Arthur had to give in to Garvin's wishes in the end. This was what dragged him to the barren place. Now he was waiting patiently, or at least trying to wait patiently for the array master to fulfil his end of the promise.
Some more days passed by. Arthur came back to visit the couple again. Garvin was still at it again, meditating on the stone platform. Cybill came to greet him with two wine glasses. She offered him one while taking a sip from the other.
"I was wondering when you'll be back. Don't worry. Garvin shouldn't take long now."
Arthur nodded at Cybill and took the wine glass before asking:
"What is the true purpose of this array, Cybill? From its runic inscriptions, I can guess that it is related to guiding rankers to a state of epiphany. But I can't understand anything beyond that."
Cybill stirred the glass gently and took a whiff of the wine she was savouring before answering:
