8th June, 605 BNM

Northern Eastern Imperial Pandina, Hung Province

Muttgolian border, Great Wall

The drylands tinged the entire area in a brownish yellow colour, a contrast to the many dead raiders been picked clean beyond the boundary of the similarly coloured stone superstructure of similar stone that was present here. Worker toiled, soldiers scavenged but remained alert, and the defence against the northern raiders continued to grow across Pandina's northern reaches, one that would endure for millennia once finished, even as it became a landmark instead of a military structure.

The massive stone structure stretched for miles, and was a work already decades underway. Where it was completed, it was extremely effective in stopping the northern raiders and armies.

At the chokepoints, where construction was still underway, the majority of the battles took place. Now the battles were often in the same places, and bigger, than decades prior.

The Emperor commanded a draft from every family in the north for soldiers to defend the wall, while others built it up.

As one of the Emperor's own Sorcerers helped oversee the wall, his task would change very suddenly.

Great Wall tower

Ghung Chian shaded his orange scales under the stone of the competed tower, the scorching sun overhead murder on everyone working or guarding this part of the Great Wall.

Along the wall's constructing segment, 5 miles long, hundreds of workers worked tirelessly to build the massive structure.

Out to the north of the wall, the soldiers, mostly dogs and cattle, were busy stripping and burning the corpses of the most recent Muttgolian invasion army, numbering in an intimidating few thousand this time. There were hundreds of dead Muttgolian dogs, but they always came back.

Shaking his head, Ghung Chian recalled the exhilaration he felt using his magic from the wall, wiping out a hundred of them himself from the tower.

"Ghung Chian, messenger brought this for you, from the Sorcery council."

Turning, the Orange Eastern Dragon saw a Dog Soldier give him a salute, before handing him a scroll. With a stiff nod, dismissing him, Ghung stepped out into the sunlight slightly, taking in a last sight of the many arrow, hacked up dog bodies, and the efforts of the wall builders and defenders he'd helped defend.

Inside, he saw a report. His Sorcerers had set up contact 'stones', for instant communication, but they were limited. This message had been sent by messenger from the nearest, the 'Siren Stone' a hundred miles east of here. This gave a tremendous speed advantage of communication for the Sorcerers, and the Emperor they served, but of course army movements were still much slower.

Upon reading it, Ghung Chian remarked with some pleasure: "Finally. After this, no more loose ends."

Life force draining Sorcerer sighted, disguised as Yellow Eastern Dragon similar to missing, presumed dead Princess you reported with the Honshai murder case. Sighted in South Eastern region, Xigongyian Valley.

At the ground level, the leader of the local construction of the wall saw the Orange scaled Sorcerer suddenly land before him:

"Captain, I must leave. I have been informed of a dangerous rogue Sorcerer we've been tracking in the South."

"Yes Sir. And whatever the issue is, may fortune be with you." As the Panda saluted, Ghung Chian resisted the urge to make a retort, before he flew off, ready to make the long trip to the south.

He knew exactly what would happen when he got there.

[1 month later]

10th July, 605 BNM

Late Morning

Imperial Pandina, Tabit Province

Hilomeyan Mountains, Xigongyian Valley

Wizard's shelter

Sat on the riverbank on the valley's flat lower area, the massive Hilomeyan mountains rearing up on both sides, and the mostly Panda resided Zenglansi village a mile up the valley, the Shelter the Wizards had constructed for them and Hinai was more of a stone house if anything.

They had found this secluded valley in early April, and had resided here ever since, training Hinai. The secret agenda was to reveal her magic, if that would bring her out as Magic's exemplar, and prompt Starswirl and Siral to move on.

But unlike Mashri in the Romane era, this was proving more time consuming, but less urgent as an upside.

But over time, the differences in approach, and desires, began to be apparent to Hinai, as she considered the two wizards.

She trained with both, but there was a distinct difference between them.

Riverbank

"FOCUS!"

Straining, her hand out, Hinai focused on the large rock in front of her. Today Starswirl was testing telekinetic magic from her, but he was once again pushing her.

Focusing, she saw the rock shake slightly, lifting off the ground very slowly, but as she gasped out in exhaustion, the rock crashed down the 2 feet it had risen, onto the river bed.

As she recovered, Starswirl shook his head slightly, remarking aloud as he walked briskly over to her:

"You must focus, clear your mind, let your inherent magic flow through you, you mustn't resist it. I thought you'd be over this by now!"

"I don't know why, but I just can't get this right." Hinai admitted, looking away from the grey Unicorn. Starswirl frowned slightly, before he turned to face the rock, his own blue horn shining now. The rock lifted up 2 feet easily, hovering sideways towards the river as he spoke:

"I can sense you have a lot of potential, and you performed many low level spells well. But.."

