《How I Became An Immortal》


 Prologue: The Dump

    Laraough was a village on the southern tip of Varriah. It was a place where no one race was predominant. Referred to as a gem, a nearby dungeon was the most lucrative in the south. The Economy prospered until a foolish group of adventurers attempted to steal the dungeon¡¯s guardian and failed. Angered, the dungeon become more dangerous and produced less, halting Laraough¡¯s growth.


    Without loot from the dungeon to fuel trade in an otherwise remote southern coastal town, it stagnated and became known as The Dump. The residence grew accustom to the name and embraced it, as it was a reflection of its state. Remnants of once paved roads were now gravel and dirt. Housing and merchant buildings were in equally as rough shapes. Some were dilapidated, they seem ready to collapse at a moment¡¯s notice. This was the place Cas called home.


    Run. Keep running. A huff escaped with each breath, visible in front of him. It was abnormally cold day this time of year. It did not stop the others though from chasing and chastising him with basic magic. Chunks of earth, balls of water and an occasional ball of ice shot in his direction. They were more of an annoyance than anything. A THUMP could be herd as an ice ball connected with the back of his head. The pain caused him to lose focus and tripped over his own feet.


    ¡°Clumsy Looser!¡±


    ¡°Gonna cry? He¡¯s gonna cry!!¡±


    ¡°No one wants you here Cas, go away!¡±


    A boy named Jace raises his hand from the group of hecklers, causing the others to go silent. He casually walks up to Cas as he lay on the ground. Before he could react, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach from Jace¡¯s kick.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get it? You¡¯re not welcome here. Tisa may let you stay, but only because she feels bad for you! Who could ever love a thing like you? Do you even know what you are?¡± Jace spoke, but Cas was distracted by the pain in his stomach to reply.


    ¡°Pathetic. You won¡¯t defend yourself.¡± Jace said with a look of disgust while standing above him.


    ¡°Jace! Someone is coming, we need ta¡¯ get outta here!¡± A girl yells before she turns the corner to flee, followed by the rest. Jace looks at the Cas, kneels and begins to speak softly.


    ¡°You will never be anything. How can someone who doesn¡¯t know what they are accomplish anything?¡± He paused to wait for the response he knew wasn¡¯t coming.


    ¡°Want to know how I know this is true? When you took the aptitude test, the mage¡¯s observing thought you¡¯d be destined for greatness. How can you amount to anything if you won¡¯t even defend yourself?¡±


    ¡®Jace is right¡¯ Cas thought, as his bitter words stung with an air of truth. A grunt escapes Jace¡¯s mouth as he rises to his feet. ¡°See? You won¡¯t stick up for yourself when it counts.¡± With a shake of his head in disappointment, Jace turns and walks away.


    This was a norm for Cas. He didn¡¯t know who his parents where. Most of the other kids did not either. This was a common background for e a few who lived in the same orphanage as him. It was common for a few who lived at the same orphanage as him.


    While most knew their heritage, or easily discerned is as they matured, Cas did not. He was a true mystery: From afar he appeared human, but not up close. The first sign were Pointy ears akin to Elfs but curled backwards like fishhooks. His teeth where sharp, pointy and interlocked with each other. With a complexion of greyish-green and hair a wash of salt and pepper, he shared no common appearance with any known race. Most notable were his eyes. The iris¡¯s swirled in different colors and at different paces, depending on his mood. His pupils where like staring into the void; an abyss with no end in sight.


    This wasn¡¯t the first time Cas had been treated like this; likely not the last time either. It took him a while to regain his composure. Hunger had set in. A sigh escaped him as he thought about his last meal. A day ago? Maybe two? Either way, the hunger was real. It got rough when he turned 15. All kids at the orphanage were to go out and work and earn their meals. This wasn¡¯t a challenge for most, but him, getting an adult to speak to him was a challenge itself. So he began walking.


    His destination was the center of town, the market. Most people didn¡¯t acknowledge his existence or treated him poorly. For a town where more than half of the population was some sort of a mixed race, he never could understand why they treated him so poorly. Fear of the unknown was the cause, no one had ever seen eyes like his and they were truly unnerving for most. This went over his head of course, no one had ever explained that to him.


    He decided to approach a Lizardfolk lady he had success with last week. She wasn¡¯t edgy like most others were towards him, her heart had a soft spot for the orphan. He tried to put on his best puppy dog eyes and spoke up,


    "Excuse me Miss Lisshtssz, do you h-have anything you m-might need help with?"


    She jumped and flailed her arms in surprise, not noticing him until he spoke. Damn. it was the odd one again...It took her a few seconds to calm herself.


    ¡°Casssss, was it?¡± she hissed and cautiously eyed him, ¡°Alwaysss approach my people from the front, we are quite easily startled. Assss for the work, I am sorry dear, but itssss slow this time of year, and the other kidsss took my deliveriesss out...¡± She was staring at him, but her eyes grew sympathetic to his plight; She was an orphan once too and knew all too well the struggles he was up against, to an extent. She knew how most of the town treated him. It was odd for a place full of mixed races to treat someone as unique as him the way they do. But his eyes. No one had ever seen eyes like him.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Jace¡­ He thought. This wouldn¡¯t be the first time they chased him early in the morning, but now it was making sense. They had a purpose more than to make fun of him, reality began to set in. it was eat, or don¡¯t eat. Survival of the fittest. Right now, Cas didn¡¯t feel fit. But he did feel hunger, and it was starting to hurt.


    He smiled empathically, eyes shifting to teal as they swirled and said ¡°That¡¯s okay Miss Lisshtssz. I am sorry for startling you.¡± Without thinking his eyes went down in shame and disappointment, when he noticed it. A potion bottle had fallen from her stand. Miss Lisshtssz was a popular Alchemist in the village, because she was the only one. She alone was the only source of potions inside the village, unless you wanted to pay an arm and a leg from a traveling merchant.


    He knew they were valuable, if he pocketed it, he could feed himself for the entire cold season, but there were two reasons he couldn¡¯t. First, no one would buy it from him. They would question him how he got it. He also knew that theft carried a heavy punishment: A hand, or more, depending on the value of what¡¯s stolen. Second, it was not right. He was no pillar of morality; he had stolen food before when he was desperate. But he knew if he kept it, this wouldn¡¯t be out of necessity, but greed. Miss Lisshtssz was the nicest person to him in town, next to Sister Tisa who ran the Orphanage. He could not bear the thought of betraying one of the few people who would even talk to him.


    Snatching it up, he set it on her stall. He smiled meekly at her and turned to try his luck with some of the less friendly merchants in the market square. His stomach rumbled loud enough for Lisshtssz to hear.


    ¡°WAIT!¡±


    It was louder than she intended and drew the attention of Cas and a few passing her stand.


    ¡°Come here dear¡± She said calmly. He approached her slowly, as she was rummaging through one of the sacks she kept under her stall. His eyes opened wide. She was pulling out a WHOLE loaf of bread! Then she handed it to him. Now his eyes were almost budging from the sockets and began to swirl fast as its hue shifted to a light green.


    ¡°Thank you, but can I really accept this?¡± He questioned her. No one had ever out right given him something for nothing. It was always a system of work to eat. Smiling back, she replied


    ¡°Oh, itssss quite alright. That potion is highly valuable. If it was one of the other runtssss who treat you poorly, they would have cuffed it without a thought. Your honesty is appreciated, Cassssss. Take it, that should feed you for a few daysssss, I imagine.¡±


    He was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. A quick thanks, and he was off. He got a whole loaf of bread! A few days he thought? He could probably stretch this out for 4 days if he was careful! Ripping a small corner off it and stuffing it in his mouth, he continued to walk down a street he was not familiar with, oblivious to the fact he was being watched. He ripped another small chunk off and began to chew again, when he heard a feint sound. Something was flying? It sounded like something was moving through the air fast. It sounded almost Familiar.


    THUMP. Again. This time is was harder than the last. He was not running away this time, and the ice ball knocked him over. As he tumbled the large remaining portion of the bread fell to the ground. He felt the back of his head, it was wet. He brought his hand to his front and saw it: Blood. Not red, but grey. Another reason to hate him he thought as he writhed in pain, holding his head, hoping the pain would stop soon.


    He heard footsteps, and soon saw feet. Someone walked over to his loaf of bread and picked it up. Jace was the face he saw as he looked up.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be needing this, thief. You¡¯re lucky I don¡¯t report you to the guards. But I¡¯m feeling generous. I will keep this bread, as a bribe for my silence.¡± The words came flatly out of his mouth, no inflection, it was not positive, nor negative. It just was.


    ¡°I-I-I did not steal it!¡± he protested as he tried to stand. UGGH was the next sound that escaped his mouth as a foot met his stomach again.


    ¡°Stay down if you know what¡¯s good for you, thief.¡± Again, no inflection in his voice. Normally when Jace picked on him, his pitch was higher and throatier, but not now. It was different, and terrifying for Cas. He didn¡¯t move. He was scared. And hurt. He looked up at Jace with pleading eyes but made no effort to move or attempt to stand up again. Jace just shook his head and frowned.


    ¡°Another reason why you will never be anything. You¡¯re a coward and a thief now. Thanks for the food.¡± Was the last thing he herd as Jace walked away, dusting off the dirt on the bread he had taken. Cas collapsed on the ground. Why? Why him? Why was fate so cruel to him? Maybe Jace was right. Maybe he should just go wander off into the wilds, or maybe even the dungeon near town. No one would miss him.


    10 minutes pass, and he finally sits up. ¡°I hate this world. This town, and these people. Why me? Why was I even born?¡± He muttered to himself, lost in thought. Then it happened.


    ¡°You ask the wrong questions. Why ask why, when how is a better choice in self-reflection.¡±


    It came from a human, no less. He saw humans before, but they were captives of war; turned slaves. He was in shock, and terrified. A human? Here? He was wearing a robe which looked fancier than any he saw before; the Sword dangling from his waste had a platinum scabbard adorned with jewels and precious stones. He was so hypnotized by the beautiful armament he didn¡¯t notice the man take a knee and extend his hand out to the boy.


    He scooched backwards on all 4 quickly than rose his arms to cover and protect his face.


    ¡± P-p-p-please don¡¯t hurt me¡± he plead. This was the end. The humans made it to the Dump, Laraough. It was the farthest village south of the continent. If humans made it here, there was no hope. Seconds pass. Then Minutes. After what seemed an eternity, nothing happened. He slowly lowered one of his arms to see what was happening. A smile. A Warm, inviting smile. The human did not move from his position. Still on one knee, hand extended. Then he opened his mouth.


    ¡°Hello Cas. I¡¯m Rin, and I mean you no harm. It¡¯s nice to finally meet you.¡± His smile only seems to beam brighter.

 Chapter 2: The Chosen

    ¡°But why won¡¯t you help?¡± Cas said right before taking another bite from the apple. A green apple, slightly bitter, yet sweet. Normally fruit was out of season, and a luxury for those with wealth. The only other time Cas was given an opportunity to try fruit was years ago when one of the wealthy merchants from Maburo passed through and made a small donation to the orphanage. It was a basket of dried meats and fruits. He was only allowed one piece, but it was nothing compared to what he was currently eating. Crisp, wet and juicy.


    It didn¡¯t take much to get Cas to settle down. Sure, Rin was a human, and they where the enemy from what he was thought. But If that¡¯s the case, why didn¡¯t he attack me? In fact, Rin was quite the opposite. He was pleasant. His smile was powerful. Every time Cas made eye contact with him, something about his smile put all his thoughts at ease.


    The icing on the cake was when he reached his arm all the way into a bag, which shouldn¡¯t have been possible, and pulled out this strange round green. Thing. And tossed it to me. Of course, I dodged out of the way, but he just chuckled. Then he walked up and picked it off the ground. Again, he stuck his arm impossibly deep into the small bag at his waist and retrieved a small dagger. Before I had a chance to flee or react, he swiftly cut the green thing in his hands in two, then dropped the dagger carelessly back into the bag.


    How does that thing fit so much stuff? And isn¡¯t he worried that dagger would cut a hole in it? It must be magic. My thoughts are interrupted when Rin stuffed half of what was once round in my face. He had already taken a large bite from the other half, chewing loudly while he continued to gesture to me to take it from him? Reluctantly I took it. If he¡¯s eating it, it can¡¯t be poison, right? Here goes nothing I think as I take the half and bite a small portion off. Its. No, this is. WOW. The best thing I¡¯ve had in my life! Another bite, chew, bite and Its gone before I know it.


    The look on his face is peculiar. He has one eyebrow raised, and the smile was now a grin.


    ¡°Normally one does not eat the core of an apple Cas. But given your¡­ Situation, I understand¡± said Rin as he caught the bemused expression on Cas¡¯s face. This kid must really be hungry. Is it really this bad down on the southern end of my kingdom he thought? Now is not the time for such thoughts, there was a lot to do and a lot more time do get it done, or something like that he chuckled to himself inside.


    He reached into his bag of holding once more and produced another apple and tried again. This time, Cas caught the apple. ¡°Try not to eat the core this time; I can cut if for you if you¡¯d like, but you seem old enough to eat it whole. Eat and walk with me, Cas. We have much to discuss.¡± Rin said, staring south to the sea.


    That¡¯s how I got my first lesson on history and magic. As I followed him and ate, he explained who he was. Rin Druch, ruler over the entire continent of Varriah. A Mage. An Archmage really. He started off as an Apprentice in the mage guild back in the capitol city of Vidualsas. It was apparently very far north into the human territory, on the midwestern edge of the continent. He spent a decade there and met his mentor; right at the end. When asked what his mentor¡¯s name was, Rin would smile and say it¡¯s not important: His mentor was only there for a short time and after he thought what was needed, vanished. Rin said the last words his mentor told him was ¡°its time for me to retire! I hear The Shroud is nice this time of year...¡±.


    I couldn¡¯t tell if he was joking or not, but I didn¡¯t want to press. Everyone knew what the shroud was; the waterways and a small land mass that was in the middle of the two continents; the most dangerous place in the world. The sea around the island where rough; 50¡¯-100¡¯ waves were common, but what made it deadly was the hurricane that swirled around the land mass. Only the Strongest on the continents would venture to it; usually only mages, since traveling to the shores by boat was thought impossible. The land inside of the perpetual hurricane was not affected by the storm, but it was no less safe. Jungle terrain covered it all but the center, where the mouth the Dungeon who called that land home stood.


    Then Rin retold his colorful tale on how his mentor told him that it was his duty to unite the human lands, the beast lands, and eventually the entirely of both continents: Varriah and Tarranica. Of the 10 years he spent on his quest, 8 where spent alone uniting the humans¡¯ north and only 2 in the beast lands to the south. His goal was to take a nap, then work on the second half of his duty. But realizing that almost all of what he did was undone during his¡­ Nap. He used it too casual, why would a ruler, no emperor, no archmage need a nap? Anyway, he says he is getting too old to see his mentor¡¯s dreams for him. And that¡¯s why he chose me, to pass on what he knows, with hopes that I can do what he could not.


    ¡°You¡¯re joking right? Your 200 years old? How? You don¡¯t have old people wrinkles?¡± Cas questioned, isolating the points Rin thought where not that important.


