《Uralter》


 Prologue

    It awoke knowing one thing: danger was coming and it needed to escape. This being had no body, rather, it was a gathering of pure energy that had formed a primitive consciousness.


    And its instincts told it one thing: hide.


    It darted underneath the forest ground, desperately searching for an existence weak enough for it to assimilate with and hide within. The strong life force emanating from the majority of the forest creatures would easily overpower its own, then it would cease to exist any longer and be devoured by them. And the ones that it could meld with had no capability to grow so that it could protect itself in the future. This disparity was common with such wild beasts. The strong completely dominated and the weak perished.


    Then, hope came.


    A weak heartbeat. A dying body.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    The being darted in that direction, moving at a dizzying speed. In the blink of an eye, it arrived in the bedroom of a small cottage.


    A young boy laid in the bed, his chest barely moving with each pitiful breath. He couldn¡¯t have been more than ten years old. He was incredibly bony, there seemed to barely be any sinew or fat at all on him. It was obvious from the deathly pallor of his skin and labored breathing that he was at death¡¯s door.


    If it had been anyone else, they would¡¯ve said that this boy was hopeless.


    But it could see what others couldn¡¯t. It knew of his entire life story with just one touch.


    The being did not hesitate, launching itself into his body and wiggling inside, burying itself within the depths of his soul. The boy emitted a soft, golden glow for a few moments. Any who saw it would say that he was being blessed by a God. It began to dim, rapidly disappearing as if nothing had happened. Even the child showed no signs of waking up.


    But, in the silent night, his pulse grew stronger.

 One: Contentedness

    They called him the miracle boy. One night, when everyone had been sure that he would draw his last breath soon, he suddenly improved drastically. In the morning when everyone woke up, he wasn¡¯t suffering from constant physical pain and breathing didn¡¯t sound like it hurt him, either. Needless to say, Emil¡¯s parents quickly hailed the town ¡°doctor¡± (he hadn¡¯t received any schooling; he was just a former servant to an actual doctor). And because of his lack of training, just like he couldn¡¯t tell what was wrong with the boy, he wasn¡¯t able to explain why he was feeling better. Thus, the villagers came to the conclusion that his revival was nothing short of a miracle.


    And since the village was only comprised of fifty-some people, news of his improving healthy spread quickly. The tired community regained their vigor and swarmed their home, convinced that Emil would be able to bless them through their own misfortune.


    They were all shooed away, though. There was no way that his mother or father would allow him to be overwhelmed by these strangers. Especially ones that had hardly offered up a single prayer while their child was suffering. No one had been doubtful at first, but as the years passed, everyone was convinced that their son was going to die. And they all moved on from it. Emil¡¯s parents could understand this, but they weren¡¯t so kind as to let these people benefit from their son¡¯s good fortune. Rather, they preferred to keep him safe until his condition stabilized even more.


    In their eyes, this was the best decision. After all, they knew the the truth behind these people¡¯s intentions and the village itself. No one could be trusted here.


    Their son was their most precious treasure, why would they let him be used in such a manner?


    Thus, the doors to the Lund family home stayed tightly shut.


    This was much to the dismay of the one in question, Emil.


    See, Emil was still far from being in the same physical condition of the others that were his age, but it was leaps and bounds from where he had been a month ago. He could walk and lift up light weights, but anything more than that was a struggle. He had lost his ability to move properly and had stayed in a bed for almost two entire years while fighting an invisible illness, so the fact that he could stand was already amazing.


    But now he wanted to go outside.


    To him, the parents that were trying so hard to protect him from outside evils were the mean ones. He was just a child and did not understand in the slightest why they were forcing him to remain inside. He wanted to stretch his legs. He wanted to feel the wind on his face. He wanted to feel the sun heating his skin¡­ He wanted to be one of those adventurers in the stories that his mother told him. How many people were waiting out there? How many friends could he make? The thought of meeting people other than his parents and that doctor was unbelievably exciting to him! For his entire life, he had only known these three people.


    Even back when he was able to walk, Emil was too frail to go outside even for or a few moments. His immune system was practically nonexistent, meaning that the outdoors wreaked havoc on him the first time he was exposed to all of it. And the sun was too strong for his pale and delicate skin, so he had began to burn and almost passed out from the brightness, too. From that day on, he was locked inside.


    And now, all Emil wanted was to be free of the dingy and small cottage that they lived in.


    It smelled. It was boring. He hated it. He wanted to make friends. It was dark because the windows were always shut. That caused poor air circulation, making it hard to breathe inside. But that was still, to his parents, better than having people attempt to peep inside.


    Therefore, for the past two days, he had been throwing the ultimate fit.


    And during the afternoon of the third day, his father finally agreed to take Emil out on a short walk.


    ¡°There are rules,¡± his father warned, voice stern. Felix was an intelligent-looking man, who gave off a scholarly aura despite the fact that he could barely read or write. Still, if anyone saw him, they would¡¯ve categorized him as a researcher.  ¡°Do not speak to anyone. Do not run off. Always hold either my hand or your mother¡¯s.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Emil nodded his head, eager to dash out the doors.


    His mother sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s get going. I want to be back inside before sunset.¡±


    Felix looked up, concern evident. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    She laughed lightly. ¡°Of course not. But Emil wants to see the outdoors, doesn¡¯t he?¡±


    At this, Emil started nodding his head even more ferociously. ¡°Want!¡±


    His mother smiled and stroked his head lovingly. ¡°Then, what are we waiting for?¡±


    Emil, unable to hold it in any longer, raced to open the door. But his version of ¡°racing¡± was still a slow, clumsy gait, so his father beat him to it within a few strides.


    ¡°What was the third rule?¡±


    The young boy cowered, wrapping his tiny hand around his father¡¯s. ¡°Sorry,¡± he muttered, looking down.


    The door creaked open.


    For the first time in years, he took a step outside.


    Emil gasped loudly as the sunlight spilled out onto his body, warming every inch of his pale skin. The gentle breeze stirred his gentle curls and carried with it the scent of nature. ¡°I love it!¡± he cried, grabbing his mother¡¯s skirt with his free hand. ¡°Quickly, c¡¯mon!¡±


    His parents both let out helpless chuckles and allowed their son to start dragging them.


    Actually, the three of them created a harmonious picture. As they walked down the main and only road of the village, they drew plenty of stares.


    Neither his father or mother were outstandingly attractive, but their overall persona wasn¡¯t bad either. He had inherited his mother¡¯s auburn curls and freckles along with his father¡¯s bright, hazel eyes. In fact, his previous skeletal appearance had ruined it before, but now that he was starting to fill out again, Emil was quite the adorable child. Granted, he was still considerably short and skinny for his age. His eyes that had been lackluster before were now shining with innocent curiosity and his wide lips were stretched out into humongous smile as he turned his head in every direction, taking in his surroundings. His pure happiness was nearly infectious.


    Every moment was worth it! He had to take in everything while he could. He was full to the brim with energy. In his entire life, he had never felt this way. He had never known what the grass and dirt felt like under his shoes or the sensation of kicking a stray pebble.


    But while Emil was having the time of his life, his parents only felt intense worry and fear.


    By now, everyone was looking at them and murmuring, some even pointed directly at Emil. There was also a number of people that had exited their homes to catch a glimpse.


    They were all thinking the same thing: that was him! That was the miracle child. Their greed and desperation was evident.


    The reasons were simple:


    In their current state, these people were destined to die an insignificant death. Their life was worthless. In this land dominated by magic--where the only ones that mattered were the strong--people who had zero talent for magic were no better than trash. Their status was even lower than a slave that had the capability to cast spells. Magicless people could not even operate basic technology or work entry-level jobs, meaning that they were forced to live pathetic, uncivilized lifestyles. The only way for them to ever survive was to form ragtag clusters like this village, where people with varying ranges of backgrounds would gather and co-exist. Whether they hailed from distinguished nobility or the worst sort of criminals, they had no other choice than to band together.


    But the miracle boy, there was a chance that he had this desired, innate talent for magic. That meant that even though he came from a place like this, he could go to any city and be welcomed in just because he could learn how to use magic. These sorts of tales were uncommon, but not unheard of. Every so often, two pieces of trash were able to have a child that could use magic. But these kids were incredibly vulnerable. If used properly, a piece of their DNA could be used to siphon their power to someone else. This only worked because they weren¡¯t developed or protected enough to defend against these measures.


    Even just a lock of Emil¡¯s hair or a drop of his blood could change their lives if this was true!


    These people would sacrifice anything even if it meant they could only become a house servant. Even if it meant ultimately killing a child, they wouldn¡¯t hesitate.


    The only reason that they hadn¡¯t done anything was because of Emil¡¯s father! Before he had been kicked out of his family at age ten, he had stolen some of their magic tools. Tools like these didn¡¯t require the user to be able to work them properly to still have some effect¡ªblood would work in place of magic. That said, they were incredibly expensive and rare, so only those who could use magic had access them anyway.


    Still, he had used these to create a defense around their cottage. Not only that, he and his wife carried these tools around with them to protect them from any sudden attack. If it was anyone else, they would be able to break such a half-baked force-field, but in this community, it was impregnable.


    And so, amongst this pack of hungry wolves, the Lund family stood tall.

 Two: During the Night

    Emil had never seen the stars.


    And so, that night, he convinced his parents to once again let him out. They stood in front of the door, necks craned to look up at the sky. His small hands were wrapped around theirs and a soft smile graced his tiny face. A breeze blew softly, ruffling their clothing and carrying their whispers along.


    After so long, this family had finally learned of happiness together. For years, all they had known of was grief and prayers.


    To them, a night like this wasn¡¯t far from perfection.


    Emil¡¯s mother couldn¡¯t help but feel hope for the future. Because Emil was able to move, maybe, just maybe, they¡¯d be able to escape this town. She and Felix had been discussing it for a while, but there was a baron¡¯s family that wasn¡¯t too far from where they were currently living. If possible, they could get jobs as servants there and live out the rest of their life peacefully. There, they wouldn¡¯t have to worried about their son being murdered.


    They just had to make it out of this place first.


    To others, this did not seem like an amazing dream, but for people who had been relegated to the bottom of society, even just serving as servants to minor nobility was something to be proud of.


    That, and if Emil truly did have talent with magic, his opportunity to enroll in school.


    Just thinking of it made her grin grow broader, her eyes twinkling as they held the stairs in them.


    Felix, noticing her exuberance, questioned, ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that the future seems very bright?¡± She rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes for a moment.


    Clara had always been subpar. She didn¡¯t have any real aspirations ever since she found out she couldn¡¯t cast magic.


    Honestly, she was only in the twenty-somethings herself and her husband was only a bit older. But she had given up on hope a long time ago. She thought that they would die in this miserable place. Even though she had met Felix here and had her first and only child, she still never felt much joy.


    From birth, her son had been clinging onto what little life he had. She never got to relish in the true beauty of childbirth.


    But within the short of a month, all of this had changed. Her pale, lifeless appearance had grown to be more vibrant along with her son¡¯s.


    This moment, these feelings, it was all that she had ever wanted in life!


    She felt a couple hard tugs on the tattered sleeve of her dress. She cast her gaze downwards. ¡°Yes, honey?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel well,¡± Emil spoke. He placed a hand on his stomach, looking sick.


    At this, both of his parents wore looks of fright.


    ¡°What? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Emil didn¡¯t know how to explain that he felt something deep in his very core. It was telling him to run. To hide and protect himself. The sense was maddening. It made him want to pull out his hair and scream. He didn¡¯t like it at all. He wanted to tear it out of his body if he could. ¡°I¡­ Something bad is coming.¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    His mother put on a confused face. ¡°What does that mean? Are you hurt, are you feeling pain?¡±


    He nodded his head, not knowing how to explain the difference between the pain and the paranoia he felt. ¡°I want to go back inside.¡± Not safe. He hesitated before speaking again, ¡°I want to leave.¡±


    ¡°Honey, what are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Something bad is coming,¡± Emil repeated, clenching his fists tightly. ¡°It¡¯s very bad. I want to leave.¡±


    Clara smiled awkwardly and looked at Felix. Neither of them really understood what Emil wanted from them. Something bad was coming? What was he referring to? Was he relapsing?


    Felix spoke, ¡°Emil, it¡¯s too dangerous for us to go anywhere at night. There are scary beasts out in the forest.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Emil whined, ¡°they¡¯re coming. The scary ones are coming.¡± The terror was evident in his eyes. ¡°Mommy, Daddy, can we go?¡±


    Once again, his parents glanced at each other.


    ¡°Well, okay. Let¡¯s go back inside and to sleep.¡± Felix grabbed his son¡¯s hand and guided him inside.


    ¡°No, no!¡± Emil yelled, trying to tug himself free. ¡°We have to leave!¡±


    Felix was surprised by the pure amount of strength in his son¡¯s grip. ¡°Emil,¡± he scolded.


    But the shrieks didn¡¯t cease, instead, their volume and pitch only intensified. ¡°No, no, no!¡± Emil wiggled and pulled, the madness in his eyes increasing.


    ¡°Emil!¡± Clara cried out, trying to help Felix gain control over Emil. ¡°Calm down, it¡¯s okay.¡±


    The boy continued to kick, twisting his body violently. ¡°No!¡±


    Doors were beginning to open as the villagers were woken up by the screams of a child. Curious gazes shifting around, trying to find the source in the darkness.


    ¡°Run! We have to--¡± Emil¡¯s body went slack completely, prompting Clara to catch him before he collapsed to the ground. ¡°Oh no.¡±


    A putrid smelling wind rolled over the village.


    The scent of rotting meat was overpowering, causing everyone who caught with of it to gag.


    ¡°What is that stench?¡± Clara questioned, covering her nose with her mouth.


    Felix shook his head, not knowing the answer. Suddenly, his son¡¯s tantrum was starting to sound less like a child¡¯s silly ramblings. Even he was starting to get a bad feeling.


    A distant howl was heard. After it, many more howls erupted, but those ones sounded far closer.


    ¡°Inside, let¡¯s get inside.¡±


    Clara agreed wordlessly and the three of them quickly darted back inside, slamming the door shut.


    ¡°Help me block the door,¡± Felix instructed.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Just help me.¡±


    Emil watched his parents flip over their table and push it front of the door, piling up their chairs in top of it, too. The barricade looked quite solid despite their lack of belongings. Still, he felt fear.


    Felix walked over to where the dining table once sat, using his hands to start digging into the densely packed dirt that served as their floor. ¡°Help me!¡± he urged his wife, struggling to break through the layers.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Clara dropped to her knees, mimicking his actions.


    After a minute or so of digging, the top of an inconspicuous wooden box emerged. Felix desperately began grabbing at it, trying to dislodge it from the ground. The struggle was short, though, and he tore the container out from the flooring. Without wasting a minute, he removed the top and began sorting through its contents.


    The box was full of all of the magical tools and scrolls that he had stolen from his family before being exiled. He had gone through a quite of few of them, but there was a substantial amount left.


    Felix felt sweat beading up on his forehead. He didn¡¯t know if this would be enough to get them through the night. He didn¡¯t even know what their enemies were.


    And, with practically all of these objects, he was just blindly using them! Their effects were unknown to him. Normally, he would run a small test before completely activating the item with a drop of blood. But there was no time for that tonight.


    The stench had entered their home now, causing nausea to make their heads spin. Felix gripped his stomach tightly, forcing down the urge to vomit all over the box. Clara, too, had paled considerably and her face was tinged with green.


    The only one that didn¡¯t seem to be affected was Emil. Instead, the little boy forced himself into the corner furthest from the door. He whispered in a tiny voice, ¡°They¡¯re here.¡±

 Three: First Blood

    They were hungry things.


    They didn¡¯t remember where they came from, where they were going, or even why they were here. None of it mattered to them either. All they wanted was to eat. Yes, they were gluttons.


    Why did they eat? Because they were hungry. Why were they hungry? Who knew? Ever since they could remember, they had been starving. No matter how much they consumed, they were still so hungry.


    And while they had been wandering, they came across the scent of meat. Ordinarily, they would have moved on to find better food, but this time¡­ The smell had masked another one, one that was far more delicious than the others. They were sure that it was a delicacy. The ultimate feast. That if they ate it, then they would finally be full.


    And so, they attacked.


    In the dead of the night, their howls erupted.


    The villagers that hadn¡¯t been woken up by Emil¡¯s screams were surely awake by now. They had either been woken up by their family members or the horrendous odor.


    A few of them gathered outside, discussing in low voices. No one knew what was going on. Still, none of them were fools. Judging by the howls, the fog, and the smell, something horrible was coming. In this world filled with magic and magical creatures, only the worst could be assumed.


    ¡°Gather weapons!¡± a middle-aged man roared. Hemming had assumed the role of village chief because before he was banished and his magic stripped of him, he had been a formidable knight! Under his guidance, everyone felt significantly safer. ¡°Everyone that can fight, gather round. The young and the old should hide in the farthest hut! Hurry, hurry!¡±


    Everyone was rushing around now, pooling together the crudely crafted weapons that they had. It was a pitifully small amount. Due to the convenient location of their village, they had enjoyed years of peace. They had never dealt with any wild animal attacks because they were located relatively close to some nobles. Those nobles would always go out and hunt for fun, scaring away all sorts of beasts that would usually prey on them.


    Hemming stood over the pile, his expression darkening. If anyone were to look at him, they would assume that he was in deep thought. But, actually, the man was panicking!


    To be honest, he was lying when he told everyone he had been a knight. Before he came here, he was a knight¡¯s servant. He polished his armor, and his swords. Sometimes, he would pretend that he was a hero and would mimic his master¡¯s movements he had seen while peeping at his practices.


    He was only lucky that his appearance made him look like a war-hardened knight. He had endured many scars from the beatings he had received, not from honorable duels and battles!


    So now, when faced with actual danger, he was sweating. Everyone was looking up to him! His lies would be exposed soon enough. That, and whatever was lurking in those woods would surely kill him.


    Oh, how he wanted to tuck in his tail and escape. But if he even dared to run, forget what was in the forest, the villagers would catch him and murder him!


    All he could feel was dread.


    Curse this damn life of his! If he hadn¡¯t been caught stealing food that one time--if he hadn¡¯t broken the last straw--then he would still be safe within the confines of a knight¡¯s home! If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°W-what¡¯s that?¡± the young man standing next to Hemming questioned, pointing a bony finger in the direction of the front of the village.


    Hemming and the others all squinted, trying to see what he was seeing. All they saw was darkness.


    The putrid scent was thickening. It had passed the threshold for being ¡°too much¡± long ago, so some of the people that had gathered at the front of the village began to puke. It was just too intense for them to hold it back anymore. Their eyes were watering profusely just from the strength of the smell.


    ¡°There!¡± another man yelled, also gesturing in the shadows. ¡°There are eyes¡­¡±


    Finally, they saw them. Amongst the pitch black, there were small gleaming lights that almost couldn¡¯t be seen.


    At least a dozen eyes were staring at them from the cover of the night. If there were more further back¡­ well, no one here would be able to tell.


    Once again, howls shook the air. They sounded far more savage than before. More and more wolves joined into the howling, their baying significed one thing:


    The hunt had begun.


    They burst out from the shadows. Their bodies were the same size as the average wolf, but there were still obvious differences. They were thick with muscle and their fur had a metallic sheen to it, making it seem more like armor than anything else. Their mouths were open, revealing rows of jagged and sharp teeth, with foul smelling drool dripping from them.


    And the red glow from their eyes signified one thing: these were magical creatures.


    Their howls synced together in eerie harmony. In response, a blood, red magical array began to appear in the sky. The wolves began to grow and grow in size until they each were around a little less two meters. They were massive, easily taller than the majority of men in the village.


    ¡°Everybody, run!¡± Hemming shouted, not hesitating to abandon the idea of fighting against these monsters! Just one look at their powerful jaws and he knew that a single bite from them could effortlessly tear through muscle and bone. No one here had any physical enhancements that could protect them from this. Combat with these beasts would just result in one-sided slaughter! Their best option was to run and hope that they were fast enough to not get caught.


    Seeing that Hemming had bolted, everyone else followed in suite. No one here was heroic enough to face these wolves on their own.


    But their belief that they could outrun these beasts, whose entire existence was focused around hunting, was foolish.


    The group of people five or so that hadn¡¯t been faster than the others were quickly tackled to the ground by the giant wolves.


    And one of the men who had been attacked felt a numbing sensation rapidly spreading through his body, rendering him unable to move within a few moments. Their saliva had a paralyzing agent in it! He had came to this realization too late and could not warn anybody else.


    The wolf¡¯s mouth came down, yanking the man¡¯s head from the rest of his body. Blood from his aerties spluttered out, soaking the earth. The metallic scent rose, mixing with the other smells in the air. This only served to excite the pack of wolves even more.


    Screams erupted through the air and all sense of calm and unity had been completely shattered. Everyone started rushing away from the wolves, not caring who they knocked over in the process as long as they were safe. Everyone here really only cared about themselves in the first place! If it wasn¡¯t their family, they didn¡¯t give a damn about who got hurt.


    And as for the ones that got knocked down, well, their fates were obvious: they were viciously torn apart and devoured. Blood was rapidly forming in large pools on the ground, mutilated bodies with their insides torn out strewn across. The wolves were wasteful and simply killed then moved on, only a few of them paused to eat the fresh meat.


    Seeing the cruel fates of their neighbors, everyone¡¯s desire to survive increased.


    Hemming was obviously no different. He shoved everyone to the side that dared get in his way, hoping that they¡¯d serve as a buffer between him and the hungry pack. There was no way that he could die here! Not in this damned place. He was going to get the hell out of here one way or another. If he had to hide under a pile of corpses to survive, he didn¡¯t care!


    In this world, the only ones that could survive were the ones that could endure.

 Four: Things Could Never Be The Same

    During the chaos outside, there was one family that stayed inside. This, of course, was the Lund family.


    Felix was currently organizing all of the magic tools he had, spreading them out on the floor and trying his best to guess which ones would be useful right now. On the other hand, Clara was seated with Emil in the corner, blocking her son¡¯s ears from the blood-curdling screeches outside. She was also terrified, but she had to put on a strong front and protect her son.


    What was out there? She didn¡¯t know. There was no way to find out without taking down the wooden planks that blocked the windows, but she didn¡¯t care to see what was going on out there.


    ¡°Felix,¡± she whispered, trying her best to keep her voice down.


    ¡°Yes?¡± He looked up from his work, trying to mask the panic that he felt.


    ¡°How long will the barrier last if they¡­ if they come for us?¡±


    His mouth pressed into a thin line. How was he supposed to know? This was some half-assed force field. It wasn¡¯t cast by an actual magician, so it¡¯s true capabilities were obviously subpar. ¡°Hopefully, it won¡¯t come to that.¡±


    Clara didn¡¯t respond and rested her head atop of Emil¡¯s, wishing that she could calm the rapid beating of her heart.


    Why did this have to happen to them? Everything had finally been looking up. She had thought that their lives would be carefree¡­ perhaps that had been far too naive of her.


    She wrapped her son closer to her body, sending out countless prayers to the Gods to spare her family. In her frail arms, Emil¡¯s tiny body was shaking.


    Oh, her baby. Why was it that he only knew of suffering?


    ¡°We¡¯ll be okay, we¡¯ll be okay,¡± she whispered into his soft head of hair, rocking back and forth. She was also speaking to herself when she said this.


    He turned to her, his hazel eyes flashing with wisdom that did not belong to a child. ¡°Will we?¡± his voice came out cold and detached, startling his mother greatly.


    Clara blinked a few times. She couldn¡¯t help but feel that the boy looking at her wasn¡¯t her son. How could he gaze at his mother like this otherwise? ¡°Who are you?¡± the words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them.


    Emil didn¡¯t respond though, instead, he shook her off of his body and walked over towards Felix. ¡°Father, we need to leave. It isn¡¯t safe here.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Felix seemed confused. That much was obvious, wasn¡¯t it? But going out there wasn¡¯t any better. ¡°Go back to your mother,¡± he said gently, rubbing his son¡¯s head.


    ¡°No. We need to leave.¡± He started picking up the items spread out on the ground. ¡°Take this one, this one, this¡­¡±


    Felix wanted to yell at his son to stop touching the things, but he couldn¡¯t find the confidence. After all, if Emil had the capability to become a spellcaster in the future, how could he, without a grain of talent, speak up?


    ¡°This amount should be enough for us to escape. These ones all have offensive spells loaded into them. If we set them all off at once, the explosion from that should take out the wolves.¡± Emil nodded at the bundle that he held then stretched it out to his father, who wordlessly accepted it. He couldn¡¯t understand how his ten year old son was spouting out ideas like this. ¡°Can we leave now?¡±


    Clara stood up, sharing a long look with Felix before beginning to move. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s remain quiet, though. If we run straight for the woods, we can probably escape before anything catches up to us. They should be¡­¡± she listened to the continued screams coming from outside, ¡°busy.¡±


    Her husband nodded and handed her all of the tools in his hands. ¡°Yes. Clara take these,¡± he stated before squatting to the ground. ¡°Emil, get on my back.¡±


    Emil obeyed, climbing onto his father¡¯s broad back. Once he was secure, the family quietly escaped their cottage, not daring to look back at the carnage that was happening behind him. Since their home was one of the farthest from the entrance of the village, it was still relatively quiet in their area because most of the action was happening further up. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    And they ran.


    And to their surprise, they managed to get a sizeable distance away from the chaos without anything following them. To say that hope was filling their hearts would be an understatement. They all believed that the would ultimately be safe.


    But what they didn¡¯t know was that all along, the pack¡¯s target had been Emil. Yes, he was the delicious scent that they had picked up. And even through the heavy odor of blood, the wolves caught notice that their prize meal was escaping.


    The one that could be considered the alpha let out a low growl. This sound alerted all of the others that were still busying themselves with terrorizing the villagers. They stopped in their tracks.


    Then, one by one, they began to chase after that delectable smell, leaving behind the paralyzed and broken bodies of their playthings. The people that hadn¡¯t been attacked yet felt their hearts calming.


    It was finally over! Those damn beasts were leaving now, after they had torn through over half of the people that lived here¡­


    Noticing that the screams behind them had ceased, Clara turned her head back towards their previous home as they continued to run. She had a cold sense setting. Was everybody dead now? She had never considered any of those people to be her friends, but after over a decade of living there, they still had some sort of relationship. Her heart ached.


    She slowed in her pace slightly, the grief weighing down on her body.


    That¡¯s when she heard it.


    The barks of the wolves. The pounding of paws.


    Her heart did a somersault.


    No, no. It couldn¡¯t be. This couldn¡¯t be.


    They were coming.


    She immediately picked up her speed again. ¡°Run, run, run!¡± she shouted at Felix. ¡°They¡¯re chasing us!¡±


    When he heard this, Felix started pumping his legs even faster, ignoring the steady burn that was building up in his thighs. He had never really had to run or fight, so something this intense was already pushing him to his limits.


    Dread seeped through his bones and body.


    Could they make it? How long could he keep running at this speed? In comparison to a pack of hungry wolves, his stamina was lacking. If he slipped or fell¡­


    He held onto Emil even tighter, his heart racing.


    No, he couldn¡¯t allow himself to think negatively currently. They had to focus on one thing, and that was getting away. Felix swallowed the dry ball in his throat.


    Clara was in a similar boat, perhaps even worse than than Felix.


    Her body had been weak ever since the pregnancy. She had gotten ill during and after it, so she had always been weak and bony. And with the lack of food and proper medical care at the village, she was never able to recover completely.


    Like this, even though they were running at their full speed, they were still basically sitting ducks.


    The wolves would catch up to them soon. They would never be fast enough to escape. If they had time, they could figure out the most efficient way to deal with the beasts chasing after them... But that was something that they surely didn¡¯t have.


    A look of understanding crossed Clara¡¯s face as she looked down at the items jostling around in her arms. She dropped to her her knees, biting down hard on her thumb and dripping her blood all over the objects.


    Felix stopped, noticing that Clara was no longer behind him. ¡°Honey, what are you doing? Get up, run!¡±


    Clara said nothing and moved to face her husband, a peaceful smile gracing her face. ¡°Please.¡±


    He stood there, silent realization spreading across his face. Someone had to stay back and set it all off. Since they weren¡¯t magicians, they had to manually activate the magic tools.  ¡°Honey¡­¡± He took a step forward, feeling his heart clenched tightly in his chest. It was getting hard to breathe. ¡°Why--¡±


    ¡°Go.¡±


    He shook his head. He couldn¡¯t let this happen. This really couldn¡¯t be happening. Clara had always been the one by his side¡­ How could he lose her?  ¡°I--¡±


    ¡°Go!¡± Clara shrieked.


    Felix swallowed then nodded and began sprinting again, shifting Emil so that he wasn¡¯t clinging to his back but rather hugging his front. He was more secure that way.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Clara,¡± he muttered, forcing the tears in his eyes back. He couldn¡¯t let his feelings get the best of him. Not yet. He had to make sure that Emil was safe.


    The cold sheen in Emil¡¯s eyes vanished completely as he realized that he and his father were continuing forward. What about his mother? Why wasn¡¯t she running, too? The scary things were closing in on them. If she stayed back, then she would--yes, that was the only thing waiting for her.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Emil wailed, stretching out his arms. The distance between him and his mother was rapidly increasing. ¡°Mommy, no, mommy!¡± He kicked and fought against his father, trying to run back to his mother and drag her back with them. ¡°Mommy!¡± he shrieked, watching as the wolves rushed towards her. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t go!¡±


    Clara saw it all, the smile on her face shaking. It hurt so much. She didn¡¯t want to leave, either. She wanted to watch him grow up into a handsome man and fall in love¡­ she wanted to see all of it. But she knew that she couldn¡¯t. Her journey ended here.


    She blew a kiss at Emil. ¡°I love you, baby,¡± she mouthed before turning back. She extended out her arms and began to breathe in deeply. Yes, this was what she had to do. For Felix, for Emil¡­


    The monsters were about to trample over her body.


    ¡°Activate!¡± she yelled, her voice containing more power than it ever had before.


    A bright light exploded in the night.

 Five: Moving Forward

    Rain fell.


    The sun shined dully in the early morning sky; its weak rays barely able to penetrate the grey clouds.


    The sensation of raindrops hitting his skin was new to Emil. If he was in any other mood, he would¡¯ve enjoyed the new feeling.


    His throat was raw, his body slumped against his father¡¯s. He felt very tired. He had screamed and cried through the entire night, begging for his mother to come to him.


    She did not.


    Emil was not stupid. He may have been young, but he was able to figure out what his mother had done.


    He had watched her body disintegrate into that blinding light that had also consumed those wolves. It had created the shockwave that blasted him and his father a few meters into the air and crashing to the ground.


    It hurt. There were cuts and bruises littering his delicate skin. But it did not hurt as much as knowing that his mother was in the center of the explosion.


    His father told him that she was gone. That he needed to be quiet or else other scary things would come out and haunt them. He told him that mommy would want him to be quiet. They were safe. It was okay. Mommy loved him. She did it because she loved him.


    But if she loved him so much, then why did she do it?


    He sniffled, burying his head deeper into the crook of his father¡¯s neck. ¡°Papa.¡±


    Felix stroked his son¡¯s head, having no words. He was sure that if he spoke, the fragile barrier that he had put up would come crashing down. He barely had enough strength to talk Felix down from his tantrum. All he could do was stay silent, hoping that Emil¡¯s trembling body didn¡¯t cause him to shatter, either.


    Like a clockwork, he trudged on.


    He did not know where they were going exactly. All he knew that it was the opposite direction of the sun.


    But if he stopped, if he took even a moment to think about it, all he would be able to think of was the lack of a presence besides him.


    Felix tilted his head up, forcing himself to ignore the pain and exhaustion that he was experiencing. After all, during the explosion, he had protected Emil with his body and took the brunt of the force. The back of his shirt was missing, revealing the burnt flesh on his back. His once pristine skin had been charred red and black. Unless it was treated with magic, the scar that it left behind would be absolutely horrendous.


    That, and the countless other injuries marking him, it was obvious that the only thing that kept him standing still was determination. If it had been anyone else, they would¡¯ve collapsed from fatigue long ago.


    But Felix kept going on for the sole reason that he couldn¡¯t do anything else. Until¡­


    An arrow whizzed by his face, piercing the trunk of the tree in front of Felix. Emil let out a cry of surprise, clinging tightly to his father. The man finally stopped, whipping around in fear. His head was pumping wildly in his chest. Could they not have even just a single moment of peace? That was all that he wanted, really. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    After all of this, were they were going to be murdered in the woods by some hunters?


    ¡°Halt!¡± a domineering voice ordered.


    Felix almost rolled his eyes. He had stopped the moment they had shot an arrow at him!


    Seeing that Felix had no intention of running, four figures emerged from the woods. The group consisted of three males and one woman. All of them were wearing the same lightweight leather gear with an emblem of a fist clenching a vine covered in thorns sewn onto the left shoulder.


    Felix almost let out a cry of joy. This was the symbol of the Damgaard¡¯s, the house of nobility he was trying to find! A Duke! Instead, they were the ones that came upon him first. Had the Gods finally listened to his prayers?


    All he had to do was talk himself out of this situation.


    ¡°Hello!¡± Felix greeted brightly, smiling wide from ear to ear. ¡°I am Felix Lund and this is my son, Emil.¡±


    The hunters from the Damgaard family glanced at each other. After a second of silence, the eldest member of the group stepped forward. This said, Felix estimated that the man was still a few years younger than he. Just one look at him and it was easy to tell that he was different from the others that he was with. They all had lofty, arrogant expressions on their face, while he did not.


    ¡°Do you know whose land you are trespassing upon?¡± he questioned.


    ¡°My deepest apologizes.¡± Felix weakly dropped to his knees, wanting to press his head against the ground, but the child in his arms prevented him from doing so. ¡°We are¡­¡± he searched for an apt word, ¡°wanderers.¡±


    The young man didn¡¯t respond, so Felix took this to mean that he should continue.


    ¡°Our village was, er, attacked by wild beasts. My son and I barely managed to escape with our lives. If you could help us in any way, that would mean the world!¡±


    ¡°William,¡± the girl spoke with petulance. ¡°Let¡¯s not bother with these scum. There¡¯s no point in us dealing with them.¡± She pinched her nose. ¡°And they smell like death.¡±


    Felix¡¯s face didn¡¯t show the humiliation and irritation that he felt at her words. He had basically insinuated that their village had been slaughtered, and she was complaining that they smelled bad? What was he supposed to do about that? He was lucky to be alive right now! And at what cost? He twisted his mouth into a pandering smile and spoke, ¡°I apologize, I apologize.¡±


    ¡°Celina, be quiet.¡± William said this, but honestly, these two did reek of something serious. If he hadn¡¯t noticed the small child clinging to Felix, that arrow he shot would¡¯ve been embedded in the man¡¯s skull. But seeing Emil, he only felt pity for the two. Where was the boy¡¯s mother? It was obvious from the vacant expression in the boy¡¯s eyes what had happened to her.


    Felix stared at William expectantly.


    He coughed lightly. ¡°Follow us. I know someone who will decide what to do with you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, thank you so much!¡± he bounced back up, resisting the urge to charge forward and pat William on the shoulder in gratitude. He knew that if he ever dared to touch a caster, even if they had no status, his hand would be severed from his body. Felix spoke into Emil¡¯s ear, ¡°Did you hear that? These kind people are going to help us.¡±


    Emil peaked his head out from his father¡¯s neck, blinking his large eyes at the four people that stood in front of them. He turned back to Felix and whispered, ¡°Are you sure? They don¡¯t seem trustworthy.¡±


    A vein in William¡¯s head bulged. The child¡¯s voice hadn¡¯t been quiet at all when he insulted them. This little¡­ no, he had to be patient. ¡°Come with us.¡± He nodded his head and turned back around. His friends all wore faces full of disdain and disapproval, but none of them would speak out against his decision.


    Felix kissed Emil¡¯s head multiple times, no longer bothering to hide the satisfied smile on his face.


    Could Clara see this? Did she know that maybe, just maybe, her sacrifice hadn¡¯t been in complete vain?

 Six: A Life of Servitude

    The Damgaard estate was a relatively short distance from where they had been in the forest. But, if Felix had kept wandering in the same direction he was before, he would¡¯ve accidentally gone the opposite way. If that had happened, well, his and Emil¡¯s fates would have been sealed.


    But, luckily for them, their uninvited presence had set off the duke''sdetector the moment they stepped foot onto his land. This sort of magic was common amongst nobles, but the cost of the equipment that could run it was more than the average person could afford in their entire lifetime.


    So what Felix believed to be a joyous coincidence was actually the exact opposite. He didn¡¯t know that if he didn¡¯t have Emil with him, he would have lost his life without ever realizing that he had been hit.


    Even with that, if it hadn¡¯t been William who had gone out to meet the intruders, it was hard to say if Emil¡¯s presence would have helped¡­


    This was something that everyone was aware of.


    But, ultimately, since this hadn¡¯t happened, their lives had been spared.


    Currently, they stood outside of the duke''s manor.


    Emil, who was no longer in his father¡¯s arms, was staring up at the building with wide, appreciative eyes. He had grown up in a glorified wooden hut, so it was no surprise that he looked at this. He had never seen a building made out of stone in his entire life. And the widespread lawn was well-kept, with fresh greenery and flowers growing round. In his mind, this place was no different than the castles that he had heard about when his mother would tell him stories!


    On the other hand, Felix¡¯s father was an earl in the northern half of the empire, so he wasn¡¯t as moved by the size of the duke¡¯s manor because his childhood was full of grandeur. Of course, the Damgaard¡¯s were far richer and more prestigious than his family--meaning their estate was far larger and its land was more expansive. This was because the Duke Alexander was a decorated war hero with considerable power and even the king had to be careful not to offend him¡ªthe two were on each other¡¯s side, though, so it wasn¡¯t much of an issue.


    Thinking of this, Felix¡¯s heartbeat began to accelerate. Families like the Damgaard¡¯s did not care about people like them.


    Since they were not allowed inside, the house steward came out to meet them after being fetched by Celina. He was an elderly man, with his thin lips drawn into a perpetual frown. He stroked his wiry beard, wearing an expression of deep contemplation as he took in their dirty and haggard appearances. And the smell, too¡­


    Both of them looked like they would be blown over if the wind blew too strongly.


    To be honest, if William hadn¡¯t been the one that had brought them here, he wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to send them away. But since the duke¡¯s eldest son had personally escorted these two here, it was hard for him to turn them down without reason. How could he cause William to lose any face? He would basically be undermining William¡¯s authority and decision-making! If he did that, he¡¯d be kicked to the curb, too.


    Gerhard would be able to find some use for the boy, but for the father, well¡­ they weren¡¯t exactly short-staffed. It would be a little difficult to find some work for him. But he had no other choice.


    He swallowed the lump in his throat and spoke to the man behind him, ¡°Jon, go clean out the old shed for them to stay in¡­¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    The butler nodded his head and darted off into the distance.


    Felix¡¯s tight heart loosened. Yes! This old man wasn¡¯t going to cause them anymore difficulties. He had been a little nervous that they were going to get shut down.


    ¡°Come with me. I¡¯ll explain your jobs.¡± Gerhard began to walk towards the back of the manor where the servant¡¯s entrance was. Needless to say, Emil and Felix would never be allowed through the main doors unless granted special permission. ¡°Emil, was it? You¡¯ll be one of Johan¡¯s personal servants. He¡¯s the youngest son, you two should be around the same age. It¡¯s your duty to be absolutely loyal to him and follow his every command. Understood?¡±


    Emil pouted, not liking that idea. Why did he have to listen to someone if they were the same age? But his father gave him a stern look, so he nodded his head furiously.


    Gerhard continued to speak to Felix, ¡°Until we find somewhere to put you permanently, you¡¯ll be with whoever needs you at the moment. Whether it be servants or any of the lords.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Your payment will be¡­¡± Gerhard threw out some numbers he made up in his mind, ¡°One tal a week for Emil, three for you, Felix. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Of course,¡± Felix rapidly agreed. He didn¡¯t even need time to consider it. Money was money.


    If it had been anyone else, they would have laughed in Gerhard¡¯s face. Even the most lowly servants around fifteen tals a week! The amount that Gerhard offered to pay them was nothing more than petty change. In consideration to any expenses they had, it¡¯d take them a month to even be able to afford a half-decent meal.


    But to Felix, even a single tal was an amazing treasure. Back in that village, the had a bartering system. Someone who had one tal would be considered the wealthiest out of all of them! Felix wanted to hug and kiss his wife to share the excitement with. But since she was not there anymore, his mood withered within an instant.


    As for Emil, the boy didn¡¯t have the concept of currency in his mind. The most he knew about the world came from fairytales.


    Gerhard did not speak to them again until they came round to a shed that was located almost fifty hundred yards from the servant¡¯s quarters. It was smaller than their cottage before¡­ and the ¡°cleaning¡± that the butler had done was just him taking the sheets off of the dusty items that cluttered the already compact space.


    ¡°These will be your quarters,¡± Gerhard announced proudly.


    Felix grinned from ear to ear, appearing to be unbothered. ¡°Thank you so much! We appreciate your endless kindness.¡± He bowed his head and made Emil do the same. ¡°Truly, we are unworthy!¡± Even though the words he spoke sounded superfluous, it apparent from his tone that he genuinely meant what he was saying.


    ¡°Good.¡± Gerhard gave them an overbearing and forced smile. Inwardly, was unsatisfied with their complacency. If they had dared speak out, he would have had a reason to kick them out without a second thought. But, sadly, the two took everything that he dished out to them. Being the servant to everybody? Who would ever want that position? But Felix had accepted it without batting an eyelash. He had even let his son get relegated to the same status as a doormat¡­ offered them terrible pay, then he had thrown the two of them into a glorified shed! But still, it garnered no reaction. All he could do was grit his teeth.


    The pure desperation of these talentless people was horrifying! Scum like this would cling to any pieces of scrap they could get.


    Gerhard wanted to strike the man down and demand him to have at least an decibel of shame!


    ¡°There¡¯s a river nearby where you can get cleaned up¡­ and I¡¯ll have a maid deliver you some suitable clothing to wear. She¡¯ll also give you a quick rundown of the manor.¡± Without saying another word, Gerhard pivoted and walked away from them.


    Felix finally revealed a bitter smile when Gerhard was gone. He may be illiterate, but he was far from stupid. Rather, growing up in a place where he constantly had to look over his shoulder, he was quite good at seeing through people¡¯s intentions. He was well-aware from Gerhard¡¯s attitude that the man was trying his best to get rid of them.


    He was even keeping them separated from the other servants and told them to bathe in a river when the help¡¯s bathhouse was in view¡­ They were being treated like dogs. But Felix¡¯s ability to lie down and take it was unparalleled. For his son¡¯s sake, for Clara¡¯s sake, he wouldn¡¯t allow his conviction to shake. Thus, if being treated like this meant keeping their lives intact?


    Then so be it.

 Seven: Just Enduring

    The clothes that Emil had to wear were itchy and stiff. The shoes he wore didn¡¯t fit him properly, either. They were too large, causing his heels to pop out with every step that he took. There was even a scratchy collar on his shirt that couldn¡¯t help but scratch and itch at until he had been scolded by the maid.


    He didn¡¯t know her name, but she was very pretty. Prettier than his mother or any woman that he had seen. That Celina lady was pretty too, but she was mean, so he did not like her.


    But even though this one was not kind either, she wasn¡¯t mean. She just was.


    ¡°When you meet Johan, do not look him in the eye. Do not look him in the face, either. Rather, if you meet any nobles, stare at the ground. You will get in trouble if you do not.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± He thought about how William had allowed him to stare. Wasn¡¯t he also one of these nobles she spoke of? According to his father, William was somebody very important.


    ¡°Because you are not worthy,¡± she stated.


    Emil also pondered this. He recalled his dirty body and his tiny home. He had never walked on floors like this before, either. They were polished to the point where he could see his reflection clearly. So, he thought, if Johan was lived to such a place, then perhaps he wasn¡¯t worthy to gaze at him.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    But still, he was very curious.


    In order to imagine what Johan looked like, Emil conjured up the image of his elder brother. Did they have the same brown hair? The same eyes? William had been very handsome and cool. Was Johan that way, too?


    His pulse quickened, his palms growing sweaty.


    He felt a great deal of nervousness, but also excitement. This was something that he had never experienced.


    He and the maid stopped in front of a door and the woman raised her hand to knock on the door twice with two solid raps.


    ¡°Enter,¡± an orotund voice called.


    She pushed open the doors, entering the room with Emil on her heels. Her head bowed and Emil mimicked her actions.


    ¡°Greetings, master. I have brought your new page.¡±


    ¡°This is my new servant?¡± Johan questioned, barely stifling his laughter. ¡°But he¡¯s so short and skinny like a twig! What use is he going to be?¡±


    She answered very quickly, ¡°I am responsible for training him, master. If your benevolence is patient with us, I will make him into a magnificent page.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Emil could hear Johan¡¯s fingers drumming against wood. ¡°Well, since it¡¯s you, Mary¡­ I¡¯ll accept it.¡± He changed the topic, ¡°Have you brought my dinner?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mary picked up the platter from the cart that she had been pushing, walking it over to the table where Johan must have been sitting.


    Emil pushed down the urge to glance up and take a peek at was what was happening. He could hear the shuffling as Mary set up Johan¡¯s supper. Soon, the cover had been lifted, and the smell of rich food drifted through the air. Emil¡¯s stomach seized. He had never smelled anything so delicious! He was salivating.


    The sound of silverware clanking started. He could Johan¡¯s quick chewing and drinking.


    His stomach rumbled. He hadn¡¯t had any food since¡­ it had been a while. He wanted to devour whatever Johan was eating! A savage sense of hunger rose up in his being. He was so hungry. It felt as if his stomach was feasting on itself, causing him a great deal of pain. He did not like this at all.


    So much had been happening that he had pushed the fact that he was starving to the back of his mind. If his mother was here, she certainly would have rushed to get Emil something to eat. In fact, she had always let herself go hungry if it meant that he wouldn¡¯t. But those times were gone now¡­ he couldn¡¯t allow himself to dwell on them. His father had warned him that they could not show any weakness.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Thus, Emil swallowed all the emotions that had started to bubble up bitterly, forcing the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes to go away. Not here. He couldn¡¯t. He couldn¡¯t let his father down if that was the last thing he had. He recalled the pure exhaustion and pain that had been evident in his father¡¯s face, despite how much he was trying to mask it. If his father was being strong, then so could he!


    Unaware of the struggles that Emil was currently going through, Johan and Mary conversed. Emil decided to listen to what they were saying, because it would probably be important for him to learn.


    That said, he didn¡¯t really understand what they were talking about. They were using words he hadn¡¯t heard before and talking about subjects that were far beyond his current knowledge. Even though Johan and Emil were the same age, the level of education that they had received were leagues apart. What one considered to be basic knowledge was out of this world for the other.


    From what Emil could gleam from their conversation was that they were speaking about some school¡¯s entrance exam and a renown wizard that would be visiting the estate soon to pass on wisdom to Johan. They had gone into far greater detail and talked about a variety of subjects involving each, but Emil, obviously, didn¡¯t understand a single thing that they had said.


    After a while, they finally acknowledged Emil¡¯s presence after Johan had finished eating his dinner.


    ¡°Emil!¡± Mary¡¯s sharp voice called. ¡°Come help me clear the table.¡±


    The boy jumped into action, keeping his head bowed as he darted over to where Mary was. He couldn¡¯t help but whine internally. How was he supposed to clean if he couldn¡¯t lift his head up?


    Still, the two somehow managed to get all of the dirty dishes and wipe down the table without any particular hassle. It was then that Emil realized that Johan had long walked away from where they were.


    He didn¡¯t know where the boy had gone, he just knew that he was still inside of the room. Emil couldn¡¯t help but worry a little. What if he accidentally glanced up and Johan was right there? Or what if he ran into him¡­ Oh, no¡­ That would spell endless trouble for him.


    While Emil was fretting over where his master was, Johan spoke suddenly, ¡°Mary, you¡¯re dismissed.¡±


    ¡°Master, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Dismissed!¡±


    Emil kept his eyes focused on his feet while he listened to the door shut quietly behind Mary.


    Was he alone with Johan now? But Mary had told him before that he would be apprenticing under her for a while until he was allowed to be on his own. He could only hope that he didn¡¯t make any mistakes. His father had warned him that they had to be very careful.


    Footsteps neared him. Emil still didn¡¯t dare look up, even with a pair shiny shoes appeared in front of his poorly-fitting ones. But he was still able to tell that the person above him was taller than he was, casting a slight shadow on his vision.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Johan said. ¡°Look at me.¡±


    Emil¡¯s neck remained stiff.


    ¡°Are you disobeying me?¡± Johan questioned, an edge in his voice.


    Emil felt as if someone had doused him in cold water. What was he supposed to do? He had been told not to look at Johan, but he had also been told to obey the boy¡¯s every word.


    With a heavy heart, he lifted his head. He could only hope that Johan wasn¡¯t using this as an excuse to get him in trouble.


    Other than their similar coloring, Johan did not resemble William. Where William¡¯s green eyes had hints of kindness of them, Johan¡¯s were glittering with a mischievous light. There was an impish, sly aura to him instead of the confident air of nobility his elder brother had. There was hardly any comparison between the two. Johan was tall for his age, but rather thin so he just seemed to have been stretched out.


    This was Emil¡¯s first impression of the child in front of him.


    ¡°Good.¡± Johan¡¯s lips pulled into a thin smile. ¡°When I speak to you, look at me from now on.¡±


    Emil nodded his head, not daring to say a word.


    ¡°You¡¯re not a complete idiot, are you?¡± Johan¡¯s smirk grew wider. ¡°This is your first task: read this to me.¡± Johan walked over to the table and snatched up a piece of paper, holding it out loosely.


    Emil hurried over and took the paper from Johan¡¯s hand. He stared down at the words carefully printed onto the crinkled sheet. The letters were printed very neatly in beautiful handwriting. But to Emil¡¯s eyes, it just looked like a mess of squiggles and lines. He felt his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He couldn¡¯t read. His parents had only taught him a few words that they knew, but he could barely remember them! After a few moments of silence, he responded, ¡°I¡­¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, master, but I don¡¯t know how¡­¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t read!¡± Johan exclaimed, sounding very irritated. ¡°What use are you then?¡± He snatched the paper back from Emil. ¡°I¡¯ll have someone teach you. Having an illiterate servant is worse than having no one at all.¡± His eyes scanned the contents of the paper and then he made another annoyed sound. He crumpled it in his hands then hurled across the room. ¡°Fuck!¡± he yelled.


    Emil wanted to retreat and go back to his father¡¯s side. What was wrong now? Why was Johan so angry? He didn¡¯t want to be on the receiving side of it.


    He whipped back around, pointing an accusative finger at Emil. ¡°What do you know how to do?¡±


    Emil¡¯s face heated. He knew that Johan would not like his answer. ¡°Not many things¡­¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Johan roared once again. ¡°You really are useless!¡±

 Eight: State of Existence

    Emil¡¯s life within the next week became incredibly busy. If he was not by Johan¡¯s side, then he was with Mary being trained, and if he was not being trained by Mary, he was being taught how to read and write. He barely had time to sleep, let alone eat, so the weight that he had started to gain was starting to wither away.


    His father was in a similar situation. Only, his was slightly worse. Since he was not a child, he was being worked to the bone. The amount of weight that he had lost within a week was worrisome.


    But there was no other way around it. Their status wasn¡¯t the same as the others at the manor. This meant that they were mostly fed scraps with next to no nutritional value to them.


    Whether their lives were better or worse than they were before was hard to determine. If they wanted to continue living in relative safety, their health would have to be compromised in such a way. If they wanted to eat the game and fruits that they had been able to gather back at the village, then they would have to give up their safety.


    But to Felix, such a compromise was obvious. They would suffer a little, but to him, it was still far better than living out in those woods. He didn¡¯t have to worry about his son being murdered or any magical beasts attacking them¡­ The loss of some sleep and food seemed meager in comparison to being able to keep their lives.


    He silently stroked Emil¡¯s usually soft hair which was growing brittle from malnutrition. Currently, the boy was fast asleep. He almost envied his son¡¯s ability to fall unconscious so easily. He, too, would be asleep if it wasn¡¯t for one thing¡­ The nightmares. These were not his own. He did not dream at night. Instead, they belonged to his son who frequently woke up screaming and crying.


    But what else could he expect? Emil was suppressing a great deal of stress and trauma. It surfaced in his subconsciousness.


    Still, these nightmares were not normal. They were violent and while attempting to calm Emil down, his father would endure multiple hits and scratches. In fact, Felix had the growing suspicion that something was wrong with Emil. But due to his poor education, all he could do is guess.


    Emil began convulsing.


    Felix steeled his mental and gently attempted to shake his son awake. Sometimes, this simple action would work.


    But not this time.


    A blood-curdling shriek echoed inside of their home. Its intensity would¡¯ve easily awoken an entire town, but after the first night, sound-neutralizing magic had been placed so no one in the manor had to hear anything. It was their way of subtly reminding the Lunds of their place. They could have helped them easily, but chose not to.


    Felix pushed the bitterness that rose up down, focusing on his son. Emil¡¯s body start bucking wildly, forcing Felix to try his best at attempting to lock him down into place. But it was not that easy. Emil, in his manic state, mistook Felix as an attacker and started to fight even harder.


    And perhaps due to the sheer amount of adrenaline pumping through Emil¡¯s body and the weakness and fatigue of Felix¡¯s, this was a great struggle. Emil shrieked and roared, contorting his body so that he could sink his teeth into Felix¡¯s arm.


    Felix inhaled sharply, but did not relent. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    His father took in another deep breath and barked sharply, ¡°Emil!¡±


    After a few moments, Emil¡¯s finally unclamped his jaw. Now, his eyes rolled back as he began to spew out nonsequential words, ¡°Hungry ones. Bad moon. Don¡¯t go. Eyes are watching!¡± It sounded as if speaking pained him, as his voice came out scratchy and high-pitched.


    Felix was shocked. It was the first time that he had actually heard his son speak during these night terrors. But these sentences must have taken the rest of Emil¡¯s energy away, because all the tension in his body disappeared and he went slack.


    In fact, he started snoring lightly and looked peaceful, as if none of that had even happened. But the blood on his mouth said otherwise.


    Watching this with disbelief in his heart, Felix leaned back and appraised the wound that he had received this night. It was stinging with pain, but Felix had become accustomed to the feeling of agony, so it did not mean much to him.


    He needed to clean the wound out before it got infected, though.


    After tossing a quick glance at his son, he left the shed.


    ...


    ¡°Do you not know how to dodge, boy!¡± the weapons¡¯ master was currently shouting at Johan.


    Emil watched this all happening from the sidelines.


    Johan was very weak.


    He came to this realization after watching his master get knocked flat on his butt time after time again. According to the whispers he overheard from the other staff, Johan was very talented with magic¡­ they even joked and said that because of this, he was not skilled at anything else.


    Emil could not help but agree. He had never seen Johan practice any magic before, but watching this lead him to believe that the rumors were true. Even though he had never fought before, he was able to tell that the weapons¡¯ master wasn¡¯t doing much, but Johan was struggling to keep up. His movements were clumsy, he would often trip over his own feet, and he would cower the moment his opponent raised his hand.


    He was very unimpressed.


    Before, Emil had looked at Johan with a great deal of reverence, now it had simmered down to mild interest. It was understandable, after watching him get defeated so easily so many times, anyone would have lost respect. He had been watching Johan not progress in his training for over a month now.


    Emil repressed a yawn and leaned back, allowing the sun to beam down on his face. In the background, he could hear Johan still being scolded and the clattering of their wooden weapons.


    Despite this clamor, he felt very peaceful. While anyone else would have been suffering while being relegated to the status of a subhuman, Emil only felt joy. He couldn¡¯t help but think to himself how nice everything was here. There was always food, there wasn¡¯t any problems with him going outside, his health was still better than it had been in years.


    What did he have to complain about?


    A darkness tugged at his heart, but he subconsciously pressed it in deeper. Everything was fine here.


    He began to hum to himself, closing his eyes while kicking his feet and rocking his body.


    Of course, his happiness was short-lived.


    Johan shouted in a peeved tone, ¡°Dammit, what are you doing over there? Bring me a towel and some water!¡±


    Emil peeked his eye open at the right moment to watch the weapons¡¯ master smack Johan on the back of his head.


    ¡°Watch your tongue!¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t utter another word, but he glowered at Emil. Being on the receiving end of such a deadly stare, he decided to scramble and get what Johan had ordered him to.


    After a couple more seconds, he sprinted over to where his master stood and offered him a towel and a jug.


    Johan snatched the water from Emil¡¯s hands. His glare did not lessen. Instead, he hissed, ¡°You should remember your place.¡±


    Emil¡¯s mouth flattened into a thin line, the brightness in his eyes dimming. The darkness that itched at his heart appeared once more, scratching more and more of its surface. It was not that he had forgotten it. But why was he being punished for enjoying himself?


    To him, this felt like anything but fair.

 Nine: Their Differences

    ¡°Do you think that I am useless?¡± Johan suddenly asked Emil one day after the latter had brought him his meal.


    Emil blinked slowly, not sure how he was supposed to answer this question. To him, Johan was a complex character. He was both full of talent and lacking talent. But his intelligence was undeniable and his maturity was advanced far beyond his age. ¡°No, I do not.¡±


    ¡°My father thinks that I am useless.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Emil had never met Johan¡¯s father. Not even in passing. He had been here for a little over two months, but the head of the house and Emil never crossed paths. From what he had heard from his own father, Alexander Damgaard was a fearsome man. Because of this, Emil was all right with never meeting him. Dealing with his son was more than enough.


    Johan stared Emil down. ¡°I am jealous of you.¡± Before the boy could have a chance to respond, Johan continued, ¡°Your father obviously loves you. He¡¯s tearing his body apart just so that you can live in safety. With his skills, he probably would¡¯ve been able to get a job on the outskirts of town. But, instead, he endures it all because he knows your life isn¡¯t in danger here¡­ My father would never do that for me.¡±


    Emil inwardly agreed that he was lucky that his dad was very dedicated to him. But to him, this was not a reason to be jealous of his life. He would much rather have his entire family even if it meant that they did not dote on him as much. At least they were alive. Inwardly, he felt a bit of disdain towards Johan who didn¡¯t seem to treasure that.


    ¡°You look like you have something to say,¡± Johan stated dryly.


    ¡°I do not.¡±


    He barked, ¡°Speak!¡±


    ¡°I wish that I was you,¡± Emil slowly responded in turn.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Emil shrugged helplessly. He was not very good with words so he didn¡¯t know how to explain it to Johan. His literacy had increased significantly lately, but he still couldn¡¯t explain himself well. ¡°I can¡¯t remember my mother¡¯s face clearly¡­ her features are blurring,¡± he said. ¡°One day, I will lose that, too. And then there will be nothing.¡±


    Johan was silent, he simply turned his gaze back to his half-eaten plate of food. ¡°Do you want to learn magic?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Emil was jarred by the topic change. Learning magic? That was something that he only dreamt of. With his status, he would never even look at a magic book, let alone cast any spell.


    ¡°I can teach you magic,¡± Johan stated simply. ¡°You have the aptitude to learn. I can sense it.¡±


    Emil¡¯s mouth formed an O. ¡°I don¡¯t think that I¡¯m allowed to.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± He felt the slightest bit of embarrassment burning. Why did he have to explain it to Johan? ¡°I am just a servant.¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°There¡¯s no law saying servants can¡¯t learn magic. Gerhard is a wizard. Mary is one, too. So are the others.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the same as them.¡±


    Johan rolled his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t compare yourself to those stiffs. They¡¯re boring.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°Besides, we¡¯re friends.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re friends?¡± Emil echoed.


    Johan stared at him strangely. ¡°Obviously. You¡¯re useless as a servant, so what else could you do for me? That¡¯s why we¡¯re friends.¡±


    Emil quietly wondered if friends treated each other the way that Johan treated him.  In fact, he felt that the former¡¯s concept of friendship was incorrect¡­but he kept silent on the matter. And he did not like being called useless, either. ¡°Won¡¯t your father be mad?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll be mad no matter what I do.¡± Johan sipped from his drink then laughed. ¡°Right, so let¡¯s get started.¡±


    ¡°Now?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said, isn¡¯t it?¡± Johan¡¯s tone was mirthless. ¡°What do you know about magic?¡±


    Emil scratched the back of his neck, feeling rather awkward. He knew that Johan was being serious at the moment, but he also felt as if this could not be real. Part of him did not want this to be real. ¡°Well¡­ nothing.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you don¡¯t.¡± Johan appeared to be thoughtful for a moment. ¡°Follow me. We¡¯re going to the library.¡±


    ¡°The library? Together?¡±


    He had never been allowed to step foot inside even when he was following Johan. He would always wait outside until his master was finished. Emil had been curious about the inside, of course, but he assumed it was simply something else he was not worthy of. They told him that a lot.


    ¡°Yes. Come.¡± Johan tossed an apple in the air casually and caught it before biting it as he shoved the door open.


    Emil trotted behind him, anxiety flickering in his hazel eyes. Was this truly all right? He didn¡¯t understand things that were too complicated, but he felt as if this was an issue. And he was being dragged into it. But his mouth remained clamped shut even as they entered the Damgaard¡¯s personal library.


    His eyes widened as he took in the scenes around him, having never seen so many books in his entire life. Their collection of books could be considered to be rather small in comparison to others, but it was still enough to line the shelves that filled an entire room. And to Emil, he had nothing to compare this sight too, so it was nothing short of amazing.


    The faint musk of paper and ink lingered in the air, tingling Emil¡¯s nostrils.


    Johan did not pay the confused boy any attention though and quickly headed towards a specific bookcase and plucked a couple of books from it. ¡°How is your reading comprehension?¡±


    Emil grew stiff and awkward. ¡°I am still working on it¡­¡± The amount of time he had to learn reading and writing was quite minimal and so he was still largely illiterate.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll read them to you back in my quarters,¡± Johan said rather proudly, excitement sparkling in his eyes. It was clear that he found great joy in becoming a teacher.


    ¡°Eh¡­ okay.¡± Emil shifted, constraining his body to be even smaller. He didn¡¯t want to be in here. He was sure that if they got caught, he would be the one to receive punishment. Not Johan. Even though it was his idea.


    Johan wasn¡¯t bothered by Emil¡¯s feelings though and continued to search for more material to teach his servant. After a short while, he stopped and thrust a stack of five books into Emil¡¯s arms. ¡°You carry those.¡±


    Emil¡¯s frail arms trembled as he held the heavy load. Johan would have had an easier time carrying it than he did. The expression on his face slightly ugly, but he wiped it blank after another second.


    ¡°Follow me!¡± Johan cried excitedly before darting out of the library.


    With no other choice, Emil clumsily shifted his arms again and again and peaked his head out from the stack of books. ¡°Right behind you, Young Master.¡±

 Ten: Where To Begin

    ¡°The source of all power is anima. Once one learns how to create an anima circuit within their body, they can manipulate the energy and use it to strength their body, cast magic, transmute¡­ there¡¯s a pretty wide variety, actually,¡± Johan explained lazily as he flipped through the pages of a book. ¡°Once someone reached age ten, their bodies are developed enough for them to understand how to create this circuit. If they try to even attempt before, generally, the wind up being crippled.


    ¡°People usually form one by age eleven. There¡¯s a test that allows one to gauge their potential before creating it, though. It¡¯s what everyone takes when they reach age ten and it basically determines everything--whether or not you can use magic and what level of you¡¯ll be able to reach. But I can¡¯t administer it¡ªan official would have to¡­ but,¡± Johan¡¯s eyes flickered to Emil¡¯s face, ¡°you should have the capabilities.¡±


    The two sat cross-legged in Johan¡¯s bedroom, books open and strewn around.


    ¡°You have a circuit?¡± Emil asked curiously. From his knowledge, Johan was eleven by now.


    ¡°Duh. I¡¯m a prodigy. I formed one when I was ten.¡± His expression changed into a sour one. ¡°But I don¡¯t have talent for fighting¡­ I¡¯m better cut out for other things¡­ theory and such.¡± Johan sighed. ¡°Anyway, do you understand what I meant?¡±


    Considering that his explanation was pretty simple, Emil didn¡¯t find it difficult to comprehend so he nodded his head.


    ¡°Good. Do it.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Make a circuit.¡±


    Emil blinked. How? He hadn¡¯t been taught anything. For the past hour, Johan had silently flipped through books before he finally spoke. He¡¯d occasionally say something, but Emil didn¡¯t really understand.


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know how.¡±


    ¡°Well, obviously.¡± Johan¡¯s eyes rolled. ¡°Form a circuit within a month.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it normally takes a year?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for those losers. We¡¯re different. I took a month. You¡¯ll take a month or less.¡±


    Emil¡¯s face twitched.


    ¡°My student is going to be a prodigy as well.¡± Johan stood up and yawned. ¡°Just start comprehending anima. These books won¡¯t help until you understand that much. If you form a circuit before all of this, your learning speed will be faster. Trust me. It¡¯s better to learn for yourself¡­ I can¡¯t explain it.¡±


    He could barely read a child¡¯s book, how was he supposed to decipher one of the greatest wonders of the world? Emil inwardly shook his head. He was aware of his status of the world. He was not a genius. He was barely higher ranked than a dog in society¡¯s eyes. But all he could do was go along with Johan¡¯s whims.


    ¡°Just feel the world,¡± Johan stated, continuing on his own without knowing Emil¡¯s inner laments. ¡°Anima is something that¡­ you just have to know it.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Emil said, attempting to keep his voice even. ¡°I¡¯ll do it within a month.¡±


    Johan smiled proudly. ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡­


    That night, Emil laid next to his father in their little shed. The expression on his face was very thoughtful as he stared up at the wooden beams that went across the ceiling.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. There were a lot of things on his mind.


    The longer he stayed here, the more things was beginning to understand and his original ignorance had faded far away. When he thought of what Johan expected from him, he could not help but feel a bit peeved.


    ¡°Dad?¡±


    Felix grunted and turned his head so that his eyes met with Emil¡¯s. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Do you like this world?¡±


    He blinked, obviously shocked by his son¡¯s question. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ know,¡± he said without much difficulty. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Emil tilted his head. ¡°You either like it or don¡¯t like it. Or you don¡¯t care. There¡¯s only three options, Dad.¡±


    Felix shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s more to it than that.¡±


    ¡°Is there?¡± Emil tried to think about it more. He disliked the world that took his mother from him. He was grateful for the safety the Damgaard¡¯s gave him, but he also resented them. That could be called mixed feelings. But in the end, there was more dislike than like, so he would say that he didn¡¯t like it here. But, perhaps his father understood more about this than he did.


    Emil drew silent as he thought about Johan¡¯s words. What did he mean by feeling the world? How was he supposed to try to connect to something he did not like?


    His father spoke, ¡°Because of this world, I met your mother and I had you. To me, that is enough.¡±


    ¡°Mom¡¯s gone,¡± Emil stated, his little voice cracking slightly.


    ¡°But not forgotten.¡±


    Emil opened his mouth to inform his father that he wanted to forget. It wouldn¡¯t hurt if he didn¡¯t know. Instead, the young boy clamped his mouth shut.


    ¡°She lives on inside of us,¡± Felix consoled his son, stroking his hair. ¡°Her spirit won¡¯t leave us. Do you know that?¡±


    He bit his lip then nodded his head slowly. If he dared to close his eyes, images of her body merging with that blinding light would appear.