With a flare of his horn, the rock suddenly burst apart, cracking slowly until the many dozens of fragments slowly hovered to splash into the shallow river before them. Looking at Hinai now, who was looking down slightly still, Starswirl stressed to her:

"You keep hesitating. You must break through this lack of will of yours, or you will never reach your full potential."

"Its not easy for me to suddenly be trying this after years of restraining myself. I never learned from a young age how to push myself!" Hinai nearly shouted at Starswirl, but she kept her voice down enough to merely make her point to him.

"I know you did. But you do this to honour your family, even in their death." Starswirl remarked, but Hinai jabbed a finger at him, the yellow Eastern Dragoness accusing him:

"Not all of them. My other 2 brothers still live, one is King of Shengdu now, they carry on my parents' wishes, so must I."

"And that is why you keep struggling. You must let go of your restraint. That is enough for today anyway."

As Starswirl suddenly changed tack, Hinai stood upright more, her gaze regretful as he remarked: "You are brilliant, and could be more so, but while you know how to do all I and Siral have taught you, you lack the will to fully use it. Theory can only get you so far."

As Starswirl left to return to the quarters, the grey wizard rubbing his temple in frustration, he stopped, saying back to Hinai before he got too far:

"I understand that you miss your family Hinai, but please understand this is for the best."

"I know Starswirl, but unlike you, I have not yet lived a long life to get used to being parted from family."

Hinai turned to the river, sitting down on the rocks to dip her toes in the cold mountain water by her lonesome, while Starswirl shook his head to himself before leaving.

Wizard's shelter

With Hinai visible at the riverbank a few hundred feet away, Starswirl met Siral as the other wizard came out of the door, a few supplies for his potions 'lab' in a basement he magically excavated himself, in a bag at his black flank's side.

As he saw Siral however, Starswirl openly gasped slightly:

"No wonder you weren't up early this morning, what happened to you?"

Siral's face was baggy from bad sleep, and his body visibly had some looks of starvation to himself. He had been healthy looking the night before, and now looked as if he'd been starved.

Blinking slightly, Siral mumbled to be barely heard: "Success is what happened. I was trying to replicate the magic that drained Hinai's family, whatever it was. I finally found a mixture that replicated some of the effects, barely."

Laying a hoof on Siral's shoulder, helping the Black Unicorn stay upright, Starswirl remarked with some worry: "Don't experiment like that without me helping Siral, that was lethal to Hinai's family, and you too if you aren't careful."

"I will be fine. I am heading to the river to get some water for the healing brew I had ready. I didn't want to waste the water for drinking we gathered."

Letting Siral go, Starswirl turned to head into the shelter, before he added to Siral, the other Unicorn slowly walking to the river still: "I'll be heading into the village for some supplies. Do you need anything yourself?"

"Nothing unusual. But how did Hinai's training go, she was good with her potions training yesterday if I might say so."

Scoffing at Siral's remark, Starswirl pointed out: "Potions can be done even by non-magic users. She's likely more comfortable doing that than outright magic."

Rolling his eyes, Siral walked to the river as steadily as he could, knowing this bickering debate they had of which was better, potions or spellcasting, despite them both being highly skilled at each, as they each showed a preference for one over the other for 'experimentation'.

Riverbank

Looking around, Hinai saw Starswirl walking off from the stone house, clearly off on a supply run to the nearby panda village in the valley.

But beside her, Siral came up, weakened and tired looking from what as clearly self-experimentation.

He was quiet as he took some water in to a flask, shaking it before gulping it down in his magical grip. After also taking in some drinking water on its own, she visibly saw the sunken lines on the black and white maned Unicorn's face begin to vanish, looking healthier by the second.

Siral was less sociable, and didn't push her as well. If anything he was the most curious about anything new they came across, be it legends, new magical arts and particularly potions brews. He had already been a frequent customer to the local panda village's apothecary.

Finishing his drink, Siral noticed the slightly downcast look Hinai had, as he tried what words of comfort he could. He wasn't slaved to a prophecy [which neither of the two had told Hinai of at all] like Starswirl was, he'd come along out of curiosity, and helping one of his few friends, at its most basic level.

"Forgive Starswirl, but he only wishes to bring out everypony's full potential, whatever their skill is."

"I just wish he would not push so hard."

Siral kept it quiet, but he felt a sense of irony. With the Loyalty exemplar, he'd manipulated events, being the impatient one back then. The tables had turned now, though the onset of a murder of her family, and being hunted a while back, made intervention necessary.