    ¡°Cas, how I physically look has no bearing on how old I am. And that¡¯s offensive, don¡¯t use old people wrinkles so lightly¡­¡± Rin retorted. ¡°Besides, is that really what piques your interest in me?¡±


    They had been walking for a few hours now. The made it to the coast, and after a long history lesson Rin opened the floor for questions, but he wasn¡¯t expecting that.


    ¡°But why wont you help? You havesome kind of super magic, right? How else did you get here?¡± some of the words from Cas¡¯s mouth jumbled together as he ate his apple and pushed for the answers, he was most interested in.


    ¡°I told you, I¡¯M OLD! Ruling conquering and uniting is young mans game, Cas. I simply, want to retire. Naps are so wonderful¡­.¡± He said in an annoyed tone. Did I choose the right one, he thought? He had to be the right one. As if reading his mind, Cas came to his next question.


    ¡°Why me? Why not some fancy mage from the capitol?¡± Rin¡¯s response was quick and short.


    ¡°Because you are special, Cas.¡±


    His eyes shifted to a pale yellow, and he looked to the ground. He mumbled in response ¡°I don¡¯t feel special¡­ I tried learning magic. All the other kids in the village picked up quick on it, but I struggle. I can barely feel the mana in my body when I tried to meditate like the town mage showed us.¡± A rock rolled forward and some dirt was kicked up as he continued to stare at the ground, kicking at the rock on the trail they followed leading to the cliffs. Then he remembered. ¡°Well, I can do some magic, but its soo useless, I wouldn¡¯t even call it magic¡­¡± he trailed off as they continued to walk.


    ¡°Oh? Why don¡¯t you show me what it is then?¡± Rin questioned curiously. He raised an eyebrow and made a go on now gesture towards Cas, to which he sighed in response. ¡°okay¡­¡± was all Cas could muster.


    He took a knee, and pulled 5 twigs out of his pocket, and set them on the ground. They we not anything particularly special about them, except for how they where fashioned together. It was almost like a stick figure, without a head. A small thread connected the torso to the legs at the bottom of one stick, and another connected 2 more near the top. Deep breath in, then slowly exhale. He put both hands over the makeshift doll and focused. Invisible tendrils of mana escaped his fingertips as he concentrated; He thought about life, freedom, to be able to go wherever he wanted. The threads connecting the sticks glowed a feint yellow and began to snug the branches closer together. Then something interesting happened. Cas released his concentration.


    The arms of the stick began to bend in the middle, where elbows normally where. It propped itself up, then stood. At attention. ¡°go over there¡±, Cas ordered and pointed beyond where Rin stood. It didn¡¯t even turn. It started walking the opposite direction towards where Cas pointed as if it had been facing that way the whole time. He looked up to Rin to see a blank stare. It broke his concentration, which he subconsciously didn¡¯t know he was doing anyways, and the small stick person collapsed. The yellow glow at its joints faded and the sticks regained their rigidity.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    A sigh lead Cas¡¯s mumbling ¡°See? You aren¡¯t impressed. You sure I¡¯m the right one?¡±


    ¡°Yep. You¡¯re definitely the right one. You¡¯ve got the whole poor kid from a small village, good heart kind vibe going on. And tell me, what do you know about your...¡± Rin paused his response for a moment, staring in the yellow swirling, ¡°eyes?¡±


    Cas turned his head down. ¡°You mean my curse? I don¡¯t know anything except for the bad luck they bring me. They move and change colors. That¡¯s all I know. Oh, and they freak people out and make them treat me poorly¡­¡± A single tear departed from his eye, and Rin moved. From seemingly nowhere a small glass vial was pressed against Cas¡¯s cheek before he even knew what was happening. Cas tried to protest and react, but Rin was just staring at the vial raised into the air. ¡°HEY! What are you doing! With my¡­ tear...?¡± he sniveled and tried to regain his composure.


