The Legendary Method Actor

Ray under the Primal Naturalist control gave the massive snout two firm, affectionate pats.

From the ambient presence, Ray mentally issued a command.

System. Terminate Full Immersion.

The whiplash was jarring. The wild, adrenaline-fueled grin vanished from Ray’s face as if it had been wiped away by a cloth. His spine snapped perfectly straight, returning to the rigid, impeccable poise of a noble. The bouncy energy was gone, instantly replaced by the cold, clinical distance of Novice Croft.

Ray calmly reached into his pocket, pulled out a pristine white handkerchief, and meticulously wiped a speck of mud from his cheek.

He turned to look at the stunned professor, his expression entirely deadpan.

”Master Teralyn. I must admit, I am a bit disappointed. Is this a trick?”

Ray said, his voice flat and perfectly polite.

”T-Trick you say?”

Teralyn stammered, as she stared at the now-docile giant beast.

”Indeed. You said this was a wild beast, freshly captured. Yet this specimen is clearly already broken and completely domesticated. It hardly constitutes a final examination.”

Ray said smoothly.

”I... It was! The trappers brought it in this morning! It nearly took off a handler’s arm an hour ago!”

Teralyn protested, stepping forward, completely flabbergasted.

Ray sighed softly, looking at the crocodile as if it were a slightly misbehaving poodle. He pointed a stern, aristocratic finger at the beast and subtly laced his voice with the Primal Naturalist’s ‘Beast-Speak’ skill.

”You are to be a good girl for Master Teralyn. Do you understand? If I hear that you have been a bad girl, I will come back here and put you in a time-out.”

Ray said to the giant beast.

The Giant Swamp Crocodile, possessing an intelligence reserved only for the most terrifying of predators, remembered the world-ending aura Ray had projected. It gave a frantic, rapid nod of its massive head, understanding the threat perfectly.

Ray gestured toward Teralyn.

”Go say hello to the good Master.”

The crocodile didn’t hesitate. It waddled forward on its stubby legs, its belly dragging through the mud, and approached the bewildered instructor. As it reached Teralyn, the apex predator let out a low, vibrating hum from deep within its chest, a crocodilian purr.

It slowly lowered its massive, heavy head and gently rested its chin directly onto Teralyn’s leather boots, looking up at her with large, doe-like reptilian eyes.

Purely by instinct, driven by years of working with animals, Teralyn reached down. Her fingers brushed against the thick, armored scales of the crocodile’s neck.

The beast’s eyes fluttered shut in absolute bliss. With a clumsy, heavy thud, the fifteen-foot monster rolled onto its side and then onto its back, exposing its pale, soft underbelly. It wiggled slightly, silently demanding belly rubs.

Teralyn blinked, her mind completely short-circuiting. She dropped to her knees in the mud, her strict professor persona entirely forgotten, and began happily scratching the giant beast’s belly with both hands. The crocodile purred louder, its stubby legs kicking happily in the air.

Ray stood in the mud, watching the absurd scene for a long moment. He cleared his throat, coughing politely into his fist.

”Do I pass, Master Teralyn?”

Ray asked.

Teralyn flinched, her head snapping up. A fierce blush crept up her neck as she suddenly remembered she was an instructor of the College of Arcanum and she was supposed to be conducting a test, and now she is kneeling in the mud rubbing a giant reptile’s stomach while her student watched.

She quickly scrambled to her feet, brushing the dirt from her robes in a frantic attempt to regain her dignity. She cleared her throat, refusing to meet Ray’s eyes.

She let out a long, defeated sigh.

”You pass, Novice Croft. Your final grade is recorded. Your exemption is granted.”

Teralyn mumbled, tapping her master slate to update Ray’s records.

Ray turned and calmly stepped out of the quarantine cage. As his muddy boots hit the clean floor of the receiving bay, he raised a single hand. He channeled a sliver of primordial aether, weaving it directly into a standard utility spell.

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He cast the cantrip spell: Prestidigitation.

By using his innate Aether-Infusion Technique, he forcefully amplified the basic cantrip’s matrix. A dense, heavy wave of pristine energy washed over him from head to toe. In an absolute instant, the foul-smelling mud, swamp water, and grime were completely atomized, leaving his physical body and his College of Arcanum uniform flawlessly clean and perfectly pressed.

Ray then offered a crisp bow.

”Thank you, Master Teralyn. Have a pleasant afternoon.”

Before returning to his suite in the Spire of Sages, Ray had a few final matters to attend to. His first stop was the grand academy library.

Navigating the labyrinth of towering bookshelves, he eventually found Cassian Ashvane in a secluded corner of the historical archives. Cassian’s situation had drastically improved over the last few months; Headmaster Andrade had already submitted the formal petition to the Arcane Council to clear his ancestor, Thaddeus Ashvane. Yet, Cassian was still buried under a mountain of tomes.

He was so deeply focused on scribbling notes that it took a few moments for him to notice Ray standing quietly beside his table.

”Oh Ray! Apologies, I was completely lost in the work. I’m no longer just trying to clear Thaddeus’s name. I’m trying to actually build upon his life’s work.”

Cassian blinked, setting his quill down and rubbing his tired eyes.

”It is good to see you so driven, Senior Cassian.”

Ray said smoothly, glancing at the complex arcane diagrams on the parchment.