    ¡°Your mother will always be there for you. Always.¡±


    Emil¡¯s heart skipped a beat at that thought. She was always there? Was she watching? Was she happy? Sad? Disappointed? Emil did not want her to see them like this. ¡°Okay¡­ good night.¡±


    ¡°Good night.¡±


    A few minutes passed and Felix¡¯s breathing gradually evened out. Once he sensed his father was sleeping, Emil quietly stood and exited the shed.


    Stepping out into the cool night air, he exhaled a deep breath.


    He shut his eyes and felt the wind wash over his body, its chill reaching to his bones.


    Anima is the source of all power.


    Emil gritted his teeth together.


    Mom was dead because he did not have power. He and his father had to live like this because they were weak.


    The wind whistled loudly in his ears.


    Form a circuit in a month? Why? Why did he have to? He hated this place. He hated Johan. He hated the world. It did not favor the ones like him. They got lost in the cracks.


    His mother was gone. His father was tired to the bone.


    Because they weren¡¯t talented, they were forced to live a life no better than a slave¡¯s.


    It didn¡¯t make sense.


    Anima was the source of all power?


    He didn¡¯t care.


    His heart thumped in his chest, the roar of the world growing louder in his ears. There were voices calling out to him, but he couldn¡¯t hear them.


    Johan said that he was useless.


    Emil was not useless.


    His blood grew hot in his veins and Emil glared up at the sky, his bony hands clenched into fists. The whispers were incessant.


    It was fucking annoying. He was irritated.


    Power.


    He wanted it.


    If that meant a better life, then he would obtain it.


    He didn¡¯t care to understand what anima was. But it needed to move for him. Because he was going to obtain what the world refused to give to him.


    Emil felt as if thousands of tiny, burning hands were gripping his body. The voices in his mind grew louder, but he couldn¡¯t fully comprehend what they were saying.


    ¡°Ancient¡­ we¡­ obey¡­ give¡­ take¡­ Ancient¡­ obey¡­ all¡­¡±


    The temperature of his body was rising rapidly and he felt as if he had been dipped into a boiling tub of water. A sharp, white hot pain blasted through his mind. It felt as if all the bones in his body were being snapped and his veins were filled with tar.


    He fell to his knees, clutching his head as the voices shrieked at him.


    Under the moonlight, his red hair became a shade deeper.

 Eleven: Esteemed Guest

    Boisterous laughter echoed through Johan¡¯s chambers.


    ¡°Hah! You¡¯re even more monstrous than I thought you¡¯d be, Emil,¡± the kid laughed, his mouth wide open. ¡°To think you¡¯d form a mana circuit in less than a day¡­ how did you even do that?¡±


    Emil pressed his lips into a thin line and had no answer for Johan. Last night, he had gotten uncharacteristically mad at the world and then in the next second, he felt power coursing through his veins. It caused him intense pain and it felt as if every cell in his body was being forcibly changed. He didn¡¯t remember how long the agony had lasted because he had crawled back inside of the shed and passed out.


    When he woke up, everything was different.


    It was as if his senses had all improved by tenfold. He was even acutely aware of every fiber touching his skin. And when he closed his eyes, he was able to see a multi-colored, fog-like substance that was drifting through the air. It didn¡¯t take him long to realize that it was anima when he recalled Johan¡¯s explanation.


    But, from what Johan had briefly told him, gaining a mana circuit didn¡¯t change much within one¡¯s body. The only thing that could change was that they¡¯d be able to control the invisible force of anime. But Emil was able to see it.


    Even now, when he looked at Johan, he could faintly see grey strings of light that coursed through his body. The more he focused, the clearer the strands became. And if he willed it enough, the sight completely disappeared.


    It had not taken him too long to control it. It came more naturally to him than breathing, oddly enough.


    Emil held out his palm and slowly, the dimly colored anima in the room gathered into a spinning sphere. Johan could not see it, but he sensed that something had changed and his eyes focused on Emil¡¯s palm.


    ¡°Amazing!¡± he claimed, feeling that a decent amount of anima was being manipulated by Emil. ¡°How do you do that? You¡¯re able to control it so well already.¡±


    ¡°I just want it to.¡±


    Johan blinked. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I want it to come to me so it does,¡± Emil stated. He spread out his fingers and watched the anima slowly dissipate into the air. ¡°I don¡¯t understand it either.¡±


    ¡°Woah¡­¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Johan opened his mouth to say something else, but suddenly, an urgent knock was heard at the door.


    The two of them darted to their feet and Johan cast a quick spell that sent the books flying underneath his bed.


    ¡°Young Master!¡±


    ¡°What do you want, Mary?¡±


    ¡°Your father requests an audience with you. The Night Sage has arrived and your presence is needed.¡±


    Johan¡¯s eyes went as wide as saucers. ¡°He¡¯s here now? He wasn¡¯t supposed to arrive for another two days!¡± He stomped his foot angrily. ¡°Come on, Emil.¡±


    Confused, the boy nodded his head and followed his master out of the bedroom. Mary was leading them and he was forced to nearly run in order to keep up with their rapid pace. Emil puffed out a hot breath of air as he tried not to trip over his own feet as he moved.


    The head¡¯s office was located across the courtyard in the opposite wing from Johan¡¯s, and the distance that they needed to cross was not short¡­ but, because of their rush, they arrived there relatively fast.


    Emil couldn¡¯t help but conspicuously rub his burning calves with his foot as Mary knocked on the doors to the office. Why were they in such a rush? Who was this Sage of the Night? Moon Sage? Something like that¡­ Emil scratched the back of his neck, feeling troubled.


    As long as he didn¡¯t have to be involved, he was fine with it.


    Suddenly, the door swung wide open revealing the inside of the office. Currently, there were two men inside.


    One was seated at the desk. His entire being radiated with ferocious energy. Even from his sitting position, one could tell how tall he was. And while his body was not absurdly thick with muscle, he was still built. His huge hands which were folded on the desk seemed to able to tear a beast in half. Without doubt, this man was Alexander Damgaard, and Johan¡¯s father. He had the same green eyes as his sons but his lacked the gentleness that both of them had.


    Emil felt that hard, warlike gaze wash over him and almost took a step back. That was Johan¡¯s father? He seemed more like a bull than a human. He carried all the same attractive features of his offspring, but he made them seem barbaric and warlike.


    Alexander¡¯s appearance greatly juxtaposed the other man in the room. Appearing to be in his thirties, a lanky, scholarly looking man stood with his arms crossed behind his back. His face was rather ordinary and he wore of thin-rimmed glasses. His lips were pulled into an unreadable smirk as he gazed at Johan. Then, his black-eyed stare shifted to Emil. No one noticed, but his expression shifted into one of mild surprise before correcting itself.


    Emil felt his eyes lingering and raised his own to meet with the man¡¯s. Instantly, he felt as if this person had the ability to pluck his soul from his body. The hairs on his neck began to rise. With a thick swallow, he forced himself to look down at the ground.


    Was that the¡­ Night Sage? Emil tried to guess what this title meant. Obviously, his status was important if he was allowed a direct audience with someone like Alexander Damgaard.


    ¡°Johan,¡± Alexander said in a quiet yet powerful voice. ¡°Enter.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Father.¡±


    Because Emil was busy admiring the floor tiles, he did not see Johan glance back at him with an almost pleading intent.


    In the next second, the office dorms slammed shut.

 Twelve: Unexpected Turn Of Events

    Emil walked across the courtyard with his hands in his pockets and his tongue in cheek.


    After a few minutes of him standing there awkwardly, Mary had dismissed him in her usual cold tone. Her eyes had chilled a few more degrees the longer she looked at him and Emil got the impression that the woman did not like him.


    Her dislike for him wasn¡¯t completely unfounded.


    From what he had gathered from his father, Emil had basically stolen Mary¡¯s position when he was only supposed to be her aide. Because of Johan¡¯s insistence, Emil had been ¡°promoted¡± to his favored personal servant. Which meant that all of the benefits that she had from working so closely with Johan had slowly came to an end and she was barely higher than the rest of the maid staff.


    Anyway, Emil felt that if she could, Mary would not hesitate to kill him. He didn¡¯t say this lightly, either¡ªit was not a pleasant feeling. But in her eyes, he could see that his life was insignificant to her and that he was nothing more than a nuisance. After being looked at that by so many others, Emil had came to recognize it.


    He sighed and walked over to a tree that was across the way from the office, sitting at the base of it.  Emil held out his palm like he had done earlier and caused anima to gather at the center. He began to concentrate it, watching as a yellowish core began to condense in the center.


    In all honesty, he did not know what this really meant for him. Johan had obviously been shocked, but before Emil could find out anything, they were interrupted.


    Was this power that he held in his hands? He wasn¡¯t sure, but it was certainly a beginning. He had a feeling that the different colors of the anima indicated its level. Grey and white were exceedingly common, but the yellow was a purer, more condensed form. It was more difficult for him to control this color as well and he couldn¡¯t get it to appear in large quantities like the others.


    Of course, he had no way to confirm this theory.


    A rare smile formed on his small face as he bounced the ball of anima up and down in his hand.


    He pinched the ends of it with his fingers pulling on the blob until it formed a rod. Emil pressed the tip of the rod against the bark of the tree and began to push, watching as the energies merged peacefully.


    In that moment, he felt as if someone¡¯s eyes had locked onto him. Something within his consciousness had warned him and Emil¡¯s head snapped to the side, trying to find the source.


    But other than Mary who was across the courtyard staring at the door, there was nobody else out. After all, an important guest was here so those with low statuses gave it a clear field of space in case they offended them.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Still, he couldn¡¯t shake that sticky feeling that had overcame his body. Emil bit down on his inner cheek as he looked around, confused. Maybe he was imagining it?


    He twisted his lips and relaxed once more. It wasn¡¯t like he was doing anything bad, anyway. No one could even see what was in his hands.


    It was then that an unseen hand clamped down on Emil¡¯s shoulder and his vision blurred. In the next second, he found himself standing in a new location.


    ¡°Huh?¡± He looked around and saw that he was inside of the office.


    Johan was standing by his father¡¯s side with thinly masked irritation. Whereas Alexander looked particularly gloomy as he gazed forward. And even more shockingly, the hand on his shoulder belonged to the unknown man.


    ¡°Hah, Alexander, since you don¡¯t need him, I¡¯ll take the little boy,¡± the scholar¡¯s voice sounded. ¡°Consider it payment.¡±


    Johan looked as if he wanted to speak, but all that happened was his cheeks growing redder. He focused his eyes on Emil and the latter simply blinked.


    Take the little boy? Wasn¡¯t that him? Why was he being taken? What about his father? Would he still be safe if he left? Why did he have to be used as payment? Payment for what? Questions bubbled up in Emil¡¯s mind as his eyes darted around.


    ¡°If you are fine with it,¡± Alexander said without difficulty. Obviously, Emil was not important to him and was cheaper than the Night Sage¡¯s usual fees. The Night Sage was already an eccentric so he didn¡¯t think much of handing off Emil to him.


    ¡°Good!¡± His hold on Emil loosened and he smiled kindly at him. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Without much of a choice, he was easily pulled along by the tall man. He glanced back at the office but the doors were closed and receding into the distance. They were moving fast but it didn¡¯t feel like it. It was like they were drifting through the air. ¡°Um, sir?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°May I ask what¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right!¡± He let out a raspy but carefree laugh. ¡°From today forward, you¡¯re going to be my prot¨¦g¨¦. Call me Teacher.¡±


    Emil¡¯s face cramped. What was this man talking about? And where were they going? And his father?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take your dad along with us, too,¡± the Night Sage said, as if he knew what Emil was concerned about. ¡°We¡¯ll depart soon. I already sent someone to go and get him. You don¡¯t have anything you need here, right?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ no.¡± The only worldly possession he had was the clothing he wore.


    Before Emil could even process it, they had arrived in front of the Lund¡¯s shed. Felix was already standing outside of it wearing a proud look.


    When he saw the two arrive, he bowed. ¡°Lord Night Sage!¡± Felix cried, eyes glowing.


    ¡°You¡¯re ready?¡± the man responded, quietly patting Emil¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Felix answered before his son could. He had been surprised when an unknown man had appeared in front of him, but when he heard their offer, he felt as if he was dreaming.


    Emil nodded his head slowly. If his father was okay with it, then surely, it wasn¡¯t anything that should worry him. In fact, since his dad looked rather content, Emil was even more confused about what was happening.


    He didn¡¯t have any attachment to Johan or the Damgaard family, but the thought of leaving the life he had already grown used to was also strange to him.


    But, he could tell that this Night Sage was set on taking him away and that the duke did not care.


    In a silent gust of wind, the trio disappeared from where they stood.

 Thirteen: The Night Sage

    Inside a quaint wooden college, Emil, Felix, and the Night Sage sat a round, wooden table. Each of their expressions varied respectively from shock, pride, and tranquility.


    ¡°You¡­ want me to be your apprentice?¡± Emil asked the Night Sage with great difficulty. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°In this world, there aren¡¯t many people that I can¡¯t see through,¡± the man¡¯s eyes glimmered as he spoke, ¡°and you are one of them. There is something special about you, Emil, and your talent would only go to waste if you worked as a servant. So, I¡¯ll decided to take you under my wing. Do you hate it?¡±


    Emil questioned, ¡°Will you treat us poorly?¡±


    The Night Sage blinked, surprised by Emil¡¯s blunt question. In the next second, he laughed loudly. ¡°I suppose that would be what concerns you. No¡­ I will provide the best resources I can to aid your growth, Emil. And as for you, Felix, I won¡¯t treat you like they did, either.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m also from common birth. I don¡¯t look down on others like the Damgaards and families like theirs.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ okay.¡± Emil paused then asked, ¡°How strong are you?¡± It was clear that the Night Sage had an honorable position if a powerful duke like Alexander treated him with respect. Emil had a basic understanding of the workings of the world after working at the duke¡¯s manor for a while. If one didn¡¯t come from a good family, the only way to be respected by anyone was to be powerful. The Night Sage had reached that rank if he claimed he was not a noble.


    He stood up with a laugh. ¡°Emil, come walk with me.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Emil followed the Night Sage and glanced back at his father, who simply smiled encouragingly at him.


    The Night Sage lived within the woods far from society, but there was a nearby waterfall that connected to a lake, which then flowed into a river. It was maybe a five minute walk to the lakeshore and they made it in silence.


    Emil kept glancing at the Night Sage, wondering what was going on. Underneath the setting sun, the two stood at the lake. The tall and lanky Night Sage wore a barely noticeable smile on his face as he gazed at the water¡¯s surface.


    ¡°You asked if I was strong?¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Emil said with a nod.


    ¡°To some, I am all powerful. To others, I am weak. Do you understand?¡±


    A swift response came, ¡°No.¡±


    The Night Sage grinned mirthlessly and tapped his forehead. ¡°It means the world is bigger than you think, boy.¡±


    Emildrew silent at this. He knew that the world was bigger than he could imagine right now. But he did not understand how the Night Sage could be both weak and strong¡­ you either stood at the top or you didn¡¯t.


    ¡°What is it that you desire the most, Emil?¡±


    He thought about this question for a short moment. The answer came readily to him and he spoke, ¡°Safety.¡±


    ¡°What do you need to achieve that?¡±


    ¡°Power.¡±


    The Night Sage¡¯s eyes slid onto Emil. ¡°Why do you think that?¡±


    ¡°Because I am weak and I can only take what comes to me.¡±


    ¡°Hah! You have an interesting mind for a ten year old.¡±


    Emilfrowned then shrugged. Not too long ago, he had been rather ignorant. But within the span of two months, he had learned what suffering truly was and was forced to mature. If he didn¡¯t, he wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it.


    ¡°But you¡¯re wrong. You need more than just power.¡±


    ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°Luck!¡± The Night Sage boldly announced. ¡°You are not immortal. If someone stabs you in the heart, you will die. It doesn¡¯t matter how strong you are. But if you are lucky, then that blade will miss your heart, and you will survive. Get it? This world is a gamble. And you must win every time. And how do you win, Emil?¡±


    ¡°By being lucky?¡± the boy guessed.


    ¡°Yes! I am fortunate to have met you. My luck is good. The same could be said for you.¡±


    Emil nodded his head, understanding what the Night Sage was saying. Luck was an unseen force that moved the world as well. He had never thought about it. But when he put it into perspective, things made sense.


    Johan was not safe because he was strong. He was rather weak when it came to fighting. But he had been blessed to have been born under the name of a Damgaard.


    But Emil¡¯s father was unlucky. His mother as well.


    His eyes glowed. ¡°But I don¡¯t think that my luck is very good.¡±


    The Night Sage patted his shoulder. ¡°Really? I think that it is.¡± He squatted down so that his eyes were level with Emil. ¡°You met me. And now, your life is on a different track.¡±


    Emil blinked. ¡°A different track?¡±


    ¡°Oh, certainly. Nothing will ever be the same.¡±


    Emil¡¯s hazel eyes filled with shock at this statement.


    ¡°You are going to see the world.¡±

 Fourteen: Changes Through Time

    ¡°Teacher! Teacher, wake up.¡± A young boy of around twelve stood at head of a bed and aggressively shook a mound that was hidden underneath the sheets. His actions caused the entire bed frame to creak, but he showed no signs of stopping.


    ¡°No,¡± a disgruntled voice wheezed from the mound. ¡°Quit bothering me and go meditate.¡±


    The boy¡¯s face twisted into something ugly. ¡°You told me that yesterday. And the day before that. Now get up!¡± He raised his hand suddenly and the air around it appeared to become denser. In a swift movement, he slammed his fist down.


    A loud yelp sounded and a man darted out from out of the sheets. His dark clothing and hair were disheveled and there were heavy bags underneath his eyes. ¡°Emil, do you have any conscience?¡±


    Emil lowered his hand and snorted. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have been hurt anyway.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s the intent behind the action. Fine, you want to learn? Watch how I teach you! Reach the top-tier of the Aes rank by tonight or I¡¯m disowning you.¡±


    Once again, Emil¡¯s expression grew fierce. ¡°You¡¯re just trying to shove me off so you can sleep again.¡±


    The Night Sage grinned. ¡°Indeed. My prot¨¦g¨¦ is so intelligent. Don¡¯t worry. I have faith in you. You¡¯re already an unparalleled genius. What does a measly third rank Aes stage mean to you?¡±


    ¡°Teacher!¡± Emil cried out helplessly then shook his head.


    Two years could be considered a decent amount of time. Many things could change¡ªand many had changed. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    For starters, Emil was no longer the same frail boy he had been before. He had bounced back from his previous poor health and recovered even greater beyond that.


    He had also reached the second stage of the Aes rank. In this world, there were four mortal ranks: Aes, Argenti, Aurum, and Adamantem. The Aes rank was the lowest out of them all, but it was the most important beginning step. Some would never be able to pull through this magical ranking and their anima circuit would stagnant here.


    Most didn¡¯t reach the Argenti level until they were at least fifteen or sixteen, so for Emil to be this far already within the Aes stage, he was an undoubted prodigy.


    But, there were some things that just took time, and reaching the third rank of Aes was one of them. The amount of anima that his body could circulate would steadily increase overtime as he meditated and drew in the energy and this was something that he couldn¡¯t rush. His pace was already a hundred times faster than others.


    ¡°I¡¯m joking,¡± the Night Sage said, patting Emil¡¯s head. ¡°Listen, I¡¯ll help you with meditating today.¡±


    The youth¡¯s expression brightened. ¡°All right!¡±


    He had discovered long ago that the Night Sage was actually a very lazy man. He was like a cat who enjoyed to slumber all day and could sleep for weeks, if not months.


    If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Emil knew the Night Sage was someone great, he would have cursed him in his heart.


    The Night Sage had left the realm of mortals. Emil¡¯s knowledge of the those ranks was minimal because he hadn¡¯t been told much about them, but he knew that the gap between the Adamantem rank and Speculo was like heaven and earth. The two simply could not be compared.


    If an Adamantem could wipe out a city with a basic spell, then a Speculo could do it with just a thought. And the Night Sage was at the stage above Speculo¡ªPura. Emil, however, didn¡¯t know if he was at the first, second or third level of Pura. Either way, the Night Sage was someone whose existence alone could threaten an empire.


    That¡¯s why Emil didn¡¯t let the man¡¯s lazy attitude fool him. He was aware that under that guise, an unfathomable power existed.

 Fifteen: A Limitless Body

    Emil sat on the ground in a small clearing. His eyes were closed and the air around him was beginning to distort, different colors of anima drifting around him in small specks. He continued to breathe in and out deeply.


    Above him, the Night Sage stood with his arms crossed over his chest and a rare serious expression on his face. ¡°What do you see, Emil?¡±


    ¡°I can see the flow of anima,¡± Emil answered easily. He had this ability for a long time so it wasn¡¯t difficult for him to do at least this much.


    ¡°Look deeper.¡±


    Emil¡¯s face tightened and he grinded his teeth. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can.¡±


    ¡°You will. So do it.¡± The Night Sage snorted and waved his hand. With his movement, a thick aura of orange colored anima surrounded his body. Its color was extremely pure and bright, which caused Emil¡¯s eyes to hurt. There was an invisible pressure that weighed down on Emil and made him feel as if his bones were going to be crushed to dust--this was the effect of the Night Sage casually manipulating the anima around him.


    Subconsciously, his mind¡¯s eyes forced themselves shut to stop the pain.


    The Night Sage noticed this despite nothing changing on Emil¡¯s outward appearance. ¡°Your body is different from others, Emil,¡± he reminded the boy with a grim tone. ¡°Look!¡±


    Emil hesitated. ¡°I¡­¡± He swallowed the trepidation that was building up in his soul.


    The Night Sage was right.


    Emil was not like others and couldn¡¯t circulate anima through his body and store it momentarily. Instead, all the anima would be steadily absorbed into him. The difference seemed small, but in reality, it meant the world. Even when he was not trying, there was a steady stream of anima merging with him.


    Because of this, Emil¡¯s potential could be called limitless. But if he wanted to increase his strength significantly, he would have to force himself to absorb more anima than he naturally did and increase his threshold. If he continued at his natural rate, then his development would be too slow.


    With a deep breath, Emil forced himself to look at the Night Sage. The second that he did, the orange aura around the man began to stream towards Emil. Unlike before, he didn¡¯t shut his eyes and allowed it to come towards him. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    He let out a sharp gasp when the energy invaded him. He felt the circuit in his body immediately become oversaturated and pain overwhelmed his senses. It was similar to two years ago when he had forcibly made an anima circuit. Now he was forcing more and more into his body, expanding the limits that had been set.


    Emil shut his eyes tightly, trying to control the orange-colored anima.


    He crushed it into a ball as it continued to be absorbed into his essence, making the sphere become denser and denser.


    Blood dripped out from the corners of his mouth and his bones were creaking as if they were to shatter at any moment. He tried his hardest to remain calm as he slowly drifted the shrinking sphere to the core of his being. The amount of agony he was in sharply increased and Emil almost passed out from it. He fought against the strong desire to lose consciousness and continued to merge it with his essence, feeling his greedy heart attempting to devour what it couldn¡¯t handle.


    His fingers tightened, digging into the flesh of his palms.


    There!


    Reaching his ultimate threshold, Emil severed the connection and the anima retreated back to the calm Night Sage.


    Emil coughed, blood specks flying into his palm as he covered his mouth. ¡°Teacher, I¡¯ve upgraded my anima circuit to at least the third rank Argenti¡­ I¡¯ve sealed the rest of the power away to work on absorbing later.¡±


    The Night Sage nodded his head. ¡°Good, good.¡±


    He had been pushing for Emil to do this for a while now. His body had endless potential to grow, but it was originally at a low starting point which was next to nothing. Emil needed to force his body through these originally unmoveable boundaries. No one else could upgrade his anima circuit¡¯s potential grade like Emil could--but it couldn¡¯t come without a price.


    The Night Sage patted the young boy¡¯s head. ¡°Go ahead and rest. Your father has already prepared some medicine for you.¡±


    Emil¡¯s face brightened at the mention of his father. Felix had gone out to the city to gather supplies, so he hadn¡¯t seen him for a couple of weeks.


    Without waiting for his master to say anything else, Emil darted towards the cabin.


    The Night Sage smiled lightly and shook his head. Through everything, the only thing about Emil that hadn¡¯t changed was his deep love for his father. It wasn¡¯t a bad thing, though.


    He scratched his chin in thought. Emil¡¯s growth rate was even greater than he thought it would be¡­ he was sure that within the next year, the boy would be able to enter the Argenti stage.


    He was considered a genius himself, but he had only achieved that level by age fifteen. He thought back to those days many centuries ago and missed the fresh feeling of growing stronger. He had been stagnant for too long.


    But, he was certain that his prot¨¦g¨¦ would reach even greater heights than he had.


    The Night Sage laughed contentedly once more and followed after Emil.

 Sixteen: Hunting Intruders

    Underneath the golden glow emitted by a glowing orb floating next to him, Emil sat on his bed quietly thumbing through a spellbook.


    The expression on his small face was solemn as he carefully read through the theories the author had researched. There weren¡¯t many spells inside of this book, but the theory behind it was rather profound and helped increase his understanding of magic.


    When he had first started training under the Night Sage, Emil had discovered that he was blessed with omni-magic: the affinity with all of the magical attributes.


    It had to be known that anyone could learn magic that was outside of their affinity. However, they would never be able to master it and it was ultimately a waste of time because they¡¯d always be weaker than those who had the attribute. Omni-magic circumvented that.


    His teacher had a grim face when this news was revealed. He informed Emil that people like him were nearly nonexistent and only one other had existed in the history of their planet, Elvira. Emil still didn¡¯t exactly understand the magnitude of what this meant, he was just surprised to find out how rare his ability was.


    But the Night Sage took it very seriously. In order to mask this and avoid possible trouble, he had allowed Emil to only choose two attributes to learn as his specialty. Dual attributes were considered to be rare as well, but they weren¡¯t unheard of and no one would bat an eyelash over Emil having that capability.


    Emil had also learned spells from the other elements, of course--the Night Sage had no intention of limiting his potential¡­ but he was only allowed to show off a dual-attribute in public situations.


    Out of all the elements, Emil felt a strange attraction towards temporal and spatial magic. He wasn¡¯t able to explain his choice other than out of everything else, these two felt right.


    Actually, the Night Sage hadn¡¯t been very content with Emil¡¯s choices because these affinities still stood out greatly. They were some of, if not the rarest types. But he was already restricting Emil, so he allowed it. After all, there was a list of people who already had those elements as a dual attribute, and Emil¡¯s existence wouldn¡¯t be an anomaly.


    In the first place, the Night Sage had a dual affinity to dark and illusory magic, so he couldn¡¯t personally teach Emil the concepts. Instead, he had gone out one day and returned with loads of books relating to temporal and spatial magic.


    They were uncommon affinities so the knowledge regarding them was minimal, but with the Night Sage¡¯s connections, he managed to gather some information.


    For the past while, those were the books that Emil had been reading . They occupied the corner of his room and whenever he wasn¡¯t doing a task set by the Night Sage, he was reading them.


    He turned the page once more then paused when he sensed a disturbance in the anima flow. It was being redirected somewhere else--an indication that someone was casting magic. But, from what he could tell, it was not the Night Sage. The anima was being pulled somewhere farther away and Emil could sense that his mentor was nearby.


    Curious, Emil stood and left his room. It was the middle of the night, so he couldn¡¯t help but wonder what was happening. In the past two and a half years he had spent here, Emil had never encountered a situation like this. The Night Sage lived deep within the woods and far from any other humans. And because of his aura, nearly every single magical beast avoided their living space.


    Emil stepped outside and glanced around before his eyes landed on someone.


    The Night Sage sat on a tree branch, gazing out in the distance while smoking from his pipe. ¡°Ah, Emil, you¡¯re awake?¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    He nodded his head. ¡°I noticed that someone was casting magic.¡±


    The man laughed a little. ¡°Nothing will escape your senses. Good.¡± He blew out a puff of smoke. ¡°It¡¯s just some fools that don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for them.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Emil thought of his father that was currently still asleep and couldn¡¯t help but feel worried. The last time he had a vaguely foreboding feeling like this, he had lost his mother and his home.


    As if he could sense the youth¡¯s uneasiness, the Night Sage leapt down from the tree and landed next to Emil. ¡°It¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t handle.¡±


    Emil blinked. ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to test your strength? There¡¯s only a group of six people¡­ first rank Argenti. You can handle that, right?¡±


    The boy blinked. He was close to reaching Argenti, but he was still at the Aes stage. How was he supposed to take on those enemies? The most combat experience he had was from sparring with the Night Sage and killing random beasts that wandered too close. Dealing with humans was a different level completely. Especially since they were all technically stronger than him!


    He thought again.


    He was confident in his ability to take out one or two¡­ but a group of six? There was no way he¡¯d make it out of there without a scratch. And he didn¡¯t like getting hurt.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be watching,¡± the Night Sage said with a laugh before disappearing in a fog of black mist.


    ¡°Teacher!¡± Emil cried out, exasperated.


    ¡°How else are you going to learn?¡± the Night Sage¡¯s voice blended in with the wind. ¡°You can only grow so much by practicing theory. Don¡¯t you want the strength to protect yourself? Earn it. You¡¯re lucky, these people have come to act as your stepping stone.¡±


    Emil¡¯s mood grew serious when he heard those words. If he wanted to be someone, he had to do something. He heaved out a breath of air and closed his eyes, gripping his hands into tight fists.


    He allowed himself to melt into the atmosphere, following along the coursing river of anima. They were continuously using it for some type of spell, so it wasn¡¯t hard for Emil to lock onto them.


    His eyes opened with a flash of cold light.


    In a swift movement, he vanished from where he was standing and reappeared on a tree branch across the clearing. In the next second, he teleported again to a different spot.


    If anyone were to see, they¡¯d be very shocked. Teleportation was a feat that even those at the Argenti rank dreamed of, but he was able to do it already--and so proficiently, as well.


    He didn¡¯t even rest before traveling a mile within less than a minute.


    Emil, of course, didn¡¯t know how shocking his actions were and continued in the same direction. He felt nervous, but his mind was also calm at the same time, creating an odd sensation that spread throughout his body.


    He didn¡¯t consider himself to be a pacifist. And wasn¡¯t that he was afraid of fighting or killing¡­ he just didn¡¯t prefer it.


    It didn¡¯t take long for him to locate the group of people. There was six of them grouped together, moving rapidly as they raced through the trees. There were five men and one woman, all of them dressed in black with a similar badge pinned to their left shoulder.


    Emil had no idea what it stood for, but he wondered if they were mercenaries. He had heard about such people from the Night Sage.


    Suddenly, the lady at the front of the pack stopped moving and raised her hand to gesture to the others. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± she demanded, her dark eyes scanning over the surroundings.


    He wasn¡¯t hiding his presence so Emil wasn¡¯t surprised they had found him already.


    ¡°Um, excuse me,¡± Emil said, stepping out of the darkness. ¡°May I ask who you all are?¡±


    The attention of the group was drawn to him. Each of them wore a funny look on their face. It was just an adorable youth, so their viligance relaxed. But none of them thought about how he came from deeper inside the woods.


    A burly man stepped forward. ¡°Hey, kid, did you lose your parents or something?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Emil shook his head and pointed. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to stop you guys. Please leave this area.¡±


    Everyone became dumbfounded.


    ¡°Sorry, little boy, could you say that again?¡± the man that had first spoken asked. He was wondering if his hearing wasn¡¯t working properly today. This brat was a guard?


    ¡°Please leave this area.¡± Emil bowed his head politely. ¡°Or I will have to take action.¡±

 Seventeen: Shocking Display of Power

    ¡°Ha-ha, kid, are you joking?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Once again, silence fell.


    Everyone couldn¡¯t help but think that the child before them was an oddity.


    The man brandished the battleaxe that he carried. ¡°Killing children leaves a bad taste in my mouth, so you better get out of our way, brat.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t kill me,¡± Emil stated. They were still in the Night Sage¡¯s domain, anything that happened was still under his control. He could easily snatch Emil up before their attacks could even land.


    But, the mercenaries clearly did not know that, so to them, Emil¡¯s words sounded like cockiness.


    ¡°Who raised you to be so rude?¡± the man roared. He was short-tempered and did not like nuisances. He had done far worse and killing a kid actually didn¡¯t bother him much if it made life easier.


    Emil frowned. Was he being disrespectful? His father had always taught him to be courteous to others and he did not want to disappoint him.


    But before he could speak anymore, the blood-colored axe was flying towards his neck.


    He watched it move through the corner of his eye, but Emil remained rooted in place. His reaction speed was inhuman and he could see the blade moving in slow motion, and dodging it was even easier for him.


    With a strange shift in the air, the direction of the axe was redirected and swung right by Emil without even cutting a single hair.


    ¡°Huh?¡± The man appeared to be confused after he missed his mark. The boy¡¯s head should have gone flying in a fantastic display, but instead, nothing happened.


    ¡°Watch out,¡± a woman warned, seeing through what had happened. ¡°That brat can use incantless magic. They¡¯re more dangerous than expected already.¡±


    Shock appeared on everyone¡¯s faces then they looked at Emil with a different expression in their eyes. Their mocking aura had changed into a menacing one laced with killing intent.


    Emil didn¡¯t say anything, but he listened to their words carefully. He didn¡¯t really understand what they were talking about. Who was ¡°they¡±? The only one that lived there who was noteworthy was the Night Sage.


    He then paused.


    Actually, with their strength level, none of these people should have been daring enough to even cross the Night Sage¡¯s vision. Why would they come here with the intent to fight?


    ¡°Excuse me, if I may ask again, who are you all?¡± Emil felt that this was all a misunderstanding. He didn¡¯t want to harm others if that was the case.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    But, they had no reason to explain themselves to Emil, and their desire to get rid of him was only increased.


    Without another word, the man swung down at Emil once again. This time, he did not allow the fact that his opponent was a kid affect him.


    Emil lightly stepped back and the blade, once again, was redirected by a strange force. As he watched the man charge towards him, the light in his eyes grew colder and colder. The air around his figure grew hazy and he darted forward to meet with his attacker. Emil raised up his arm and drew it down sharply.