    ¡°Cas¡­You really have no idea, do you? Well, I don¡¯t think I can tell you what you are, truly, but maybe I can provide you some insight. This ¡°tear¡± you just produced? Its not normal.¡± Rin said as he kneeled to bring himself and lock eyes with Cas. ¡°This is. This is special. Do you know what this is?¡±


    Cas scratched his head and cocked it sideways. ¡°My tears? Water or blood or a mix or something like that?¡± the smile turned into a grin, as Rin thought about how to respond.


    ¡°This is now another reason I made the right choice. I knew your eyes where special, but this? Cas, this is not blood or water or anything remotely close. This is pure MANA. This single drop contains more power than most mid-level mages have in their entire body!¡± He explained excitedly, then took a second to speak slowly.


    ¡°Cas, I¡¯ve read about people with your eyes. 10¡¯s of thousands of years ago, creatures of the Fey once inhabited our world. They were beings of pure magic, unbound by the rules of our world. The power my mentor gave, which was left by his mentor and so on, dates to roughly this age. It was said that this gift was given to us by a denizen of the Fey. Those Fey where said to have eyes similar to yours. A feeling in my gut tells me you are not entirely of this world: that is to say you may have been born here, and part of you is from here. But there is something that is not. From where they Fae originate is beyond me, but in time, I¡¯m sure you may discover?¡±


    ¡°Fey?¡± Cas sniveled, ¡°But if they are beings of pure magic, why am I so weak? I can only make twigs move¡­¡±


    ¡°Quit crying; you will have plenty of real reasons to cry if you choose to accept me as your mentor.¡± Rin was Grinning as he spoke sharply to Cas, ¡°As for those twigs, that¡¯s a very uncommon practice of magic. Have you ever herd of a construct?¡±


    ¡°A what? Like a person who builds houses. And why would I want you as a mentor if your going to give me a reason to cry¡± Cas stared at Rin with an expression mixed of concern and distrust.


    Rin found it hard not to chuckle and waved his hands in a plead for innocence ¡°No, no I won¡¯t hurt you or make you cry, personally. But to be blunt; you are weak, and a good deal of training to toughen your body up and prepare you for what I have to offer is very much required. A squishy mage is a dead one, boy.¡± His expression turned deadpan. ¡°Also, you really don¡¯t have a choice, you will be my apprentice. Why would you turn it down anyways? I¡¯m an Archmage! Who wouldn¡¯t want to learn from me??¡±


    Cas opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by Rin, smiling. ¡°It was a rhetorical question, not meant for you to answer.¡±


    ¡°Then why ask?¡±


    ¡°Be¡­. Never mind. You¡¯re not going to regret accepting my proposal, young apprentice.¡±


    ¡°But I never accepted¡­.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you paying attention? You don¡¯t have a choice. Learn to live with it!¡±


    ¡°But¡­.¡±


    ¡°RIGHT!¡± Rin explained loudly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the little stuff! Back on topic, Constructs. They are not people, or even alive. A construct is something that is powered by magic and obeys the one whom bestowed it life through mana...¡±


    ¡°So that stick, it was alive?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The stick was live, Cas.¡±


    ¡°But how was it supposed to breath? Don¡¯t living things need to breath?¡±


    ¡°Of course, they do! Living people that is. Constructs are alive, and yet, not. They live only because of the magic, and only need the magic to survive. I. I am really baffled. Didn¡¯t you say there was a town mage here and he tested you all? Didn¡¯t he explain all the schools of magic?? Did you show him the construct of sticks you made??¡±


    ¡°umm, no. he didn¡¯t seem like he cared that I learned at all. I¡¯m pretty sure the only reason he did what he did was because of his niece who runs the orphanage¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, okay. Well than. I¡¯ll take it you don¡¯t have a class yet, either? By the way, what level are you at?¡±


