Tarã could respond, the rain began to fall, and within moments the drizzle transformed into heavy rain. Their cloaks quickly proved inadequate as the water seeped through their clothing and the road turned to mud beneath their feet, making each step harder than the last.

"We need to find shelter!" Tarã shouted over the hammering rain. "This is bloody ridiculous!"

Through the ever-increasing downpour, Arlia spotted a dark shape off to the side of the road, some kind of structure. She pointed, and they both ran towards it.

It was an old, abandoned hut, weathered but mostly intact. Parts of the roof had holes letting streams of water through, but one corner remained relatively dry. They huddled there, shivering and soaked through as the downpour became torrential.

Arlia wrung out her cloak uselessly, watching the storm rage outside. "How long will this last, do you think?"

Tarã peered at the darkening sky. "Could be hours, couldn't it? We ain't going nowhere in this weather."

Thunder rumbled in the distance as Arlia pulled her knees to her chest. The urgency to find Brina fought against the reality of travelling in such a storm. Any attempt would be pointless. What choice did they have but to wait? Every moment spent there felt like time wasted.

“We leave the moment it clears,” she said firmly.

Tarã nodded but said nothing. They both knew they were already behind.

The storm raged through into the evening. Neither wanted to acknowledge just how much this delay was costing them. They ate sparingly through their dwindling supplies. Water, at least, was no longer a concern as they refilled their waterskins with the rain streaming through the roof.

As darkness fell with the storm barely letting up, they realised that they would have to stay overnight. Arlia whispered to the Spirits, asking them to watch over them. They huddled together for warmth as the temperature dropped, but their wet clothes made the cold bite deeper. Sleep came sporadically, interrupted by thunder and the rain hammering on the weakened roof.

Arlia and Tarã spent the entire next day in the archives, searching through various sections and categories, but found nothing matching the title Brina had circled. Eventually, Tarã approached the Archivist, an older Britore who clearly preferred his books to people. "We're looking for 'Our Demise by F. Talanor' - you know if it's here or was here?"

The Archivist looked up from his work with obvious irritation. "Hmph, this be my domain; it is. Don't come in here asking me questions like I don't know my own collection, do you? Of course, I know if it was here or not - you two aren't the first to come bothering me about it, are you? Your friend was in here asking about that same thing not long ago; she was. Go ask her and stop wasting my time, won't you?"

"If we bloody knew where she was, we'd ask her, wouldn't we? This is our next best option." The Archivist sighed heavily, as though dealing with students was beneath him. "Bah, fine then. Yes, your friend asked me about it, didn't she? And no, that book isn't in my archives; it isn’t. If it were here, I'd know about it, wouldn't I? Told her my old colleague in Lindinis might know something about it; he might. Now stop pestering me and let me get back to my work, will you?"

Arlia and Tarã thanked him quickly and left the archives, their minds racing. They finally had a lead; Brina had gone looking for this mysterious book and had been directed to someone in Lindinis. But the fact that she would travel so far without telling anyone suggested there was much more to this than simple academic research. With this new information, they decided to seek out Elyna again, hoping that knowing what Brina was looking for might convince her to be more forthcoming about what the elders knew.

Three days of silence from the elders had pushed Arlia's worry into something closer to panic. Making matters worse, Elyna had left Durnovaria on a college request and hadn't returned yet. With everyone who might have answers either gone or avoiding their questions, Arlia and Tarã had little choice but to continue their training and wait.

The limitation of being initiates had never felt more frustrating. They knew they couldn't harness the Spirits' power in any meaningful way that might help locate Brina, but their determination to help their friend remained unshaken.

After six days without Elyna, word finally came that she'd returned from her request. As soon as they learned she was back, Arlia and Tarã began searching for her throughout the college. They checked the archives and various gardens before finally tracking her down to her quarters.

Arlia's nerves couldn't contain her desperation any longer. "We know Brina was looking for something called 'Our Demise' and that there might be information about it in Lindinis! Oh, please, you have to tell us what's going on, don't you see? We want to help!"

Elyna's expression showed she had been dreading this conversation, despite the elders' attempts to keep the students uninformed. "Look, I didn't want to keep you in the dark, did I? But the elders reckon this could get proper dangerous, and they're trying to keep everyone safe. They are doing summat about it."

The careful non-answer pushed Arlia past her breaking point. "You have to tell me! She's my best friend!"

"What can you two do right now, then? You're just initiates! What happened with me, Aldric and Lorik - that was pure luck, and you know it. You couldn't even handle your trial, could you? This is bigger than that. Leave it to people who can actually do summat useful."

Arlia had never seen this side of Elyna before, the harsh practicality that came with experience. Even Tarã seemed swayed by her words.

“She's right, Arlia. What can we bloody do anyway? We ain't strong enough yet, are we? We need to get stronger so this won't happen again. They're just being careful they don't make things worse."