    In a split second, the man¡¯s arm was severed from his body and his limb, still holding onto his weapon, collapsed to the ground. He opened his mouth to let out a pained roar, but before he could even utter a noise, Emil¡¯s arm redirected and his fingers slid across the man¡¯s throat. Erupting in a fountain of blood, the man¡¯s head slid off of his neck and his large body fell backwards, banging against the ground. The green grass underneath was rapidly dyed red and his head rolled a few times before landing at the feet of the blonde woman that had been in charge.


    Everyone was completely silent. Within a couple of seconds, Emil had killed their comrade. And it didn¡¯t seem to cost him energy at all. The mercenary that he he had killed couldn¡¯t be considered the strongest or weakest, but his strength wasn¡¯t something a twelve year old should have been able to handle.


    The woman didn¡¯t say anything, but she drew her rapier and stabbed forward, the sword moving with incredible speed towards Emil¡¯s heart. Out of all of them, she was the most experienced and she had encountered many beings who hid their true appearances. She assumed that Emil was one of them. She was even sure that the weak, Aes level aura that he exuded was just to misguide them.


    Emil, his face and clothing now splattered with blood, watched the woman approach. His expression grew severe as he dodged her first attack and then leapt back a few meters. With that single movement, he knew that she was far stronger than the man he had just taken down.


    He sighed to himself.


    What a hassle.


    She wasn¡¯t deterred by Emil¡¯s quick dodge and began to whisper words under her breath. Within a few moments, her blade became bright orange and seemed to be fiery hot. She raised her arm out and began to draw symbols in the air with the tip of her rapier. Grey colored anima with tints of yellow was being drawn towards her at a rapid rate.


    ¡°Not good,¡± Emil muttered to himself. He had dispatched the man quickly because he had the element of surprise--Emil still was no match for them in a full out battle. And considering that the woman was more powerful, his chances of victory were even slimmer. He¡¯d have to expend all of his energy if he wanted her dead now¡­


    I¡¯ll deal with her last.


    Just as the woman let out a shout and released her spell that flew out in a fiery tornado, Emil activated his teleportation and flashed behind a skinny man that stood at the back of the group.


    He stabbed out his hand and pierced through the man¡¯s chest and quickly drew his arm up and, effectively cutting through the man¡¯s torso like it was nothing. Blood sprayed out, splashing onto everyone in the vicinity.


    Emil didn¡¯t relax, though. His body flashed once more and he approached another group member, he jumped up and wrapped his legs around his neck.


    The man let out a confused shout and reached up to tear Emil off of him, but in the next breath, he felt a crushing force weighing on his head. Emil¡¯s palms slammed together on his skull and an invisible pressure accompanied, causing the man¡¯s head to rupture underneath it--bursting like a grape underneath too much pressure.


    A meaty mixture of blood, bone, and grey matter exploded and chunks of the man¡¯s head landed everywhere as Emil¡¯s hands clapped together.


    Emil released the man¡¯s body and jumped backwards, his entire body covered in gore.


    In the same moment, the woman¡¯s spell had been completed and meters of scorched earth and burnt trees were left in its wake. It would have easily incinerated Emil if he had not avoided it.


    Within mere seconds, the tide of the battle had changed and two more lives had been lost.

 Eighteen: Dangerous Battle

    ¡°Bastard!¡± the woman roared, anger evident in her eyes. She did not have a close bond with this group, but she had formed some sort of relationship with them by now and would obviously be upset by their deaths.


    Emil¡¯s eyes dulled and the gloomy aura around him grew more prominent. ¡°I already told you to leave before¡­¡± He pointed it at her. ¡°But now you¡¯re not allowed.¡±


    The Night Sage said that Emil¡¯s strength was to be a secret. And that meant no witnesses. He was only at age twelve and had already reached the third rank Aes stage, that was enough to shake the empire--no, the entire continent.


    Emil finally drew out the two daggers he carried from their scabbards, carelessly twirling them in his bloodied hand.


    The woman¡¯s face grew severe and she readied her rapier once more. ¡°Kill him!¡± After speaking, she began to chant at an imperceptible speed and a fiery array formed in the air.


    The man to Emil¡¯s right charged first, spinning the spear in his hands and thrusting out. Emil stepped to the side and narrowly avoided the weapon, then his body darted forward in a strange movement.


    Seeing Emil coming towards him, the spear bearer¡¯s expression changed and he twisted his body. Emil¡¯s dagger cut through the air and a bone deep wound appeared on the man within the blink of an eye.


    ¡°The brat¡¯s using spatial magic!¡± the dark-haired man yelled as he grabbed his shoulder, blood soaking through his fingers. He leapt back, trying to get out of Emil¡¯s attack range.


    Everyone eyed Emil warily.


    What type of monster was this kid to be able to use spatial magic at his age with such brutality? He had killed three people within a minute without a moment of hesitation. All of them fully believed at this point that he was an expert masking his appearance.


    Emil didn¡¯t say anything to them because he needed to concentrate fully. He wasn¡¯t developed completely yet and he was actually pushing his limits a lot in order to deal with them. He was acting hurriedly because he couldn¡¯t endure a long, face-to-face battle while his opponents could. This body of his was holding him back a great deal. He couldn¡¯t help but lament over it.


    He pushed out a hot puff of air and prepared himself once more. From the looks of it, the woman was preparing a large spell and the others were supposed to hold him back during her vulnerable moment. Emil considered his options.


    He could attack her, but he¡¯d expend a lot of energy trying to break through the defenses she put up already. He bit down on his lip, tasting coppery blood.Stolen story; please report.


    That said, he also couldn¡¯t take on whatever she was brewing.


    Emil gripped his daggers tightly and narrowed his eyes.


    He¡¯d take out the other two quickly. She still needed a while to finish. Then he would be able to put his all into fighting her.


    Without another moment to think, Emil¡¯s body blurred and he reappeared next to the injured spearman. His small figure drifted through the air and he stabbed his daggers into the back of the man¡¯s skull. With a grunt, he twisted the daggers before releasing the man, leaving two large holes in his head.


    The spearman didn¡¯t get to understand what happened before he died.


    Emil¡¯s skin had paled and his breathing was growing a bit heavier, but he didn¡¯t allow himself to relax and his eyes focused on the other man.


    The man, unlike the others who used weapons, was a full out spellcaster. Aside from the woman, he was the second most difficult. Even though it was just the two of them left, Emil felt even more pressure.


    The man opened his mouth and chanted out a spell so rapidly Emil was surprised he hadn¡¯t bit his tongue. Still, the boy jumped to the side as an earthen spike leapt out of the ground from where he had stood.


    He didn¡¯t get another second to breathe as more and more spikes leapt out, each of them sharp enough to puncture his body easily. Emil flipped and landed on a tree branch, wearing an ugly look.


    Had he underestimated the man? No¡­ the woman was still stronger, but the man was closely behind her.


    Emil blamed this on his lack of experience. He still struggled with accurately gauging people¡¯s strength and was now suffering from it. While he had the element of surprise, he should have dealt with the mage.


    Emil tilted his head back and sighed. He raised his dagger and stabbed it into the tree.


    Please, don¡¯t miss, he begged inwardly.


    His prayer went unanswered, apparently, because the male mage let out a shot and grabbed his thigh. A moderately deep stab wound had appeared there, but it wasn¡¯t anything that would hinder him.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Emil swore.


    He felt the temperature in the air suddenly spike and his entire being went pale. His body flashed just as a fiery blaze blasted through the area he was just standing in.


    Emil reappeared across the way, panting heavily. But the blaze charged towards him once again, under the control of the woman¡¯s sword. She pushed off the ground, her rapier directed at Emil¡¯s heart.


    The earth rumbled once more and the spikes shot up once again. Emil leapt into the air as it happened, using his spatial magic to give him an extra boost.


    He floated for a moment before landed on the top of a tree, his eyes glaring down at the two that were forcing him into this predicament. If it was going this way, then he¡¯d have to use his utilize his temporal magic. And at his current level, that would come with a cost.


    Emil shook his head. No, he couldn¡¯t use it yet. These people weren¡¯t worth the possible danger that came with manipulating time. He drew in a sharp breath and once again avoided the aggressive fire tornado.

 Nineteen: Desperate Victory

    In an area of a few hundred meters, explosions of fire could be seen along with the dangerous rumbling of the ground. Occasionally, spikes made of stone tens of meters tall would appear before crumbling back down.


    Only a few minutes had passed, but the previous serene forest clearing now looked like a warfield.


    Emil was currently weaving through the dangerous attacks of the swordswoman and mage. The two of combined didn¡¯t leave any room for him to breathe. Of course, they weren¡¯t doing too well either. Not only were they overextending their anima circuit, the amount of injuries on their bodies from Emil¡¯s strange spatial attacks was increasing.


    The boy¡¯s arms shook as he blocked the woman¡¯s red hot sword with his daggers once more. He was surprisingly strong himself, but he still couldn¡¯t be compared to her.


    With a weeping heart, Emil forced himself to teleport once more away from her. He just wanted to be done with all of this already¡­ Emil disliked fighting, after all. Nobody liked getting hurt or feeling endangered and he wasn¡¯t any different.


    Emil flipped back as another earthen spike shot up from the ground, nearly impaling him. He drifted in the air for a second before teleporting, appearing behind the mage and swinging his dagger downwards.


    His weapons met a resistance from the magical barrier the mage had cast on himself, but Emil ground his teeth and pushed harder. He could sense that the woman was charging towards him once again, but he was determined to get rid of the mage.


    Emil raised his arms up, the air around the blades become hazy as the space was distorted. ¡°Break!¡± he shouted, sending his daggers done once more towards the man¡¯s skull.


    The mage shouted in agony as Emil¡¯s daggers slid through the barrier he had cast, inserting themselves into his head. Emil¡¯s face grew deathly pale underneath the coat of blood--he felt that his body was ready to burst from the amount of anima he had just absorbed in order to kill the mage.


    His eyes slid to the side as the woman came closer, her blazing sword pointed at his skull. Emil sucked in a sharp breath before teleporting away, his body crashing against the burnt trunk of a tree and he glared at the woman. With how close she had came to him, part of his hair and clothing had been burnt.


    Emil felt as if his organs were ready to explode from the overexertion, but he couldn¡¯t stop yet.


    The swordswoman wasn¡¯t in any better condition and she had stabbed her sword into the ground to support herself as she stood. There were deep cuts all across her body that were pouring out a steady stream of blood. Some had been cauterized by her, but most were still open. But, her green eyes were full of murderous determination.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°Brat, I¡¯ll admit that you¡¯re pretty good,¡± she said.


    If anyone else had heard her words, they would have laughed at her stubbornness. Killing five others above one¡¯s rank was far more than ¡°pretty good¡±. But Emil didn¡¯t seem to take her words to heart and stood up properly once more.


    He pointed his bloody daggers at her temple and smiled, revealing his pearly white teeth that stood out against his red face. With a twirl, he threw one of his daggers at her.


    The woman sneered, raising her sword to deflect the attack. But just as she did so, the dagger blinked and reappeared in front of her chest. She let out a shout and quickly jumped back just as it began to embed itself into her skin.


    But as she did so, another dagger appeared behind her head and her action only served to drive it with through her skull. Her eyes widened in shock as she crumbled to the ground. Blood seeped out from her body, staining the ground. She did not get up again.


    ¡°Finally¡­¡±


    Emil held his heart which was creaking in pain. Teleporting his body was one thing, but he still hadn¡¯t mastered transporting other objects through space. Especially when it came to a very specific location. The tax on him was great which is why he held back from doing so until it was the end of the battle. If he had done it before, he surely would have lost.


    He knelt down, blood soaking his entire body and his breathing was labored, but his expression remained neutral. He turned and locked his gaze on a tree off in the distance.


    ¡°How did I do, Teacher?¡±


    ¡°Ha-ha, you¡¯re still too flashy,¡± the Night Sage answered, his body emerging from the tree trunk. He still held a pipe in his hand, casually blowing out more smoke. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t confronted them and used your strongest spatial spell, you would have been able to finish this minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to speak with them first,¡± Emil coughed out the words, wiping his own blood from the palm of his hand onto his pants.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    He looked down, scratching the drying blood on his arm. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not mad at you, Emil. I am just asking why.¡±


    ¡°If there was a way to end it peacefully, then¡­ I wanted to try that...¡± The boy barely managed to finish his sentence before he began to fall forward, finally having lost consciousness. He collapsed into the Night Sage¡¯s arms who easily picked him up and tossed him over his shoulder.


    A wry smile appeared on the Night Sage¡¯s face and he messed up Emil¡¯s soft hair. ¡°All right.¡±


    He recalled how from day one, Emil never had any issue with taking lives. When the Night Sage had instructed him to kill beasts, the boy was able to do so without shedding a single tear. But, he always asked for reasoning. It didn¡¯t matter whether it was good or bad; he just wanted to know why¡­ or if there were other options.


    The Night Sage shook his head as he let out a light laugh, raising his pipe to his mouth.


    He couldn¡¯t help but feel that he had good taste when it came to choosing a disciple.

 Twenty: To Grow Stronger

    <ol start="20">


    <li>  To Grow Stronger</li>


    </ol>


    ¡°Throw it!¡± Emil exclaimed.


    His father nodded his head and tossed a wooden ball into the air.


    Emil¡¯s eyes focused on the object as it flew and his gaze sharpened. The area around the ball distorted and blurred. If one looked closely enough, they could see a small portal had appeared that lead to a different spot in the room.


    As the ball began to pass through it, the scene oddly spasmed and with a blast of anima, it closed. As for the object, it had been sliced in half--one side dropped uselessly to the ground while the other appeared embedded in the wall over a red X that had been drawn.


    ¡°You¡¯re getting better,¡± the Night Sage said. ¡°Your mastery has increased after that battle.¡±


    Emil nodded his head even though there was disappointment clear within his eyes. It had been a month since he had battled the six intruders, but he felt as if his rate of improvement was still too slow. In reality, it wasn¡¯t, but Emil had grown used to excelling.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do it like it did before,¡± he lamented. When he had killed the woman, even though it taken a lot out of him, he had been able to pinpoint the exact location to transport an item. Now, he still wasn¡¯t able to do it properly. He had been practicing since it happened, but¡­ Maybe, the situation had provided some aid to him.


    The Night Sage sighed. ¡°Try reaching the Argenti level. You might find it easier then.¡±


    ¡°All right¡­¡± Emil hesitated. He wasn¡¯t confident in how long it would take him to achieve that. Even though the strength gaps between each level in the mortal realm wasn¡¯t great like it was for those above it, there was still a distance he needed to cross.


    Between the Aes, Argenti, and Aurum stages, one was considered to be tempering their body and soul. According to the Night Sage, once one reached  top of the Adamantem rank, they would be considered to be invincible among the mortal realm.


    Emil lowered his head. Currently, he was very close to being able to reach the Argenti stage. He knew that practically no bottleneck existed for him because of the unique condition of his body--all that he needed was the time to sit down and absorb energy. Recently, he had been thinking about something¡­ but he was not sure how his teacher would handle it.


    ¡°Teacher,¡± Emil said in a serious tone.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    He tightened his hands into fists at his sides, taking in a deep breath before speaking, ¡°I want to enter your chamber for two years.¡±


    ¡°You--¡± The Night Sage¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°How did you know?¡±


    Emil gave a wry grin. ¡°Actually, I found about it when we first came here. I was able to tell that the there was some anima being redirected below.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The Night Sage slapped his forehead. ¡°Of course¡­¡± The light drained from his eyes. ¡°But I cannot allow you in there, Emil.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It is too dangerous for you,¡± the Night Sage explained. ¡°It¡¯s where I train and temper my body. The remaining aura in there is too strong for you to handle with your level. You¡¯ll wind up destroying yourself.¡±


    ¡°I know. That¡¯s why I want to go.¡± Emil gripped his shorts tightly. ¡°If I¡¯m in there, I¡¯m positive that I will be able to upgrade my anima circuit considerably. It¡¯ll be able to reach the Pura level in the future if I start tempering it there.¡±


    The Night Sage¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°The strain that will have on your body will be immense. Even two years isn¡¯t enough for you to push your limits that far. I won¡¯t allow you to put yourself into needless danger. Don¡¯t be impatient, you have more than enough time.¡±


    ¡°Teacher!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll die.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Emil stated confidently. He couldn¡¯t explain it, but there was something deep inside of him that was craving the energy deep underground.


    The Night Sage¡¯s black eyes exuded an enormous amount of pressure as he gazed down at Emil. From the way that his mouth was set, it was obvious that he wouldn¡¯t back down either.


    Emil didn¡¯t dare look away or show weakness. This was something that he needed to do. Day in and day out, he felt the compulsive urge to charge down there.


    ¡°Emil, is that what you want?¡± Felix¡¯s quiet voice cut through the silence.


    Both pairs of eyes landed on him.


    ¡°If that is what you want, then do it.¡± He smiled at his son. ¡°I believe that he can do it.¡±


    ¡°Dad¡­¡±


    The Night Sage¡¯s mouth opened to inform Felix that he did not know anything, but he promptly shut it again.


    ¡°I¡¯m lucky!¡± Emil proclaimed, staring the Night Sage even deeper in the eyes. ¡°I¡¯m lucky so I¡¯ll make it.¡±


    The man¡¯s expression twisted and he glared at Emil. ¡°You¡¯re using my own words against me?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The Night Sage took a while to respond, his dark eyes seemingly contemplating something. He knew that Emil would not change his mind--especially with Felix supporting him. He spoke, ¡°All right. But I have one condition if this is what you want to do.¡±


    Emil¡¯s entire being lit up, but he didn¡¯t allow himself to show too much excitement in case the option got taken away. ¡°Yes, Teacher?¡±


    ¡°Once you exit, I want you to leave here.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Emil¡¯s mood dropped severely. Was he being expelled for his decision? ¡°What do you--¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not done yet.¡±


    Emil swallowed and nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll allow you to use the underground facilities for two years in seclusion. In return, afterwards, I want you to go out on your own for a year. Return back here afterwards.¡± the Night Sage said. ¡°Most importantly, by the time you¡¯re back, you will have reached age fifteen¡­ which you¡¯ll be able to take the entrance exams at the Academy. ¡±


    The Academy? Emil¡¯s eyes twinkled. He had heard his teacher speak about it a few times. It was a unique, magic school with prestige that spread throughout the entire continent. Every single student was a genius in their own right and came from all walks of life. The Night Sage was an alumni there, but he claimed that he was only within the top twenty of his graduating class.


    ¡°You want me to become enroll there?¡± Emil didn¡¯t have any real interest in that place. His experience with the Damgaards had turned him bitter when he thought of the elite.


    ¡°Yes. If you agree to these two conditions, I¡¯ll allow you down there.¡±


    Emil didn¡¯t hesitate. He couldn¡¯t allow himself to be distracted by other things and he understood that going into the basement was very important to him. If this was what it would take for the Night Sage to agree, then he would go along with it.


    ¡°Yes!¡±

 Twenty-One: The Voices Within

    The atmosphere in the small room was full of a dense, bicolored fog. Green and orange swirled around, the two colors oddly never mixing.


    Chaos seemed to run rampant here.


    Random distortions appeared, tearing open space. These tears lead into a stormy, dark abyss. Occasionally, a random limb from an unknown creature would reach out before the portal closed, severing the body part from their body. Even more mysteriously, the dismembered parts would dissipate into the atmosphere in a cloud of black.


    The air rumbled with thunder and an oppressive weight bore down.


    Amongst it all, Emil sat calmly on a thin futon with eyes closed. His legs were crossed and his hands were gripping his knees. His red hair blew in the chaotic wind, whipping around madly, but he remained serene.


    It was evident from the paleness of his skin and the dark bruises under his eyes that he was not well. There was a small stream of blood flowing from his nose and mouth, but he didn¡¯t make any attempt to stop it.


    Inside of his body, the raging storm was even more fearsome.


    He was absorbing the anima in the air at an alarming rate, forcibly condensing it into a core at the center of his circuit. All of this rampant energy would burst out occasionally, shattering his bones and crushing his organs. These pieces of him would begin to heal because of the natural restorative properties of anima, coming back stronger than they were before--only to be destroyed again.


    In addition, he was was assimilating the core of energy he absorbed into his mana circuit, which was causing it to swell and expand. On occasion, it would suddenly shrink down once more as if it had devoured all of the overflow.


    Emil was not concerned about any of this.


    The only thing on his mind was controlling the laws of time and space. No, at this point, all he could do was attempt to learn them. True manipulation would come at a later time.


    The unseen world was unsurprisingly complex.


    Even the books could not explain the sensation of looking where no mortal had ever been. He felt himself reaching deeper and deeper into something that he could never return from. But this didn¡¯t stop him.


    There was a heavy thump with every heartbeat.


    Something was waiting for him to go further. He didn¡¯t know what it was, but there was a strong desire to reach that point. It was absolute necessary.


    That was what he felt.


    Today, after a year had passed, he felt that he was close.


    The year blurred into one year and a half. And the days kept passing by.


    He was still reaching. Stretching out his every part of his existence in hopes that he could see just a glimpse of it.


    What was it? What was it that willed him so powerfully?


    He was right at the edges of enlightenment.


    It made his entire being buzz with excitement and he didn¡¯t even care about the state of his corporeal body. He had even stopped paying attention to the flow of time, only focused on delving deeper and deeper into himself. This required intense focus and he felt himself merging with space itself.


    Because of this, he didn¡¯t realize that the once chaotic atmosphere had began to calm.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    It was as if everything was becoming in sync and only moved together as one. Upon paying closer attention, the pulses matched with Emil¡¯s steady heartbeat. If anyone else were to see, their minds would have struggled to comprehend how one had achieved such unity.


    Emil took in another deep breath, his mind far away from there.


    The feeling was growing more intense.


    He could hear voices beginning to whisper in his ears, reminding him of when he had first formed his anima circuit. But just like then, he struggled to understand what they were saying.


    What was it? What was it that they wanted to tell him?


    A warm sensation overcame his body and he felt as if he was dropping. No, he was sinking. It felt like sludge had been poured on top of him, blocking off all of his pores and not allowing him to breathe.


    Emil, right then, became certain that he was going to die.


    What did death mean? He thought about this often. But, right now, he felt very close to what that was.


    The voices became clear at that moment.


    ¡°Boy,¡± they called.


    Emil grunted, feeling something within himself shattering. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    There was a strange power that filled their voices. He could tell that they originated from something. If he went deeper in, he would know what that was. Even now, feeling their touch, he felt his soul strengthening. But Emil felt as if that would come at a great cost--so he rejected them.


    ¡°You are not me.¡± His tone did not leave room for argument.


    The voices grew silent at his proclamation. Then, all at once, they began their whispering again, ¡°We are¡­ the Ancient¡­ One¡­ You.¡±


    We? No, there was just him. All along, there was just him.


    There was no ¡°we¡±. This body was his.


    ¡°Selfish¡­¡±


    Was he? Maybe so.


    That sealed power¡­ He desired it. Emil could tell that it was the source of his current strength--which was only a small piece of it. If he gained all of it, how powerful would he become? He wasn¡¯t able to comprehend that, yet. But he knew what their price was now:


    It was everything.


    ¡°I am Emil,¡± he told them calmly.


    ¡°No,¡± they hissed. ¡°We are nameless¡­ Ancient Ones¡­ You¡­¡±


    ¡°I am Emil,¡± he repeated, not wavering. Now was not the time. He had to wait¡­ yes, he had to wait until he could fulfill their demands. There were still things that he wanted to do. He would not forsake everything.


    ¡°A fragment...¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    It was still too much.


    ¡°Accept¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°A gift¡­ we give¡­¡±


    He was ready to decline again, but they had not allowed him that option. Emil felt a small wisp of something merge with his soul. The sludge on top of him grew heavier.


    Emil felt his mind tearing. He had reached the point where he could endure no more. What he had done was already far outside of his power. He wouldn¡¯t be able to stay here any longer unless he gave in.


    ¡°I¡¯ll come back again.¡± He paused. ¡°And maybe then, I¡¯ll be willing to give up this name. No, that is not what you want.¡± Emil let out a dry laugh. ¡°I¡¯ll give up this existence.¡±


    The voices grew quiet. Whether or not they had accepted his claim, he didn¡¯t know. Perhaps, that had been his only chance to ever meet them.


    He did not mind. He would go stronger on his own.


    His eyes opened slowly, his consciousness descending back into his body.


    His once hazel irises had turned into pure gold. In their swirling depths, there seemed to be an endless and fearsome void. When he blinked, the danger disappeared and was replaced with a gloomy haze that fell over his entire being. It was obvious that is meeting with the Ancient Ones had even affected his real body, their touch lingering on his soul. He sensed that this was a mark left by them and would not fade.


    Emil sighed, rolling his neck.


    There was nothing he could do about it, really. Their power was too great.


    That was one thing¡­ and his time was up. Two years had passed in what--to him--felt like the blink of an eye.


    ¡°Guess I¡¯ll get going.¡±

 Twenty-Two: The Days Ahead

    Under the cool morning mist, a large group of carriages and horses moved along a lonely road. The caravan didn¡¯t move hurriedly, but progressed steadily. The journey was far from dangerous.


    The atmosphere among everyone was pretty relaxed, but a few gazes kept shifting to a certain figure.


    A skinny teen of around fourteen sat on a horse, his dark red hair tied back into a bun that was ready to collapse at any moment. Strands fell around his face, giving him a slovenly appearance. His skin was rather pale with dark and heavy bags underneath his golden eyes. The entire aura he exuded was gloomy and tired. He looked as if he was ready to fall off the horse at any given moment and sleep, but his long and bony fingers were still lightly grabbing the reins.


    His body swayed along with the wind which seemed ready to topple him if it blew too hard.


    The boy¡¯s mouth opened wide and a silent yawn passed through him. He slowly blinked a couple times before his eyes firmly shut, long lashes brushing his cheeks.


    He did it!


    He actually fell asleep!


    Many of the people watching couldn¡¯t help but feel a variety of amusement, irritation, and worry when they looked at him.


    A lot of them were wondering how he could possibly be so tired. In the week that he had been with them, the most he had done was sleep when they rested and drowsily ride his horse.


    When had he used any energy?


    Not to mention, he had been grouped in with the mercenaries and was supposed to be on alert--not sleeping!


    Even if he was only a D-ranked mercenary, there was some decency expected from him.


    Of course, the sleeping youth was unaware of all of the opinions directed towards him. His body continued to bounce along with the horses movements and he somehow managed to stay upright. Everyone watching thought that he was rather fortunate.


    But no one could see that it was not a miracle.


    There was a grey, hazy blob of anima that wrapped around the boy and his horse. Even though they were separate, it was as if they had been grouped together with the anima as glue. Only those at expert levels--such as Adamantem and beyond, would be able to manipulate the world¡¯s energy to this extent.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Yet, there was no subterfuge--the boy was only ranked at Argenti.


    If anyone had known this, they would have realized they were gazing at an undeniable genius.


    Emil sniffed, forcing his eyes too open up again.


    Of course, that sleeping teenager was him.


    I can¡¯t sleep here¡­ ah¡­ there¡¯s work to do.


    He rubbed his face, his dreary eyes rolling over the scene in front of him.


    Two more days of guarding the caravan.


    Under the Night Sage¡¯s brief advice before he threw Emil out, he was told two things:


    One, register to become a mercenary--they received a wide variety of jobs and it would help Emil gain a source of income as well as train. All of the knowledge he had was largely related to theory and it¡¯d pay for him to get more battle experience.


    Two, under no circumstances was he ever allowed to reveal his true strength. Even though Emil¡¯s corporeal body had reached only the Argenti stage, his mind and soul far exceeded that--especially after the Ancient Ones¡¯ blessings. His knowledge of the laws of space and time was extremely profound, allowing his skill level in operating magic to increase by leaps and bounds. He could punch well above his weight. Without the Night Sage¡¯s protection, it¡¯d be dangerous for Emil to reveal this. The world wasn¡¯t full of people with pure intents, after all. Young geniuses like Emil generally had two fates: death or forced servitude.


    So, he was restricted to only revealing strength that could be considered average or slightly above it. He wouldn¡¯t garner enough attention to cause any trouble.


    Other than a token that Emil could use once in an absolute emergency to teleport him to the Night Sage and some money, he had been given nothing else. After all, his teacher wasn¡¯t sending him out to his death. Rather, he wanted Emil to experience more of the world without having his hand held through all of it. The boy had come to understand quickly.


    Emil sighed, raising his gaze up to the sky.


    But still¡­ it¡¯s a little boring.


    He had been gone for a month. It had taken him three weeks to find his way out of the magical forest he had lived in for the past four years. And then another week to make it to a nearby city and apply to become a mercenary.


    But nothing interesting had happened. And no one here had any interest in conversation either. Those who knew each other stayed group together, but the individual remained in solitude. From the beginning, Emil didn¡¯t consider himself to be a very outgoing person, so he didn¡¯t bother going out of his way to become one.


    Instead, he continued on in silence.


    He yawned once more, his head dropping forward as he struggled to remain conscious. Ever since he had left the basement, he had felt extraordinarily exhausted. The first two weeks he had spent asleep, but when he woke up days later, it was like he hadn¡¯t slept at all. At first, he thought this was his body assimilating to all of the power he had gained. But then, he realized that the Ancient Ones had affected him more than he originally thought. The mark they placed on him was constantly siphoning life from him in exchange for power.


    Emil scratched his jaw and stared forward, his eyes sinking into darkness. He wouldn¡¯t die from it because he absorbed more anima in a day than the life force it took away from him. But the drowsiness as a side effect wasn¡¯t pleasant, either.


    ¡°Bastards,¡± he muttered under his breath. ¡°See if I ever speak to you again.¡±

 Twenty-Three: Arriving At Alma City

    Under the cloak of night, the caravan continued to progress. Not too far off, tall city walls could be seen.


    Emil¡¯s eyes twinkled as he gazed forward, ushering his horse to move up faster. The city that he had registered to become a mercenary in was quite small and Emil hadn¡¯t been very interested in it. Whereas Alma City was a large hub with plenty of amazing people coming to and from. He had learned about it when he had first joined the caravan who had been travelling from a far off land just to participate in a largely famous auction.


    It would be his first time ever stepping foot into such a place. The excitement had even overpowered his drowsiness and his deep set eyes were fully open and glittering.


    ¡°Finally,¡± Emil muttered to himself, ¡°I can begin¡­¡±


    A small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.


    He had the feeling that this place would be where his journey would kick off.


    ¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s two hundred taals a night for a one bedroom,¡± an elderly lady patiently explained to Emil at the bar of an inn.


    Emil nodded his head and thought for a moment.


    He had no sense for money. The Night Sage had given him a sack with a couple gold coins and five thousand taal but Emil wasn¡¯t certain how long that could last. He knew that the amount was rather small, though, considering that he¡¯d be on his own for the year.


    The mercenary job he just completed by escorting the caravan had a low difficulty rating, so it was only at the D-level. It had given him two additional gold coins.


    He scratched his neck before nodding and paid the woman for at least five nights. Emil decided that he would accept as many jobs as he could within this time period to earn more money. He¡¯d earn that many taals back quickly, he hoped.


    He proceeded to order a drink before going to an empty table and sitting down.


    Emil had chosen this place because a lot of the people that he had been with for the past week came here. It seemed like a pretty common spot and there were mercenaries coming in and out.


    For now, he wouldn¡¯t allow himself to take a long break until he earned a comfortable amount of gold coins. And he also needed to figure out how much they were even worth. Emil knew that taal was general currency used by the public and golden coins were a step above. Even more so, there were magical cores that rich mages dealt in.


    Emil scratched his neck and took a sip of his water.


    The Night Sage had told him about many things, but there were still concepts that he didn¡¯t understand and needed to learn for himself. With a sigh, the boy rested his head down on the wooden table.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    I need to find the mercenary¡¯s HQ here¡­ it shouldn¡¯t be too hard, I just need to ask someone.


    Just as he was about to get up and ask a familiar face, something else happened:


    ¡°Say that again, bitch?¡± a voice roared.


    A quieter, feminine voice responded, ¡°I said¡­ scum like you should just die already.¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    Emil glanced up, feeling the strong fighting intent spread throughout the inn. He directed his gaze over near the front of the inn where one figure was standing and the other was sitting. The woman that was sitting had her hood pulled over her so Emil couldn¡¯t see who she was, but the standing man was a mercenary that he recognized from the caravan.


    His eyes landed on the long, pole-like object that was wrapped with cloth that was resting against the woman¡¯s chair. There were strange pieces of paper on top of it with arrays drawn--a protective spell? He frowned, trying to recall if he had seen such a person. Maybe in passing? The caravan had been comprised of a few hundred people, so he couldn¡¯t remember them unless they stood out.


    He recognized the man because he had spoken to Emil a few times. Though, he hadn¡¯t gotten his name. He had seemed rather levelheaded, so the youth couldn¡¯t understand why he was so peeved by the woman¡¯s insult.


    ¡°Are you mad? Do you want to fight?¡± She laughed joyfully. ¡°I don¡¯t mind entertaining worms every now and then.¡±


    The mercenary clicked his tongue after awhile and averting his gaze away. Without saying anything else, he began to walk away with heavy footsteps.


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving? Bo-ring.¡± The woman leaned her chair back against the wall, kicking her feet up onto the table. ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯ll only be a D-ranked mercenary for the rest of your life.¡±


    Hearing her words, he spun around and glared. ¡°Shut the hell up, will you?¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do about it?¡± She giggled. ¡°Be mad, Mr. D-ranked?¡±


    Obviously, this was a sore spot for him. Whatever patience he had left towards her disappeared in that moment. ¡°I¡¯ll break your jaw if I have to!¡±


    Emil watched with mild interest as the man punched out, flying at an amazing speed towards her.


    The girl jumped into the air, grabbing the pole she carried as she avoided the mercenary¡¯s punch that shattered the table. With a graceful flip through the air, she landed a couple meters from the man.


