Cane glanced at Elohan, who was now perched on the window sill, legs casually crossed.
"When did you get here?"
"The moment I felt time slipping through your room," Elohan replied with a faint grin. "I've heard rumors of what real metallurgy could do. You did something amazing, didn't you?"
Tor and Fergis exchanged baffled looks. From their perspective, Cane had simply closed his eyes for a few seconds and opened them with an expression of deep, satisfied calm.
"You want to see?" Cane asked, barely suppressing a laugh as Elohan nodded like a child offered his favorite treat.
"Come, then."
With a thought, Cane pulled them all into the ringworld.
The shift was instant.
Tor and Fergis stood open-mouthed, eyes wide. Moxie was already bounding through the knee-high grass, rolling and yipping with uncontainable joy.
Elohan wandered the clearing, inspecting the details. The grass stretched hundreds of meters in every direction—lush, real, alive. He crouched to break off a blade, rubbing it between his fingers. He smelled it. Tasted it.
"It's real," he murmured. "Grass, soil... air. You created all this?"
Cane nodded. "It's nothing compared to what my grandfather can do. But for our purposes, it's more than enough."
Tor was beginning to understand.
"An alternate world," he said slowly, "where time can be manipulated?"
Cane met his gaze. "Elohan said three years passed in just a few seconds. You already know what I'm asking."
"You want me to train Moxie here," Tor said, stunned. "To accelerate her development?"
"And Tazi too."
Tor crossed his arms, thinking. "I'll do it. But I have conditions."
"Name them," Cane said without hesitation.
"I want to bring the gryphons. I could train them fully in three months here—but outside this place, I just don't have the time or freedom."
Cane spread his hands. "Here, you've got all the time you need."
Tor looked around the grasslands, wind brushing through his hair. "This is just the beginning, isn't it? Fields… rivers... forests. Maybe even mountains?"
Cane nodded. "Eventually. Could take decades. But yes."
"Then I want unfettered access. When it happens."
"You'll have it," Cane said, grinning as Tor nodded in agreement.
Fergis slowly turned in place, then crouched and pressed a hand to the grass. "Bro... this is all in your ring? That little bit of cold iron?"
Cane smiled. "The ring isn't the world—it's the doorway. The amount of Cold Iron isn't the point."
He remembered what Philas had told him: during the First Rise of Man, metallurgists gathered all known Cold Iron and bound it with strict usage laws. While archmages tore the world apart in war, metallurgists preserved what they could. His grandfather had also suggested that other metallurgists from that era might have survived—entered the cube or their own rings—but if they existed, Philas hadn't found them. Not yet.
"Amazing," Fergis breathed. Then his brow furrowed. "Wait… why do you look kind of transparent? Like a ghost?"
"I'm not really here," Cane said simply. "Only my spirit's present."
And with a thought, he returned them all to his dorm.
"I'll be back in a few minutes. I need supplies for long-term training," Tor said as he exited the room.
"I'll grab some targeting dummies," Fergis added, gripping Cane's shoulder with a grin. "I've got a hundred spell variations I've never had time to try. We've got this, brother. Let's get Jonas."
"Thanks," Cane said with a laugh as Fergis practically skipped out the door.
Elohan, still perched at the window, studied him. "You're accelerating training by manipulating time inside this... zone of life. What's the effect?"
"Time bends inside Cold Iron. If my spirit spent three years shaping that area while my body remained here, only the spirit aged. But inside the ringworld, you can remain ageless—or age rapidly—depending on how you use it."
Elohan shook his head. "No wonder Cold Iron's nearly extinct."
Cane didn't respond. That truth was a secret kept closely by his kind. Metallurgists had hidden what Cold Iron remained. If word ever spread about the twenty-meter cube near Hybacus, the war would shift overnight. Both sides would likely tear themselves apart trying to claim it—and fail.
Elohan tilted his head. "What about that prisoner you captured? The one who didn't wake up?"
"She was placed in stasis," Cane replied. "That part of the ringworld reversed what you just saw. Time was frozen inside, even as it passed normally outside. But now—with a zone of life established—its potential has expanded."
Fergis, who had returned quietly, leaned forward. "Uh, your eyes… They're back to normal. No more glowing stars."
"Really?" Cane opened his wardrobe, smirking at his reflection. "Hey. I'm back."
He felt it too. The stars—his aspects—had embedded themselves into the new zone of life. He could still access them at will, but they would no longer manifest visibly unless he chose.
Once Tor and Fergis stepped out again, Elohan spoke quietly.
"I hesitate to suggest this… but my sister could help. If you want to match Terror's magic, she's one of the few who can."
Cane nodded slowly. "She's military. Any involvement would violate the Accord. The front's still a neutral zone."
"She may still come," Elohan said. "She's... complicated. I'll reach out. Whether she responds is another matter."
At the mention of Moriwynn, Cane's mind wandered to his second mission—recovering the Cold Iron spirals embedded in the missing Hybacus villagers. They weren't metallurgists, but they were blood—family, protected by Philas at birth.
Mori had already protected Sophie's parents once, shadowing their journey to the capital. But she wanted something in return—something that involved the Elven world, currently closed off by Telamon. Only Elohan and Mori remained in the Allied Realm.
Before he could dwell too long, the psi-rune behind his ear pulsed.
Fergis: Come outside for a moment.
Cane: Sure. On my way.
He exited Seven Tower to find Sophie standing with a soft smile, flanked by the two gryphons. Tazi and Moxie sat obediently behind Tor, their tails wagging the moment they saw Cane.
"This looks like an interesting party," Cane said, hugging Sophie. "What's the plan?"
"I'm ready," Tor said. "I'll take the two shadow pups, both gryphons—and Pudding."
Cane touched the falconer rune on his wrist. A moment later, the falcon-owl hybrid swooped down and landed on his shoulder.
HOOOACH.
With a single thought, Cane pulled them all into the ringworld—everyone except Sophie.
She blinked. "Where'd they go?"
"Just a second," Cane said, grinning. "I'll explain."
He brought them all back. The change was immediate. The shadow wolves had grown leaner, stronger. The gryphons' feathers had darkened with maturity. Even Pudding fluffed her feathers indignantly, warbling a stream of sharp-toned protests.
Sophie blinked again. "What is this?"
The gryphons stepped toward her, but stayed composed—no mauling. Just quiet affection.
"How'd it go?" Cane asked.
Sophie stared. "What do you mean how'd it go? They were gone a minute."
"Three months," Tor said. "Both shadow wolves are showing rift traits. The gryphons are fully ride-ready. I've got a saddle prepped, but I need another rider. Fergis throws fire everywhere. They're not fans."
Cane bumped Sophie lightly. "This is your shot. Tor thinks you'd make a great second rider."
Sophie raised an eyebrow. "Explain. All of it."
"Time manipulation," Cane said. "Inside the ringworld, it's been three months. Out here, a minute passed."
She crossed her arms. "So… I'd be gone three months?"
"To you, yeah."
"But only a minute here?"
Cane nodded. "Exactly."
She narrowed her eyes. "I wouldn't miss announcements or anything?"
Cane smiled. "Just like you saw—only a blink."
Sophie thought about it for a long moment. "Fine. I'll do it." She leaned in, kissed him quickly. "Hurry before I change my mind."
Cane turned to Fergis. "Another three?"
Fergis grinned. "Bro, I figured out dual casting."
Cane blinked. "I'll pretend I know what that means. In you go."
With a breath, he pulled the entire group back into the ringworld—this time with Sophie.