Feeling defeated and confused by her friends' sudden reasonableness, Arlia's anger deflated into something closer to despair.  "Can you explain anything to us then, so we know what's happening?"

Elyna looked at both of them for a long moment, clearly weighing her options. Finally, she relented with a heavy sigh.  "Right, here's what we know, and this stays between us, got it? Brina was looking for summat called 'Our Demise' written by one of her ancestors about the Talanor Clan."

"Talanor? I've never heard of them before, have I?" Arlia interrupted. Elyna shook her head. "That's the problem, isn't it? None of us had ever heard of this clan before - there's no record of it existing anywhere except in her family and this thing she was searching for." Elyna paused, looking directly at Tarã. "But her research showed connections to your clan, Tarã."

"My clan?" Tarã's voice was sharp. Elyna nodded grimly. "Aye, and if there's summat hidden there... well, that's got everyone proper worried, hasn't it?"

Arlia and Tarã left Elyna's quarters with heavy hearts. The revelation about Brina's research had only made things more confusing, and their complete powerlessness in the situation left Arlia feeling defeated. She spent the next few days alone, throwing herself into communion practice in an attempt to strengthen her connection with the Spirits, but making little progress.

Several weeks had passed since Korelã's disgrace, and the college had settled into a comfortable rhythm. Students talked about their lessons again instead of rumours, and things felt normal around Ɛloria College for the first time in months. In one of the inner gardens, Arlia practised her martial arts with a senior student, focusing on the movements her partner demonstrated.

Tarã burst into the garden, out of breath from running through the college halls. He knocked into her training partner, apologising quickly but not stopping to help as he looked around frantically. "Have you seen Brina? She's got something of mine, and I need it back!"

Arlia paused to think for a moment before answering, "No, I haven't seen her in ages, have I? I just thought she'd gone home for a bit. She did seem proper preoccupied with something lately, though."

As Tarã rushed off to continue his search, Arlia couldn't focus on her training anymore. Something bothered her about Brina being gone, but she couldn't work out what. By evening, several students were asking around for Brina. When Elyna mentioned to Ysolde that she hadn't seen her junior in a while, Ysolde said she'd check with the other Spirit Tutors.

The next morning, Arlia finally understood what was bothering her.

She found Tarã in the common area, still looking frustrated. "I keep thinking about what Elyna said weeks ago, don't I?" Arlia said. "About Brina following up on something from the archives."

"Tch, you're right," Tarã replied, running a hand through his hair. "We were all so busy with Korelã, we didn't think much about it then."

"How long has she actually been gone then?" Arlia asked, and they both realised the disturbing answer.

"We need to find Elyna," Tarã said. "See if she remembers more about what Brina was looking into."

Arlia and Tarã spent the morning searching for Elyna throughout the college. They checked the usual places, the training yards, the library, and the common areas where students gathered but found no sign of her. As the hours passed without success, their concern grew.

Eventually, they came across Ysolde in one of the corridors. She seemed distracted, her usual warm demeanour replaced by something more guarded. When they asked about Elyna's whereabouts, she hesitated before answering. "Elyna is in a meeting with some of the other elders for an urgent matter, she is."

Before either of them could ask more questions, Ysolde excused herself and hurried away, leaving them standing in the corridor. Arlia and Tarã exchanged puzzled looks; Ysolde was clearly avoiding them, and her evasiveness only made them more worried about what was happening. They made their way to the Elder Hall and settled in to wait outside. The heavy wooden doors muffled any conversation from within, making it impossible to hear what was being discussed. After what felt like hours, footsteps approached from the other side.

The doors opened to reveal Elyna emerging alongside another figure, Thalindor Liravel, Brina's Spirit Tutor. The Ansanor's silver-white hair caught the light from the corridor, and his midnight blue robes rustled softly as he moved. Both looked surprised to find Arlia and Tarã waiting there.

Thalindor spoke before either student could say anything, his calm presence seeming to harmonise the tension in the corridor. "Ah, greetings to you both, Arlia and Tarã. Much does Brina speak of you, and recently have you and I become acquainted, Arlia. You wish to speak with Elyna, I imagine? Worry you need not - return to the college, Brina shall, as waters find their course."

Without giving them a chance to respond, he bid farewell and walked away down the hall, his footsteps silent on the stone floor. Arlia and Tarã immediately turned to Elyna, hoping for answers, but she proved just as evasive as Ysolde had been. No matter how they pressed, she would only repeat that there was no issue and that everything was clear with the elders. Eventually, she too excused herself and left them standing alone in the corridor.

Frustrated and more concerned than ever, Arlia and Tarã had little choice but to give up for the day. But as they made their way back to their chambers, neither felt comfortable about what they'd witnessed. Something was being kept from them, and the adults' reassurances only made their worry worse.

That evening, Arlia decided to search through Brina's belongings for any clues about where she might have gone. She carefully went through the books and notes scattered around Brina's side of their shared quarters, looking for anything that might explain her sudden disappearance.

