Three days after the mining camp mission, Lyonel stood in the Vance estate's main hall—this time with villagers from three different settlements, Beastkin from the Shadowclaw Pack, and even a few mages from Seraphina's family gathered around him.
Aether Logic had been working overtime, mapping corruption sites across the entire region while Lyonel prepared for what he called "The First Aethermoor Unity Summit."
"Okay everyone—welcome to what we're now officially calling 'The Weave Alliance'," he said, grinning as he stood at the head of the table. "No more 'Team Quack' jokes—though the duck is still our unofficial mascot."
He tapped a small glowing duck figurine he'd placed on the table—it let out a clear quack that made everyone laugh. "But for real—we've made more progress in two weeks than most mages make in years. And word is already spreading."
Torvin walked into the hall, his face lit up with excitement. "Lyonel! You're not going to believe this—travelers from the southern provinces are talking about us. They're calling you… well, they're calling you 'The Weave Wizard'."
"The Weave Wizard?" Lyonel tilted his head, then grinned. "I like it. Way better than 'The Nullborn Nerd'."
That afternoon, a messenger arrived at the estate—wearing the colors of the royal capital, with a scroll sealed with the king's own wax.
"Lyonel Vance? " the messenger called out, striding into the main hall. "I bring word from King Theron himself. He's heard of your work fixing the grove, mill, and mining camp—and he wants to know how you didit."
"Analysis: Royal summons detected," Aether Logic reported. "King Theron is seeking assistance with corruption at the capital's central temple. This will elevate team status to regional level."
"The king wants ourhelp? " Seraphina gasped. "I thought only high-ranking mages ever got called to the capital."
"Well, we're not just any mages," Lyonel said calmly, though his eyes were sparkling with excitement.
"Aether Logicsays the capital's corruption is tied to an ancient Spellweaver vault—and I've been waiting to get my hands on that kind of history. Plus… this is our chance to make the Weave Alliance official on a kingdom-wide scale."
He turned to the messenger. "Tell the king we'll be there in five days. We've got some prep work to do—and I need to carve a few special runes before we go. Let's just say the capital has never seen magic like ours before."
Over the next few days, the team worked harder than ever. Lyonel spent hours in Seraphina's family library, pouring over ancient books that detailed the first Spellweavers' techniques.
"Look at this," he said one evening, holding up a page to the light. "Ancient 'Unity Weave'—designed to combine the magics of hundreds of mages at once. If we can adapt this… we could purify entire regions in one go."
"But how? " Kaelia asked, watching as he sketched runes across a piece of parchment. "Even with your Aether Logic, weaving hundreds of magics together sounds impossible."
"Impossible is just a word for 'not invented yet '," Lyonel grinned.
"I've been thinking—what if we don't make everyone weave together? What if we build permanent rune networks—like a grid that covers entire areas, so magic flows through it naturally. No need for mages to be there all the time."
He led them to the training yard, where he'd set up a massive circle of runes. "This is a prototype," he said proudly.
"I call it the 'Aether Grid.' Once activated, it'll automatically purify corruption within its range, using the natural flow of aether to keep itself running. And—here's the best part—it's scalable. We can build small ones for villages, big ones for cities."
He activated the grid with a single tap of his finger. Silver light spread across the yard, and flowers bloomed where nothing had grown before. Even better—small glowing orbs floated up from the runes, each one a different color that matched the team's magics.
"These are 'Aether Nodes '," he explained. "They store magic and distribute it where it's needed. No more wasting power—everything goes exactly where it should."
Mina reached out to touch one of the nodes, and her purple light flared bright. "I can feel it," she said softly. "It's like… like the whole yard is breathing."
Two days later, as the team prepared to leave for the capital, villagers from across the region gathered to see them off. Children held small wooden ducks they'd carved themselves—following Lyonel's tutorials—and the Shadowclaw Pack had brought a massive carved staff decorated with silver runes and animal figures.
"For you," Kaelia said, handing him the staff. "My pack carved it—every rune on it matches the ones you taught us. They wanted you to know you're part of our familynow."
Lyonel took the staff, his eyes shining with emotion. "Thank you," he said quietly, then grinned. "Though I'm still adding a duck rune to it later."
As they mounted their horses (with Grimjaw—the guardian wolf from the mine—now serving as Kaelia's mount), a villager called out: "The Weave Wizard! Will you come back and teach us more runes ?"
"Anytime!" Lyonel called back, waving as they set off. "And remember—magic is for everyone! Even if you can't weave it yourself, you can always help protect it!"
Word spread as they traveled—villagers waved from their homes, merchants called out "The Weave Wizard!" as they passed, and even other mages stopped to watch in awe as Lyonel's runes glowed bright along the road.
"Aether Logic: Public perception analysis complete," the skill reported. "Moniker 'Weave Wizard' now recognized in seven regional territories. Recommend leveraging this reputation to recruit more allies."
"Weave Wizard it is then," Lyonel said, grinning as he looked at his team riding beside him. "Though I still think 'Team Quack' has a nice ring toit."
Seraphina laughed, her copper hair catching the sun. "The Weave Wizard and his Quack Pack. I could get used to that."
As they rode toward the capital, the sun setting behind them, Lyonel knew this was just the start.
The boy who'd been called a waste of good blood was now known across Aethermoor as The Weave Wizard—and he was ready to prove that genius wasn't about power, but about knowing how to bring everyone together.