    Cas looked crestfallen. He shook his head and responded. ¡°I don¡¯t have a class, I not sure how to pick one. And how do I figure out my level? I¡¯m 15 years old, so level 15 maybe?¡± his demeanor switched from sad to curious. No one had told him about levels. He knew they existed, but he wasn¡¯t sure what purpose they served.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding¡­¡± Rin murmured, but Cas¡¯s face did not waiver. ¡°Really? No one told you? The people here are horrible¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that! There are nice people here! Well, only a few¡­But its not their fault! I¡¯m... A monster...¡± he shuddered, looking down at his feet again. A sigh escaped Rin¡¯s mouth. ¡°Cas, close your eyes. Try and clear your mind. And I want you to think of one word. Status. Don¡¯t overthink it, just try it.¡±


    What? Close my eyes and think status? That¡¯s the stupidest thing I¡¯ve ever heard. But I have nothing to lose. These thoughts raced through his mind. He put them aside and did as he was asked. Both eyes closed? Check. Clear your mind? How the heck am I supposed to do that? Maybe I should just not think about anything else? Or only status? Am I supposed to think about status? Or say it? Status.


    ¡°Rin, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s working...¡± was all he got out of his mouth as he opened his eyes. He jerked back suddenly and fell on his butt. An Ethereal translucent box? Floated in front of him, with some interesting info inside.


    ¡°Cassious¡­.Dawn? That¡¯s my name?¡± He shook his head to try and clear the fog, and the box popped from existence.


    ¡°Hah¡± Rin laughed, ¡°All you have to do was shake your head to get rid of the box apprentice Dawn. What level are you? I didn¡¯t get to see your screen, you got rid of it quickly.¡± Cas looked at him oddly, and replied,


    ¡°You can see my Status too? I am level 1. Is that bad?¡± a look of uncertainty fell upon him, not sure if it even mattered at this point.


    Without any hesitation Rin went to squash the look of defeat on his face before it had even begun. ¡°Bad? No. Unusual? Very so. But you¡¯re an unusual fellow, so I think its okay. Most kids your age who aren¡¯t in training from even younger are in the 2-5 range; you gain experience passively by working. You probably don¡¯t get much experience around here if you aren¡¯t getting work. But your kind Mentor shall fix that in a jiffy! Combat is the quickest way to beef you up a bit; you gain some levels and we can work on getting you a class. But first. Stand.¡±


    Cas rose to his feet, facing Rin nervously. Rin approached him and stood too close for comfort. ¡°Your hand, please.¡± Rin requested. This was the first time Cas looked into Rin¡¯s serious gaze, he was frozen, but not in fear. It was just uncertain. He reluctantly held out his hand. Quicker than he could process. The dagger in Rin¡¯s hand he hadn¡¯t noticed cut the palm of his hand; not deep, but blood did begin to pool. ¡°OWWW!¡± Cas cried, but before he could move, Rin spoke in a foreboding tone ¡°Do not move; Be still.¡± Cas felt his body freeze. He had no choice but to obey.


    Rin dipped his finger in the pool of blood cupped in the boy¡¯s hand, then kneeled. He began to paint¡­ with the blood. Cas couldn¡¯t tell, but the shape started to take form. An Anchor, like the traditional ones with two fishhook points and an eye hole at the top. He rose to his feet and began chanting in a foreign tongue: ¡°Sanguis et terram. Tempus, tum animi. tenetur a nativitate futurum numerus. vitam post mortem, morte in vitam. Largire mihi, Immortalitatis.¡±


    The air around Cas condensed until he could feel it pushing him from all sides, every angle. His vision started to go dark, dark until no light was visible. Then there was a POP, and a bright light flashed. Immensely bright. The whole process only took seconds, but it felt like an eternity. And the brightness was gone. Rin looked out of breath, but he was smiling. No, grinning at the boy.


    ¡°What did you do to me?¡± Cas Gasped. He looked at his hand, the cut and blood were gone, like it never happened. Rin smiles gleefully in return. ¡°oh, I forgot to mention, from this point on, every time we meet here, you only get to ask me one question. I¡¯ll give you a pass this time. I bound you to this world. This moment in time. I¡¯ve made you an immortal.¡±