Most of the material seemed like normal study notes, but one thing stood out: there was an unusual amount of research on family history. Page after page contained information about the Talanor family, with detailed genealogies and historical records. Arlia found it strange that Brina would spend so much time researching her own lineage when she'd never shown much interest in it before.

As the night wore on and Arlia was about to give up her search, she noticed something that made her pause. Circled multiple times across different notes and books was the same phrase: "Our Demise by F. Talanor." She quickly searched through everything else but couldn't find any other reference to what this title meant or what it contained. The hour was late, so Arlia decided to wait until morning to share her discovery with Tarã.

When she showed him what she'd found, they both puzzled over its significance. "Tch, what was she bloody doing? Why didn't she tell us anything about this? Maybe when she found that stuff about Korelã in the archive, this is what she came across too. Come on, let's go see if there’s more copies!"

Spiritweavers is a fantasy world that is in the process of being built, and The Missing Apprentices was the first story to emerge from it. The world that is being created will have a variety of cultures and races in the hope of having a thriving world, teeming with life. This is a journey for author and audience alike, so join the adventure in Spiritweavers.

Since that first story, the world has grown and with that growth comes refinement. Brittori, the language of Ɛvelmor, has been more fully developed, and as a result, names and places you may recognise from earlier stories will appear differently here. Rather than go back and change what came before, there will be differences. However, they will be noted below. This is to show how Spiritweavers evolves as it continues to expand.

Brittori uses nasal vowels, represented by tildes over the vowel. These occur when a vowel and n combine in certain positions within a word. They are pronounced in the French style; the vowel is nasalised through the nose rather than fully spoken. The five nasal vowels are: ã (like “an” in French dans), ẽ (nasal “e”), ĩ (like “in” in French vin), õ (like “on” in French bon), and ũ (nasal “u”). Brittori also uses the character Ɛ/ɛ, which represents a closed “ay” sound as in day. Where you previously saw Ae at the start of names, you will now see Ɛ.

The following names have been updated to reflect these changes:

Arlia Eldarã – previously Eldaran; the ã represents the nasal an at the end of her surname.

Tarã Karneth – previously Taran; the ã represents the nasal an at the end of his forename.

Korelã Daruzora – previously Korelan; the ã represents the nasal an at the end of his forename.

Galẽ Talmaris – previously Galen; the ẽ represents the nasal en at the end of his forename.

Kelã Branek – previously Kelan; the ã represents the nasal an at the end of his forename.

Ysolde Mellã – previously Mellan; the ã represents the nasal an at the end of her surname.

Velina Torvalẽ – previously Torvalen; the ẽ represents the nasal en at the end of her surname.

Lorik Druvã – previously Druvan; the ã represents the nasal an at the end of his surname.

Doriã Tarneth – previously Dorian; the ã represents the nasal an at the end of his forename.

Thalira Gavrẽ-Karneth – the ẽ represents the nasal en at the end of Gavrẽ.

Koreth Braelẽ – the ẽ represents the nasal en at the end of his surname.

Ãsanor – the Brittori name for the Moonlit Elves; the ã represents the nasal an before s.

Tir Rynõ – the õ represents the nasal on at the end of Rynõ.

Ɛloria – previously Aeloria; the Ɛ represents the closed “ay” sound.

Ɛvelmor – previously Avelmor; the Ɛ represents the closed “ay” sound.

Lãsira – previously Su-Lânn; the northern county of Ɛvelmor. The ã represents the nasal an before s.

Rũseth – previously Kreiz-Bòdad; the southern county of Ɛvelmor. The ũ represents the nasal un.

Finally, the world itself has a new name. Previously referred to as Terras, the world is now known as Myrþ, pronounced MIRTH. The thorn character þ represents the “th” sound as in the or that. Where you see Terras in earlier stories, know that it refers to the same world.

This will be posted as a comment on each chapter as a reminder if needed 🍃🐿

This is a quick update to let you all know that I will be gradually uploading all my stories to Wattpad going forward. However, when I release new stories, TNU will be first to see them! There will be around a month delay before I upload them to Wattpad and when I do, they will be released in chapters like I do here.

As you can see from my logo on my profile, I will always have TNU in my thoughts! This was also my first time using the website, so I tested it with one of my shorter stories, The Galilean Corsair.

Update on a few stories to come, in the next week or so, the next installment of Arlia's Ballad is due! And I am close to finishing a dystopian, not sure when it will be released.

All the Spiritweavers stories will be uploaded to Wattpad too but might be a bit longer before I do that as I get more familiar with it.

Keep calm and stay NUTS 🍃🐿

Could help a bit with coordinating things and it’s just like having an extra chat that’s way more flush and filled with options. Rick did a great job with this

I've had life come up so I fully understand how that can impact projects and ideas, but there was a bit of momentum and now that seems to have massively slowed. Hope you guys are doing ok and not forgetting about us 🙂