    The movement caused the hood of her cloak to fall back, revealing a pretty face the tawny color of sand and pure white hair which neatly braided down her back.


    Emil felt a bit shocked. Based off of appearances, the girl should¡¯ve been around the same age as him. But the look in her crimson-colored eyes belonged to someone who lived on the battlefield. The amount of bloodlust they held made him feel wary towards her and he felt a bit of pressure.


    ¡°So you do want to fight...¡± she stated. She spun the cloth-wrapped pole around rapidly, creating a powerful gust of air. ¡°Here I come!¡±


    In what seemed like a casual, skilless movement, she thrusted out with her weapon.


    The man smirked upon seeing her attack. It was slow-moving and there was no strength behind it. Even he could dodge something like that with ease--all he had to do was step to the side.


    But just as he did so, that weak-seeming pole suddenly switched directions and slammed into his side. It happened very rapidly and not many were able to catch its movement or even see her hand twitch. The sound of his ribs shattering rung throughout and with a loud bang, the man was sent flying. His body burst through the stone walls of the inn, crashing into the nearby building and leaving a human-sized dent behind in the wall.


    The girl laughed gleefully as his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell to the ground. ¡°Idiot.¡± She casually twirled the pole a few times in her hand while shaking her head. Suddenly, she pivoted and turned to face the gaping crowd. ¡°Did you like the show?¡± she questioned them.


    Emil drew backwards.


    Not good¡­


    Those battle-frenzied eyes of hers were staring directly at him.

 Twenty-four: A Friend Of Sorts

    ¡°Boss, I¡¯ll pay you back for the repairs, okay?¡± the girl said to the old lady standing at the bar.


    The woman sighed in response. ¡°This is the third time this month.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry!¡± She laughed brightly, waving her hand apologetically.


    Emil felt his eyebrow twitch. So she was a regular at starting fights? From the looks of it, she must have been, because everyone had already gone back to their meal. Only a few looked at her for a bit longer before glancing away. What a scary person... And she was coming towards him.


    He watched with a growing sense of dread as she approached, taking the seat across from him. ¡°Hey!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you here before.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not from here,¡± Emil answered tightly. When she was this close, he could see the glowing arrays still spinning in her eyes before slowly disappearing. Was that part of her magic? He couldn¡¯t help but wonder. Even the tattoos had faintly glowed, but it was hardly noticeable.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± She grinned, revealing bright white teeth. ¡°Do you want to fight?¡±


    ¡°I refuse.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Why?¡±


    Emil recalled how she had easily sent the man flying. He was confident in his own fighting capabilities, but with the restraints he had placed on himself, he didn¡¯t know how well he¡¯d fare against her. Their battle experience varied greatly as well. There was no need for him to endanger himself right now, either. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ okay, maybe later.¡± Disappointment filled her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond for a second. If she didn¡¯t have any negative thoughts towards him, then it should be fine¡­ ¡°I¡¯m Emil.¡±


    ¡°Ira,¡± she introduced herself. ¡°B-class mercenary.¡±


    Hearing that, Emil¡¯s eyes widened even more. She was already that high ranked? How long had she been a mercenary? He reaffirmed that she was far from ordinary. She wasn¡¯t hiding her aura so Emil was able to discover that she had reached the first Argenti stage. She was only fourteen or fifteen, so that could already be considered pretty good.


    ¡°So, I was thinking that we should become friends!¡± Ira exclaimed, clapping her hands together. ¡°You¡¯re new around here, right? I don¡¯t mind helping you out and showing you the ropes.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± He didn¡¯t believe that she would do that out of the goodness of her heart seeing how she was so ready to initiate a fight. She wanted to keep an eye on him, probably.


    She tilted her head. ¡°Why? Because I want to. Do I need another reason?¡± Ira sighed, seeing that Emil didn¡¯t have an answer for her. ¡°Everyone in here is pretty weak. Even the children from my clan could take them down. But you¡­ your blood smells good.¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±


    Ira smirked and tapped her forehead. ¡°Bloody Valkyries? Have you heard of them? Our sense of smell is something special.¡±


    ¡°Not really¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah? Well, I¡¯m the daughter of the current chieftain. I got bored though so I ran away to come play in the Feram Empire¡¯s territory. Too many people recognize me in the Blackbone Alliance to dare get in my way.¡± She let out a sad sigh.


    Emil nodded his head slowly. He had heard of the Blackbone Alliance. Unlike the two empires that occupied this continent, the Blackbone Alliance didn¡¯t have a central power. It was basically comprised of independent countries that banned together. But the individual strength of each one was nothing to joke about, which was why they had a place to claim such a large amount of territory. He understood that it was a dangerous zone, though, with plenty of infighting. Why would anyone worry about her if war was common ground?


    ¡°The Bloody Valkyries are one of the top five powers in the Blackbone Alliance, if you were wondering,¡± she said, seeing his thoughtful expression. ¡°Do you know why?¡±


    He shook his head.


    She chuckled. ¡°Well, we¡¯re direct descendants from the Goddess of War, Bellum. We can¡¯t really be considered humans anymore. Our appearances are pretty similar, but the inside is different. Anyway, there¡¯s a small amount of us, but out of everyone, we have the highest fighting power.¡± Ira rested her head against her palm. ¡°If anyone tried to fight me, they¡¯d get slaughtered by Mama¡­ better yet, their whole family would be eradicated. The other top four ignore because they don¡¯t want to get involved. She¡¯s done it a few times and so did her mother. And her mother¡¯s mother. Make sense?¡±


    All Emil was capable of gathering from all of that was she came from a clan of bloodthirsty, hotheads. Who destroyed an entire family over a fight? Even more so, if they got away with it, that only meant their strength was more than enough to suppress everyone else. The thought of that made his spine tingle.


    Wouldn¡¯t that be bad for him if he offended the young madame?


    Ira smiled, seeing the shift of Emil¡¯s attitude. ¡°But I¡¯m not too interested in all those politics. No one wants to fight me there, so I came here instead. But you guys are weak here. Our little kids could defeat the average warrior here,¡± she said gloomily.


    ¡°Why are you telling me all of this?¡± Emil questioned slowly. If others found out her background, wouldn¡¯t they also avoid her? He already didn¡¯t want to be associated with her from hearing that. He was pretty confident in the Night Sage¡¯s strength within the Feram Empire, but the Blackbone Alliance was had monsters like the Bloody Valkyries. Besides, it sounded like Ira¡¯s mother had also passed the mortal realm and was at least at the Speculo rank. No¡­ if she lead an entire clan that powerful, she was even stronger than that.


    She laughed. ¡°We¡¯re going to be friends so what does it matter?¡±


    He let out a laugh that didn¡¯t quite match her excitement. ¡°Why do you want to be my friend? I¡¯m no one special.¡±


    ¡°But I want to spar against you.¡±


    ¡°I refuse.¡±


    ¡°I already said that we can try later if you don¡¯t want to now. Is there anything wrong with just having a little spar eventually?¡±


    Emil shook his head silently. He didn¡¯t have a response to that. It¡¯d be weird if he vehemently denied it. Besides, the frenzied look in her eyes was beginning to creep him out. He felt that if he kept turning her down, she¡¯d just attack here and now. ¡°Well,¡± Emil trailed off.


    ¡°I already told you¡­ your blood smells good. That means that you¡¯re strong. You can¡¯t fool my nose. I can sense that there¡¯s a lot of power inside of you. I don¡¯t think you can use anything other than a fraction of it. But¡­ even that little piece...¡± The red of her eyes grew purer, a sinister grin spreading from ear to ear forming on her face. ¡°Makes my blood boil.¡±

 Twenty-five: A C-Ranked Mission

    Emil felt as if his entire life had taken another turn.


    Currently, he was being pulled along to the mercenary¡¯s guild by Ira. She had barely given him a second to process her words before she had grabbed him and dragged him out of the inn, proclaiming that the two of them were going to go let off some steam.


    He dragged his feet on the stone pavement, his eyelids hanging low over his eyes. His lazy, gloomy aura was back in full force, greatly contrasting with the excitement being exuded by Ira.


    He stared at her back, wondering if he would regret the decision. Ira seemed like a ticking time bomb, but if he wanted to get away from her, he¡¯d have to expend some energy. Emil couldn¡¯t determine if it was worth it or not. Ira, ultimately, didn¡¯t have negative intentions. She just wanted to battle.


    But, he had initially planned to find someone to help him learn some more basic information about the city and mercenary¡¯s, and Ira fit that. Also, she was rather willing and knowledgeable. Even if her personality was a bit off putting, there wasn¡¯t a need for him to turn down her assistance.


    That was why he was allowing her to drag him around.


    ¡°Emil, you¡¯re D-ranked, right?¡± Ira questioned, tossing a glance back at him.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the current level of your anima circuit?¡±


    ¡°First level of Argenti. Same as you,¡± he lied smoothly. He had already reached the second level after his two years of seclusion, but he didn¡¯t plan on letting that be known.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± She stared at him for a while longer, her grip on his forearm tightening.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Her gaze shifted back to the front and loosened up her hold. ¡°No, nothing.¡±


    Emil¡¯s eyes narrowed. Could she see through that? No, it didn¡¯t make sense. He was suppressing himself and restraining his aura. Only those at the Adamantem level would be able to determine his true strength and even then, they¡¯d only get a sense that he was hiding it. They had to reach the Speculo level to see-through him completely.


    Of course, Emil was not capable of this level of subterfuge on his own yet. The Night Sage had given him two rings that he had blessed with his magic that were capable of the feat. To anyone else that wasn¡¯t past the mortal rankings, they appeared to be normal accessories.


    Was it because of his blood, like she had said? No, he couldn¡¯t even be certain that she could tell. Thus far, she had been very upfront with everything. Emil got the sense that she was a direct person that didn¡¯t bother with lying or trickery.


    It worked out better for him, in that case.


    ¡°Are you interested in joining me for a job, by the way?¡± Ira suddenly questioned, redirecting Emil¡¯s train of thought.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    He nodded. He was looking for a mission anyway. ¡°Well, wouldn¡¯t it be a B-ranked, though?¡± He didn¡¯t know why she would accept anything lower than that.


    ¡°No. Not necessarily.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Some new ruins opened up. It¡¯s a C-ranked job, but if I recommend you, you¡¯ll be able to do it.¡±


    C-ranked? Even though it was only a rank above his own, that meant that the job carried the risk of injury or death. Ruin exploration was particularly dangerous because the previous inhabitants tended to leave traps and guards¡­ but at the same time, treasure could be found. ¡°Are they dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Probably. I haven¡¯t been yet. There¡¯s fifty spots and around half are taken already. I signed up earlier today and there should be room for at least one more. The job starts tonight,¡± she explained patiently as they approached a nondescript building.


    Emil could sense that it was reinforced with magical arrays though and nodded appreciatively. ¡°I¡¯m fine with that.¡±


    The two of them entered the building. The first floor had a decent amount of people in it but it was relatively quiet. Directly ahead was the registration desk where the mercenaries could pick up jobs and the like as well as for new ones to sign up. To the left was the mission listing board, and the right side had most of the chairs and tables that they could sit at.


    There wasn¡¯t much of a line at the desk, so Emil was able to register to accept the job pretty quickly. He had wanted to ask questions and read more of what it was about, but Ira was rushing him, so he didn¡¯t bother.


    It was still only C-ranked and the strength requirement was being the third rank Aes stage. This meant that, technically speaking, he would be perfectly safe.


    Now that he had secured a spot¡ªthere had only been two remaining¡ªIra was no longer trying to make him hurry, so he was able to look at the paper he had been given once they sat down.


    Emil read through the description. Apparently, the ruins belonged to a Speculo ranked mage from a few centuries ago. He had died, but left an inheritance for his late son who had passed away before he could receive it. One of their ancestors was the job commissioner, so they were able to get access into the old manor which required a blood right.


    The base pay was already at ten gold coins and the mercenaries were allowed to keep any items they found on their own.


    ¡°That¡¯s weird, isn¡¯t it?¡± Emil asked Ira.


    ¡°What is?¡±


    ¡°We can keep what we find. Normally, wouldn¡¯t we give these items to the family?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°Who cares? I just heard that the first team got wiped out, so something strong must be there. I¡¯m interested.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Wiped out?¡±


    Ira blinked. ¡°Oh. Yeah. They died. There was a survivor, but he passed later from the poison in his system. His throat had been crushed and his hands were chopped off, so no one knows what happened.¡±


    ¡°Brutal¡­ and it¡¯s only C-ranked?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It was a bunch of weaklings that went¡ªnone of them met the current strength requirement, so they upped it.¡±


    Emil sunk into thought. It made more sense now as to why Ira wanted to go. He wasn¡¯t too concerned about his own safety because he could protect himself as long as the enemy wasn¡¯t too much stronger than him. But in that case, Emil was more than capable of escaping with his spatial magic.


    Still, the circumstances of the survivor seemed a bit strange. He was injured in way that left him incapable of communicating, which felt suspicious because he was the only one that got out. And the poison¡­


    ¡°Was he a warning?¡± Emil wondered aloud.


    ¡°What are you talking about? Does it even matter?¡± Ira kicked her legs up onto the table they sat at. ¡°I¡¯m taking a nap. Wake me up when it¡¯s time to leave.¡±


    A nap? Emil blinked drowsily. Indeed, it sounded like a good idea. But also, he had the sense that this job was not simple. It was that gut feeling again.


    He patted his mouth as he yawned, resting his head down on his arms.


    Well, it¡¯d be fine.

 Twenty-six: Exploration Begins

    A large group of fifty or so people had gathered in front of the city walls.


    Emil¡¯s and Ira¡¯s youthful faces stood out among the crowd, so they drew the gazes of a few curious people. But, everyone here qualified for the strength requirement, so they eventually moved on.


    Standing at the lead of the group was a group of three. One was an elderly man with a stern, scarred face. He stood with his back ramrod straight and arms folded behind his back. Flanking his sides, two women stood in a similar manner with somber expressions. The immediate impression that anyone got from the trio was that they were uptight.


    Ira let out a low whistle as she gazed at them, her crimson eyes glistening. ¡°That old man might be worth something,¡± she appraised in a quiet voice.


    Emil glanced at her then back at him before nodding his head. He got the sensation that the leader of the group was stronger than everyone here. He wondered what level he was at. Other than the Night Sage and Duke Alexander, this was the strongest person he¡¯d laid his eyes on. He was weaker than them, though.


    The man spoke in a deep, commanding voice, ¡°The object of your mission is to investigate the manor left by our late master. You may take any items that you deem to be of value. All you are responsible for is building a clear path to the inheritance--of which, you are not allowed to touch. Do not even gaze at it.¡±


    ¡°Are you fine with that? Us taking anything we find? What if we take it all?¡± one man from the crowd spoke up.


    His eyes slid over to the speaker. There was a barely perceptible sneer on his face. ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Ira,¡± Emil whispered.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°For the first mission, did they offer the same rewards?¡±


    ¡°I believe so,¡± she stated while stretching out her arms. ¡°Aren¡¯t they cruel?¡±


    Emil nodded his head and gazed towards the leader of the trio with a deep look in his eyes. ¡°Well, whatever¡­¡±


    Even if that was their intention, he didn¡¯t plan on getting involved. He didn¡¯t consider himself a warrior of justice, after all. He¡¯d clear the mission, collect the ten gold, and move on. He looked at Ira. Based off her comment, she also knew what was going on. That was probably her intention, as well. Scratch that. She just wanted a fight, meaning she wouldn¡¯t sweat the details.


    Emil crossed his arms behind his head and sighed, his drooping eyelids shutting as the man continued to speak. The first few traps had already been dismantled by the initial group, which was the only thing worthwhile to listen to.


    Ira wasn¡¯t paying much attention either and was doing light warm-ups. ¡°Emil, how fast are you?¡±


    He shrugged. He went through physical training with the Night Sage, but he still wasn¡¯t at Ira¡¯s level. Still, Emil could move relatively fast.


    ¡°Well. Once they open up the gate, we¡¯re charging in.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    She laughed. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? We¡¯re ditching these guys.¡±


    Emil looked around at the forty-eight others. He didn¡¯t know how many others had caught on, so Ira¡¯s plan of going off on their own was probably for the best. If not, they¡¯d wind up getting involved. He rolled his neck. ¡°I understand,¡± he stated plainly. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Ira smirked at him, vague amusement evident on her face.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll be opening the portal to the ruins now,¡± the elderly man, Reynold, stated. He then nodded at the women flanking his side.


    They begin to whisper a spell underneath their breath after forming a triangle. Soon after, a dimensional rift opened up, large enough for a person to squeeze through. It was a dark, purple abyss that gave off an ominous feeling.


    ¡°This portal will remain open for one day. Please return back before then, we¡¯ll be waiting here for you.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Ira said, following the tide of the group around them as everyone headed into the gate.


    The two of them easily weaved through the crowd and made their way to the front of those that were filing in. Few even noticed the duo breeze by them.


    It was Emil¡¯s first time going through a portal to a different dimension. Better yet, a demiplane. It existed in between realms and the laws of the world were manipulated a bit by the owner. There, they would usually store their prized possessions or seal themselves away to meditate. These were the two most common uses. The Night Sage had one as well, but Emil had never gone inside of it. But, it was connected to the basement that Emil had spent two years in.


    Even though they could access these places anywhere, the dimensions required a root to the real world because they were not powerful enough to exist on their own. Wherever these roots were, the interactions between the demiplane and the real world always caused the anima to flow there and gather densely. The Night Sage¡¯s was one where he meditated, which caused the anima to be even denser.


    Generally speaking, powerful mage¡¯s tended to pass their demiplanes through generations because they were expensive to maintain and very rare. Sometimes, the families were not strong enough to explore it on their on, so they hired outside help. This was one of those cases.


    Emil was very interested in creating his own version with his spatial magic, but he was nowhere near powerful enough to do so yet. Actually, he knew that it was possible to create his own little world that didn¡¯t rely on a root, but that was even further off than making a demiplane--it was something that only those who had reached the peak had managed.


    The sensation of crossing into another realm was like moving through a thick, sticky liquid. The laws of the world here were different. If one didn¡¯t understand the original ones well enough, their bodies would have a hard time adapting quickly.


    Since these were trained mercenaries, the majority just shook their head and carried on, albeit slowly. There was still an effect, after all so no one would try to push themselves. It could harm their mana circuit.


    As for Emil, his body strangely had no reaction to it. He felt in control, as usual. He wondered if it was because of his natural affinity or due to other reasons. He glanced at Ira, but she also seemed to be fine. If anything, she seemed to be more energized than before.


    What was this girl made out of? Were all the Bloody Valkyries like this or was she an oddball? He felt tempted to ask.Ira had said she was the chieftain''s daughter, which possibly meant her War Goddess¡¯ bloodline was purer and she wouldn¡¯t be affected by this much. He had learned a bit from the Night Sage about bloodline powers. Emil knew that the pure ones contained the mysteries of the powerful ancients, but his knowledge didn¡¯t go deeper than that.


    As he was thinking, Ira was casually stretching some more. ¡°Ready?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± He blinked, drawn back to the situation at hand.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± she exclaimed, getting down into a sprinting position.


    Emil barely had time to blink before she shot off. He glanced down at the small dent in the ground she had left and wondered how he was supposed to catch up to her rapidly receding figure.


    Part of him debated going off on his own. He did not think Ira was all bad once she stopped asking for duels. He had noticed that she was just lonely and far from home, but¡­


    In his mind, Ira was one of the lucky people in the world. She was born blessed and talented with a life planned out for her. It was no wonder why she felt bored. But, he felt the slightest bit of irritation because of that. He couldn¡¯t help but recall how his life had been just a few years ago--he didn¡¯t have the luxury of being bored. In fact, he had been one of the weaklings she preached about.


    He shook his head.


    If it wasn¡¯t for her strange friendship offer, he wouldn¡¯t have gotten this job and he knew how to be grateful. And she was strong enough to provide an umbrella over him so Emil didn¡¯t think he¡¯d have to work hard.


    With a light sigh, he began to run after her.

 Twenty-seven: Falling Into The Trap

    Emil eventually caught up to Ira who was waiting in front of the manor gates. It wasn¡¯t too far¡ªmaybe a mile or two from where they had entered. But with everyone else¡¯s slow pace, the two had a significant headstart.


    Now that he thought about it, Ira was rather sly. She had immediately assumed that he would be able to keep up without being affected by the new laws¡ªand he had unthinkingly proved her right. He could tell by the glimmering interest in her eyes that he had messed up a bit. It was too late to bother putting up an act now.


    He sighed inwardly. It wasn¡¯t too big of a deal and she didn¡¯t say anything about it, either. It could be explained in multiple ways, so Emil brushed it to the side and focused on the issue at hand.


    ¡°This is it?¡± Emil questioned, turning to look at the dilapidated building. It was done in an old, outdated style. Without the owner keeping the world in tact, everything created inside of it was beginning to collapse.


    ¡°Looks like it.¡± Ira tapped on the wrought-iron gates and watched them fall over. ¡°They¡¯ve already cleared the entrance and bottom floor. It looks to be around three stories excluding the basement. The commissioners don¡¯t know where the inheritance is¡­¡±


    ¡°How about you use that nose of yours?¡± Emil joked. She had seemed to be rather proud of it.


    Ira laughed. ¡°If only I could use it in that way. But we are going to have to find it on your own. Shouldn¡¯t be too hard.¡± She licked her lips. ¡°There should be some fun encounters along the way, I¡¯m sure. I smell a bit of blood.¡±


    She pushed open the front door and let out a disgusted sound. Emil had a second to wonder what had caused that reaction when the smell hit him: the heavy stench of blood and rot.


    He covered his nose and mouth as he stepped into the foyer next to Ira. The sight in front of him made his stomach queasy.


    A massacre had occurred here.


    At first glance, forty or so corpses littered the ground. Their blood had formed a congealed pool that coated most of the tile, stopping only a few steps from where the two stood. The bodies were all torn up beyond recognition, as if they had been ripped apart by ravenous beast or put through a shredder. There were clumps of viscera splattered on the wall, large chunks of skin with hair sticking out of them along with bone shards. Some bodies were still more or less intact--only missing a limb or so--but their skulls had been cracked open and brain matter spilled out. The veins on almost all of the corpses were engorged and had turned a nasty shade of green.


    For Emil, it wasn¡¯t the first time he had seen gore, after all, he had killed before. But this was... It reminded him of the beasts that attacked his village even though he had not seen most of the carnage. He wasn¡¯t very affected by it and remained weirdly calm, but the sight definitely wasn¡¯t pleasant.


    Most importantly was that the bodies were still pretty fresh. It had only been a day or two, so even though they smelled, the indoors allowed them to decompose slower. The nasty, rotting aroma came from something else. Mixed in was the slightest trace of sulphur.


    ¡°Ghouls,¡± Ira muttered, sniffing the air with a disdainful expression. They were pretty common beasts on the old battlefields her mother took her to when she was younger, so she recognized their scent. ¡°How did they get in here?¡±


    Emil wasn¡¯t sure either. In demiplanes like these, anything that wasn¡¯t invited couldn¡¯t enter. Which meant there was no way for there to be ghouls unless they had been brought inside. It was possible for the corpses to have enough hateful intent to become the undead, but that would require longer than a day or two. Not to mention, these people were killed by something. Which meant...You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    He took a step into the blood pool and moved over to a dismembered arm, seeing evidence that it had been chewed on. Emil¡¯s continued on, not caring about his boots growing dirty as he examined the bodies. Most of them, he couldn¡¯t tell, but the less ravaged ones looked like they had been slashed by sharp objects or torn. He pressed on the swollen veins of a body and watched it burst, a smelly and green liquid seeping out. It was the curse from ghouls that affected those that they touched.


    ¡°It¡¯s a feeding ground,¡± Emil stated slowly. Ghouls were messy and wasteful eaters. But they¡¯d often come back to their previous meals and continued to feast. Whether or not the meat had rotted wasn¡¯t really any concern of theirs. He was sure that, once they grew hungry again, the ghouls would finish off what remained in here.


    Ira¡¯s face turned ugly. ¡°There was more lies to this mission than I thought.¡±


    Emil nodded his head. He had also misjudged their intentions. ¡°I was thinking that they were just robbers,¡± he said to Ira, checking to see if she had been on the same page.


    ¡°Yeah. They wouldn¡¯t go searching for treasure themselves, but whoever tried to leave with any would be attacked by them.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t an uncommon method. But the thieves only attacked those who had grabbed items. Basically, they paid everyone then and later, they¡¯d target the individuals who had gotten good rewards. Those ones would die and the thieves took back what they paid the mercenaries. This behavior was generally looked down upon, though and the practice had fallen off. The strange conditions of the mission had lead Emil to believe that was the case.


    Emil and Ira, and possibly others, had figured this out, but weren¡¯t bothered by it. If it didn¡¯t involve them, why would they? Even Ira didn¡¯t have the intention of purposefully luring in the robbers¡ªshe¡¯d rather fight head-on.


    ¡°I thought they had misguaged how powerful the ruins were and the first batch died except for the survivor¡­ they probably were the ones that did that to him in order to draw more attention.¡± Ira stated.


    If everyone had been wiped out, perhaps, the C-rankers would have been hesitant. But the thought that a lowly, D-ranked mercenary could make out alive meant that could do even better than that and succeed. It challenged prideful people like Ira to come explore.


    ¡°But we were fooled in the end, so I guess none of that matters. We missed a very important fact: they¡¯re not thieves, they¡¯re necromancers.¡±


    Everything had been a lie to lure in victims. There wasn¡¯t an inheritance and there certainly weren¡¯t treasures waiting to be grabbed.


    Emil gripped his fist tightly. The mercenary¡¯s guild didn¡¯t start background checking jobs and approving them until they reached at least the A-rank. It was because C and D-ranked missions were far too abundant for them to bother. B-ranked was in the middle and depending on what was being requested of the mercenaries, it would undergo to the check.


    The man that had been allowed to escape was probably so that they could draw the attention of stronger folk to feed their creatures. After all, from the beginning, they wouldn¡¯t have been strong enough to handle C-ranked mercenaries. But with the blood and flesh of fifty D-ranked mercenaries, they must have grown stronger.


    Necromancy was not a banned magic. Though, it was not very common. Its practitioners had a tendency towards evil, but this world was not one that cared about such things. Most people just didn¡¯t have the stomach to endure it because becoming a good necromancer always required¡­ experimentation.


    There were multiple paths for necromancers to take, but the most simple and effective one was raising up undead creatures and feeding them meat. The higher the quality of food, the faster their undead army would grow. So, it wasn¡¯t uncommon for necromancers to begin using humans as a food source. If exposed, they were normally executed or had bounties on their heads. Sorcerers who practiced necromancy tended to very tricky due to this. Usually, by the time one realized they had fallen into their trap, it would have been too late and death was nearly certain.


    Ira laughed crazily as she reached her conclusion. ¡°They want to use me as feed? Hah! Let¡¯s see if they are worthy enough.¡±


    Seeing the light in Ira¡¯s eyes, Emil let out his own little chuckle. He had to agree with her words. Emil was naturally cautious, but he was still a teenager with hot blood. The tiredness that plagued him weighed down on his body, but his desire to beat down the necromancer was even stronger.

 Twenty-eight: The Basement

    Ira took off with a powerful leap, gracefully flying over the pool of blood and landing on the far left side of the room in front of a wooden door. She grabbed the pole that was on her back and jammed it into the ground, forcing it to stand upright.


    In a swift movement, she threw off the cloak that she had on, revealing the shorts and tube top she wore. Emil¡¯s eyes were quickly drawn to the cloth that was wrapped around her chest and her right arm. Similar to the pole on her back, there were array papers plastered on top. Her right leg was wrapped in similar fashion.


    He realized that his previous assumption that her weapon had protective wards on it was wrong--they were sealing arrays. Because now, he could sense something pulsating underneath. The longer his eyes focused on the seals, the slower his heart rate became¡­ there was something strange.


    Ira became more of an enigma.


    A sinister grin formed on Ira¡¯s face as she turned to look back at him. ¡°I can smell them. Come.¡±


    Emil nodded and walked over to her. ¡°A basement?¡± he surmised as she opened up the door, seeing the staircase that lead downwards.


    ¡°This place must not have been the necromancer¡¯s originally. There¡¯s still an artificial sun that emits light. The ghouls are weak to it, so they¡¯ve been ordered to wait underground before feedings.¡± Ira could easily deduce what was happening and began walking down the old, rickety staircase after grabbing her weapon.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible that the previous owner of this space died and they stole the array. They¡¯re not skilled managing it, though, which is why it¡¯s shattering.¡± Emil closed the door and followed after her.


    ¡°Why bother with this then? They won¡¯t be able to utilize this area much longer and won¡¯t have any other choice but to let their ghouls out.¡±


    Emil considered her words. ¡°There has to be a reason why their upgrading their undead in this manner. After all, if they continue on, people will figure it out and place a bounty on them.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re in a hurry,¡± Ira guessed based off of what he said. ¡°Or else they wouldn¡¯t need to get this much fuel within a short amount of time. Could be that they¡¯re trying to get the most out of the space before it breaks.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s possible.¡± Emil tried to think as they continued on the way. After all, they were going to have to confront the necromancers if they wanted to get out after handling the ghouls. He wanted to leave now, but there was no way that would be possible. If they tried to leave by avoiding the necromancer, they¡¯d be confronted by the trio waiting outside the dimensional gate. ¡°What do you think our chances are of getting out?¡±


    ¡°The ghouls shouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem. We¡¯re expecting them and without the necromancer¡¯s direct control, they¡¯re nothing. That old man outside seemed pretty powerful. I didn¡¯t get the usually sticky feeling from him that necromancers have, though,¡± Ira said. ¡°One of the women must be, right? Admittedly, I didn¡¯t pay much attention to them.¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Emil shook his head. ¡°I think the necromancer didn¡¯t show their face. They might be in the group that went inside.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Like you said, without the undead being controlled, they can be dispatched pretty easily. Mindless beasts wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against fifty mercenaries, even if there was double the amount. Ghouls aren¡¯t powerful enough on their on. But, with the necromancer directing them, their strength increases substantially. If they want to succeed, they came in here with everyone else. My guess is that the necromancer is going to try and weaken the group some before attacking. They more than likely took control over the majority of the mercenaries here and would be able to mislead them when they see the foyer¡­ So, we should have time.¡±


    Ira clicked her tongue. ¡°They¡¯ll probably charge here when they senses that we¡¯re attacking their ghouls, though.¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Emil felt a bit irritated. If they hadn¡¯t charged off immediately, they might have been able to find out who the necromancer was based off their reaction when they entered the portal. But at the same time, they were completely ignorant to everything up until five minutes ago. In fact, if they hadn¡¯t rushed ahead¡­ Emil didn¡¯t think that he would¡¯ve died, but they would lose the advantage they had gained now.


    ¡°The necromancer takes care of the people inside and if anyone escapes, the old man probably deals with them,¡± Ira stated to speak. Her voice trembled, ¡°He¡¯s stronger than both of us right now.¡±


    Emil glanced at Ira, positive that he hadn¡¯t detected fear. Sure enough, her eyes were wide open and shaking with excitement and he could feel her bloodlust leaking out.


    She¡¯s crazy.


    Emil was not a coward, but he had planned on running from Reynold. The only way he stood a chance was by revealing his strength, which he had been ordered not to do. Which meant that his best bet was to get away to the safety of Alma City.


    ¡°Reynold¡¯s probably at the Aurum or Adamentam rank. You don¡¯t stand a chance¡­ especially if it¡¯s the latter.¡±


    Ira grabbed her violently trembling right hand with her left. ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°So, you shouldn¡¯t fight him.¡± Emil¡¯s eyes focused on how the writing on the array papers emitted a faint, red glow.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me,¡± Ira responded plainly as they reached the end of the staircase. There was another wooden door, and the foul smell of the ghouls was at its strongest. ¡°Can¡¯t you see we¡¯re birds of a feather?¡±


    At her words, he glanced back up at her face only to see her smiling dryly at her wrapped arm.


    ¡°I wonder.¡±


    He did not think they were. But, there was certainly a similarity.


    Emil pinched his nose as Ira pushed the door open, allowing them to step inside before shutting it behind her.


    There was the faint sound of many voices moaning in the distance. There were no torches down here, so they were completely in the dark. Emil was not very bothered by it and neither was Ira, but she still light a small flame using magic. The softly glowing orb bobbed above their heads, allowing them to see a few feet in front of them.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to charge forth,¡± Ira said. ¡°There¡¯s no point in wasting any time.¡±


    ¡°All right¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t wrong. It was better to move quickly right now.


    Emil watched in mild interest as she adopted a strange stance, holding the pole tightly. Her eyes began to glow, white magic circles appearing and spinning in her irises. At her feet, two crimson circles appeared and spun rapidly. The stone underneath her showed signs of caving in and Ira shot off, disappearing in a flash of red light. The blast of wind made Emil¡¯s clothing and hair whip around wildly for a second and she had disappeared from his vision.

 Twenty-Nine: Ira

    Ever since she could remember, Ira was bored.


    When she was three, Ira had been sent into the wild on her own. If she did not survive the week, it was because she was too weak. And the weak had no place in the Bloody Valkyrie clan. Every warrior underwent this task despite its high mortality rate.


    Her mother told her a phrase before the girl could understand words: the worthy survive.


    When she was five, she was thrown deeper into the magical forest for an entire year. This was her mother¡¯s order, not clan tradition. Not only did Ira survive, she attempted to devour one of the kings of the jungle on the last day. Her mother had to rip her away before beast killed her daughter.


    Within her clan, she was far stronger than her peers from a young age. They stood no chance against the wild girl. And the only ones that she couldn¡¯t defeat had no interest in battling her because of her status. The only way to win against Ira was to beat her down till she could not stand¡ªno one would do that to their leader¡¯s child.


    Her mother, in the simplest of terms, was overprotective. She had good reason¡ªIra was very important for the clan. The potency of her bloodline was the purest anyone¡¯s had ever been. Once she passed the tests, she was forced to stay and learn by her mother¡¯s side.


