"Policy?"
Cassian asked as he was confused.
"As you know, the Academy recently been able to stabilize the situation of the Genesis Crystal,"
Andrade began.
"You also know that we had to submit a comprehensive report to the Arcane Council explaining the structural causes of the 'Fraying' incident."
Ray watched her carefully.
Here it comes,
he thought.
The cover story becomes history.
"The Arcane Council has accepted our findings,"
Andrade continued.
"We have officially attributed the instability to 'Entropic Resonance Decay,' a phenomenon that suggests that the Genesis Crystal is not infinite, due to the exposure of the corruption of the Sunken Vaults it has been subjected to long-term degradation."
She paused, her dark eyes locking onto Cassian’s terrified blue ones.
"This is the exact phenomenon predicted many, many years ago by your ancestor, Master Thaddeus Ashvane."
The room went dead silent. The clock on the wall ticked loudly.
"Because the Academy has formally adopted the 'Ashvane Framework' as the official explanation for the crisis,"
Andrade said, picking up the scroll,
"it is no longer untenable to keep his name stricken from the record."
She slid the scroll across the polished wood of the desk toward Cassian.
"This is a copy of the petition I sent to the Arcane Council this morning. We are requesting the posthumous reinstatement of Thaddeus Ashvane’s tenure. We are also petitioning to clear his record of the charge of 'Heretical Alarmism' and to declassify his research for immediate academic study."
Cassian stared at the scroll. His hands shook violently as he reached out, his fingers hovering over the wax seal as if afraid it would bite him.
"You…"
Cassian whispered, his voice cracking.
"You’re un-silencing him?"
"We are validating him,"
Andrade corrected.
"His work is no longer heresy, Mage Ashvane. It is now the foundation of our survival strategy."
Cassian let out a sound that was half-laugh, half-sob. He grabbed the scroll, pulling it to his chest as if it were a physical lifeline. Tears welled up in his eyes, spilling over onto his ink-stained cheeks.
"He wasn't crazy,"
Cassian choked out, rocking slightly in his chair.
"He wasn't crazy. My father died trying to prove it. My grandfather died trying to clear his name. They... they weren't crazy."
"No,"
Ray said softly from beside him.
"They were just right too early."
Cassian looked at Ray. The intelligence in his blue eyes sharpened through the tears. He looked from Ray to the Headmaster, his mind, usually so scattered connecting the dots with terrifying speed. He saw the lack of surprise on Ray’s face. He saw the resigned set of Andrade’s jaw.
"You,"
Cassian said, his voice trembling but clear. He looked at Ray.
"You knew about this."
Ray didn't deny it.
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"Master Thaddeus’s work is the only thing that makes sense of the Fraying, Senior Cassian. I just made sure the Headmaster realized that admitting it was the best way to protect the school."
Andrade stiffened slightly at the implication, but she remained silent.
Cassian wiped his face with his sleeve, smearing ink across his forehead. He stood up, clutching the scroll. He took a deep breath, and for the first time since Ray had met him, Cassian Ashvane stood tall. The hunched, frantic posture of the recluse vanished, replaced by the dignity of an heir to a great intellectual line.
"Thank you, Headmaster,"
Cassian said. His voice was steady.
"And... if the Council requires the original proofs... the handwritten derivations for the sub-layer degradation..."
He tapped the scroll against his chest.
"I have them. I’ve kept them safe. I can provide the math that proves he saw this coming before any of you were even born."
Andrade’s lips twitched, almost a smile.
"I expect nothing less, Mage Ashvane. The Academy may call upon you to testify to the veracity of the documents. Be ready."