13. Arcady: New Friends & Old Enemies

Arcady registers for the Trials, joins Willem and Rahela at the Wyvern’s Kiss to celebrate, and learns of Willem’s rift with Damon. Over drinks, Rahela expounds on Myrian wands and their materials, hinting at broader differences in magic and class between Myria and Loc.

Outside the tavern, a Struck beggar reveals himself as Wren, an art forger tied to the Marricks. Wren summons Arcady to a nearby hideout with a note from Larkin, who claims wraithwright funds Struck communes and demands Arcady secure access to Professor Hayden’s private alchemy research in exchange for returning Arcady’s stolen seal.

Wren explains Larkin’s source says Hayden has been secretly recreating an Elixir of Life—a panacea that could even heal the Struck—and reveals Hayden once assisted the Plaguebringer. Pressed, Arcady’s reactions confirm Wren’s suspicions: Arcady has cast off a former seal, is Struck, and is an Eremia. Wren asks if others could do the same; Arcady refuses false hope and warns exposure would mean death, not expulsion.

Arcady secures Wren’s promise not to tell Kelwyn, agrees to report at the Night Market, and is left reeling. Returning to the dorm, Arcady weighs the blackmail against the chance to uncover censored truths about the Plaguebringer. After wrestling with panic and drinking to numb it, Arcady resolves to continue, even as uneasy dreams offer no relief.