    But because of this suppression, Ira¡¯s natural instinct to fight was also affected. She was too stifled and no one challenged her. Once, she demanded for a fight and ultimately beat a young warrior to a bloody pulp because of her pent-up aggression. After that, no one tried her.


    Everything was boring.


    So, when she was thirteen, she ran away. She easily became a mercenary in the Feram Empire and soared through its ranks. Ira was not stupid and knew her mother had allowed her this, which caused her to act out even more in rebellion.


    A year later, she was finally feeling a bit entertained. She had not felt this way since she had tried to eat the Cold King which was far stronger than her.


    She had met someone very interesting. Because of her beast-like intuition, she was able to tell that Emil was stronger than her even though he pretended to be weak. More like, something within her blood resonated deeply with what was inside of him.


    And he wouldn¡¯t fight her, either. In Ira¡¯s mind, dominancy was always established through battle. The thought that friends didn¡¯t compete for leadership never crossed her mind.


    This refusal of his made her extremely aggravated.


    Which meant that these ghouls, even though there were two hundred of them, were destined to become her punching bag.


    It was kind of fun, though.


    Ira¡¯s natural place was in battle. The Goddess of War¡¯s blood flowed through her veins, it was only natural that she excelled here. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The scene of Ira single-handedly fighting the ghouls was what Emil arrived to. She, seemingly, effortlessly glided through the crowd while wielding her pole, a rare and solemn expression on her face. He had expected many things from Ira while she was fighting, but not that eerie calm--even against her current enemies.


    Ghouls were revolting creatures. Their bodies were pale and bloated, emitting a thick, rotting stench. Whatever wounds they incurred did not heal, causing many of them to be missing chunks of flesh or entire limbs. Some could only crawl using their powerful arms and launch themselves. Their bodily fluids were toxic as well, so one had to be careful not to be sprayed.


    Another factor was that ghouls formed up to one or two anima cores: one in their brain, heart, or both. Some mutants existed and their core didn¡¯t have to be in either of those spots. The only way to kill any ghoul, though, was by shattering its core.


    Right now, Ira¡¯s effectiveness couldn¡¯t be considered bad or good. It was because with the swarm surrounding her, she didn¡¯t focus on landing killing blows on every enemy. Even though her attacks would¡¯ve severely injured anyone else, they didn¡¯t deter the ghouls much and they continued to charge at her.


    But, once Emil stepped forward alongside her, the death toll began to increase. Since no one was around other than Ira, and she had mostly seen through him, Emil didn¡¯t limit himself as much as he usually would.


    Just his proficiency with spatial magic would be enough and this was a good training spot for accuracy.


    He pulled out the two daggers he kept, their silver light flashing in the darkness. Strangely, Emil closed his eyes.


    Thump.


    He recalled the feeling of the Night Sage¡¯s chambers and the sense of unity he had gained there. He knew that he was still too rough and was far from achieving perfection, but the only way to reach that way was through practicing.


    Thump.


    Emil¡¯s arm slowly moved and the tip of his blade disappeared slowly, then the rest of it slipped into a small spatial crack. It reappeared embedded in a ghoul¡¯s core, easily piercing through the fragile gem. His other hand was not idle and he had taken out another enemy.


    It was the magic spell, Lesser Relocation.


    He had more or less mastered it and was able to cast it twice at once with another the multicasting spell, Echo.


    Emil let out a breath and continued to swing his blades, each movement fatally wounding a ghoul. His eyes remained closed. It was easier for him to solely focus on anima concentrations this way, allowing him to hone in even closer. Ira was drawing the attention of the ghouls, so he was able to do this without much worry.


    If it wasn¡¯t for her, he would not have been able to do this as relaxedly.


    Neither of them lowered their guard, though.


    The necromancer could appear at any moment and the difficulty of the battle would rise. By now, they should have sensed that something was wrong. Emil did not know what type of actions the necromancer would take, but he still mentally prepared himself for the worst. That way, he would not be taken by surprise.


    Actually, he was already pretty pissed that he wound up in this situation.


    He steeled his jaw, a lick of murderous intent escaping from him.


    This was the first time Emil felt the desire to kill.


    But, within just that split second, Ira¡¯s hackles rose and her entire body went cold. Her sharp instincts made her drawback out of habit. Then she blinked, wondering what had happened. Her eyes slid over to Emil¡¯s mostly still figure. His eyes were closed and his posture seemed loose, showing none of the signs that it had came from him.


    Oh¡­ maybe he¡¯ll loosen up some, she thought once she realized the sensation had come from him. With a laugh, Ira jumped back into the fray in an even more frenzied dance than before.

 Thirty: Unforeseen Circumstances

    30: Unforeseen Circumstances


    After a few minutes, the massive ghoul horde had been eradicated. The ground was littered with their corpses, oozing stinky and viscous blood.


    Emil and Ira stood in the basement, a strange expression on both of their faces. There was slight anger apparent on Ira¡¯s face and her lips were pressed into a hard, straight line.


    The necromancer never came.


    Neither of them were able to understand why.


    ¡°Could they not have been inside?¡± Ira wondered, her irritation evident. Even though she did not display it outwardly, she still had a cautious side to her. The thought of being ignorant right now left her uneasy.


    ¡°Even so, they would have sensed that we¡¯ve been killing their soldiers.¡±


    What did it mean if the necromancer didn¡¯t come to confront them?


    Emil had an idea in his head, but he did not like this conclusion.


    Ira clicked her tongue. ¡°Damn¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible that we underestimated our enemy,¡± Emil said, sheathing his daggers. ¡°And that may have lost us our advantage.¡±


    She tightened her hands into fists. ¡°I think you¡¯re right.¡±


    Every move they had made thus far was based off an assumption.


    The two of them came to realize that this might have been more dangerous than originally expected. It wasn¡¯t that they were looking down on the necromancer, but both of them operated under the thought that the ghouls were the main reason behind their actions. If these creatures were to be attacked, wouldn¡¯t the necromancer jumped forward to stop it?


    But they hadn¡¯t.


    Which meant that the ghouls were not that important and the necromancer could afford to sacrifice them.


    Was it to mislead people like Ira and Emil? It couldn¡¯t be said for sure. Either way, they had been revealed to the necromancer while the latter remained in the shadows.


    Emil did not consider himself to be a mastermind. He was very aware of his own limits and tried to compensate for them. Generally, he tried to err on the side of caution.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Ira was on the same boat. She was intelligent enough, but had a naturally straightforward personality.


    Both had fall into the multiple traps the necromancer had laid thus far.


    It left them feeling bitter.


    Emil kicked himself for not having taken longer to think it through. He knew that the time did not allow them that luxury, but he still was irritated.


    Now they know we¡¯re aware of them.


    This could lead to many possibilities. One was that the necromancer would hide themselves even deeper in the crowd. Or, they would begin their hidden agenda even sooner now. There were other choices, but Emil felt that these two were the most logical.


    After all, the array would not remain open long enough for the necromancer to dilly-daddle. Especially since they were aware that there was at least one person or more that knew about the truth. Even if they didn¡¯t want to, they¡¯d have to hurry it up because it was possible that their plan could be interrupted.


    Emil and Ira both agreed on this. They considered finding the main group and joining up with them. This would, perhaps, apply pressure. It would be possible for them to reveal the necromancer¡¯s existence and possible goals to everyone else, gaining the support of the majority.


    Still, it also meant that the necromancer would know their faces and they¡¯d lose all form of secrecy. It was a trade-off which could prove to beneficial to them.


    Anyone who acted suspiciously would be doubted and isolated by the rest of the group so the necromancer would have to react fast if they didn¡¯t want to become a suspect.


    Both of them agreed that forcing the necromancer into making a choice was their best option. They were still pretty confident that he was in the late Argenti stage or else he wouldn¡¯t bother with all of the extra trouble and directly attack the mercenaries. The man outside the array was probably an hired for protection.


    If they could end the necromancer, there was a chance that he wouldn¡¯t even bother with them because he wouldn¡¯t get paid for it. They still operated under the basis that he would attack them, though.


    Their plan was rather straightforward at the end of the day: use brute force.


    ¡°Feels like we¡¯re a step behind still,¡± Ira said with a dry laugh as they ascended the staircase. ¡°But this time, I¡¯m feeling even more excited. I really want to punch that bastard in the face.¡± As if to prove it, her fist was trembling at her side.


    ¡°Calm down,¡± he warned lowly.


    ¡°I¡¯m all right.¡± She shook her head a little. ¡°They won¡¯t get another chance to dupe us. I¡¯ll kill them myself. Trust me.¡±


    Emil stared at her right hand, clenched into a fist so tightly he wondered if she¡¯d bleed. He prayed she wouldn¡¯t attack everyone in the group if they couldn¡¯t determine who the necromancer was fast enough.


    He didn¡¯t want to see the others hurt, so he could only hope that wouldn¡¯t be the case.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up,¡± Ira growled. ¡°I don¡¯t want to give them any more time.¡±


    ¡°Promise me you won¡¯t do anything rash,¡± Emil responded.


    She glanced back at him, her red eyes glowing. ¡°I am not what you think I am.¡±


    Emil shook his head. ¡°You have to prove that to me.¡±


    Hearing his words, shock registered on Ira¡¯s face. Her expression evened out again, the blaze in her eyes dimming. ¡°Fine.¡±

 Thirty-One: A Gathering

    Finding the other mercenaries did not take long for Ira and Emil. This because they were already gathered outside of the manor, the grave countenance  on their face proving that they had seen the first floor.


    When the two walked out of the building, all eyes fell on them.


    ¡°Are you two the last ones?¡± a rat-like man with dark eyes questioned, crossing his arms and standing in front of the group.


    ¡°I suppose so.¡± Emil responded, ¡°We¡¯ve discovered a horrible truth.¡± He wanted to speak up before anyone could pitch suspicion onto them.


    ¡°Are you speaking about the bloodbath inside? We¡¯ve seen it.¡± The woman next to the first mercenary showed an ugly expression.


    Emil shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s related.¡±


    ¡°Speak.¡±


    ¡°We discovered approximately two hundred ghouls downstairs. We managed to get rid of them, but¡­¡±


    Emil¡¯s words started the sparks of conversation. Many surprised cries and gasps came from the crowd.


    ¡°A necromancer,¡± the rat man muttered, rubbing his goatee. ¡°And ghouls? They must have been the culprits, then.¡±


    Mutters of agreement came from various people.


    ¡°That¡¯s what we thought as well,¡± Ira¡¯s gruff voice began, ¡°but after getting rid of them, the necromancer never showed.¡±


    It took everyone less than two seconds to understand what this meant. There were three options: the necromancer was hiding in their group, the necromancer was still outside, or the necromancer was inside but not with them.


    The first and third option were the most probable based off of a necromancer¡¯s general profile.


    Perceivably, the tension raised and everyone cast suspicious glances at each other. Those who had formed parties together were even tenser than the lone ones. After all, it was more likely that the necromancer had joined a small group to mask their presence.


    ¡°But, if they didn¡¯t act when you killed the ghouls, that means¡­¡± the woman next to the skinny man stated. Her eyes darkened. ¡°There¡¯s another part that we aren¡¯t aware of.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Emil nodded. ¡°With that in mind, we thought it¡¯d best to inform everyone so we could all work together to get the necromancer.¡±


    ¡°Good thinking. The first step should be¡­ well, who can prove they aren¡¯t the necromancer? I¡¯ll start.¡± The skinny man raised his hands up peacefully. ¡°My name is Frank. I used to be a priest at a Church and my attribute is light. If I practiced something like necromancer, with the rules I¡¯ve placed on myself, I would lose all of my magic.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about Restricting Law? Show us the seal,¡± Ira said.


    Emil was familiar with this spell, but it was something he did not use. With its power, the user could exchange sizeable strength for a strict law. If they were to break this law, depending on conditions set, they would even lose their lives. It was a common spell used for those who practiced at the various churches.


    Frank didn¡¯t have any issue revealing the glowing symbol on his forehead, its pure white light proving its attribute.


    ¡°But there¡¯s no way to prove the necromancer doesn¡¯t have someone like Frank on their side to mislead us,¡± an angry voice shouted from the crowd when everyone accepted Frank¡¯s reasoning.


    Everyone parted and a stout, twenty-something, brown-haired youth stepped forward. His ruddy face was even redder with irritation. He pointed at Frank. ¡°You¡¯re suspicious! Why were you so quick to prove that you weren¡¯t the necromancer?¡±


    Frank sneered contemptuously, ¡°Someone who reacts so violently is also suspicious.¡±


    ¡°I am not a filthy fucking necromancer!¡± The brunette pounded his fist against his chest heavily. ¡°I am a swordsman. I don¡¯t rely on others to win my battles.¡±


    Ira scoffed at his words and rolled her eyes. ¡°Frank is right. We need to prove who is or who isn¡¯t a necromancer. Those who can¡¯t confirm it are the suspects. Any accomplices will be dealt with. But with the powerful old geezer guarding the outside, I doubt the necromancer has brought in a partner.¡±


    ¡°And who put you in charge?¡± the hot-headed man yelled. ¡°You two aren¡¯t cleared of suspicion, either.¡±


    She shrugged and crossed her arms behind her head. ¡°Whether or not you believe it, this is the quickest and most surefire method.¡±


    His features were contorted with anger, but he didn¡¯t deny her words. ¡°Fine. I can prove it as well. My name is Daniel. I¡¯m a magic swordsman.¡± He slapped the scabbard at his side and said nothing else.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your proof?¡± the man next to him finally asked after a few moments of silence.


    Daniel answered, ¡°My sword is all the proof I need.¡±


    ¡°Even though you say that, none of us are going to believe you,¡± Emil said calmly. ¡°To me, your ¡°proof¡± is more suspicious than anything. I¡¯m sure everyone else can agree to that.¡±


    Actually, he did not believe that Daniel was the necromancer.


    Even though he couldn¡¯t tell who was the necromancer, he could tell who didn¡¯t have the qualifications. Frank was one and Daniel was another. The quality of the anima flowing through their circuit was too pure.


    There were a few others in the crowd like that, but then with ones who he couldn¡¯t see through, they were suspects in his eyes. Ira had her own method as well: smell. Even if it was faint, the smell of death clung to a necromancer and they gave her a sticky feeling as well. It wasn¡¯t exactly accurate, but it helped narrow down the field.


    Thus, silently, the two of them had eliminated nearly half of the crowd.

 Thirty-Two: Death Sentence

    The tension in the air was palpable.


    After a short while, the crowd of mercenaries had split off into two groups: the innocent and the suspicious. But even against the supposed innocent, the ones that had been labelled as suspects wore expressions of disbelief.


    Nobody trusted each other.


    It wasn¡¯t unreasonable. Necromancers were known to play tricks and could evade pursuit. They knew how to hide themselves deeply and avoid speculation.


    In the current situation, if anyone made one wrong move they¡¯d wind up being slaughtered.


    Emil and Ira were calmer, but the only ones they trusted were each other. Emil had shortly suspected Ira because she had been the one to invite him here and was the first to mention ghouls, but he dismissed that belief. Her strength came from an unknown source, but its root wasn¡¯t the dark attribute. Necromancers tended to be weaker than their undead, so Ira¡¯s naturally powerful body didn¡¯t fit the profile.


    He turned his gaze to the rest of the crowd. After a great discussion, he and Ira had been placed among the innocents, but they were still suspicious to a few members. But he wasn¡¯t worried about that.


    His sole goal was to find the necromancer! Now that it had been narrowed down, it was easier for Emil to focus on individuals. He wondered if the necromancer had even joined the mercenaries because everyone¡¯s expressions were very natural and showed vague signs of irritation and anger. Either that, or they were a great actor. Which wouldn¡¯t bode well for them.


    Only the necromancer knows what¡¯s going on here. They¡¯ve found out people¡¯s attributes, which could give them the advantage, Emil thought to himself. He didn¡¯t want anyone here to reveal their hand, but at the same time, it was the most straightforward way to do so. After all, if someone declined, that immediately cast all suspicion onto them.


    But, he had narrowed it down to two people, both having the dark attribute:


    The first was a man that introduced himself as Ryan. He appeared to be nervous inwardly despite his outward tranquility and his anima circuit reflected those emotions as it flowed awkwardly. His fear was so deep that it was affecting his magic. Ira had muttered to Emil that the scent of death was strong emanating from him and Emil could agree that his aura felt sticky. Logically speaking, he was the most suspicious. But Emil found it hard to believe that the necromancer that had calmly allowed all of his ghouls to be murdered and was still in an advanced position would be so fidgety.


    Emil thought of a possibility: there were two necromancers and they weren¡¯t necessarily related. Ryan was also a necromancer, which was why he was behaving that way. After all, if he was to be caught, there was no way that he could talk his way out of it. He¡¯d wind up dead for a crime he likely didn¡¯t commit.


    Then there was the other. His name was Ilya and he claimed himself to be a musician. Unlike everyone who wore combat gear, Ilya was dressed as if he was going to a formal party. His attractive, androgynous face wore a steady, calm smile as he watched everyone else. He didn¡¯t have the sticky and deathly feeling that necromancers exuded, but that didn¡¯t matter to Emil. In his mind, Ilya was more than likely the necromancer. It was similar to how he felt when he gazed at Ira¡¯s wrapped limbs: there was something that lurked underneath the surface.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Noticing Emil¡¯s gloomy eyes focused on him, Ilya turned to meet his gaze.


    Danger.


    The quiet whispers began to speak into his ears, a throbbing pain pulsating in his mind that almost brought him down to his knees. His vision blurred from the pain and the voices grew louder and louder, shouting at him to escape. Emil felt the world turn and spin, its center point forming around Ilya. Light was being sucked towards him.


    The smile on the man¡¯s face grew, stretching so wide that it literally reached his ears and revealed his empty mouth, a black pit that swallowed the light. His grey eyes had gone completely black and devoid of any signs of life--contained within them was certain death. Emil felt chills run up and down his spine and his blood was freezing. He noticed that Ilya¡¯s face felt less like flesh and more like a beautiful mask hiding a monster. When he blinked, Ilya¡¯s face had returned to normal, but the deep fear was burned into Emil¡¯s mind.


    Emil realized in that moment that he and Ira had been wrong: the man outside was not the most powerful. Instead, there was a beast lurking among them, its power enough to shake an empire. He remembered his teacher, the Night Sage, and determined that they were on the same level. No, he couldn¡¯t tell who would be stronger.


    Cold sweat dripped down his forehead.


    Of course someone that powerful did not care about a measly two hundred ghouls. He could conjure up that amount with a snap of his fingers. No, he could kill everyone here with a snap of his fingers.


    Subconsciously, he grabbed Ira¡¯s arm and pulled her backwards. ¡°We have to leave,¡± he could barely get the words out. His instincts were demanding he run and it felt as if his soul was ready to flee from his body.


    She glanced at him, unaware of what was happening. ¡°What? Why?¡±


    ¡°The necromancer is not someone that we can handle,¡± he whispered urgently. ¡°If you want to stay alive, we¡¯re leaving.¡±


    Ira¡¯s expression changed. ¡°What¡¯s going on? You found them?¡±


    Emil nodded, swallowing thickly. ¡°Ira, we were wrong¡­ we were very wrong.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± She didn¡¯t get why Emil had suddenly changed. He had been acting calmly before, and now she could see the panic reflected within his golden eyes. Combined with the dismal aura he radiated, Ira felt her body growing cold and clammy. It was like she was being weighed down as well.


    His grip on her arm tightened and he continued to whisper to her, ¡°Listen, forget the thought about punching him. We just need to get out of here.¡±


    ¡°What about the others?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll draw too much attention if we alert everyone¡­ he¡¯s already noticed me.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± She cast her gaze out at the crowd.


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Emil yanked at her arm. ¡°Don¡¯t look into his eyes.¡± He was wary of what mystical powers Ilya had. Emil knew that once someone stepped into the realm of immortals, their strength became unfathomable. From one glance, Emil had felt his entire soul be shaken. The ancient voices in his head had stirred again, meaning that it was a life-threatening situation.


    Ira listened to Emil and dropped her gaze. ¡°Okay. What do we do then?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s try to leave quietly¡­¡±


    A sudden shout grabbed both of their attention, ¡°Stay with the rest of the group or we¡¯ll attack!¡±


    ¡°You? Attack me? Yes, that¡¯d be very interesting, but a sad song,¡± a dreamy, male voice spoke.


    Emil saw Ilya pushing his way through the small crowd till he stood in the front. The latter calmly adjusted his suit before smiling at everyone, clapping his gloved hands together.


    ¡°I thought I could play around a little more, but it seems I¡¯ve been spotted already. Very well, it seems we¡¯ll have to get started earlier than expected.  I believe I should introduce myself first, yes, my name is Ilya Vasilev. Ah, they also call me the Primrose Musician.¡± Ilya bowed elegantly, crossing on arm against his chest in a gentlemanly manner. ¡°Pleased to meet you all despite the dreary circumstances. He muttered,  ¡°Death and gore, very inelegant. But is something that we must all grow used to. Oh, I suppose you won¡¯t have the chance. I am supposed kill you all, yes. I do apologize. They truly are such dreary circumstances.¡±

 Thirty-Three: Take A Seat

    Ilya¡¯s grey eyes reflected Emil in them. The latter felt a coldness that reached the essence of his being. It was like the hand of death had gripped his heart.


    When he learned of Ilya¡¯s intentions, he reached to grab the token the Night Sage had given him. His fingers rubbed against its surface, feeling the engraving of the magic array. He debated using it.


    The Night Sage hadn¡¯t explained how it would work. If he came back, would he have to stay? Or would he have to go back out on his own without the safety measure? He didn¡¯t want to use his emergency line if there was the possibility that he could escape on his own.


    Between Ilya and the old man, if he circulated his anima circuit to the maximum¡­ he could slow time for a second and teleport away. His eyes flashed to Ira. There was no way he¡¯d be able to grab her unless he didn¡¯t bother activating his temporal magic.


    He hesitated.


    If it was just the other mercenaries, he would have been faster in his decisiveness. But knowing was there Ira made him pause. This pause was long enough for him to lose his opportunity.


    A hand softly landed on Emil¡¯s shoulder, in the blink of an eye, Ilya had crossed the remaining distance between them. His other hand rested on Ira¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite good,¡± Ilya said to the duo. ¡°But, it¡¯s a pity. Yes, truly, a pity¡­¡± He patted their shoulders.


    Emil found that he couldn¡¯t move his feet. Something--perhaps Ilya--was holding him firmly in place. The moment Ilya came into contact with him, the voices silenced.


    There was an eerie quiet in Emil¡¯s mind. He felt that their presence was still there, but they were watching¡­ no, waiting? Just like he had sensed their anxiety, he now felt their intrigue.


    ¡°You two, I like you,¡± Ilya stated, smiling even broader. All Emil could be reminded of was the illusion he had been cast into. He knew that Ilya¡¯s face was just a mask.


    Ira, who did not show signs of fear, asked, ¡°Are you the necromancer?¡±


    ¡°Necromancy? I¡¯ve dabbled in it. I¡¯ve decided it wasn¡¯t much fun from this experience. Maybe I should try again? I will be more careful next time. Yes, I tend to overlook things. He¡¯s scolded me for my capriciousness. It¡¯s not my fault. My mind tends to fly. Oh, yes, the topic. See? Like I told you. Well, the answer would be yes and no. I was just a tagalong. But my associate¡ªthe necromancer you speak of¡ªwas pestering me. I already killed him after you all entered. He was very annoying.¡± Ilya gnashed his teeth, momentarily displaying an ugly expression.


    Emil didn¡¯t feel any relief knowing the true necromancer had died. Rather, he felt that Ilya was far more dangerous than that and desperately wanted to escape. At least the necromancer had goals that were more predictable, allowing them to form a plan. But against Ilya, Emil just couldn¡¯t comprehend why someone like that was here. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Ilya removed his hands from the pair and let out a sigh. In an aggravated action, he ran his hand through his long, platinum hair. He took off his gloves slowly, neatly folding them and placing them in his pocket. His hands were slender like a pianist¡¯s, but there was a strange tattoo on the back of his hands. Emil did not recognize it, but his gaze was drawn to it. The geometric resembled a magical array, but its structure was off. There were characters, but they were not any language that Emil could recognize. The beings began to whisper again, almost excitedly.


    ¡°Yes, I wanted to create a nice song here. The first act had been too quiet, so I had to take the conductor¡¯s spot. But what a shame, ah! I didn¡¯t expect something so marvelous to enter here. No, two marvelous things. It¡¯s rare that I am blind. Yes, yes, very wonderful. I think I¡¯ll let you two be my audience. No, my muse.¡± The effeminate man tapped his forehead and sighed, as if he was trying to reorganize his thoughts. ¡°I¡¯d like to compose a song in honor of your existence! A short piece. We do not have much time.¡± The depths of Ilya¡¯s grey eyes began to swirl like a storm and he pulled a conductor¡¯s baton from his sleeve.


    The casual action caused Ira¡¯s instinct to kick in. She had been bemused up to this point, trying to organize all the information she was receiving, but then she sensed her blood boil!


    She snatched Emil¡¯s arm and darted far away from Ilya, pulling her friend in close as if to protect him. ¡°He¡¯s a monster,¡± she stated, staring at that simple baton Ilya held. ¡°Out of all my clan, I believe that only my mother is his match.¡± She lost all intention of fighting against him. Ira liked challenges, but she wouldn¡¯t foolishly rush towards death.


    ¡°What are we supposed to do?¡± Emil hissed back. He was wanting to grab his token, but Ilya seemed to have no intention of harming the pair. Would it be a waste if he used it now? But at the same time, could he risk remaining here?


    Ira was about to respond, but a soft voice interrupted them, ¡°Sit¡­ Be quiet and listen.¡±


    Emil felt his body being forced downwards and he landed firmly on a chair that had materialized. Ira did the same. And neither of them could move a finger. Their mouths were firmly shut, but their eyes wildly bolting back and forth conveyed the emotion that couldn¡¯t be seen on their frozen faces.


    I am completely powerless.


    Emil gazed at Ilya, who had his baton pointed towards them. Thoughts rapidly spun through his mind.


    I can¡¯t see any of the anima around him. He¡¯s less than completely ordinary like he doesn¡¯t exist. No. I¡¯m being protected. The Ancient Ones are shielding my vision¡­ right now, I cannot bear to glimpse at his true self. He laughed to himself. It was like how the Night Sage restrained himself and barely circulated anima back when Emil was younger. But even then, he had been able to handle it to a degree. And that had wreaked havoc on his body once it tried to greedibly absorb what it saw.


    How much power did Ilya hold? Would I be destroyed? Would there even be a remnant? Who was he? Why was such a being in a place like this?


    He couldn¡¯t help but lament. I should have used the token. I was too hesitant. Why? Why did I?


    Ilya smiled towards the confused crowd of mercenaries, elegant drawing his baton through the air. The clouds began to churn as the blue turned to night, casting the world in a strange, pinkish light. The sweet scent of evening primroses faintly wafted through the air.


    Emil felt his head growing light, as if it was full of air, but at the same time¡­ it was very heavy. His body felt like a weight holding him down.  His eyes slid back and forth, a mirage of afterimages following the movements.


    A voice that sounded like a lovelorn sigh entered his ears, ¡°Now, let¡¯s begin my requiem¡­¡±

 Thirty-Four: The Primrose Musicians Requiem

    The scene that followed would be ingrained into Emil¡¯s memory for the rest of his life.


    The feelings that he felt in that moment, the dryness of his mouth, the burning in his eyes¡ªhe would never forget. The smell that assaulted his nose, affecting his senses as he drifted in what felt like a split world.


    It made everything feel like a dream. A very cruel nightmare. And it was one that he was not allowed to wake up from. But it was not his imagination or his subconscious running wild. No, this was reality. There was no disputing these events.


    And the worst part would have to be the music.


    It was a song that he would not forget¡ªhe could not forget. Even if he wished to. It changed his essence, shifting his conscience to darkness and reality.


    The song was mournful. The emotion in its note would strike any being down to their core, resonating with feelings they didn¡¯t know they had. A wretched, depressing yet beautiful song.


    It brought tears to Emil¡¯s eyes and they fell quietly, burning as they streaked down his cheeks. The glow in his eyes slowly vanished.


    Powerlessness.


    That was what he felt.


    All of his choices had lead him here. Was it out of his free will or had something else controlled him?


    Life is a tragedy.


    We are born to die.


    We are helpless against fate.


    Who has the power to alter destiny? I am too weak to even think about it.


    Are the lucky ones the ones who die or live?


    His throat felt as if it was wrapped with barbed wire, digging and cutting into his flesh.


    I am not lucky. I have never been. Like everyone else, I am controlled by fate.


    We all are.


    There was the sound of their souls.


    Blood danced through the air. Bodies contorted and bones snapped. It sounded like piano notes. Mouths were cracked open in screams, but the sound they made was the desolate cry of a violin. Carried with was the sense of hopelessness. Their eyes reflected the harsh realities of the world.


    Disordent chords struck, discomfort and cold seizing Emil¡¯s body.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Wet splashed across the boy¡¯s face, dying his clean clothing in crimson. A gloom crept into his heart, coloring his soul in a dreary blue. The world in his eyes began to lose its color, fading to monochrome.


    The fallen ones landed in silence. Their bodies still moved oddly on the ground in a twisted dance as if their limbs were tied to an invisible string. They rose back up again, dancing in stiff, rigid movements.


    In the center of the chaos, a beautiful man was conducting an unseen orchestra. His arms raised, the baton in his hand flying through the air. Despite the amount of visceral matter flying through the air, not a drop landed on his white suit. Instead, light seemed to center around him, his white-blonde hair glowing in the pinkish rays.


    Louder and louder, the music reverberated in Emil¡¯s ears. The voices in his head whispered along with the melody, their ancient words blending in with the rest. What did they say? What were they telling him? And why, why did they not allow him to look away? Emil felt his entire body tingling and his gaze was glued to Ilya¡¯s figure.


    This was his requiem.


    Ilya¡¯s eyes were closed and a peaceful smile rested on his face as he gracefully moved his baton as if it was a dance.


    He was like an otherworldly beauty amongst the chaos.


    Decrescendo.


    The somber wail of angels echoed, their cry a delicate note as it ended the requiem. Quietness echoed, a silence that rung inside of Emil¡¯s head. The world was so still that it was if time had ceased to exist.


    Ilya raised his arms. The corpses raised along with him. He bowed elegantly. They followed, their mangled bodies possessing a puppet-like quality.  Cold, dead smiles formed on their now stiff faces. They were like dancers who were proud of their performance.


    It was a sick scene.


    The baton disappeared.


    Everything collapsed.


    Emil and Ira fell to the ground, the chairs supporting them having disappeared. Neither of them moved.


    Tears streaked their faces and their eyes were vacant, still processing their place in the world. Within a few minutes, everything had changed to them. Both of them had realized something very important.


    The smell of blood replaced the scent of evening primroses¡¯. The sky returned to blue, basking everything in a too bright light. Forty-seven corpses littered the ground, cast in a warm glow as if they were being purified.


    A pair of clean shoes appeared in front of Emil¡¯s gaze. His turbid eyes rolled upwards.


    Ilya gazed down at them, his arms crossed behind his back. ¡°Would you like my advice?¡± Silence greeted his question and the man chuckled to himself. ¡°Yes¡­ I suppose I should tell you anyway. Consider this a free lesson from this wise.


    ¡°Do you feel weak? Do you feel hopeless? Do you feel that nothing is in your control? Have you realized how small you are and how vast this world is? What is power? How do you obtain it? Why are the powerless subjected to the will of others? And most importantly¡­ how do you become an orchestrator of fate? How do you hold this power in your own hands? Yes, yes¡­ I¡¯m sure you¡¯re very curious. I¡¯ll tell you now. Yes, it¡¯s quite simple, really. If you don¡¯t have the resolve--no, if you¡¯re too scared¡­ you should kill yourselves. At least then, you¡¯ll have a choice¡­ or, will you?¡±


    He laughed gleefully, clapping his hands together as if it was very humorous to him. Ilya doubled over, clenching his stomach as he laughed so hard that it seemed his face would split in half. His bright white teeth reflected the blinding light. Within a split second, the man went silent and his expression became a blank slate.


    Ilya¡¯s eyes had turned cold and maniacal, a savage light shining from them. Emil felt his entire essence being sucked towards Ilya and could tell that he was rapidly losing strength. His lips stretched, revealing the black abyss once more.


    Words filled through the air despite his mouth not moving, ¡°You must devour.¡±

 Thirty-Five: Aftermath and Acceptance

    Emil did not clearly recall what happened after Ilya disappeared.


    Maybe someone had came to rescue them. Maybe the gate had ran out of time and kicked them out. Maybe the trio waiting outside had retrieved them. Maybe Ira had regained her strength first and dragged them out.


    His mind was too much of a blur for any of this to matter to him. Ultimately, he had returned to the inn.


    Ilya had disappeared, but the mark that he left on the young pair would last forever.


    The Primrose Musician.


    An unfathomable existence had crossed their paths.


    Emil laid in the bed that he did not remember returning to, staring up the ceiling with a vacant expression. His mind was gradually beginning to return to him and an oppressive gloom weighed down on the atmosphere of the room. The temperature had dropped, become cold and clammy.


    Tired thoughts flowed through the boy¡¯s mind.


    All of the strength I believed I had means nothing. Ilya spared me and Ira due to unknown reasons, but if he hadn¡¯t, that would have been the last of me.


    Probably¡­ it¡¯s best if I go back to Teacher before the year is up. The Primrose Musician let me go for a reason. I must¡¯ve caught his eye. Is it because of the unique quality of my body? I¡¯m sure someone that powerful would have noticed. My best option is to go back and inform Teacher. He¡¯ll understand. I can¡¯t move around freely. The Night Sage would be able to protect me.