"You will overcome your own limits, everypony does, in time. But, just be aware that sometimes the time can come when you least expect it. If your potion learning speed reflects your spellcasting potential, you could be a very great magician one day."

Hinai said nothing, neither objecting to or liking that future outright. The yellow dragon's awkward silence was only broken by an offhanded remark:

"Everypony, you use expressions that emphasize pony. Was your home country less varied?"

"Yes, but perhaps as the world grows such expressions may change." Siral guessed, glad the subject could be dropped for a more levity inducing topic. He wasn't one for supportive words necessarily.

10th July, 605 BNM

Late Night

Imperial Pandina, Tabit Province

Hilomeyan Mountains, Xigongyian Valley

Wizard's shelter, rooftop

It was much later that night, after the evening meal had been finished, the 2 Wizards and Eastern dragoness had taken to the roof of the shelter, stargazing before heading to their sleeping rooms. Being magically forged, the house had plenty of room.

On top of the roof, reclined back as the cool mountain valley air washed over them all, they enjoyed the sights how they could.

Siral had his muzzle buried deep in a book of Star Charts he still carried, a magically glowing white light hovering over his book, and filled in where certain stars moved to over time [days to decades, known only to Starswirl] out of hobby interest.

Listening to a few tales and myths from his time in Equestria, which she was told was recently, and not from over 200 years ago roughly, Hinai gave a laugh as Starswirl finished recalling certain students' accidents with new spells.

"So really Hinai, you hesitating, is actually a blessing compared to some problems other pupils I've taught have had."

"I can understand that from you. I'll try not to turn the house into bread anytime, if I can help it." Hinai jabbed, lightening up about her resilience to using her magic more strongly now that Starswirl clearly didn't mind it as much as she figured.

Sharing a laugh, Hinai couldn't help but remark: "This is, odd. I've never had this freedom in my life."

"Do you miss your old life?" Siral asked, not once looking up from his star chart book.

"Maybe. I miss the safety of rules, knowing what to expect, I was kept busy. But, the lack of as much a schedule here, I don't know what to do with myself many times, but I feel less stressed."

"Aside from hesitating with your magic." Starswirl countered with all sympathy he could manage. He finally understood a little as to why she was still hesitating. She was still getting used to a vastly different life, one which was also rather quickly adapted by Starswirl and Siral once this valley was found, rather than travel all the time, which kept them busy.

Hinai leant back on the stone roof, eying the golden and jade stoned necklace down her neckline scales, remarking aloud: "I'll want to return to Shegdu in the future, say goodbye to them, see if my brother came back to claim the throne yet."

"Tell me about them, Peng and Shung." Starswirl asked, Hinai's family an interesting topic. All the while, Siral kept one ear open to the conversation.

12th July, 605 BNM

Late Morning

Imperial Pandina, Tabit Province

Hilomeyan Mountains, Xigongyian Valley

He had flown from the north, his larger form used for ease of flight, and gathered backup only from towns and cities within 400 miles of the valley, to ensure they arrived here not too soon after he did.

Standing at the end of the valley, where the river wound down in the vast Hilomeyan mountains on each side, the Orange Eastern Dragon eyed up the distant village and farmland a few miles down the valley, visible from up here at the line where snow formed on the mountains in summer.

Beside him, the lead Tiger of those he gathered growled to his team, about 2 dozen tiger and dog warriors of both genders, mostly male though, along with a pair of burly cattle males. Ghung Chian used his sorcerer title to get some very good talent at his use.

"We head into the valley, low key. Even magic users will stay near a settlement for food and supplies they may need and not know how to make alone."

The words of the Orange Eastern Dragon were an order and a statement. For now they were watching for them, the 2 Unicorns and Yellow Eastern Dragoness.

If all went well, Ghung Chian would have found them.

As he stared down at the valley, and the village, while the hunters he'd brought with him made final preparations before the long trek into the valley, he lightly fingered a small object he had in his draconic robe's inner pocket.

As he felt it, he relaxed, feeling his energy expand, a relief and a booster he needed. The rocklike substance, as he imbued it with some magic, fed him back in turn. Ghung Chian had been one to experiment with enhancing his own and others' skills, which were all seen as useful by the other Sorcerers.

And he had at least 2 distinct means of boosting his power, one of them a mysterious blue/grey rocky substance he always carried with him.

The other was a spell only he knew, as he'd invented it, and he'd practiced it over many years on many beings of great power. And if not for the rock he carried, it would be even harder to pull off.

But Ghung Chian had a dragoness to catch, and 2 Unicorns. Unfinished business after all.

Author's Notes:

Magic part III is done, and I can promise some key magical techniques and artefacts/resources will see their 'primitive' forms in the 2 next chapters, the climax of the MAGIC arc.