Cassian sighed, leaning back in his chair.

”It’s slow going, unfortunately. I have the theory, but I desperately need to access the Sunken Vaults again. If I could just replicate the environmental variables of the experiments my ancestor Thaddeus conducted down there, I could finalize his incomplete formulas. A shame the vaults are indefinitely sealed.”

He said as he shook his head.

”It is unfortunate. The Sunken Vaults are indeed dangerous. But... perhaps in the future, the situation might change.”

Ray said calmly.

”You think so?”

Cassian said as he looked up to Ray, a glimmer of genuine hope in his eyes.

”I do. However, I actually came to find you to say a temporary goodbye as I will be returning home.”

Ray replied.

”Home? But Ray, we are right in the middle of the academic year. The semester is far from over.”

Cassian replied as he frowned, utterly confused.

”I have already made the necessary arrangements and secured exemptions for the remainder of my classes.”

Ray explained simply.

”A student can actually do that? I thought only high-ranking faculty could authorize extended absences.”

Cassian’s eyes widened in surprise.

”It has been done before, and I did get permission from Headmaster Andrade.”

Ray noted.

”Well, if anyone could do it, it would be you. Travel safely, Ray.”

Cassian slowly nodded, a smile breaking through his confusion.

After leaving the library, Ray tracked down his next target. He caught up with Eliza Vance just as she was leaving her afternoon lecture. The two of them fell into step, walking together toward the scenic, tree-lined pathways of the academy park.

”I still can’t believe it’s all finally over. I’m so glad you managed to solve the case at Starr Manor, Ray. And that you cleared Rina’s name. She didn’t deserve any of that.”

Eliza said, her tone filled with relief as they walked beneath the shade of the silver-leaf trees.

”Thank you, Eliza. The truth simply needed to be brought to light. I came to find you to say a temporary goodbye as I am heading home.”

Ray said as they reached a quiet stone bench.

Eliza stopped walking, blinking at him in exact mirrored confusion to Cassian.

”Wait, what? Home? But it’s the middle of the term! How are you even allowed to leave?”

Ray patiently gave her the same explanation he had given Cassian, detailing his secured exemptions.

”Wow! You really don’t do things by the book, do you? Well, I have a feeling the academy is going to be incredibly boring without you around. Is there anything you need before you go?”

Eliza breathed, shaking her head in amusement.

”There is, actually. A second purpose for my visit is that I need your help exchanging some of my Academy Marks into Gold Crowns for my travel expenses and to bring back to my family.”

Ray said, as he pulled out his Custodian Crest from his breast pocket beneath his uniform.

”Of course! The Vance Merchant Group handles currency exchange all the time. How much are you looking to convert? I can get you the standard rate of ten Gold Crowns per Mark.”

Eliza said, her merchant instincts immediately kicking in.

”I need ten thousand Marks converted.”

Ray said calmly.

”Ten... Ten thousand? Ray, that’s one hundred thousand Gold Crowns! You’re carrying a small kingdom’s treasury!”

Eliza said as she nearly choked on air.

Before she could fully process the amount, Ray activated his Custodian Crest. A blue arcane prompt appeared between them. He effortlessly transferred exactly eleven thousand marks to Eliza’s account.

Eliza stared at her own glowing student medallion in shock.

”Ray, wait. You sent eleven thousand. You only needed ten thousand converted.”

”The extra one thousand Academy Marks is for the trouble for my abrupt request of liquidating the funds.”

Ray said.

”Are you insane?! That’s a ten thousand Gold Crown tip! Absolutely not. I can’t take this, there is no need for a fee this large!”

Eliza practically shrieked, looking around to make sure no one heard her.

”I insist, Eliza, Consider it payment for your continued help. Keep the extra.”

Ray said, his tone leaving absolutely no room for argument.

Eliza stared at him. She opened her mouth to argue, but she saw the resolute look in his eyes, and finally relented with a heavy, defeated sigh.

”You are completely impossible, you know that? Fine. I will have the one hundred thousand Gold Crowns ready for you on the day you travel.”

”Thank you, Eliza.”

Ray nodded.

Later that afternoon in the Spire of Sages, the golden light of the late afternoon sun filtered through the expansive windows of Ray’s luxurious suite. The quiet ambiance of the suite was broken by the sound of the heavy door being opened.

Ray stepped into the suite, adjusting the cuffs of his clean, mud-free uniform. Right behind him was Svane, the towering Gold Aegis, who stepped inside and quietly closed the door, standing by like an immovable mountain of iron.

Ray didn’t head for his study desk. Instead, he unclasped his Arcanum uniform and draped it over the back of a chair.

”Rina.”

Ray called out, his voice carrying easily through the quiet suite.

A moment later, Rina hurried out from the adjoining kitchen. She wiped her hands on her crisp, white apron, offering a polite bow. Her eyes were no longer red-rimmed from the funeral, though a quiet melancholy still lingered around her edges.

”Yes, Young Master? Do you require an early dinner, or perhaps some tea?”

Rina asked, stepping forward.

Ray looked at his attendant, then glanced over his shoulder at Svane. The three of them had survived a grueling, violent, and exhausting semester. His exams were over. The exemptions were secured.

”Neither, Rina.”

Ray said simply.

He looked back at her, his usual clinical expression softening just a fraction.

”Pack your bags…”

Ray said softly.

”We are going home.”