    He didn¡¯t know how strong Ilya was, but he was sure that the man was on the same level as the Night Sage. Emil had never seen his teacher¡¯s true strength, but he had seen similar traces of orange anima on Ilya. He couldn¡¯t see the entire anima circuit because it was dangerous, but that much had been reflected in his eyes.


    Ilya, the Primrose Musician, was not someone Emil could handle. Without any protection, he would be killed immediately. The Night Sage would keep him safe, though. Then he¡¯d just go to that academy and¡­


    But, even though he knew this, Emil did not want to go.


    Was it due to his own pride?


    He couldn¡¯t quite explain his reluctance, even to himself. Maybe it was because he felt embarrassed. Emil was only fourteen and was rather confident in himself. In his mind, living on his own for this year would have been easy. Any trouble that he would have gone through would have been miniscule and he¡¯d always have a way out.


    Subconsciously, he hadn¡¯t been taking it seriously.


    To go back to the Night Sage after being faced with reality would be¡­ His ego didn¡¯t want him to allow him to do so.


    Emil closed his eyes, pressing his hands tightly against his ears.


    That damned music.


    It wouldn¡¯t stop playing in his head. The scene of the mercenaries being murdered played on repeat. It was like he was still tethered to that chair.


    He bit down on his lips, beads of blood forming.


    I was arrogant. I was really too arrogant.


    Hot tears flowed down Emil¡¯s face, dripping down the sides and wetting the pillow underneath him. He couldn¡¯t stop them and sat there sobbing, his body shaking from the lingering fear.


    I almost died. I seriously almost died. It¡¯s a miracle that I made it out of there. From that monster¡¯s reach¡­


    His breathing was uneven and he kept hiccuping, struggling to force air into his lungs.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Fool.


    ¡°Dammit.¡±


    A loud knock sounded from the door. It disturbed his thoughts, causing him to jump upright in the bed and furiously wipe his face clean. He tried to get his wild breathing under control and forced himself to calm down. One second, two seconds...


    Ira¡¯s voice filtered in, ¡°Emil? Are you in there?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Can I talk to you?¡±


    He hesitated. Honestly speaking, he didn¡¯t want to deal with anyone at the moment. But, considering the circumstances, he stood up and made his way to the door.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he answered as he pulled open the door.


    Ira stood there, looking somber. ¡°Have you been crying?¡± She noted the redness of Emil¡¯s eyes and the remaining dampness on his skin.


    He didn¡¯t respond.


    The young girl shrugged, not judging him. Her expression remained even. ¡°I¡¯m going to be leaving.¡±


    Emil was not surprised to hear her words. He did not want to stay in this city either.


    ¡°I thought we could spend more time together, but¡­¡± She inhaled sharply, her eyes darkening.


    ¡°I get it,¡± he responded, seeing that she had lost her words.


    Ira nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯m not going to give up.¡± Her hands tightened into fists. ¡°I¡¯m going to become stronger. I won¡¯t allow myself to stay this weak--and I¡¯m not going back into my mother¡¯s coddling embrace.¡± Determination strengthened her gaze as she looked directly into Emil¡¯s eyes.


    His hands shook. Why was it that, unlike him, she didn¡¯t seem to be deterred? No, if anything, it was like she had been given even more motivation. The previous shock was completely gone from her essence.


    She refused to waver.


    How? How could she bounce back so quickly? He didn¡¯t understand. It didn¡¯t make sense. Why was he the one still sitting here completely lost?


    Ira slammed her fist against her chest and proclaimed, ¡°I¡¯m going to be the one to kill that phony musician. I¡¯ll let you get one good punch in, too, friend.¡±


    ¡°Ira,¡± Emil started, unable to find words. ¡°You--¡±


    She finally smirked, breaking the stoic expression on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll see each other again soon enough. Our destinations are the same so our paths will cross.¡±


    He wanted to contest her words and tell her that they did not have the same destination.


    He was not like her.


    He couldn¡¯t look at things that simply.


    The Primrose Musician was far out of their league. She needed to just give up. Why court death? Why not go back to where it was safe? Didn¡¯t she get that they weren¡¯t out of danger? What if Ilya changed his mind and came back for them? Or sent someone after them? Why wasn¡¯t she thinking of any of this? It wasn¡¯t safe for them to be alone, let alone dream about fighting him, so why¡­?


    Why did she say those things?


    Ira stood tall. Her back was straight and shoulders pulled back, feet firmly planted on the ground. Her red eyes were shining with resolve. It wasn¡¯t just a wish. She was being serious.


    Kill the Primrose Musician? What type of psycho is she?


    Was she an idiot? An absolute moron? It was okay to give up. It was okay to just accept things for what they were. Why did she want to go against fate? She was so insignificant and yet, and yet¡­ where did that confidence come from?


    Emil didn¡¯t understand it. He couldn¡¯t understand it. Logically, none of what she said made sense. Who knew how long it would take her to reach the point to fight against him? Who knew if she¡¯d even be able to break through into the immortal realm? And, what was to say that the Primrose Musician wouldn¡¯t grow even more powerful during that time? And what about all the other dangers that lurked in the world?


    It didn¡¯t make one iota of sense.


    But¡­ somehow¡­ he wanted to...


    Something within him stirred.


    It broke through the dull resignation inside of him like a crack of thunder. The dreary song that had been playing in his mind fell to pieces, becoming silent within the instant.


    This was courage.


    Fate? Destiny? I was supposed to die years ago. No, I shouldn¡¯t even be standing here anymore. What did Mother sacrifice herself for? What did Father toil for? For me to give up? No. That¡¯s not right. There aren¡¯t answers. It doesn¡¯t need to make sense. I don¡¯t need to be rational.


    I¡¯ll just forge my own path.


    What had the strength to move the world? To shift fate? Who could determine their own future?


    He grinned back Ira, his cheeks in pain from how wide his smirk was.


    I¡¯ll just become absolute.


    Absolute in every aspect.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you later.¡±


    This made her laugh boisterously and Ira threw up a peace sign, the bright white of her teeth blinding. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll see you later, Emil.¡±


    Mountains didn¡¯t bow to the wind.

 Thirty-Six: Rockwell Citys Monster

    There was a rumor among the mercenaries of Rockwell City.


    Within the past month, one lone person had been dominating all of the subjugation missions.


    In a place like Rockwell, these types of postings were common. It was located near one of the largest and most perilous desert plains in the entire Feram Empire--the Red Sun Desert--and beasts constantly threatened its safety. Plenty of mercenaries came to this dangerous zone to make a killing.


    But it had to be known that subjugation jobs were meant for groups. It wasn¡¯t against the rules for a single person to do it, but it wasn¡¯t realistic. After all, the amount of magical beasts they had to kill within the allotted time was too much for one person to handle. Not only that, but looting their corpses was time-consuming as well--and dangerous--because the scent of blood would draw in more monsters.


    But, someone managed to complete it. Not only that, but he finished multiple of these cleansing jobs well within the given time period. And whenever he came back, he showed no signs of wounds of exhaustion.


    They aptly started calling this freak of nature Monster.


    A tall, thin figure sauntered into the guild. He was dressed in leather, hunter attire with a bow and quiver of arrows strapped to his back and carried a bulging sack. The man¡¯s hood was pulled up and cast a strange, dark fog over his face that could not be seen through. No one had tried to pry through it despite their curiosity in case it caused an issue. After all, who wanted to fight with the lunatic who fought swarms of monsters on his own? He was at least a B or A-ranked mercenary, and everyone that hung out around the guild was lower ranked than that.


    The surroundings grew quiet as he silently threaded across the floor to the receptionist.


    ¡°There he is¡­ Monster,¡± someone whispered to the person seated next to them.


    ¡°He gives me the chills,¡± came the response.


    Of course, this so-called Monster was Emil, who did not care about what was said about him. He had come to this city as a way to train his strength and gain more money. He felt that he did not have enough time to relax and set out for somewhere that would aid him in growing quickly. With Rockwell¡¯s condition, it was pretty prime place for Emil.


    For the past couple of months, he had been pushing his limits here, not wanting to wind up in a situation like he had with Ilya. If Emil wanted to accomplish the goal he had set for himself, he would have to train relentlessly.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Rockwell was far from the capital and on the outskirts of the Feram Empire and--most importantly--far from Alma City.


    But he still had no way of knowing if the Primrose Musician would come after him! A decent amount of time had passed, but there was no knowing what the possibilities were. If Emil encountered him, there was no guarantee that he would go free again.


    This necessity to survive pushed him even further.


    He set out into the desert on a near daily basis without breaks, challenging hordes of monsters and dancing along the line of death. Unlike the impression that the mercenaries had formed of him, it wasn¡¯t very easy for Emil to kill these beasts.


    The Red Sun Desert had three rings with different danger levels:


    First was the outskirts. This was the area were most mercenaries below B-rank gathered. The amount of regular monsters here was pretty high, but magical beasts here were a bit rarer. After that came the second ring, which was the inverse of the outskirts. Only B-ranked mercenaries with the corresponding strength would dare enter this place. Magical beasts had a certain degree of intelligence, the higher tiered ones even being as smart as humans.


    In the core ring, if someone wasn¡¯t at the Adamantem rank, they¡¯d wind up dead. Every magical beasts there occupied their own territory and would rarely leave it. But they were highly aggressive and each had human intellect. They sent out their own subordinates that tended to patrol the second ring and core as the outskirts were irrelevant in their eyes. As long as someone didn¡¯t cause too much trouble, they didn¡¯t move.


    The place that Emil stayed in was, of course, the second ring. The missions posted by the government to cleanse this area to keep monster populations down paid well and provided Emil with the perfect training zone. He didn¡¯t even think about entering the core. After all, his strength placed him in the middle ranks of the Argenti tier. He was capable of punching above his weight and could take on Aurum leveled beasts, but the ones that had reached the peak of the mortal realm were far too dangerous.


    With his regime, he had been training his technique rather than his pure strength. The second ring was large and Emil went to the more isolated areas to increase his proficiency with all of the attributes, but mostly his spatial and temporal magic.


    He was far more confident in himself now, but he remained humble.


    I¡¯m still weak. If I want to become a force to be reckoned with, I¡¯ll have to work harder.


    That was his one goal. Perhaps it always had been. It seemed to be far off, yet somehow, within his grasp.


    Emil stopped in front of the receptionist and said, ¡°Is Old Man Petyr in?¡±


    Old Man Petyr was the guild¡¯s top appraiser. He¡¯d always give Emil the best price for the materials he had taken off of the monster¡¯s corpses, so the boy had come to prefer him.


    The receptionist looked up at Emil and smiled. He had grown used to Emil¡¯s request and they had started to skip the formalities. ¡°Yes. He¡¯s in the same room as always.¡±


    Emil didn¡¯t respond, but he continued to lug the large sack behind him as he headed upstairs.

 Authors Note

    Hello. Sorry for the lack of updates. I''m currently too busy with projects and commissions to focus on writing. I''ll try to get a chapter out by next week, but I''m pretty tired ha-ha. I attend an art/design school so my creative brain power or whatever gets used to the maximum. I''m thankful for all of the feedback as usual. Some of it''s kind of funny for me to read. I also feel the need to clarify that there isn''t romance. Anyway, like I said, I''ll be back soon. Don''t curse me. Thanks again!Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

 Thirty-Seven: Red Sun Desert

    Petyr calmly sorted through the mass of loot Emil had dumped on the table, his cataract-clouded eyes having an unusual focus in them. ¡°Monster, you¡¯ve been picking up steam lately.¡±


    Behind the shadows covering his face, Emil smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve been going a bit deeper into the second ring,¡± he answered honestly. He did not mention his dislike for the nickname he had been given.


    ¡°You¡¯re getting to closer to the core? I¡¯d advise against it,¡± Petyr continued the conversation.


    ¡°Hah. I have no intention of entering the core ring. Just close enough to encounter rare creatures.¡±


    Petyr let out a thoughtful grunt and raised a black. ¡°Seems like you¡¯ve encountered plenty.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty lucky.¡± He paused. ¡°Still, the number of magical beasts there is a bit scary.¡±


    The old appraiser laughed. ¡°You don¡¯t sound very afraid, though.¡±


    ¡°Well, things are different in the desert." Emil recalled scenes of tens of beasts staring him down, wanting to devour him. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he had seen endless abyss behind Ilya¡¯s face, he probably would have been shaken by them. Even when he faced beasts stronger than he, Emil didn¡¯t waver when he fought against them. But, if he didn¡¯t have the affinity with light magic and the ability to use healing spells on himself, then Emil wouldn¡¯t have been as bold.


    ¡°Maybe so. I¡¯ve always sat behind a desk.¡± Petyr chuckled to himself and continued to examine the monster parts. Even though being able to manipulate anima was the standard for any citizen, it didn¡¯t mean that they chose to be combatants. Those who could examine magical items, operate magical machinery or examine objects with mystical property were also needed.


    Of course, Emil knew very well that if someone did not have the aptitude to live in a society where magic had permeated through its very core, they would be tossed aside and considered to be defective.


    Silence fell over the two as Petyr worked.


    ...


    Later in the day, Emil walked out of the mercenary¡¯s guild with a heavy wallet and three more subjugation jobs.


    After using the money to finally buy the spatial container ring the had been saving up for along with arrows and other necessities, the youth headed out towards the desert again.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Happy thoughts in mind, he nearly skipped as he made his way into the outskirts of the Red Sun Desert. Even when he had first come here, this area wasn¡¯t much of a challenge to him and he immediately went to the second ring.


    The temperature immediately rose once he passed through the outskirts. It was a unique condition of the Red Sun Desert: each ring was hotter and drier than the last. Emil knew he was getting too close to the core if he felt his skin drying out like a hide hung out on a rack.


    Currently, his body wasn¡¯t strong enough for him to even think about walking into the core, let alone challenging the beasts that lingered inside of there. The second ring was his limit and he was very much okay with that.


    Emil gripped a dagger tightly and raised his alert level as he progressed deeper. The outskirts seemed to be teeming with enemies in comparison to the quiet here.


    But he had learned by now that many monsters lurked underneath the sand or flew high in the skies. He had witnessed a mercenary be swiped up by a hawk-like beast. The image of its large talon embedding itself in the man¡¯s shoulder before he was cruelly dragged off lingered in Emil¡¯s mind as a warning to always be ready for battle.


    Emil bent down to the ground and pressed his middle and index finger to the ground. He closed his eyes and activated the magic Lesser Seeking Pulse, an earth-attribute spell that allowed one to ¡°see¡± up to a radius of fifty meters.


    After detecting that everything was clear, Emil nodded to himself and pulled some vials out of his spatial ring. He began dumping out the contents in an intricate manner around him, drawing out a magical array. His movements were quick and the thick liquids from the vials remained in place, not even seeping into the sand.


    Once finished, he stood in the center of the array and while gritting his teeth, took the dagger in his right hand and drew it across his left palm. Blood began to pour out and seeped into the array, spreading out and turning into black.


    Emil clenched his bleeding palm into a fist and began to mutter the necessary incantation under his breath. The old language sounded a clumsy as he spoke, but the magic circle began to glow with purple.


    With a loud exclamation, Emil finished the chant and the array began to spin rapidly, shrinking down to the size of his body. A dark light beamed upwards, enveloping Emil¡¯s figure. It only lasted for mere moments before dissipating.


    When it ended, Emil was still standing there with no visible change. Except, when he raised his previous silver daggers, ominous purple veins ran down the blade.


    Emil had obtained this ritual for this magic accidentally. It had been on a few pieces of scrap paper left on the bed of his room when he had first purchased it at the inn. Emil hadn¡¯t paid any mind to it until the voices began to murmur excitedly. They did not react to unimportant things, so Emil knew that the note was valuable.


    He didn¡¯t throw it out like he had been intending to and found himself painstakingly memorizing all the contents of the note. Even if he didn¡¯t know the name, Emil was very grateful for this spell. It had a spatial attribute and increased the power of his magic, allowing him to exceed his previous limits.


    Ritualistic magic that required sacrifices was outdated because of its high price and a higher chance of fizzling, but the potency was undeniable. Emil had even started incorporating ritualistic properties into how he cast his other magic and was satisfied by the result. It also gave him the sense that the way that he had been using magic before wasn¡¯t proper, aiding his magical comprehension.


    Miracles were irrational by nature, so Emil did not think much of how he wound up with such fortune.


    With a wicked smirk on his face, Emil spun the daggers in his hand and then shot off in search of his prey.

 Thirty-Eight: Bad Timing

    It wasn¡¯t a day different than any other.


    Emil kneeled next to the stinking corpse of a recently killed Silver Spine Worm. He braced his arms on either side of its thick, fleshy body and gave a hard tug, pulling the rest of it out of the densely packed sand.


    Because he knew that the scent of its blood would eventually attract scavengers, Emil learned how to dismantle bodies rapidly. Without paying mind to the stench, he cut along the belly of the two-meter-long worm, aiming to retrieve its namesake part. Green, blood seeped out, intensifying the nasty smell. Emil was careful and wore a pair of special gloves to avoid the acidic burn that the blood could cause.


    Even though it was referred to as a spine, the material was its nerve cord.


    Its use could be drawn out while in the apothecary, and it was rare since the worms were notoriously difficult to kill and find. Emil was content enough that he found one while on his subjugation mission, knowing he¡¯d be able to fetch a good price for it.


    After removing its brain and nerve cord, the only components of any real value, Emil quickly stored them and left the spot. The scavengers in the Red Sun Desert weren¡¯t anything he felt like dealing with.


    Emil heard the distant cry of a beast and quickened his pace. The way to avoid hordes was to move around frequently or else too many of the magical creatures would gather as they were attracted by the loud sounds and smell of blood.


    It didn¡¯t take long for Emil to find the nest of one of the creatures he was searching for: Sand Lizards. They were a low-ranked magical being¡ªhaving the individual strength of Aes, but they tended to form large herds and were highly aggressive. With their high reproduction rate, it wasn¡¯t a rarity for there to be a job ordering their culling.


    Emil stood on a nearby sand dune, seeing the horde of lizards all resting in the sun. They nearly blended in with the ground, which was an intriguing perspective.


    He notched an arrow in his bow and raised it up. Emil prepared to release the box and start silently lowering their numbers when it felt like someone had jabbed a burning hot rod into his thigh.


    With a shocked cry, Emil lost his control but still shot off the arrow. It embedded itself into the side of a nearby Sand Lizard, making the creature roar out with pain.


    Emil wasn¡¯t in any better condition as he instinctively reached into his right-hand pocket, feeling that something inside was scalding him. He pulled out the token that the Night Sage had given to him, seeing that it was glowing brightly and had turned red. The pain he had felt earlier seemed to be all in his mind, as it was cool to the touch. Emil stared at in a moment of confusion, but then heard the angered cries of the reptiles.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    He looked up with horror, seeing that they had all spotted him.


    ¡°Shit!¡± he hissed and darted from his position, trying to regain his bearings as he ran. He glanced at the light beaming through the cracks in his fist, originating from the token.


    He felt an acute prick in his mind and heard the Night Sage¡¯s voice, ¡°Emil, break the seal.¡±


    What? Teacher, is that you? It hasn¡¯t been a year yet!


    Emil pulled a dagger out of its sheath and pricked his finger on the tip before dragging a streak of blood across the length of the blade. He raised the dagger up and drew out the basic form of a magic array before stabbing through it.


    Time Lock activated and everything other than Emil froze within a five-hundred-meter. He didn¡¯t relax as he only had a couple of seconds to act before the spell¡¯s effect wore off and time resumed itself.


    Emil snapped his fingers twice and a small ball of flame began gathering around his head. The blood from Emil¡¯s thumb rose up, being quickly sucked up as the fireball grew in magnitude.


    Echo!


    Once the singular fireball reached its peak size, two others blazed into existence next to it. They mixed together, forming the head of a dragon.


    Emil released the spell, Salamander¡¯s Rage, onto the mass of Sand Lizards just as time started once again. The beasts didn¡¯t know that they had been frozen for two seconds and recklessly charged forward as Salamander¡¯s Rage surged towards them. The first rows of lizards were almost incinerated completely. A large boom sounded upon their collision, balls of flame erupting out and falling into random parts of the crowd and killing those who made direct contact with them.


    The lizards shrieked, running in the opposite direction and far away from the carnage. Sand Lizards were of low intelligence, but they backed off when faced with dangerous opponents.


    Emil wasn¡¯t happy though. Most of their bodies were ruined because of his emergency casting, meaning that he¡¯d have to find another herd if he wanted to provide proof of kill and get a reward!


    Fire mages really get it the best early on, Emil complained inwardly, seeing the destruction an Aurum-ranked spell could cause. The fire element was highly destructive by nature so all of those with its attribute was strong from the start.


    That said, it nearly wiped all the energy out of his body. He could only cast a second-tier Aurum spell through recirculating his anima circuit with an additional blood sacrifice. He knelt to the ground, trying to control his breathing. It wouldn¡¯t take long for him to recover, but he wouldn¡¯t attempt to cast the spell again today. Emil took a couple of seconds to breathe before rushing away from the area out of habit. None of the corpses would be salvageable and he didn¡¯t have the time to double check on that belief.


    ¡°Emil!¡± the Night Sage said.


    The boy flinched and raised his hand up to touch his aching forehead. ¡°Yes?¡± he answered the illusory voice aloud.


    ¡°Break the seal and come back.¡±


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been a year yet,¡± Emil said. He looked down curiously at the token still in his hand and saw that it had stopped glowing but retained the red color.


    Who knew that this allowed for communication? How? I wonder what type of magic Teacher imbued this with. And why is he calling for me now?


    A wave of dizziness made Emil¡¯s vision start swimming. He watched the surroundings around him morph and felt an intense sickness forming at the pit of his stomach. Emil felt his eyelids grow heavy as if they weighed a ton and closed them out of obligation. His consciousness shut off. Emil began to fall forward as a dark fog formed in front of him, his body disappearing as he collapsed into the mist.

 Thirty-Nine: Brief History Lesson

    Emil grunted in pain as his body slammed down onto a hard surface. He groaned, pushing himself upwards as he looked towards the sky, seeing a familiar wood plank ceiling. How had he fallen from there?


    This is¡­ Teacher¡¯s house? It¡¯s his office.


    He recognized the shelves filled with odd items in different containers. He¡¯d only been in the room once before, but its appearance lingered in his memory.


    As he stood up, he saw a man seated behind the desk. His dark hair was a mess and his glasses were slightly askew on his face. The slovenly Night Sage was smoking from a pipe as usual while gazing at Emil.


    ¡°Teacher,¡± Emil said. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why--how am I here?¡±


    The Night Sage loudly tapped the contents of his pipe out and set it down carefully. ¡°You met the Primrose Musician?¡± The Night Sage said instead of answering Emil¡¯s question. ¡°I see. I did not believe you would meet someone like that¡­ No, I thought it would be impossible.¡±


    Surprise colored the boy¡¯s face and he took a step back upon hearing that title leave his Teacher¡¯s mouth. ¡°What? How do you know that?¡± Logically speaking, besides the three that had left that place alive, no one else would have known what happened there! Let alone his teacher who was far removed from the area.


    The Night Sage clapped and the token that Emil had been holding forced itself out of his grasp and floated in the air. It then slowly disintegrated, and the cry of a lone violin echoed.


    The sound made Emil flinch as a dark memory resurfaced.


    ¡°He placed a curse on you. Luckily, my good-luck-charm for you absorbed it instead. I was expecting you to get yourself cleansed--as you have been taught--but you didn¡¯t, so before you got yourself killed, I pulled you back here to take care of it.¡±


    Emil¡¯s eyes widened considerably. ¡°I was cursed?¡± He didn¡¯t even notice that the token had shown signs of corruption. He had checked over his body multiple times and found nothing out of the ordinary.


    ¡°Yes, fool.¡± The Night Sage rubbed his temples. ¡°You thought the Primrose Musician would let you walk away scotch-free? Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already fixed it.¡±


    The youth went silent. Of course not, he lampooned. ¡°Teacher¡­ you know him?¡± Emil inquired.


    ¡°Know him?¡± The man shook his head. ¡°I know of him.¡± The Night Sage drummed his fingers against the table as he thought. ¡°The number of known existences on our world that have reached the peak of the Terra stage had not changed until maybe one or two centuries ago. What used to be seven became eight.¡±


    Hearing the words Terra stage, Emil swallowed thickly. They were Demigods. He had briefly learned about them, but their existences were so far off that Emil basically thought of them as legends. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying¡­¡±


    The Night Sage nodded. ¡°The Primrose Musician is one of those eight. They are referred to as The Eight Stars: Octagram.¡±


    ¡°Why¡­ why would someone like that be interested in a low-ranked mercenary mission?¡±


    ¡°The Primrose Musician is an eccentric already. It¡¯s said that he enjoys acting from time to time¡­ No, more importantly, he is someone who follows an ancient god.¡± The Night Sage pointed to the chair across from him. ¡°You might want to take a seat. This will take a while to explain.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Emil nodded and sat down.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve entered their sights, it¡¯s better for me to tell you this now.¡± The Night Sage seemed to become incredibly tired, he rubbed his temples again and spoke, ¡°Stella. Deus. Omnis. Remember these.¡±


    ¡°They are¡­¡± Emil felt something within him stir like a lock had been released in his mind.


    ¡°The legendary ranks above the immortal realm: Godhood. A Stella rank--a newborn God, already has the power to overwhelm every single one of the Eight Stars even if they gathered together.¡±


    Emil let out a gasp of shock. He couldn¡¯t imagine the Primrose Musician being beaten by anyone with his casual display of power. The phantom playing of an orchestra entered his mind.


    ¡°Surprised? I know. Their power is not comprehensible to us. That is because they can create Laws, while Demigods can only form partial Laws. Once they reach Deus, these Laws become Domains.¡±


    Emil didn¡¯t know what these terms meant fully, but he likened them to the laws of the world. These rules affected every living being within them and they were forced to adjust--whether this was incorrect or not, he didn¡¯t have an answer. ¡°Then, at Omnis¡­?¡±


    ¡°I do not know,¡± the man¡¯s voice grew soft as he spoke. ¡°No one knows what they are capable of. It is said that the one who created this universe was the only Omnis stage to ever exist. With that power, It sealed the primordial major and minor Gods then disappeared. According to lore, it is because these Gods--Its first creations--began to war amongst themselves and almost destroyed everything It created. It did not have the heart to kill Its creations, so It locked them away.¡±


    Emil¡¯s entire body trembled at these words. There was a deep pain in his mind that caused his hearing to ring. He faintly heard the mutterings of the voices. There seemed to be wisdom contained in their words, but like always, he couldn¡¯t comprehend their language. It was hard for him to focus on the Night Sage¡¯s words, but at the same time, he was hyperaware.


    The Night Sage sighed, unaware of Emil¡¯s plight. ¡°There are hidden religions that praise those sealed Deus beings as their deity. From ancient texts, there are allegedly seven of them. One is still unknown. Currently, there are six known major Gods, but only five churches.¡±


    Driven by curiosity, Emil blurted out, ¡°What are they?¡±


    ¡°The Goddess without a corresponding religion is the Bloody Valkyrie. She rules over the domain of slaughter. The Bloody Valkyrie clan we know of today are the remnants of her children, borne from her blood.¡±


    Emil¡¯s eyes widened. Ira is a Goddess¡¯ descendant? She must be aware of this already¡­


    ¡°First is the Silver Mother, her domain relates to justice and order. The Moon Child¡¯s controls the dream domain. Third, the Hanged Sun¡¯s domain is mind. Next is¡­ The Blinded Snake, the domain of duality. Lastly, He is who the Primrose Musician follows: The Starved God. He rules the domain of chaos.¡± The man rubbed his temples again. ¡°It¡¯s possible that the Primrose Musician being there is less of a coincidence than you might think.¡±


    Emil worked to digest the mass of information before saying, ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°Another member of Octagram follows this God, she is the Witch of Silence. She¡¯s highly skilled at divination. They are in constant search of special sacrifices to feed to their God so that he may awaken in the future. These sacrifices are scouted out by her while the Primrose Musician vets them. Once the prospects grow to a suitable level, the two capture and feed them to the Devourer--another title for the Starved God.¡±


    ¡°Which means¡­¡± Emil had a sinking realization and his hands trembled.


    The Night Sage nodded, not needing to say anything.


    If the Witch of Silence was involved, then what he had thought was mere misfortune had become far more complicated. The possibility that the Primrose Musician had entered that space to seek out Emil--and probably Ira as well--was highly likely. What he had said to them at the time didn¡¯t add up with that theory because he claimed that he had been surprised by their presence and had only been there to tag-a-long. But the Night Sage mentioning that Ilya enjoyed acting gave birth to the chance that the Primrose Musician was just lying.


    Emil couldn¡¯t quite understand their motivations of letting the young duo go, but he assumed that it was akin to letting one¡¯s prey become fat and ripe.


    ¡°What do I do?¡± Emil muttered.


    Grow stronger? That was exactly what they wanted. Not to mention, his body naturally strengthens itself with every passing moment. Even if he wanted to, he couldn¡¯t stop his growth. With that in mind, it also wasn¡¯t like he could get powerful enough to fight back. They¡¯d have to be absolute fools to let their sacrifices get strong enough to fight back. There was probably a prime threshold that one had to enter before the Starved God¡¯s followers would come to collect them.


    He could assume that he still wasn¡¯t there yet because many months had passed without any sightings of them. What would have happened if the Night Sage hadn¡¯t dragged him back here?


    Emil felt despair once more.

 Forty: Emils Decision

    ¡°Before it was just a wish of mine, but now, you must attend the academy. The headmaster is in Octagram and an enemy of the two. He will be able to protect you within the academy grounds. With your potential, you should be able to grow strong enough to evade their pursuit if you¡¯re given enough time. The two aren¡¯t idiots. They will only pursue you if it isn¡¯t at a loss to them.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ you¡¯ll inform the headmaster of my situation?¡±


    The Night Sage spoke bluntly, ¡°It¡¯s risky.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I said they¡¯re enemies. That geezer is vehemently against the awakening of the Starved God. If he thinks you¡¯re too much of a risk to keep around, he might kill you himself before you can grow any more.¡±


    Emil¡¯s blood ran cold.


    What the hell? Didn¡¯t that just mean nowhere was safe? Then what was he supposed to do? Lay down and take it?


    Seeing Emil¡¯s severe expression, the Night Sage quickly continued, ¡°But he also might spare you. That is if you pledge yourself to their side¡­ The headmaster believes in the Silver Mother, the complete foil of the Glutton¡¯s chaos domain. While they won¡¯t break Her seals, Her followers are very devout. You¡¯d have to become an official member of their sect and worship Her if you wanted their protection.¡±


    Emil frowned. For some reason, the thought of aligning himself with any of these Gods repulsed him. He heard quiet whispers in the back of his mind, carrying traces of rage and indignance in their tone.


    Could it be that the strange existences that occupied his soul¡­. they were related to these primordial beings? Or at least, they knew what they were. He felt his heart thumping almost painfully in his chest. This knowledge was dangerous. Something told him to not push it.


    The Night Sage misread Emil¡¯s dazed looked and spoke seriously, ¡°Listen to me. I will refer you to the headmaster and let him know of your plight, as well as your desire to join the Church of Silver Order¡­ but only if you would like me to. If not, I¡¯d recommend still attending, but under the guise as a regular student who has never encountered the Devourer¡¯s followers. You may not receive guaranteed safety that way, but your chances are still pretty good because they won¡¯t enter the academy grounds. Knowing that old man, he¡¯ll want to take you in as a personal student if he thinks they haven¡¯t gotten to you yet. But you¡¯ll have to lie to him continuously about that if you don¡¯t want to wind up getting killed. What do you say?¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    There was no hesitation for Emil. He could not bring himself to even think about being the Silver Mother¡¯s adorer. If the academy provided him with sufficient time to grow, Emil was sure that he could at least defend himself against a Demigod in the future. And he was already doing well at hiding his secret from the Night Sage. ¡°I¡¯ll go with aiming to become his student.¡±


    His teacher nodded. He would not go against Emil¡¯s decision because it was similar to one he had faced. He had chosen to remain neutral as well. ¡°I can give you a general recommendation, then. You won¡¯t have to worry about entrance exams.¡± He then sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll handle it now so that you can join the current school year. Go rest. Your father has been missing you.¡±


    Hearing about his dad, Emil broke out into a rare smile.


    He quickly stood, the thoughts of his dim future evaporating. ¡°Thanks!¡± Emil darted to the door before pausing as he realized something. His instinct told him not to, but he turned around.


    ¡°Is there something else?¡±


    Emil hesitated before he asked, ¡°Teacher, have you heard of the Ancient One? Or Ancient Ones?¡±


    The Night Sage thought for a moment. ¡°No. I haven¡¯t. Why?¡±


    ¡°I heard it somewhere,¡± Emil quickly lied. He was sure that if he said he heard voices in his head, that he would be labeled as a lunatic. ¡°Thanks again.¡± The boy shut the door behind him and left the office.


    Once he was gone, his teacher¡¯s eyes revealed their hidden shock. He leaned back in his chair, looking down at his now shaking hands.


    How did he hear of that name? If he remains ignorant, it¡¯ll be safer for him. He¡¯ll forget about that eventually.


    The Night Sage consoled himself with these thoughts.


    Some things are better left in the shadows.


    Bad memories resurface and he let out a dry chuckle. ¡°That was four or five years ago, yet I still can barely stop myself from trembling.¡± He closed his eyes, broken images flashing through his mind. ¡°The Ancient One, no¡­ that thing.¡±


    A large pillar descended from the dark sky, and second glance, one would realize that it was a finger. Back then, everyone had stared at it in horror. Prayers were shouted out and there were others who collapsed from the shock. Some cried that this was their reckoning. He recalled a dried piece of flesh, resting in that old, wooden box and the crazed mutterings that echoed in his ears.


    Coldness gripped the Night Sage¡¯s heart and he felt an inconceivable sadness. ¡°They are from the past¡­ where they shall remain forever.¡±

 Forty-One: Headmaster Seth

    Emil tugged on the tight tie around his neck, showing a peeved expression.


    ¡°Quit messing!¡± his teacher snapped at him, adjusting it back.


    The youth wrinkled his nose. ¡°I feel like a stuffy elitist in this uniform.¡±


    As someone who always dressed in a comfortable manner and had never worn a tie in his life, Emil wasn¡¯t pleased by the formal uniform given to the Silverblue Academy students. Most of the students that came to the school were the children of high-status families and it was reflected in nearly aspect every of the place.


    Instead of awe-inspiring and beautiful, Emil thought that the academy¡¯s architecture was pointlessly grandiose


    Emil felt like he was once again a servant boy and knew that he did not belong in this place. He glanced over at his father who was smiling lightly at the two as the Night Sage continued to fuss at Emil, reminding the boy to watch his rough speech.


    The Night Sage had long ago taught Emil proper etiquette, but Emil didn¡¯t care much for it. Emil would be polite to those in the same class as him, but when it came to the elite, he didn¡¯t hide his contempt. He could not forget the life he endured before he met the Night Sage.


    ¡°Emil,¡± Felix said. ¡°Listen to your teacher.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not like them. I don¡¯t want to be like them,¡± Emil retorted. His goal here was to become more powerful. Mixing with¡­ them wasn¡¯t on his priority list.


    ¡°At least, put your attitude away when we meet the headmaster.¡±


    Hearing this, Emil clicked his tongue. He knew that the Night Sage was right. He was already slightly nervous to face the headmaster in case he somehow found out the truth. His teacher had assured him that this wouldn¡¯t happen, but since the Night Sage was one of the headmaster¡¯s personal students of the past, it wasn¡¯t possible for them to avoid him. It¡¯d be more suspicious if they did, really. Emil didn¡¯t want to offend the Demigod, nor did he want to ruin the Night Sage¡¯s reputation in front of his old teacher.


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    Felix patted his son¡¯s head. ¡°Good luck, Emil. Be sure to visit during your school breaks.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Emil didn¡¯t bat away his father¡¯s hand and smiled brightly.


    The two mages climbed out of the carriage and it pulled off.


    ¡°Come on, fool.¡± The Night Sage began to walk up the polished stairs to the Headmaster¡¯s Tower.


    Emil looked up at the blinding white structure that seemed to span into the heavens. ¡°This is where you used to train, Teacher?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a couple of centuries, but yeah,¡± the Night Sage answered. ¡°The headmaster¡¯s students are the elite of the academy. They don¡¯t have to attend regular courses like the others and receive his personal teaching. He selects those who are worthy no matter of their background. That¡¯s how I got it.¡±


    Emil made a sound of amazement. It was weird for him to picture his lazy teacher as the protege of a Demigod. He tried to picture the Night Sage--who never seemed to know how to wear clothing properly--in this stiff uniform.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    The two strolled into of the tower without any difficulty, causing Emil to look around for guards. ¡°No one¡¯s protecting it?¡±


    ¡°Only those with special access can enter. It¡¯s guarded by a Demigod¡¯s magic already. What more does it need?¡±


    Hearing this, Emil couldn¡¯t help but laugh a little. Right. That made sense.


    ¡°Get ready,¡± the Night Sage said as they continued to walk across the empty floor.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Just as he blinked, Emil felt the sensation of teleporting and stopped walking. Then, he found that they had changed locations. They were inside of a dimly lit library.


    What¡¯s with these people and transporting people without warning? Emil wondered as he regained his footing.


    ¡°So, this is your student, Damien?¡± a male¡¯s voice sounded next to Emil and he felt someone pinch his bicep. Just as he turned his head, he felt someone yank a strand of his hair out. ¡°Good quality.¡±


    Emil shifted his gaze again in exasperation, seeing a man was now sitting at the desk while holding Emil¡¯s hair. He twirled his finger around the strand twice and it began to emit a bright light before changing shape. It slowly morphed into a thin, glowing rectangle before dimming.


    The old man tossed the object towards Emil and the boy caught it. He glanced down to see a card made of a stiff but semi-flexible, glossy material. There was a photo of him on it along with his name and a series of numbers.


    ¡°This is your ID card. Don¡¯t lose it. If you want another one made, you¡¯ll have to pay a fee.¡±


    Emil raised his gaze again to see that the man was standing in front of the duo again, his arms crossed behind his back. He looked to be younger than the Night Sage, and everything about him was ordinary from his height to his appearance.


    Who¡¯s this guy?


    ¡°Headmaster Seth,¡± the Night Sage greeted. ¡°You seem well.¡±


    ¡°Pah. Not that you¡¯d care.¡±


    Emil didn¡¯t express the shock he felt inwardly.


    This is¡­ He¡¯s a Demigod.


    There was nothing special about the headmaster and the aura reflected through his anima reminded Emil of Ilya. It was so plain that it was destined to be forgotten.


    Is that a characteristic of a Demigod? Even the Night Sage can¡¯t fully mask all his power from my eyes¡­ How scary. I wonder what type of magic they¡¯re using to do so.


    ¡°Honestly,¡± Seth continued to complain, ¡°After five years of silence, you come out of nowhere with a student and you want me to let him into my academy and that tests aren¡¯t necessary. You think that I¡¯m a joke, don¡¯t you? You¡¯re lucky that I like you.¡± His too-blue eyes focused on Emil. ¡°And, he does seem to be interesting. Good, good. Very good.¡±


    Emil remained quiet as the man continued to poke and prod his body.


    ¡°How much does he know?¡±


    ¡°Only a little,¡± the Night Sage answered.


    ¡°What¡¯s your attribute, boy?¡±


    ¡°Space and time.¡±


    Seth nodded in approval. ¡°Cast Time Lock, extend it as long as you can within your highest radius.¡±


    Emil raised his thumb and bit down onto it, drawing blood. In a swift movement, he pressed his bloodied thumb against his lips and activated the magic. Without the full ritualistic magic, he could only maintain a two-hundred-meter radius frozen in time for one and a half seconds.


    To his surprise, once he activated his magic, the Night Sage and Seth showed no sign of being affected. They were both staring at his thumb. The Night Sage seemed shocked while Seth was excited.


    ¡°Marvelous!¡± Seth said, clapping his hands together. ¡°You taught him this?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I learned it on my own.¡±


    ¡°How interesting!¡± Seth spoke, patting Emil¡¯s shoulders while wearing a broad smile. His eyes were glittering with an unreadable expression, but it gave Emil and instinctively bad feeling.


    He pushed back the discomfort. The voices weren¡¯t responding to Seth¡¯s presence, so it probably wasn¡¯t anything too serious¡­ The Demigod had no reason to hold back any malice, after all, because no one other than another Demigod could pose an issue for him.


    ¡°Cast Gravity Shift now on that desk.¡±


    Emil obliged and directed his magic towards the desk while still holding his bleeding thumb to his mouth. The wood began to creak loudly before the desk shattered underneath the pressure.


    The Demigod appeared to be greatly satisfied. ¡°I suppose I could accept you as my disciple as well!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    That easily? Was there something wrong with Seth? The Night Sage had said he was a man who hated wasting time but wasn¡¯t this a bit too much? He only cast two spells, and Emil was being offered an apprenticeship? He had been ready to endure a harsh test.


    The boy blinked, completely dumbfounded.

 Forty-two: Rapid Enrollment

    ¡°What? You both seemed shocked. Emil, you¡¯re the student of my student, which technically makes me your teacher already.¡± Seth laughed boisterously. ¡°But seriously. The standard classes will do nothing for you if you¡¯ve already reached this point. That¡¯s a waste of talent. You¡¯ll enter the special program that those personally approved by me attend.¡± Seth¡¯s expression grew serious. ¡°Damien, you may have noticed, but Ilya and Brienne have been especially active lately. I can¡¯t let a talent like Emil be exposed to them, so I¡¯ll take him under my wing.¡±


    ¡°Teacher,¡± the Night Sage began. ¡°I don¡¯t think Emil¡¯s ready to join--¡±


    ¡°Ah! Hush! I¡¯m not going to make him pledge loyalty. Since he hasn¡¯t been tainted by them, he doesn¡¯t need the Goddess¡¯ purification,¡± Seth said.


    Emil felt his stomach twitch.


    But if he knows that I¡¯ve met them already, then he would have¡­ What is the purification, exactly? Emil felt grateful that the Night Sage had opted to go this route instead. Emil was sure that formally joining the Church of the Silver Order would have its benefits, but he felt violently ill at the thought of praising the Goddess or any other God.


    He knew that he¡¯d have to be careful with how he spoke to Seth, in case he indicated that he had already been seen by Ilya. From the Night Sage¡¯s explanation, Seth acted lighthearted, but he was a pious man with a deep sense of justice. Meaning that he despised liars. Especially those who lied to him.


    The Night Sage was willing to go along with it for Emil¡¯s sake, so the youth had no intention of messing it up.


    ¡°Now, Emil, you understand what this means?¡± Seth turned his gaze back to Emil. ¡°I¡¯m sure Damien has told you some things.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Yes. I am grateful for the opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Your ID has changed to reflect your status. This allows you access to higher levels on the library as well as other facilities. When you receive your monthly stipend, you also need to show this ID. It also lets you enter my tower at any time where you¡¯ll have your own private lab for training and experimentation. There¡¯s a protective spell on it now as well. Again, don¡¯t lose it.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°I understand.¡± Emil stared at the small item in his hand, feeling that it became vastly more important. There was a golden icon on it of a sword and balance underneath the string of numbers now that hadn¡¯t been before.


    Seth rubbed his chin contently. ¡°Good. Damien, you remember where the dorms were for my students? Take him there. Room five is empty. There¡¯s currently only¡­ four others. Be sure to greet them, Emil. They¡¯re your classmates.¡±


    The Night Sage nodded.


    ¡°Good! Dismissed.¡± With a wave of his hand, the two vanished from their spots and reappeared outside of the tower.


    Emil clutched his head and resisted the urge to curse. He looked at the Night Sage and wanted to share his excitement that they had succeeded, but he knew that he couldn¡¯t speak about it. He had already been warned that Seth was watching. Always.


    The Night Sage didn¡¯t bat a lash and started walking down the cobblestone road. ¡°Come on.¡±


    ¡°Coming, Teacher.¡± Emil hurried after the fast walker.


    ¡°I¡¯m not your teacher anymore. Call me Damien,¡± the Night Sage reminded Emil.


    ¡°Damien,¡± Emil said, the name not sounding right coming from him.


    This made the man laugh. ¡°We¡¯ll work on it.¡±


    The two of them stopped in front of a two-story manor that was just on the other side of the courtyard containing the Headmaster¡¯s Tower. Emil hadn¡¯t noticed it before. It was a short walk and made Emil feel a bit odd considering there was a Demigod a stone¡¯s throw away from where he would be living.


    ¡°The rooms are all on the second floor,¡± the Night Sage explained as he opened the front door and guided Emil inside.


    Emil looked around. They entered a spacious foyer that had stairs parallel to the front door leading up. On the east and west side, there was a hallway. There wasn¡¯t any furniture either, just an empty room. With the sparkling floors and cleanliness, it felt like no one lived here.


    ¡°Well. Have fun. Come visit me on the break.¡± The Night Sage turned and smirked at Emil. With a wink, he said, ¡°Good luck.¡±


    ¡°Wait--¡±


    The Night Sage vanished from his spot and Emil resisted the urge to stomp with frustration.


    Just like that? He was alone and no concept of what he was supposed to do now or where to go!


    Emil spun a few times in confusion then was going to head up the stairs to find his room when the door opened behind him, causing Emil to whip back around.


    A teenage boy had entered, dressed in the same uniform as Emil. He was around Emil¡¯s height but a little taller with glossy, golden hair that reached down to his waist. His eyes were blue and had a sheen of indolence and mischievousness to them. Emil also noticed his long, pointed ears had multiple piercings. He was an elf. Emil thought of the fairytales his mother read to him about elven princes and how glorious their lives were, and how they were such noble beings


    Thinking that the person in front of him embodied this, Emil immediately disliked him.

 Forty-Three: Emils Classmate

    ¡°Oh, so there is a new kid,¡± the elf said in a lazy, drawling voice. ¡°I¡¯m August Johansen. You are?¡±


    ¡°Emil Lund.¡±


    ¡°Headmaster Seth told me that I¡¯m in charge of showing you around here.¡± He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked on his heels. ¡°You got your room assignment?¡±


    ¡°Five,¡± Emil answered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you to it. Anyway, what¡¯s your story?¡±


    ¡°My story?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the middle of the semester. You¡¯re a new student and you got sent straight to the special course. There¡¯s no way you don¡¯t have one.¡± August seemed proud of his deduction. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to share, that¡¯s fine too. Makes you mysterious.¡±


    Emil said, ¡°Headmaster Seth just thought I was impressive.¡±


    August looked back at Emil weirdly as the two progressed up the stairs. ¡°We are going down the mysterious path. I like that.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°Me? Oh. I¡¯m like the black sheep of my family. I¡¯m from a Snow Elf clan on the Nadas continent. Don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve heard of it. Really cold there. Headmaster Seth is friends with my father, so I got sent here to become something worthwhile. Anyway, Headmaster Seth was impressed by my swordsmanship last year, so I got into the special course. I¡¯m not the best when it comes to magic though.¡±


    Not the best? Emil gazed at August and the almost blinding bright, yellow of his anima. When it comes to anima circuits, his is no less than mine or Ira¡¯s. The anima around him is especially pure and dense.


    ¡°Are you being humble? If you¡¯re in the special course, you¡¯re far above average.¡±


    After all, Seth was a mage. Why would he care that much about someone who was good with the sword? Emil was sure that the Demigods had their own way of seeing someone¡¯s strength the way Emil could.


    August said, ¡°You¡¯re a nice guy.¡±


    ¡°Uh, thanks¡­¡± He didn¡¯t think he had said anything groundbreaking, though.


    ¡°Where are you from? Or are we sticking with the elusive past?¡± August joked lightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m from a village of¡­ magicless people. One of the previous students of Headmaster Seth wound up taking me in because I had talent. That¡¯s how I got here,¡± Emil decided to tell August the truth to see what his reaction was.


    ¡°That¡¯s new. Anyway, here¡¯s your room.¡± August stopped in front of the door at the end of the hall they were walking down. ¡°Only your ID can open it. Wave it in front of the lock¡ªit¡¯s enchanted.¡±


    Emil did so and watched with slight amazement as the door clicked open and the two strode into the room.


    It was around the same size as his room at the Night Sage¡¯s home. It was sparsely decorated and had the same white, cream, and gold color scheme as everything else.


    ¡°Bed. Desk. Closet. Pretty standard. You have your own bathroom, too. Doesn¡¯t look like you have anything to unpack so do you want to continue the tour or take a break?¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°We can continue.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Which student?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You said someone took you in. Who?¡±


    ¡°The Night Sage. Damien.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t met him. Heard he¡¯s a bit different from the others. He didn¡¯t join the Church.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°You plan on joining the Church?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet.¡±


    August shrugged. ¡°Me either. Follow me. There are only two relevant places downstairs: the kitchen and the recreational room. I¡¯ll show you. Oh, right. Don¡¯t tell the others where you¡¯re from. They¡¯re elitist so they¡¯ll bitch about it. Almost everyone here is. I personally don¡¯t care where you¡¯re from. So, you can stop glaring at me.¡±


    Emil realized that his gaze on August had been severe the entire time and coughed awkwardly. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, I get it. My girlfriend¡¯s a commoner. She hated me, too. She said I look like a pompous asshole. I can¡¯t help it. I was born with this face. Also, you can tell others if you want. I¡¯m not stopping you. Just figured I¡¯d let you know.¡±


    Emil tried to follow along with August¡¯s rapid conversation changes and followed the teen out of his room. ¡°Um, will they ask?¡±


    ¡°Probably. It¡¯s like a battle to see who¡¯s more superior than who. I can tell you about the other three that live here if you¡¯d like. They¡¯re not completely insufferable except for Eddie. Eddie sucks.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s Eddie?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been here the longest and he¡¯s graduating next year. He¡¯s at the third Adamentem rank and he¡¯s only thirty. He¡¯s trying to reach Speculo before graduation.¡±


    Emil whistled. The mortal ranks extended one¡¯s lifespan by a certain amount of time. The standard time it took for someone to break through the next rank multiplied with each step. Just reaching the Aurum rank could take someone ten to twenty years from the start of Argenti. Aurum to Adamentem could take another fifty or so years. As for Speculo? It could take centuries, and some would never reach it within their lifetime. With that in mind, it was clear to see how much of an amazement Eddie was.


    ¡°We all know that he will. He just needs a bit more time. Then he¡¯ll become one of those legends you hear about and his ego will probably explode. By the way, he hates it when you call him Eddie--his name¡¯s Edward. It depends on which of his sides you want to be on. Good or bad. He¡¯s in room one. He¡¯s already joined the Church as well, so he gets even more benefits than us.¡± August sighed. ¡°This is the kitchen. We don¡¯t use it. Just go to the dining hall.¡±


    Emil didn¡¯t know how to cook very well and had grown used to simply eating monster meat he grilled over a fire in the wilderness. ¡°Why did you say it¡¯s important if no one uses it?¡±


    August appeared to be confused. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Anyway, the living room is through here. We aren¡¯t exactly friends with each other here, so we don¡¯t use this room much either. Sometimes, though, Seth calls meetings and we have to gather here.¡±


    ¡°Not in his tower?¡±


    ¡°No. He doesn¡¯t come down. It¡¯s just a projection.¡± August scratched his head. ¡°Uh, you haven¡¯t seen the campus, have you?¡±


    Emil shook his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty huge. But we don¡¯t have any classes there. The places we have use for are the dining hall, the library, and¡­ is that it? Oh. I guess that¡¯s it. Everything for us is in the Headmaster¡¯s Tower. But we do have access to the supply market! That is useful. Basically, we can use our stipend the headmaster gives us there to buy materials. You can also sell and trade stuff there or whatever. It¡¯s a marketplace for us students. We¡¯re special course students so we get a discount and we can also get priority when new shipments come in. And, we¡¯re allowed into the upper levels no matter what grade¡ªteacher supplies included. That place is my favorite. Trust me, you¡¯ll be in there almost every day,¡± August explained as the two headed out of the Headmaster¡¯s wing and back into the main section of Silverblue Academy.


    Once they were back in the public area, students could be walking about or sitting in the grassy areas. Emil saw others casting magic and some people flying on carpets or brooms, there was even a Pegasus soaring through the sky. The sun was high in the sky, shining brightly and causing the white stone on the walls and walkways to glow.


    When he had been inside the carriage, Emil had hardly looked around. He felt a bit of disdain towards it and the students. Now, he was amazed by the scenery here. The arcana school seemed to be removed from the world that existed outside of the school¡¯s gate. It was impossible to not get swept up in the glorious atmosphere.


    August patiently stood by Emil as the teen looked around, his eyes shining. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful, right?¡±


    Emil, who had grown used to a grim world full of murder and strife, could only nod his head in agreement. He felt his heart swell with hope for the future. He wished that he could hold his mother¡¯s and father¡¯s hand, telling them that he had made it where they wanted him to go.


    ¡°Really¡­ beautiful.¡±

 Forty-Four: The Special Courses Condition

    ¡°Melissa and Xavier are the other two in our class. Melissa is Eddie¡¯s rival, but she¡¯s not as good as him, so it¡¯s mostly one-sided,¡± August spoke as the two continued their tour of the academy. ¡°She only cares if you¡¯re strong, but she¡¯s a bit biased against commoners. Xavier doesn¡¯t bother with anyone so if he seems uninterested in you just know he¡¯s always like that.¡±


    Emil had discovered that August was highly talkative and popular around the academy. According to him, he had only been enrolled here for a year now, but he seemed to know everyone on campus. He also seemed to know everything about everyone. He would occasionally point to someone and mention their name, attribute, and ranking as well as a brief story about them. Or after someone came up to them, he would do the same.


    He¡¯s intelligent and observant with an excellent memory. I need to be careful about what I say around him. Emil picked up on this quickly. August seemed to act carefree, but Emil had sensed that his personality went deeper than that. Anyone personally selected by a Demigod isn¡¯t normal, after all.


    August went on to mention that Xavier was at the top of the Aurum rank while Melissa was a step behind Eddie. None of them exceeded the age of forty. Each of the four was an undeniable genius.


    This included August. He was only sixteen and at the second tier of the Aurum rank, two pieces of information he had casually mentioned separately from each other.


    Emil glanced at the teen through the corner of his eye, seeing the sword that was hanging at his side. Admittedly, he was curious about August¡¯s strength.


    ¡°I need to show you how to properly use your special access to the library. We might run into Xavier at the there. His nose is always buried in a book,¡± August, unaware of Emil¡¯s scrutiny, continued to ramble. ¡°He will ignore us. Maybe a glance. But at least you¡¯ll know who he is.¡±


    ¡°How long has Xavier been under Headmaster Seth¡¯s tutelage?¡±


    ¡°Five years. Melissa and Eddie have been here for fifteen.¡± August didn¡¯t think long before he spoke.


    ¡°Oh. You never mentioned what their attributes were,¡± Emil said, not wanting to miss out on any information.


    ¡°You¡¯re right! Eddie¡¯s a dual fire and earth attribute. Melissa¡¯s metal. Xavier has the darkness affinity. I¡¯m a tri-attribute. Ice, light, and water.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± Emil took another look at August. Even though he¡¯d never mention that he had an affinity with every element, Emil knew how impressive having two attributes was. Three were even rarer.


    ¡°Yours?¡±


    ¡°Space and time.¡±


    August¡¯s brows shot up. ¡°Let me ride on your coattails, brother.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Why?¡± Emil frowned.


    ¡°Because, not only did the headmaster make an exception for you, you have the rarest affinities. You¡¯re someone great. If not now, certainly later.¡±


    ¡°Speak for yourself.¡±


    August smiled awkwardly and scratched his head. ¡°Well¡­ anyway. This is the library coming up.¡± He pointed towards a building that was like a miniature version of the Headmaster¡¯s Tower. ¡°Freshmen have access to the first floor only. Sophomores first and second. Juniors, all the above plus the third floor. I¡¯m sure you can guess what the seniors get. We have access up to the tenth floor¡ªthere are twelve floors total. Even the teachers can¡¯t go on the eleventh or twelfth floor, only those with explicit permission from Headmaster Seth can.¡±


    ¡°The special course gets a lot of benefits.¡± They had their own private labs, so they didn¡¯t have to rent them like other students. They got discounts at the supply market plus access to higher grade items. They didn¡¯t pay tuition and received a stipend instead. They lived in a private manor. They didn¡¯t attend classes¡­ Emil was wondering if it was better to call them freeloaders. He had been expecting to study seriously here and attend the famed ¡°school¡± he had heard tales about. ¡°We¡¯re barely students,¡± he joked.


    August laughed at Emil and patted his shoulder. ¡°Kid, I don¡¯t think you get it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not,¡± Emil said. ¡°Also, I¡¯m only a year younger than you.¡±


    ¡°Listen. We are the personal students of a Demigod. Okay? A Demigod. One of the most powerful existences in the world. Do you know why?¡±


    ¡°Because we¡¯re talented.¡±


    August seemed exasperated. ¡°Yes, but no. It''s our potential. They want to aid us to grow as strong as we can be so that we join their side. Headmaster Seth has an organization behind him. They do all of this, so we don¡¯t go somewhere else. Powerful people¡ªI¡¯m talking Pura and Terra ranks¡ªwant us to join their side because they know what we can become in the future. But the academy makes sure that we get better benefits than what anyone else can offer. They have a damn good system. Even if we don¡¯t join the Church of the Silver Order, most of the alumni maintain a good relationship and would help in times of need. This bolsters their strength, making them the top church out of the rest. Make sense?¡±


    Emil nodded, understanding better.


    Right. There are people like Ilya out there. And the other members of Octagram must follow different Gods as well. All of them are in competition with each other. Geniuses like Eddie are sure to go far in the future, so of course, they¡¯d want them to follow their God or at least be aligned to their side and know they won¡¯t aide others.


    The world started to grow smaller in Emil¡¯s mind.


    It¡¯s all connected. Seth doesn¡¯t recruit rare talents just to shower them with resources. There¡¯s a reason.


    Emil was about to say something else when a loud shout interrupted him, ¡°Everyone! Lady Melissa is challenging Sir Edward to a quick match! It¡¯s starting soon!¡±


    After the excited yell amplified with magic rung throughout the campus, a large group of students stopped what they were doing and started rushing off the same direction.


    ¡°Oh, this is fun,¡± August said, a lazy smirk spreading on his face.


    ¡°Melissa and Edward? From the special course?¡± Emil questioned. ¡°A duel?¡±


    ¡°Students can issue matches with each other. It was meant as a way for us to gain combat experience, but most people use it to settle grudges. Other students can watch it. After all, how many times do you get to see two Adamentem ranks battle? You can learn a lot by watching them.¡± August scratched his nose. ¡°To be honest, this is probably a show they¡¯re putting on for you.¡±


    ¡°For me?¡±


    ¡°Yup. To teach you your place, rookie,¡± August said. He slapped his hand against Emil¡¯s shoulder and laughed. ¡°We don¡¯t have to go. Then they¡¯ll look like a pair of idiots. Which is also fun.¡±


    Emil shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯d like to see.¡±


    Like August said, it wasn¡¯t often that he¡¯d be able to see such powerful people fight. And, Emil was curious about what Headmaster Seth¡¯s geniuses were like.

 Forty-Five: A Quick Match

    The oval amphitheater where student duels were held was located a mile away from the main campus. There was currently a long line out front with many students attempting to get inside all at once.


    August and Emil easily bypassed the line, going through the entrance designated for staff. There was a reserved section for the special course students to sit that had the best view, so the two went there.


    To Emil¡¯s surprise, there was a person already seated in one of the spots with medium-length, curly black hair.


    ¡°Oh! Xavier, you¡¯re going to watch, too?¡±


    Xavier turned his head at August¡¯s voice, revealing his deathly pale and inhumanely handsome face. His red eyes flashed when they rested on Emil. ¡°Yes.¡± Xavier swirled the wine glass in his hand which was filled with a thick, crimson liquid and raised it to his lips.


    August laughed and sat in the chair to Xavier¡¯s left while Emil took the one next to him. ¡°Xavier¡¯s a reborn pureblood vampire prince. The current age of his body now is only twenty-four, but the blood in his veins is as old as dust,¡± August explained. ¡°Hey, what did you say your bloodline was again?¡±


    Xavier scoffed and didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°Right. He won¡¯t tell me because it reveals his weaknesses.¡± August turned back to Emil with a grin. ¡°He¡¯s a decent guy though. He doesn¡¯t bother with the power struggles. He¡¯s the lone wolf of the special course.¡±


    You¡¯re saying a lot about him in front of his face¡­ Emil thought.


    Xavier, who was clearly used to August¡¯s behavior, turned his gaze to the field below. ¡°It¡¯s starting.¡±


    Emil looked down and saw two figures emerging from either side of the sandy arena.


    The first was a giant of a man who must¡¯ve stood at least two meters tall. His skin was a deep shade of red, and a horn wrapped in golden bands protruded from his forehead.


    ¡°He¡¯s Eddie, he¡¯s Dragonborn,¡± August said.


    That¡¯s¡­ a Dragonborn? He looks more like a demon.


    Emil¡¯s eyes widened as he had never seen a member of the draconic race before. Activating his special vision, Emil saw that the color of Eddie¡¯s anima circuit was a rich gold with some flecks of emerald green mixed in.


    ¡°That¡¯s Melissa.¡±


    Emil redirected his gaze from the Dragonborn to the short, slender woman on the opposite side of the battlefield.


    Her auburn hair was tied back into a ponytail, showcasing her pretty, freckled face. Next to Eddie, the ordinary woman looked like she would be crushed if he flicked her. But the expression on her petite face was severe and intimidating.


    Emil saw that her anima was the same golden color as Eddie¡¯s, but without green.


    ¡°Watch closely,¡± August warned. ¡°Quick matches have a five-minute time limit to get your opponent to surrender or be rendered unfit to continue. These battles go fast.¡±


    A loud beep rang through the arena and the previously bustling crowd went completely silent. Emil knew that this meant the duel was to begin now and found himself leaning forward in his seat.


    Eddie began to walk towards Melissa leisurely, his chiseled face bearing a mocking expression.


    Melissa shook her sleeve and three, small metallic balls fell out and levitated in the air while spinning slowly. She began to whisper underneath her breath, moving her arms and legs in a strange, stiff dance. A magic array took form behind her head, glowing like a halo.


    ¡°One!¡± the petite woman let out a shout that reverberated in Emil¡¯s ears and made his brain shake.


    The metal sphere shot out from the spinning ring, leaving behind a beam of light as it headed towards Eddie with a sonic boom. Eddie rose his hand up slowly as he continued to stalk towards Melissa. The object collided with his palm with a clap, continuing to rotate rapidly until it lost all its steam. Eddie didn¡¯t even stop or falter in his steps and dropped the ball down to the ground, landing heavy thump, a small dent formed in the sand.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Emil felt cold sweat run down his back. He knew that the sphere had enough strength to snap his body in half like a twig, but Eddie had caught it without much effort.


    That wasn¡¯t magic! It was just his pure, physical strength.


    ¡°Two!¡± Melissa said.


    The remaining balls shot out in a curved path, approaching Eddie from both sides. The Dragonborn smirked and made a subtle gesture with his left hand. Multiple earthen barriers rose out from the sand between him and the balls approaching on either side. The spheres broke through the obstructions with each, loud cracks echoing with each shattered wall.


    As this was happening, Eddie had raised his palms and whispered something. Pillars of flame burst out from his hands once the last barrier was destroyed, causing the spheres to be blasted backward. They slammed into the magical barrier that protected the crowd and collapsed to the ground harmlessly.


    Melissa flicked her hands and the three balls shot back towards her, resuming to rotate in a ring around her wrist.


    The exchange happened so quickly that Emil could barely blink if he wanted to know what had just happened. There was an underlying degree of skill and sophistry that carried through all their movements.


    ¡°It¡¯s my turn, right?¡± Eddie spoke in a deep, gravelly voice. He had stopped moving and smiled tauntingly at Melissa. He didn¡¯t bother trying to hide his arrogance either and was looking down at her.


    Emil felt his distaste towards the man growing.


    Hearing this, Melissa said, ¡°Eleven.¡±


    The balls attached themselves to her wrist and turned liquid. The silver material rapidly spread across her body and formed armor. A metal, great shield sprung out, thumping against the ground as Melissa crouched behind it.


    Eddie laughed and shook his head. He muttered four short, ugly sounding words. A light formed at the tip of his horn and four, tiny flames rose up into the air above his head.


    Within a split second, the fire that had risen from Eddie¡¯s horn had swelled in size and formed four heads of a dragon.


    That¡¯s Salamander¡¯s Rage¡­ Did he cast four that easily? And each of them is more potent than the one I had used back then! This guy is on a different level than me entirely. Emil¡¯s entire body felt itchy and his throat was beginning to close. Even though there was a barrier, Emil felt the illusion of the intense heat produced by the spell.


    Salamander¡¯s Rage was a difficult spell to master. Its potential could only be brought out by those with a powerful fire attribute. But not only had Eddie reached that requirement, but he had also surpassed it and transformed the spell into an even more powerful one!


    It¡¯s not over...


    Those heads then combined once again, forming a gigantic head above Eddie that began to develop into a dragon¡¯s full body. The beast was completely made of orange and red fire with eyes glowing white. It spanned at least fifty meters in length.


    The dragon opened its large mouth and an earth-shaking roar erupted. The entire foundation of the coliseum shook, and dust began to fall from the pillars.


    A blast of fire exploded out from the dragon¡¯s mouth, directed towards Melissa. ¡°Fourteen!¡± she exclaimed as the flame approached her.


    The great shield suddenly doubled in size, fourteen female heads sprung out from its perimeter and began to sing in haunted, ethereal voices. The shield began to glow with a brilliant light.


    The flame impacted against the shield.


    A loud boom echoed throughout, and a blinding light filled the arena, but Emil didn¡¯t dare to look away despite his eyes burning.


    He watched as Melissa was slowly being pushed back despite using her entire body to attempt to move forward against Eddie¡¯s attack. While she was struggling, the Dragonborn had his hands in the pockets of his uniform and was gazing at her coldly.


    Her feet dug into the ground, leaving deep gouges as she slid backward. Emil saw her muscles flexing underneath her skin-tight armor, her thighs and calves doubling in size. With his vision, he saw that she was concentrating her anima in these areas and feeding it into her muscles. Emil felt amazed by her ability to do the complicated process within a matter of moments.


    Eddie clapped once and the flame intensified. A second dragon head burst from out from the neck, its mouth wide open and another breath of fire charged towards Melissa, slamming against her shield.


    The song of the sirens was drowned out by the sound of a dragon¡¯s roar.


    Melissa, unable to withstand it, was blasted off her feet and flew backward into the barrier with a thud that rang throughout. Emil felt the ground shake again upon her collision.


    Her shield has shattered as well as her armor, the three balls returning to their original shape and falling to the ground with a useless clatter. Eddie waved his hand the moment this happened, and his attack ceased. He seemed to be bored.


    She crumpled to the ground, still conscious. Her hands formed into fists, clutching the rough sand in them. Emil couldn¡¯t see her eyes, but he knew that she frustrated.


    Even if it was supposedly a battle to curb any arrogance Emil might¡¯ve had, she had been utterly crushed by her opponent. He didn¡¯t give into her at all.


    If Emil didn¡¯t understand how skilled she was, he would¡¯ve believed that she was an easy opponent. Eddie¡¯s strength had been too dominating for anyone to think otherwise.


    Eddie moved forward until he loomed over Melissa¡¯s petite figure. ¡°Well?¡±


    Melissa pushed herself up with shaky arms. Her teeth gnashed together, and she said, ¡°I surrender.¡±


    The crowd erupted into cheers.